Note in your book of shadows which god(s) you called upon to assist your spellwork and why. Describe how you experienced his energy and how he made himself known to you. What transpired during the spell or ritual? What results came about?
Spell to Overcome an Obstacle
When a daunting challenge looms before you, call in some extra muscle to handle the task. Since ancient times, the people of India have drawn upon the strength of the elephant-headed god Ganesh to help them overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. You can too.
TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS
An image of an elephant or of Ganesh (for example, a magazine photo or small figurine)
An athame
Cast a circle around the area where you will do your spell.
Close your eyes and imagine you’re in a dark, dense jungle. The vegetation is so thick you can see only a foot or two ahead of you. All sorts of dangers lurk unseen. Your situation seems impossible. You feel trapped and helpless.
Suddenly you hear the trumpeting call of an elephant—it’s Ganesh coming to your rescue. He rushes toward you and lifts you with his trunk onto his back.
Explain to him the nature of your problem. Visualize yourself riding on Ganesh’s shoulders as he marches into the jungle, trampling everything in his path.
With your athame begin slashing away at the vines and branches in your way (the dense vegetation symbolizes the obstacles facing you). Envision yourself hacking through the obstacles as space opens up before you. Feel Ganesh’s strength, lifting you high above your problems.
Keep chopping away. You don’t have to see all the way to the end, just tackle each obstacle as it presents itself.
When you feel ready, climb down from Ganesh’s back and thank him for his assistance. You now realize you have the ability to handle whatever challenges arise.
Open the circle.
In your grimoire, describe how you felt performing this spell. Note your impressions, emotions, insights, visions, etc. Also write down how this spell and the deity’s aid helped you overcome obstacle(s) in your life, and the results you experienced. You might want to paste the picture of Ganesh in your book or carry a small figurine in your pocket to remind you that you have a powerful ally on your side.
PETITIONING DEITIES
How can you get a god or goddess on your side? Many witches believe that divine assistance is always available to you and that the deities gladly offer their guidance, help, and energy to humans to use for positive purposes. Some view divine beings as higher aspects of human consciousness, which can be accessed and activated through magickal means.
If you want to connect with a particular entity, first ask that god or goddess to hear your request and come to your aid. One theory states that deities will not interfere with your own free will—you must ask them sincerely for help.
Honoring Deities
If you aren’t accustomed to having a divine being as a partner in your spiritual pursuits, you may wonder how to go about petitioning your favorite god or goddess for assistance. Here are a few suggestions:
Make an offering to the deity. Burning incense is a popular offering, although you may prefer a method that more specifically corresponds to the nature of the deity whose help you seek. Bacchus, for instance, is extremely fond of wine, so you could set a glass of good Cabernet on your altar and dedicate it to him.
Place a picture or figurine of the chosen deity on your altar.
Offer prayers, chants, poems, or songs to the deity.
Light a candle in honor of the deity you wish to petition.
Design and perform a ritual to the deity.
Choose a gemstone for which the deity has an affinity, such as golden topaz for Amaterasu or moonstone for Diana, and place the gem on your altar.
Plant herbs or flowers in honor of the god or goddess, or set a vase of flowers on your altar. Choose plants that correspond to the deity; asters, for example, are linked with the Greek goddess Astraea.
Which Deity Is the Right One?
Throughout history, people have linked gods and goddesses with certain qualities, skills, and powers, and their unique attributes can help you in your magickal work. If you’re doing a spell for a particular purpose—and usually that’s the case—your best bet is to request aid from a deity who has a special affinity with your objective.
In love spells, seek aid from Venus, Aphrodite, Freya, or Aengus.
For prosperity spells, call upon Lakshmi, Zeus, or the Green Man.
Ask Brigid, Ceres, or Lugh for assistance with healing spells.
If you seek protection, call on Artemis, Tara, or Horus.
To gain wisdom or inspiration, ask Brigid, Cerridwen, Sophia, Mercury, Odin, or Thoth for help.
Spells for courage or strength could benefit from the help of Mars, Sekhmet, or Ganesh.
Sometimes all you have to do to enlist a deity’s aid is ask. However, you can show your sincerity by placing an image of the god or goddess on your altar, or in another place of honor. If the deity has a holiday associated with him/her, celebrate it. As suggested previously, you could also make an offering to a deity—incense, flowers, gemstones, etc.
Creating Altars to Deities
In addition to your primary altar, you may choose to create another altar and dedicate it to a favorite deity. This could be a more or less permanent altar, if your living circumstances permit, or a temporary one that you set up for a particular ritual and dismantle when you’re finished.
Place a statue, picture, or other image of the deity on the altar.
If the deity you’re petitioning presides over a certain sabbat or season of the year, put emblems of his or her special time on the altar.
Drape the altar with a cloth in a color that reminds you of the deity: blue-green for water gods and goddesses, such as Neptune, Aphrodite, and Oshun; red, orange, or gold for fiery deities such as Apollo, Brigid, and Pele.
If the deity has a connection with a certain direction, position the altar there. The archangel Michael, for instance, presides over the south, so an altar to him should occupy a south-facing spot.
You may want to include pictures of your favorite deities in your grimoire. Draw them yourself, or download them from the Internet. How about taking a photo of the altar you create to honor the deity and affixing it in your book of shadows? If you’ve composed a poem, song, or incantation to the deity, write that down too. What else did you do to petition a god or goddess? How did he or she respond?
The Charge of the Goddess
At some time, nearly every witch has likely experienced the desire to draw the energy of the Goddess or God into herself or himself. For the veteran priestess and priest, invoking the Goddess is often done as a part of ritual known as “drawing down the moon.”
In this ritual, the priestess and priest work in tandem, with the priest invoking the great Goddess and the priestess receiving the energy of the Goddess into herself. The priestess then radiates this power outward through the circle. This sacred invocation is not exclusive to female/male working relationships. It is possible to attain divine consciousness on your own—communion with the deities is bestowed directly by the Goddess and not by any other person.
As we discussed in Chapter 1, the American-born folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland published accounts of interviews he said he’d conducted with an Italian strega (sorceress or witch) whose true identity remains unknown. Among the material Leland presented in his 1899 book Aradia, Gospel of the Witches was the earliest known version of the “Charge of the Goddess.” The strega’s particular tradition of Italian witchcraft focuses on the Roman goddess Diana, who gives birth to a daughter, Aradia.
This is perhaps an older tradition of Dianic witchcraft, which is now primarily associated with exclusively female covens. In the past, Dianic witchcraft was more closely connected with the worship of the moon goddess, personified by Diana and Aradia, than with a strictly feminine agenda. In this passage, Diana has instructed Aradia how to craft spe
lls and ward off enemies, and now Aradia imparts her knowledge to others:
“When I shall have departed from this world,
Whenever ye have need of anything,
Once in the month, and when the moon is full,
Ye shall assemble in some desert place,
Or in a forest all together join
To adore the potent spirit of your queen,
My mother, great Diana. She who fain
Would learn all sorcery yet has not won
Its deepest secrets, then my mother will
Teach her, in truth all things as yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from all slavery,
And so shall ye be free in everything;
And as the sign that ye are truly free,
Ye shall be naked in your rites, both men
And women also: this shall last until
The last of your oppressors shall be dead;
And ye shall make the game of Benevento,
Extinguishing the lights, and after that
Shall hold your supper thus.”
Following, Leland gave instructions for consecrating the meal, conjuring sacred cakes with wine, salt, and honey, and then forming them into crescent shapes before baking. Consider the age of this verse, and compare it to the more modern versions of the Charge of the Goddess found in other books—you’ll see the evolution of the modern charge from its origins in the Aradia text. This evolution is an excellent example of how you can take wisdom that has been handed down over time and make it truly your own.
ANGELS
Virtually every faith speaks of angels in its legends, myths, and religious texts. According to most views, angels are considered cosmic messengers and spiritual guardians. They protect and guide human beings. They also serve as celestial helpers who carry requests between earth and the divine realm—the word “angel” derives from the Greek angelos, meaning messenger.
Guardian Angels
Spiritual and magickal traditions present many different conceptions of angels. In general, angels are considered the “good guys” in the universe. The simplest and most common image is that of the guardian angel, a personal celestial guide who may or may not have been human at one time. Your angel hears your prayers, watches over you, and helps you handle challenges in your life.
The Qu’ran tells us, “For every soul, there is a guardian watching it.” Both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible regularly mention guardian angels. In the gospel of Matthew, for instance, St. Jerome explains, “Each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.” The Talmud speaks of guardian angels being assigned both to individuals and to nations.
“Angels are anthropomorphic winged forms personifying divine will. Possibly evolved from Semitic and Egyptian winged deities, they appear in a number of religions as intermediaries between material and spiritual planes.”
—JACK TRESIDDER, THE COMPLETE DICTIONARY OF SYMBOLS
Because guardian angels are believed to be the first-step intermediaries between humans and the divine realm, you can call upon your angel(s) whenever you need assistance, and feel confident that you’ll receive guidance. Here are some ways your guardian angel(s) can help you in your magick work:
In protection spells, ask your guardian angel(s) to keep you safe and sound in the face of challenges.
If you’re doing a travel spell, invite your angelic guide to accompany you on your journey.
Want to send a message to the higher realms? Write your request on a slip of paper, and then burn it in your cauldron; as the smoke rises to the heavens it carries your request with it.
Angelic Hierarchies
Another theory proposes the existence of an angelic hierarchy, composed of many types of angels with varying roles and powers. The mystic Dionysius the Areopagite devised a three-tiered system for categorizing the heavenly entities. According to his system, each level contains three groups of angelic beings, each with their own powers and responsibilities.
In the uppermost tier, the highest order known as seraphim wear red and cluster around the throne of God where they aid creation.
Beneath them the cherubim, garbed in gold and blue, worship God and keep the Akashic records.
Thrones, dressed in judges’ robes, confer divine justice on those under them.
Below these three rarified orders, we find three more groups of angelic beings at the second level:
Divine managers known as dominions wear crowns; they direct the other angels and govern the elements.
Under them, virtues carrying white lilies or red roses work miracles throughout the cosmos.
The powers, at the bottom of the second tier, fight evil in the universe.
Beings on the lowest tier maintain connections between the spirit world and the manifest one, and convey God’s will to earth.
Princes guide the nations and territories of the material world.
Archangels aid the forces of nature and oversee the angels.
At the bottom of the system, just above the level of human beings, angels protect people and convey messages to us from the higher levels.
This system says humans can only communicate with the entities on the lower two levels: angels and archangels. In earlier chapters, we’ve talked about calling upon the archangels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel through ritual. Guardian angels, it appears, are always with us, willing to lend a helping hand when we need it.
If you choose to work with angels and/or archangels, your encounters can be, well, heavenly! Describe your experiences in your grimoire. How did you contact and interact with the deities? Which deities appeared to you? Did you sense their immediate presence? What did you see, hear, feel, smell, intuit? How did their assistance enhance your magick work, your spiritual growth, and/or other areas of your life?
ELEMENTALS
Many beings that ordinarily remain unseen live side by side with us in the physical world. Folklore and faery tales frequently refer to these entities. Seafaring legends, for instance, often mention mermaids, and leprechauns appear with regularity in Irish lore. Most people discount these creatures as pure fantasy, but witches recognize them as elementals.
Sometimes called nature spirits, these nonphysical beings could be considered ambassadors for the four elements—fire, earth, water, and air—hence their name. Each resides within its element and possesses unique qualities characteristic of the element from which it harkens. If you befriend them, elementals will serve as devoted helpers and eagerly assist you in performing magick spells. But be aware: elementals can be tricksters, so approach them with care.
Salamanders
These fire spirits are naturally drawn to people who exhibit courage, creativity, passion, and initiative. When you do spells that involve action, inspiration, or vitality, salamanders can serve as liaisons, marshaling the forces of the fire element to assist you. Need an infusion of inspiration to complete your novel or a boost of stamina to win an important athletic event? Call upon these lively beings for help.
Paracelsus, the sixteenth-century philosopher, physician, and occultist, described them as looking like balls of fire or flaming tongues flashing across the landscape. Sometimes salamanders are depicted as lizard-like in shape. The ancients said salamanders hailed from the southern regions and brought nature’s heat, without which warm-blooded creatures could not exist.
Gnomes
Gnomes are earth spirits. Sometimes called trolls, elves, dwarfs, or leprechauns, these practical, no-nonsense creatures may appear a bit gruff. However, they possess a wonderful appreciation for material things and can be valuable aides when you’re doing prosperity spells. They have power over the plant and mineral kingdoms, so when you do magick with botanicals or gemstones, you’re also working with the gnomes.
Legends say gnomes reside in caves or underground, where they guard hidden treasure. The ancient Greeks believed earth spirits known as hamadryads lived in trees, and if the tree was cut down the spirit died too. We find many vary
ing depictions of gnomes in folklore, though often they’re described as resembling small, sturdy humans, sometimes with coarse hair or fur—rather like Snow White’s dwarfs—who come from the northern regions.
Undines (or Ondines)
Mermaids are the most famous of these water spirits. These beautiful but sometimes capricious beings are drawn to emotional situations and relate best to sensitive, intuitive, and artistic people. Invite these elementals to assist you when you’re doing love spells.
Usually considered female, undines live in oceans, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, marshes, even fountains. Legends refer to them by many names, including naiads, water sprites, sea maidens, and selkies. Sometimes they’re depicted as diminutive blue-green creatures who live under lily pads; other myths describe them as looking like incredibly lovely women with long hair and fishtails or scales, perhaps riding on the backs of dolphins. Undines care for the waterways of the world and all the marine life therein. (See my book Mermaids: The Myths, Legends, & Lore for information about undines throughout history.)
Sylphs
These air spirits gravitate to intelligent, literary, and analytical people. Their specialty is communication—call on them when you need help with negotiating contracts, handling legal issues, or managing other concerns that involve communication. Sylphs can also assist you in test-taking, public speaking, or writing.
As you might suspect, sylphs reside in the air. Legends depict them as delicate flying creatures who flit rapidly from place to place, riding the winds of the world. The tiny winged beings usually referred to as faeries are most likely sylphs. Some reports describe them as shimmering lights, rather like fireflies.
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