Llewellyn's 2012 Witches' Companion

by Llewellyn

  Chili to the Rescue!

  Another staple of the magickal quick cook is chili, made with canned beans so that it’s ready in less than ten minutes. Choose three cans of beans, any combination of dark red kidney beans, light red kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, and pinto beans. All beans are associated with health, prosperity, stability, fertility, growth, increase, and strength. Color attributes can also be considered, perhaps choosing red beans for a meal to bring love, black beans to banish, brown beans for earth energies, and so on. Select the energetic attributes that match your magickal intent and empower the beans you’ve chosen accordingly, keeping the bean’s symbolism and inherent power and the goal of your spellworking in mind as you cook.

  All beans are associated with health, prosperity, stability, fertility, growth, increase, and strength. Color attributes can also be considered.

  Put the beans in a pot on the stove and set the heat to medium-high. Thinly slice or finely chop any vegetables you plan to use, such as carrots, broccoli, squash, onion, or bell pepper, then add these to the beans, envisioning the magickal energies of the vegetables entering the mix. Add canned tomatoes and stir. Next add spices, empowered to bring out their magick, of course: cumin and garlic for strength, health, and defense; pepper for defensive banishing and binding; salt for purification, protection, and power; and chili powder for magickal energy, banishing, and passion. Stir using Mudra mixing or another magickal technique. Once vegetables are tender and beans are heated, the meal is ready to work its magick.

  Prosperity Potatoes

  Try this recipe to spark ideas for your own magickal meals.

  3 small gold potatoes (for tenacity, strength, wealth, or health)

  Pinch of basil (for money or general prosperity)

  Pinch of rosemary (for prosperity or good luck)

  Pinch of salt (for success, prosperity, or energy)

  A few tablespoons of olive oil or other vegetable oil (for wealth)

  1 can of dark red kidney beans (for strength or passion)

  Heat the oil in a pan as you cut the potatoes into very thin slices, thinking of how you are slicing through all obstacles. Place these in the oil and using your hand or wand, trace dollar signs or pentacles over the potatoes. Add the spices as you think about your prosperity growing and wealth pouring down on you from many different channels. Pour in the beans and think of your tenacity and strength. Let this cook for about seven or eight minutes, until the potatoes are tender, then serve.

  With just a little practice, you’ll quickly master the art of ten-minute magickal cooking and be able to reap the rewards on even your busiest days. You’ll increase your ability to direct energy, improve the quality of your food, and have a new effective method for magickally creating the life you desire.

  Melanie Marquis’s bio appears on page 22.

  Illustrator: Christa Marquez

  The Sun Also Rises:

  Dealing with Grief

  James Kambos

  As I write this piece, summer is at high tide and my garden is filled with color. Yellow coneflowers bloom along the old fence and the hummingbirds look like flying jewels as they flash amid the red bee balm. In the afternoon heat, the cicada’s chorus rises—it is the drowsy song of summer.

  When a butterfly settles gently on a zinnia, I’m reminded how nature abides by an orderly sense of rhythm. Everything has a purpose and a direction, such as the pattern of the changing seasons.

  Yet there inevitably comes a time in each of our lives when we seem to have no purpose and no direction—a time when the only season we know is the season of grief. Such a time came to me recently. A time when I thought the sun would never rise again. This period made me draw upon the wisdom of the Craft more than ever and tested my belief in magic. This is not an article written by an expert. This is only the story of one man’s journey out of the darkness, and I’m hoping my experience will help someone else.

  Grief is a grim companion that can come to us in various ways. Death, the end of a marriage, and job loss are only a few of the causes. My own grief began after I dealt with a series of tragedies over a short period of time. My boss and friend of twenty-eight years was killed in an automobile collision, so I lost my best friend and my job. The final blow came when my mother, whom I had been caring for the last two years, died unexpectedly.

  It was 5 am when I left the hospital the February morning my mother died. The moon was full and frost glinted on the windshields of the cars in the hospital parking lot. I placed my mother’s belongings in the backseat. I found it hard to believe she would never need them again.

  On the drive home, I experienced my first magical encounter or “sign.” As I approached my house, three deer leapt in front of my car. They moved with silent grace in the faint blue light of dawn. Was this a sign from my mother? She had always loved deer, and the number three was symbolic since she had just completed her life cycle of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. As a totem animal, the deer also suggested to me to move cautiously and to trust my intuition.

  Weeks later, after the blur of the funeral and dealing with the insurance companies had subsided, I began the hard part: living.

  For witches, Pagans, and anyone living a magical life, we have some extra resources to draw upon when dealing with a crisis. It was going to be difficult, but I knew I had to have faith in my spirituality to change my circumstances in a positive way.

  Unfortunately there isn’t a spell to completely destroy grief. Instead I found that you must listen to your inner voice and use your magical system to bring about small victories until you feel that grief is beginning to release its grip on you.

  You must listen to your inner voice and use your magical system to bring about small victories until you feel that grief is beginning to release its grip on you.

  What follows is a collection of advice and recommendations, both magical and practical, to help anyone who is finding it difficult to navigate the storm known as grief.

  Let the Healing Begin

  The hardest part in overcoming grief is taking that first step because you’ll have an “I don’t care” attitude. Along with pain, you feel a great apathy toward life. That is typical. The first spellwork I performed—and still perform—to relieve myself of grief and depression is speaking an affirmation or a devotional daily.

  It doesn’t need to be lengthy. Just saying out loud that you’re not alone and that your loved one is still with you in some way is a great help. Whether they have passed on or simply passed out of your life, the part they’ve had in making you the person you are today will never go away. Now is also a good time to thank your guardian spirits for their help. If you’re up to it, light a candle on your altar as you do this. At night, thank the Divine Spirit for returning you home safely. If you’re mourning the passing of a loved one, don’t be surprised if you feel a gentle touch at this time. They are close to you.

  Dreams can also be important now, although they’re not easy for us to control. However, a deceased loved one will most likely contact you during a dream. This can be most comforting. Try to remember the details of the dream because they may contain messages.

  Using Food and Fragrance for Therapy

  Food is a gift from the Goddess and Mother Earth. During the grieving process, you may lose your appetite, but think of food as a connection to the Life Force itself. This will help.

  If you cook, please continue to do so. This will help in two ways. First it will provide nutrition during this critical time; second, the scent of food cooking will act as a form of aromatherapy. During the dark days following my mother’s death, I kept a pot of homemade soup simmering, as its aroma would lift my spirits.

  Certain spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, have proven to have a similar effect. On days I felt I need a boost (and felt up to the task), I’d bake a pumpkin bread us
ing those spices. As the spicy scent wafted out of my kitchen, I just knew things would get better.

  If you’re not talented in the kitchen, burn scented candles. Fragrances such as vanilla, apple, spice, and lavender will also help relieve feelings of depression.

  Connect with Nature

  I have always walked, and even during my darkest days I still took some pleasure in it. Walking will get you outside; you’ll smell the earth and begin to really notice the world again. I found myself looking mindfully at the clouds, the trees, and flowers.

  Feeding wildlife will help more than you can imagine. I kept my birdfeeders full and squirrel station stocked with corn. Watching the birds and squirrels feed made me realize life continues, and that there is an order to our world.

  As I gardened, I realized I was working with a living entity. It grows, it changes, and, yes, it dies—but it also returns.

  Most magical people will find solace in gardening during their grieving period. I know I did, even if only for an hour. As I gardened, I realized I was working with a living entity. It grows, it changes, and, yes, it dies—but it also returns. All of these factors reaffirmed my belief in reincarnation, which was a great solace during my period of grieving.

  Working with the Tarot

  As we grieve, we search for answers. Being a magical person, I turned to my divination tools. My choice was the tarot. I found the visual aspect of the cards to be helpful, as the images frequently mirrored my feelings.

  I used a variety of layouts during my readings, and it’s interesting to note that some of the same cards would always appear. It was also amazing how the same card would move from the present situation into the future. For example, the Five of Cups, which signifies grieving and loss, was in every spread. Eventually it began to move into the future, in a reversed position. This told me that my feelings of grief would begin to lift. I began to feel hopeful.

  Using your favorite divining tool will help you focus and meditate. If you don’t feel strong enough to do this work for yourself, perhaps a fellow coven member can help.

  Receiving Help

  Since many witches belong to covens, the coven would be an ideal place to start if you feel the need of a support group. And if professional help is needed, you can begin by talking to your doctor. He or she will often be able to recommend a local therapist or counselor who specializes in grief or in the specific situation you are facing.

  A note on giving help: If you know someone who is grieving and you’re both part of the magical community, please don’t do any type of spellwork without being asked. This could cause bad karma.

  A Simple Magical Ritual

  This ritual may help ease your pain. Take a walk. As you walk, look for an ordinary stone that appeals to you. Place this stone on your altar. As you meditate about your day, hold this stone. Visualize all your pain entering the stone.

  When the day comes that you feel your life is returning to normal, you may get rid of your stone. To do this, go out to a favorite spot, perhaps where you found your stone. Thank the stone, then leave it. Keep walking and don’t look back.

  As I have written this piece, the nights have vibrated with the awesome power that only a summer thunderstorm can possess. Thunder has echoed down the valley and the winds have battered the hills. By sunrise, the world is cleansed. Grief is like that. It pounds away at us and then slowly ebbs, revealing the light. This makes me realize that there is still an order to everything that happens in our cosmos. There will always be stormy nights, but eventually the sun also rises.

  James Kambos is a writer and artist from Ohio. He spent much of his childhood on his grandparents’ Ohio farm, which helped him develop a closeness to nature. His interest in nature continues to influence both his writing and art. His favorite magical tools are the tarot and pendulum.

  Illustrator: Tim Foley

  Being Pagan in a

  Bad Economy

  Boudica

  Things are tough all over. Thousands are without jobs, laid off, or have had cuts to their hours or salaries. And while everyone seems to be saying we’re on the road to recovery, that doesn’t hold much water if you’re still suffering.

  Lack of education, lack of training, and lack of experience are the three biggest barriers that stand between you and your next job. Yes, we can all flip burgers or push carts down at the local big box store, but is that what you really want to do with your life? Is minimum wage going to pay for the clothes on your children’s backs, or the food on the table? Do you really want to stand in a line and wait for handouts?

  We may be at a starting point to recovery, but this isn’t the end. I am going to outline how to get the three things you need to put yourself back into a good-paying job that you may actually enjoy: education, training, and experience.

  Lack of education, lack of training, and lack of experience are the three biggest barriers that stand between you and your new job.

  In Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley, magick is defined as “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with will.” This is one of the most profound and yet simplest explanations of magick ever. And it establishes very clearly that we all can do magick if we put our Will into it. As they say, where there’s a Will, there’s a way.

  Education

  First, how far did you go in school? Did you graduate high school? If not, now is the time to go back and get your GED. It really is not all that hard. There are tutors within the schools and libraries, online, and I bet within your own Pagan community if you ask around. You really need that GED. Most good-paying jobs are just not accessible to you without a diploma. If you are unemployed and drawing an unemployment check right now, go to your local Job and Family Services office and see which schools are offering free GED programs. Also look online. Besides free GED classes in most cities, there are also free practice tests online. Use the magick of the Internet and of the Social Services Department. You can get more lasting help than food stamps and job listings from them if you ask the right questions.

  If you have graduated high school, the next step is a college program. Do you know what the Federal Pell Grant is? It is a gift for low-income undergraduates that doesn’t have to be repaid. You score big if you are the main provider for a family situation. Federal Pell Grants are big magick if you apply for them.

  What? You don’t have time to go back to college? Well, yes, actually you do. Besides classes in the college proper, most major colleges (and even some not so major ones) offer online or distance learning classes you can take from the comfort of your home computer. Teenagers off to school? Go sign in and take a class. Kids off to bed? Go sign in and take a class. Need to take some of your courses in the actual classroom? Schedule a day or evening course, one every semester or quarter. You can also look for lunch hour tutors if you find yourself needing some face-to-face guidance. Some college students are actually paid to be tutors to nontraditional (older) students, so you will always find someone on your level who will address your educational needs. Or you can search the local bulletin boards for low-cost paid tutors.

  The first steps of magick are happening. If you work it just right, the education at this stage of your life will be paid by grants. If you’ve done military service, now is the best time to cash in on your GI benefits. You should also apply for scholarships. There are scholarships for nontraditional students and for personal needs. There are many kinds of supplementary income opportunities available to the unemployed. You will have to work to find them, though—you’ll need to pick the brains of the counselors and social services agencies and discover every opportunity you can. This is the process of magick, the process of change.

  Training

  So you’re back in school, or maybe you are coming up on your last year in school and you encounter the next issue: lack of hands-on training. You know the t
heories and facts of your chosen professional, but you don’t know how to actually do it.

  Many schools offer programs that partner with local businesses in internship programs, some of which pay a salary (but many do not). Check with your school to see what’s available. Whether you think you can do it or not, all they can say is “No.” However, persistence pays, and you will eventually find a “Yes.”

  The next step is to look for a job that may pay you minimum wage to work in your chosen field. Finish school and work part-time in the field you are aspiring to build a career out of. This is a great strategy and I highly recommend it. A part-time job at the entry level will often allow you to do a little bit of everything, giving you some of the best training you can get . . . and a modest income while you’re at it. (Editor’s note: This editor started in publishing by answering the phone and filing paperwork.)

  No one starts out on the top. You have to work up to it, no matter how talented you think you are. This is the “process” of magic, bringing about the change. You are slowly changing yourself. You are improving your chances of landing a good-paying job by working the rituals of education and job skills.

  Experience

  Entry-level positions with on-the-job training are a “two-fer” bonus. Besides getting the hands-on training that you will need to be good at your job, you also gain job experience. Ask any graduate who has a degree what message they are getting at job interviews, and they will tell you that prospective employers have the pick of the best of the best, and they are going for as much experience as they can get in the given pay scale.