51 Spiritual Spells from Practical Witches

The Witches Garden

One does not follow the witches path long before feeling the need to garden. As witchcraft is an Earth religion, we feel a spiritual rush when sinking our hands into the soil or watching a plant grow to maturity. These are the energies we celebrate in our rituals, the handiwork of our Mother Gaia.

Many of us find ourselves in urban situations. I live in an apartment in a mid-sized city. I don't have the land for a beautiful fenced garden. Maybe someday. But for now, I garden in containers. I find I can grow enough herbs for my magical needs if I choose my plants wisely. What started as two pots on the front step has now grown into 15 or 16 large containers. Even though I'm a city person, I can still plant and harvest by the Moon signs, work ritual over my seeds and plants, harvest them magically, and dry them for future magical and medicinal use.

I hope these pages will grow into a magical gardening journal. It will be for me a gardening notebook, a recipe book, and a place to share my magical garden. I've put these pages together in conjunction with a Witches Garden class I'm teaching at Dracona Pagan Web. We should have much to share as the class progresses.

Planning Your Magical Garden

First and foremost, you must evaluate your magical needs. Use a lot of mugwort for divination? Constantly smudging the house with sage? These herbs would certainly have a place in your garden. Check out my Magical Uses of Herbs pages and find plants to meet your needs that are well suited to your area. Don't know which plants grow well in your area? Take a look at this planting zone chart for the US. Research this carefully. I live on the cusp of two zones. An Internet search revealed that I live in Zone 6b. As you research your herbs, check to see which zones they grow best in. If you are container gardening, you have a little more leeway here. You have the ability to drag your plants indoors if the weather does not accommodate them. That can be a hassle, though, and I stand by the idea of growing plants native to your area as much as possible. This puts us in tune with the cycles and seasons of the land -- the land where we live. Of course, I don't see many patchouli plants in the wild here, and I grow it on a regular basis, so you will find yourself growing exotic plants at times.

My Garden Pages

When winter is still raging outside, I cozy up to the computer to start my gardening research. One way to keep my notes straight is to create pages for each plant, listing magical, edible, and medicinal uses, as well as cultivation and propagation information. Does this plant grow best from seed or should I buy a plant? What sort of soil does it need? What are the sun and water requirements? I figure all that out before I buy the first seed. Of course, this is a process I continue throughout the growing season as I add new plants. Like me, though, I think you will find it fun to get lost in garden dreams while the freezing rain is pelting outside. How Do I Put the Magick in my Garden?

Once you've chosen your plants, how is your magic garden different from grandma's mundane garden? Number one, you've chosen your herbs to match your magical intent. When grown, they will be blessed and charged in a magic circle to assist in your spellwork and ritual. But we can bless and charge our seeds and plants during the growing process as well, infusing them with magical energy.

Start with a seed blessing ritual, preferably at Ostara, but it can be performed whenever you begin to work with the seed (some need to be in a growing medium well before Ostara). In all gardening matters, work with the cosmic energies of the Moon. Find a Moon sign and phase guide and follow it. Here's a quick rule of thumb, although it might vary from plant to plant:

Always plant during the new or waxing Moon phase, preferably in the fruitful Moon signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. There are some exceptions: Plant garlic during a new or waxing moon in the sign of Scorpio or Taurus. Root crops should be planted during a waxing or full moon in Taurus. Plant vines and flowers in Libra during a new or waxing moon. Sage needs to be planted in Pisces, Scorpio, or Cancer during a full moon. Valerian: Gemini or Virgo during the new or waxing moon.

Paint or draw magical runes on your flower pots, on markers, or in the soil. The rune Berkana is particularly well suited for planting. Put crystals and stones in the soil to energize plants. Moss agate is the gardener's stone. Charged and placed in the soil, it will assure the abundant growth of your garden. Other agates and quartz crystals work fine as well.

Magically charge the water used to nourish your plants. This can be as simple as saying an incantation over the watering can or setting water out under the full moon to charge. Sprinkle a few fertility herbs or a moss agate in the water while charging. Again, draw fertility runes on your watering can and charge it with abundance.

Bless your plants with a mini-ritual every full moon during the growing season.

* Monday means good fortune,
* Tuesday means greatest attempts will be successful,
* Wednesday means marriage,
* Thursday means warning of small profits,
* Friday means wealth,
* Saturday means misfortune,
* Sunday means excellent luck for weeks.

Some ways to include herbs in your spells are to simmer them on the stove in a pot of water, to include them in ritual foods or drinks, to burn them in a fire, or to place them in a bag, doll, or pillow. You can also scatter them on your working altar.

*Anise*
Element: Air
Use:Contacting other planes, divination, love, passion, preventing nightmares, protection, psychic development, psychic protection, purification, clairvoyance, cleansing, consecration, fertility, gain, good luck, happiness money, weddings

*Basil*
Element: Fire
Use:Consecration, divination (esp. about love), exorcism, fertility, fidelity, good luck, happiness, harmony, love, money, passion, peace, prosperity, protection, psychic development, psychic protection, purification, strength, success, tranquility

*Bay*
Element: Fire
Use:Consecration, divination, dreams, healing, love, passion, protection, purification, wisdom, wishes

*Caraway*
Element: Air
Use:Fidelity, love, memory, passion, preventing theft, protection, retention, sensuality, consecration, fertility, gain, honesty, keeping, secrets, peace of mind, weddings

*Celery seed*
Element: Earth
Use: Psychic development, Beauty, divination, fertility, love, passion

*Cinnamon*
Element: Air/Fire
Use:Clairvoyance, consecration, divination, energy, good luck, love, money, passion, peace, prosperity, protection, success, communication, happiness, harmony, healing, inspiration, knowledge, meditation, purification, spirituality, tranquility, wisdom

*Cloves*
Element: Fire
Use: Clairvoyance, divination, exorcism, keeps away negative, forces, love, memory, money, passion, peace of mind, protection, purification, stopping gossip, cleansing, friendship, psychic development, release, spell- breaking

*Coriander* (also called Cilantro)
Element: Fire
Use: Love, clairvoyance, divination, fertility, gain, health, keeping secrets, passion, peace, protection, retention, weddings

1.The Bramble Tree-fairies love the bramble tree because it is wild and protectsthe penetration of secluded sacred fairie clearings.

2. The Ash Tree-it is said to be an ancestor of humankind. In Greece powerfulfamilies were believed to have come from ash trees. Norse Godspopulated their sublunary world with a newborn race by breathinga human soul and spirit into an ash tree. In Norse myth, the mostsacred ash is Yggdrasil, which is believed to be the entire supportstructure of the universe. Today in certain places people will leavetokens of human hair hanging from an ash tree in the hopes their wishes,hopes and desires will be granted.

3. The Lilac Tree-it is the fragrance of the lilac tree that is considered magickal.The fragrance is believed to carry humans into fairyland and the supernalworld. English tradition considers the lilac to be an unlucky flower to bebrought into the house because it is associated with death. This was perhapsfear of the power of the fragrance of the lilac. It is really quite abeneficiary tree. It`s flowers can be eaten and used as a tonic for the nervous system.

4. The Pine Tree-the tree of the sun. Its old title was ''the sweetest of woods''.The scent of Pineis useful in the reduction of guilt. The pine was also sacred to the sea-godNeptune(Poseidon) and to Bacchus (Dionysus).

5.The Broom Tree-as you can imagine, the properties associated with the broom tree is that of astraltravel and flight.

6. The Silver Birch Tree-associated with Lammas tide on August 1,the light of the stars, the moon andthe sun.It is a symbol of summer ever returning. It is said the birch is the motherof theoak tree because in prehistoric times it was the birch that prepared theearth floorfor the majestic oak to be born. It is said the fairies love this tree inthe springtime.

7. The Alder Tree-associated with water. The catkin bearing alder resist decay in its wateryhabitat.The water spirits, the undines love this tree as well as the unicorn. Theleaves ofan alder tree can be made into a tea to treat kidney problems.

8. The Holly Tree-symbol of the life force, vitality and immortality. It is considered a luckytreeto grow in the garden because it wards off negative energies. The shinygreen leavesrepresent the vitality of life even in the coldest of times and is used inYule forthis reason. It is lucky to burn dried holly branches but not if their stillgreen.The male holly tree the prickly one) and the female holly tree(the smoothvariegated one)are inhabited by respectfully the holly man and the holly woman.

9. The Juniper Tree-considered a protective tree and unlucky to cut down a juniper tree. Thetree has anabundance of healing properties. Infusions can be made to treat kidney andliver troubles,arthritis, dropsy and help the elderly.

10. The Hawthorn (Whitehorn or May Tree)Tree-this is the most sacred tree to the fairies probably because it is so wild,uncompromising and fragrant. If you sit under the thorn tree on may day eve,samhain eve and midsummer eve you can commune with the fairies. Make a balloflast years foliage tied with a white ribbon and burn it in a bonfire on newyearsday to rid yourself of troubles. Start fresh in the new year then by makingyourselfa ball of fresh thorn branches and leaves and keep it to be used in the nextyearsbonfire.It is said that when Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury hebrought a whitehawthorn with him and planted it in Wearyall Hill.

11. The Elder Tree-People used to think it was unlucky to bring any part of an elder tree intothehouse because it would bring a death in the family. It actually has afeminine soul.It is magickal, healing and fragrant. If planting an elder tree in thegarden rememberit likes to be protected and hidden. In fact all the fairy trees like to be planted at a distant from others.

Changelings were fairy creatures that were left in the place of stolen children. The naughty fae folk often used to steal babies, and leave their own young in their place. If you suspected your baby had been replaced, this is what the mother of the child had to do:
Take 24 eggshells, set them up on the hearth, and start to brew beer. The changeling would then sit up and say:

"I heard it from my father, and he from his, and he from his, that an acorn was before the oak, and the oak was in the ground, but I have never seen brewing done in eggshells before!"

Which meant that it was definately a changeling.
Once you knew this the mother would heat a shovel until it was red-hot and hold the child above it and let it fall. The changeling would fly away up the chimney, laughing and shrieking, and the child would be returned safely.

Against an Elf and Charm Magick
Crumble myrrh and an equal portion of white frankincense into wine, and shave part of the stone Jet into the wine. After fasting for a night drink this for three, four, nine or twelve mornings.

You must take little stones from a young swallow's stomach. Be sure that the nestlings in which you find the stones are well grown. Take care that once you retrieve the stones they touch neither earth, nor water or any other stones. Select three of these and then put them on the person in distress, and he will soon be well. They stones are good for headache, for pain in the eyes, against temptations of a fiend, against nocturnal demons, for ague, against incubi, for sexual constriction, for bewitchment and against hexes.





From Lisa @ StardustAndMoonbeams

A Spell Against a Dwarf
To drive away a dwarf you must take the excrement of a white dog, pound it to dust mix it with flour and then bake this mixture. Give the cake to the afflicted person to eat, just before the dwarf's arrival in either day the day or the night. His attack will at first be very severe, but after that it will abate and completely pass away. From Lisa @ StardustAndMoonbeams

*~*~*~*

Come - gather near to the smoldering fire
The embers, aflame, will console and inspire!
Sit in the glade when the faery muse comes -
Magick is made with the flick of our tongues!

Oh! dance with the Sidhe under silvery moon!
Word woven trance is the light of their boon!
Bear ye the hearts of all mortal men -
Dance with the fey in the boughs of Green Glen!
-Ferrashynn

*~*~*~*

The Child and the Faeries
Author~ Unknown

The woods are full of faeries!
The trees are all alive;
The river overflows with them,
See how they dip and dive!
What funny little fellows!
What dainty little dears!
They dance and leap, and prance and peep,
And utter fairy cheers!

I'd like to tame a fairy,
To keep it on a shelf,
And dress its little self.
I'd teach it pretty manners,
It always should say ''please'',
And then you know I'd make it sew,
And curtsey with its knees!

*~*~*~*

Behold the chariot of the Fairy Queen!
Saw but the fairy pageant,
The Fairy's frame was slight--yon fibrous cloud,
As that which, bursting from the Fairy's form,
The Fairy Queen descended,
FAIRY, FAIRY, FAIRY
'I am the Fairy MAB: to me 'tis given
The Fairy and the Soul proceeded;
Within the Fairy's fane.
~W.B. Yeats

*~*~*~*

The Fairy and the Spirit
Percy B Shelley

Come faeries, take me out of this dull world,
for I would ride with you upon the wind
and dance upon the mountains like a flame

*~*~*~*

Song of Fairies Robbing an Orchard
by Leigh Hunt

We, the Fairies, blithe and antic,
Of dimensions not gigantic,
Though the moonshine mostly keep us,
Oft in orchards frisk and peep us.

Stolen sweets are always sweeter,
Stolen kisses much completer,
Stolen looks are nice in chapels,
Stolen, stolen, be your apples.

When to bed the world are bobbing,
Then's the time for orchard-robbing;
Yet the fruit were scarce worth peeling,
Were it not for stealing, stealing.