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By Amber C. Snider Struggling with the effects of Venus Retrograde? These seven candle spells may help with matters of love, creativity, and money, adding that little extra boost you need to get through the season.  Photo by Victor Castro Venus, the planet ruling over love, the home, money, and beauty, has been in retrograde since July 22 and you’ve probably been feeling the effects. Along with several other planets currently in retrograde (including Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto) or soon-to-be in retrograde at the end of this month (including Mercury), it’s a good time to slow down, reflect, and get your metaphorical (or metaphysical) ducks in order. Until September 3rd, when the planet Venus goes direct, use this time to reflect on how you manage your household and finances, as well as reexamine concepts of love (and self-love). It’s a time to reconsider relationships, whether they’re romantic or platonic, as well as your artistic aspirations and projects, especially before the fall season. Are you happy and fulfilled? Creatively inspired? Living authentically? If not, it’s prime time to make some changes and break old patterns. Any illusions we’ve been harboring over the years, especially in terms of love, are bound to be revealed at this time. So if you find yourself on edge or struggling with concepts surrounding love, money, and creativity, here’s how a little candle magic –– using the divine power of your intention –– may help reset your course. Crystal Healing –– A candle to help with emotional matters, including helping to heal past trauma and awaken inner clarity. Since Venus retrograde may stir up old wounds in matters of the heart, take some time to reflect and then let it go. Perhaps it’s an old ex, childhood wounds, feelings of neglect or unworthiness, but whatever is not serving your highest good right now, it’s time to release it. We can’t move forward in love without taking care of our emotional hang-ups (and illusions about love), so couple this candle spell with the intention of releasing, healing, and clarity moving forward into the upcoming Autumn Equinox. Alternatively, you can also try the Love Healing candle. Money Pyramid –– Venus in retrograde is a good time to take a new inventory of your financial life. If you’ve been a little careless with money this year, or are struggling with figuring out how to secure a better future, light this candle with the intention of financial growth overtime. The Money Pyramid helps promote long-term financial growth, fiscal responsibility, and making good choices regarding money. Remember, like the pyramid itself, you must have a solid base to build upon, and good habits will help get you there. As the candle burns over the course of 7-10 days, stay open to any insights that come your way in these matters –– be it a new financial plan, ways to save money, realizations of old habits, or any obstacles that may be in your way on your road to financial success. Also, see this story on 10 herbs for money, prosperity, and abundance. Empress Candle –– Since Venus rules over love, including self-love and confidence, retrograde may have you feeling a little off. Whether it’s neglecting your self-care routines, rituals, or engaging in negative self-talk, it’s a time to embrace your full self (flaws and all) and settle into your own uniqueness. The Empress Candle, a Goddess-based empowerment candle, helps magnify self-love and confidence, and while it can also be used for romantic attraction, it’s best not to welcome in new love at this time. The more in-tune you are with yourself, the more the Universe will open up to reveal the ideal partner for you, so it’s okay to give it time. *If you’re ordering online, specify in the notes that you’d like a pink Empress Candle with Venus incense and/or oil.  Photo by Victor Castro Love & Happiness –– Regardless of Venus retrograde, it’s always a good time to invoke a little extra love and happiness! Similar to our popular Solar Blast candle, the Love and Happiness candle helps welcome in abundance, joy, and positivity, paving the way for new friendships, relationships, and increased self-love. As the candle burns for 7-10 days, try to live in the moment, stay present with loved ones, and meditate on what will bring you the most joy in your life. Venus Candle –– A devotional candle for the Goddess herself. The Venus Candle invokes the Goddess of love, beauty, and bounty, as well as financial matters and assistance with matters of the heart. A serene, beautiful, powerful candle, consider adding a dish of salt water, pink and green stones, seashells, and Venus incense around the candle as it burns. Stay open to any insights, motivations, and revelations that come to you as you reflect on the power of the Goddess. Money Uncrossing Candle –– In order to welcome in the new, sometimes we have to clear out the old. When it comes to financial success, you can’t build an empire on faulty or unstable grounds, so it’s a good time to collect and settle your debts. The Money Uncrossing Candle helps clear out anything blocking your monetary success. Song of the Elder Gods Candle –– Since Venus rules over creativity, you may be feeling a little uninspired or stuck in your artistic projects. It’s a time to infuse your existing artistic endeavors with a burst of new life and refresh your vision –– Is there another way to see/view your work? Is there something you’re missing? Are you lacking focus? Are you seeing the big picture? The Song of the Elder Gods candle can help artists, musicians, performers, and creatives ignite that spark again, bring in new inspiration, and achieve success. While Venus is in retrograde, it’s not the ideal time to begin a brand new creative project, but it is a good time to reconfigure, reexamine, and reflect on existing artistic endeavors. For FAQ on Enchantments' candles, check out our candle page here.
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By Amber C. Snider With the earth’s bounty at its peak and in full bloom, summer is a great time to turn to plants and herbs to aid in healing, health, and happiness. Here, we’ve rounded up nine herbs and plants (that you can readily find at your local farmer’s market) for summer tinctures, teas, ritual baths, smoothie additions, cleansing waters, and more.  Dandelion tea. Image by Silvia from Pixabay Lavender You can find beautiful, fragrant bundles of lavender at most farmer’s markets, and that's a good thing since lavender is known for its calming, tranquil properties, as well as culinary versatility. Steep a teaspoon of lavender (and mix it with other herbs) in hot water for 5 minutes, let it cool, and make it into an iced tea (served with lemon). Also, to add flavor to your coffee, mix some of dried blossom in with the grinds each morning and brew as usual. You can also make your own lavender syrup which pairs really well with iced coffee or teas. All you need to make the syrup is a medium pan, water, and sugar: bring water to a boil, let simmer, and strain out the blossoms afterwards. Add to an empty (sterilized) mason jar or once it’s cool, any sterilized bottle will do. Other ideas include adding the blossoms to empty tea sachets for ritual balms involving peace, serenity, and relaxation, or add a few blossoms to your sacred oils. On a spiritual level, lavender is associated with relaxation, happiness, invoking joy, peace, luck, and protection. Irish Moss Used for luck, prosperity, and money spells, Irish moss also has major health benefits since it contains ‘lots of vitamins and antioxidants. Buy an ounce or two of dried sea moss at your local farmer’s market and put it in water for 24 hrs. Then empty out the water and repeat the process (although it doesn’t have to be another full 24 hours). This simply cleans and removes the salt from the sea moss. Once it’s spongy and soft, add it to a blender and it will create a “gel” that you can add into your daily summer smoothies (about a teaspoon of irish moss for each smoothie).  Lavender fields. Image by Hans from Pixabay Chamomile Chamomile is good for anxiety, helps ease tummy issues, and works as a mild sleep aid, so it’s great after a long day of frockling in the sun with friends or after a big summer cookout. Magically, it's an herb used to invoke abundance, prosperity, purification, and balance in all areas of your life, so sip a calming tea with intention, add some flowers to your bath, or add some in a small cauldron mixed with other herbs (like lavender or rosemary) for a cleansing incense. You can also steep chamomile in water, add vinegar, lemon, and some Castile soap for a magical cleaning spray. In magic, chamomile is connected to sun gods/deities, making it a great herb for summer rituals. Looking for a summer spell? Try the 7-day Solar Blast Candle to invoke happiness, growth, and luck. Calendula The bright yellow blossoms of calendula, also known as marigold, really shine in the summer months. Associated with healing, on the physical level calendula helps with eyesight, healing wounds, skincare, and contains many antioxidants so it’s super healthy. On the spiritual plane, it’s associated with the sun/sun deities, the element of fire, and used to evoke prosperity, growth, and confidence. It’s connected to the solar plexus (you can read more about that here), which is the energetic center of the body that deals with self-esteem and emotions, so it also has a balancing effect on the body and spirit.  Calendula, aka marigold. Image by Hans from Pixabay Rosemary Are you prone for forgetfulness? Or maybe you’re feeling a little mentally fatigued? Rosemary is a powerful herb that evokes good memories, assists with alertness, and is also purifying and cleansing. It contains plenty of antioxidants, so use it generously on your dishes (stews, BBQs, roasted veggies). You can also steep some in hot water and when it cools create either a cleansing, magical room spray or cleaning spray to use on your countertops, windowsills, and bookshelves. It’s a protective herb and great for cleansing spaces, adding positivity into a home, dispelling negative energies, and promoting mental clarity. *Note that Enchantments' herbs are for magical use only (baths, oils, smoke cleansing, etc). and are not to be ingested. Visit your local farmer's market for fresh and dried herbs for teas, tinctures, and culinary uses. Honeysuckle A beloved favorite during the summertime, honeysuckle blossoms are fragrant little jewels that can be made into solid perfumes, added to baths, or used to adorn sacred altars. It’s a plant often associated with beauty, sensuality, and “sweetness” so if you’re trying to add an extra dose of those elements in your life, try honeysuckle. Having a large bush near your house also draws in these properties and you can sip the luscious drops of nectar from the stem whenever you want.  Honeysuckle. Image by Ellen Chan from Pixabay Nettle So it may sting the skin, but boy is it good for your insides. This purifying, cleansing, hardy plant has an array of health benefits, especially when made into simple tinctures and teas. It’s known to help reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, alleviate pain, and balance your system, plus it contains antioxidants for good health. Magically, it’s also good to use as an ally plant for maintaining boundaries, getting into better routines and making better life decisions, and promoting healing. To make a nettle tincture, try to find fresh herbs at your farmer’s market and fill a sterilized mason jar with the leaves. Next, add 80 proof vodka into the jar, fill it up to the very top, and seal the jar for 2-3 weeks. Then, add your tincture to a sterilized dropper bottle and take a few drops under your tongue each day.  Lemon balm tea. Image by congerdesign from Pixabay Lemon Balm
Another easy farmer’s market find is lemon balm, which you can buy fresh and use for tinctures, teas, sacred oils, and ritual baths. It has a wonderful citrus scent and helps with psychic vision, calming anxiety, protection, and promoting happiness. To easily dry your lemon balm for teas, hang a bundle up in a dry place in your kitchen or add it to the microwave on a paper towel. Sweet Grass A great alternative to sage, sweet grass bundles can be used for smoke cleansing to promote good energy in the home and help consecrate and cleanse a sacred space. It’s used in magical practices around the world, but especially throughout North America and Europe. It has a sweet scent and can be braided into strands and either added to the home, burned with magical intention, or added to incense blends. What to know more about sacred herbs and oils? Check out our Plant Magic section here. *Please note that Enchantments' herbs and flowers are not for ingestion and should only be used for magical purposes only (baths, oils, smoke cleansing, etc.). For fresh, edible herbs and flowers, visit your local farmer's market. By Amber C. Snider Grief, loss, and heartache are inevitable; suffering is built into the human condition and affects us all in different ways. While the comfort of community is one of the best soul balms, inevitably, we each must deal with these experiences in our own way. Healing is a journey (one that never follows a straight line) and these practical and magical tips may help bring some comfort into your life.  Image by Miran Lesnik from Pixabay Many folks talk about the importance of self-care and self-love, and while that’s true, especially with extreme hardship, sometimes those words become overused and watered down in our social media-saturated society. Plus, it’s not always easy to prioritize self-care while you’re in the throes of complex grief or faced with loss. Still, whether you’ve lost a loved one or are battling internal turmoil, self-care (which is a form of self-love) is important to practice and cultivate. In fact, sometimes our very survival depends on it, since we can’t take care of others without first attending to ourselves. Making time for oneself –– to re-tune, recenter, refocus, and even relearn –– is a good first start. Here, we’ve shared a few magical tools, suggestions, and rituals that may help ease grief, release stress, and aid in the spiritual healing process. Candles for heartache and loss Candle magic is an intention-based, spiritual practice that dates back thousands of years across a myriad of cultures. It also helps with meditation work, acting as a small beacon of light to help attune your focus, with the flame sending your intention into the universe. At Enchantments, we love the Love Healing Candle, Sea Priestess Candle, and the Crystal Healing Candle for deep emotional healing. Made with corresponding hand-blended oils and wood-base incense, Enchantments hand-carves and personalizes each candle, making it a complete spell that burns for 7-10 days. You can also get the corresponding oils separately, including the Love Healing oil, Ocean Mother oil, Crystal Healing oil, and wear them daily as you would a perfume. Similarly, you can simply buy any white candle for spiritual healing and customize it on your own. Try rubbing the candle down with essential oils of your choice (like lavender for peace, frankincense for purification, etc.) and adding silver or blue glitter (just make sure it’s metal-based glitter rather than plastic). We recommend taking a cleansing sea salt bath before lighting the candle and speaking aloud your intentions/wishes as you light it. Let and allow your community to hold space for you In hard times, let your community come to your aid. So many of us are steeped in “self-sufficiency” and that’s great –– but it’s also okay to let others help you. Don’t be afraid to ask others for assistance when you need it. In my own recent instance of loss, a friend said to me: “Allow yourself to receive” and I was struck by her statement –– it jolted me actually –– simply because I hadn’t thought of that in my own grief. It was a simple, yet profound statement that I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear. Allow the Universe to provide for you, stay open to receiving, stay open to love and help from others, stay open to signs, and allow others to give what they can in their own way. Walk (get out in nature, solo) Many “geniuses” have remarked that they’ve come up with some of their best ideas while simply walking in nature, but it’s also a great way to release stress, recenter yourself, and get your circulation going. There are numerous physical benefits and emotional benefits to forest bathing, as well. Rather than go on a walk with a friend and filling up the space with endless chatter, take walks in nature by yourself, noticing all the details as you move along. Use it as a meditative time, a time to commune with the Spirits and your higher self, as well as tap into the deeper currents of nature.  Image by Joe from Pixabay Perform a nightly bath ritual When it’s bedtime, rather than go over your to-do list for the next day or scroll through Instagram into the wee hours of the night, turn your devices to “do not disturb” and create a nightly bath ritual. Add a half a cup of sea salt and a few drops of essential oils to your bath (lavender works well for sleep and peace). We also recommend trying Enchantments’ hand-blended sea salt bath called Psyche’s Balm Bath. During your bath ritual, bring a book if you’d like, but create a strict “no technology” rule during this time. Our previous story on bath rituals goes over excellent tips by Enchantments’ staff Carmen Pouerie. After the bath, wrap yourself up in a cozy, terry cloth robe (if you have it), spritz your pillow with hand-made lavender spray (a few drops of essential oil mixed with water and witch hazel in a glass bottle), and try doing a slow body scan meditation once you get into bed. Place a pillow under your knees for support, and start with your toes, imagining them relaxing fully into the bed. Move that sensation up to your ankles, calves, and finish with the top of your head. I also like to use various guided meditation apps like Insight Timer or Calm, but try not to get distracted by your phone and feel the urge to go on social media or check emails in between. Write as much as you can (it’s cathartic) Keep a notebook with you or just use the Notes app on your phone. Jot down random thoughts, poems, words that come to you, stories, memories. Use it all. Save it all. Look at it later. You’re keeping a record of your life in these moments. Try sacred smoke cleansing (for your psychic energy and space) If it’s not already in your practice, using sacred smoke to cleanse your aura and physical space can make a big difference. We love Rebirth incense, Meditation incense, and Kyphi incense, all of which are hand-blended with a recipe of oils and made with colorful wood base. You can also try Frankincense and Myrrh incense or resin (burn it on a disk of charcoal in a fire-safe dish such as a cauldron). Treat Yourself Yes, especially while you’re in the throes of grief or difficulty, it’s 100% okay to treat yourself to simple, physical, human pleasures. Get a mani/pedi, get a haircut (but don’t go overboard with a new style or get bangs if you don’t already have ‘em…), buy a new dress or pair of shoes, take a trip, sing loudly in the shower or street (who cares), do something that brings you joy in the moment. Practice saying “no” While you should allow others to be there for you during hard times, but it’s also super important to say NO when you don’t want it or choose to be somewhere else or do something else. Maybe you don’t want to be around that particular person’s energy or maybe just not right now –– that’s okay. Don’t feel the need to make excuses and just practice saying “no." The people who love you will understand. “No, I can’t do that at this time,” “No, I am not up for seeing anyone,” “No, I don’t want any flowers sent to my house,” “No, I don’t feel like answering your questions.” Some folks in our lives need to learn boundaries and you may find yourself helping others learn your boundaries during times of grief and heartache. All of it is okay –– say no or simply say nothing (until you’re ready to). If you found this story helpful in any way, check out our other stories here. Happy healing and blessed be. By Amber C. Snider Did you know that the symbolism of the hare, egg, and rebirth/renewal cycle celebrated at Easter all have their roots in ancient pagan traditions?  Image by David Mark from Pixabay Spring is a time for renewal, rebirth, and fertility –– when the earth reawakens from its winter slumber and the bounty of nature reveals itself once again. Celebrating the cyclical nature of earth (and all of life) has been part of Pagan and Indigenous tradition for thousands of years, including the Summer/Winter Solstices and Spring/Fall Equinoxes. The entire year (the Wheel of the Year) is made up of these sacred points, as a time to give thanks to the gods and goddesses, acknowledge that we are a part of a greater harmony, and learn the deep lessons inherent in each season. Many Christian holidays are actually based on these ancient time markers and can be traced back to Pagan gods and goddesses. In ancient Rome, for instance, December 25th was Sol Invictus, the celebration day for the birth of the sun god, Sol, or Mithra (which goes back to Persia), although there were also other festivals associated with the day like Saturnalia to mark the winter solstice and coming of the new year. The spring equinox (which occurs on March 20th) and Easter (which occurs after the spring equinox on the first full moon) is also connected to the ancient spiritual traditions of Anglo-Saxon Pagans. For starters, have you ever wondered why Easter is often associated with the Easter bunny and eggs? Interestingly enough, rabbits don’t lay eggs –– so what’s the connection with decorating them, passing them around, and seeking them out on little hunts during this holiday? There’s no mention of these things in the Christian bible as associated with Christ’s resurrection, so why and how are they associated with this time of year? And how are they connected to the Christ figure? For that answer, we have to turn back to ancient times.  Image by Deborah Hudson from Pixabay The quick answer is, there's no connection between the bunny, egg, and the resurrection of Christ. The bunny and egg are actually associated with the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic fertility goddess of Ēostre or Ostara. In ancient times, ensuring the survival of the species and future generations was of utmost importance, and the hare (although slightly different from a rabbit) was the symbol for the goddess and associated with fecundity. Neither hares nor rabbits lay eggs, but the egg was representative of fertility, birth, and new life. Just as the earth becomes “alive” again, so do we. So how did this get incorporated into the celebration of Easter in the Christian tradition? For that, syncretization is the answer. You see, when the Emperor Constantine I (306–337 AD) converted to Christianity and signed the Edict of Milan in the 4th century AD, ending the persecution of Christians and allowing for religious tolerance, the old pagan gods slowly started to dissipate from the political-religious sphere. A decade after the treaty was signed, Christianity became the official religion of Rome and soon spread throughout the world. Since the majority of people were Pagan, holding their traditions and rituals sacred, getting everyone to convert wasn’t easy. So these rituals, celebrations, and festivals had to be syncretized with the Christian religion, instead of eliminating them all together. Less than 100 years later, worshiping any god outside the Christian cannon was deemed illegal in Rome. Jesus’s rebirth and resurrection soon became synonymous with the spring equinox, and the celebration of rebirth and renewal continued, just in a different guise. Ēostre/Ostara’s symbol of the hare became the Easter Bunny and the egg…well, you get the picture. Over the centuries, this symbolism became embedded in Western culture in new ways, adapting and evolving with time. But this goes to show the deep connection between ancient and contemporary spiritual practices, highlighting just how intertwined we all are with the past, as well as the sacredness of this time of year. However you choose to celebrate, honor, and acknowledge this sacred season, whatever your individual spiritual practice may be, it's a time to marvel at the miracle of life itself. It's a time to recognize our connection with the earth, celebrate our collective “rebirth” from winter and new beginnings, cast off the old, and embrace a renewed sense of hope and wonder. Spring is here, bringing along the promise of summer and new possibility. By Amber C. Snider Spellwork doesn’t always have to be elaborate ceremonies with extensive rituals. Sometimes a little kitchen magick can do the trick, especially if you don’t have the space, time, or money to go all out. Here are a few ways you can add practical magick to your everyday life in simple, but powerful ways.  Photo © Victor Castro/ Enchantments Practicing intention-based magick helps raise your consciousness and energetic vibrations, welcomes in more self-love, and heightens your intuition and respect for the earth. The winter season is a time for inner reflection and hibernation (the natural world around you does the same), especially as you prepare for big things to come throughout the rest of the year. So give yourself permission to turn inwards, get cozy, and try a little kitchen magick to uplift your spirit during these colder months. Here are 9 spells, recipes, and tips to help cure the winter blues and enchant your home. Simmer warming winter herbs on the stove for an uplifting aroma around the home. You can include a mix of the following herbs: Cloves, Cinnamon sticks, Star anise, Galangal root, All spice. If you'd like to let it simmer all day, add a couple cups of water back into the pot every hour. A simmer pot helps cleanse your home and reset your space. Use herbs with intention: cinnamon for concentration and productivity, rosemary for purification, lemongrass for energizing, lavender for peace and protection, etc. Afterwards, you can also add the herbs to a bath. For easier clean up, simply place the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth or cloth tea strainer and soak in your magic. Burn frankincense resin Frankincense resin has also been used in a variety of cleansing, purification, and holy rituals for centuries. The beautifully aromatic scent can help relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, and offer a spiritual boost. Use your mortar and pestle to grind up a bit of the resin and place it on a bit of burning charcoal in a fire-safe dish. Carry the dish around the house to purify your space or keep it burning next to you during meditations, incantations, and other spellwork. ($3 per half ounce at Enchantments) Wear Sun Oil or burn Sun Incense with intention Hand-blended at Enchantments, Sun Oil ($15 for half ounce) invokes the energy of the sun and helps promote energy, growth, positivity, joy, self-confidence, and happiness. Wear with intention or add a few drops to an essential oil diffuser. You can also get Sun Incense ($10 for half ounce) and use it to cleanse your space and attract good fortune. Do a candle ritual with the intention of "shining light in the darkness." You can use either a white, yellow, or gold candle. Begin your ritual by taking a cleansing sea salt bath to remove negative energy and focus your intention before lighting your candle. You can carve a personal sigil (or simply a circle to represent the sun, heart for self-love, etc) and add your initials. Anoint your candle with any of the oils listed above and roll in magickal herbs. For more on candle magick, check out this story.  Photo © Victor Castro/ Enchantments Has No Hannah oil A custom recipe at Enchantments, Has No Hannah Oil brings good luck and fortune. You can wear the oil (as you would a perfume) with intention, anoint a candle with it, or add a few drops to your bath. Minimum ½ ounce for orders ($15 for half ounce, not for ingestion). Make a cup of St. John’s Wort tea St. John’s Wort is known to help treat depression and anxiety, as well promote healing and repair wounds. Add a bit of it to your regular tea blends or buy ready-made tea bags. The healing effects of St. John’s Wort are more apparent with regular use, so add it to your daily routine during the winter months. Note that Enchantments does not sell herbs for ingestion, but we do have St. John's Wort herb for use for magic (baths, incense blends, sachets, ouanga bags, etc.). Add a little hyssop (herb) to your bath and steep in its cleansing powers. Hyssop is used in many uncrossing formulas, so it’s a good herb to use in your magick bath rituals. It’s been used for centuries in purification rituals and to consecrate holy spaces. Add a tablespoon or more to a bath (or wrap the herb in cheesecloth for easier clean up) and envision the herb cleansing away any negativity or bad vibes. You can also chant, pray, or say an incantation spell during your bath. As the water drains from the tub, imagine the water taking away any icky energy with it. ($3.50 for half ounce here). Hyssop essential oil is also used in a variety of magical oil blends. You can also purchase Hyssop Essential oil for $25 per half ounce ($40 for a full ounce) online here or in-person at Enchantments.  Photo © Victor Castro/ Enchantments Make yourself a cup of golden turmeric tea Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that can aid in depression. It can also ease PMS symptoms, help fight viruses, ease joint stiffness, and help detoxify the body. Boil a cup or two of oat milk (if you are lactose intolerant) on the stove and stir in a tablespoon of turmeric. Add in honey to taste. When you make teas with intention, offer gratitude to the herb/spice for its healing powers. Burn or diffuse the following invigorating and uplifting essential oils to aid in happiness: ––Orange essential oil ($19 for a half ounce) ––Tangerine essential oil ($23 for half ounce) ––Lemongrass essential oil ($20 for half ounce) By Amber C. Snider As part of our new series, our Magical Farmer’s Market Guides bring you plant-based ritual tips from authors, folklore, and spells using local, seasonal ingredients, as well as custom-carved candle suggestions.  Image from Pixabay Plants are magic. That much we know. Here's a guide to selecting winter veggies and herbs at your local farmer's market for their overall wellness and spiritual benefits. Of course, you should consult a professional doctor for any physical ailments or dietary restrictions (magic is best coupled with physical action and good sense). We love a little kitchen witchery at Enchantments, so you can consume the following foods with specific intention for magical manifestation, add to your spell work, or create family/deity altars using the following foods for the winter season. Blessed be, witches. Borage You'll often find borage used in health and magical elixirs at the farmer's market, as I've purchased a few at my local Brooklyn Farmer's market. It's a hearty, resilient plant that can grow in the cold, and helps with matters of the heart (heartache, grief, and emotional wounds). I personally associate this plant with the Goddess, due to its spiritual energy and benefits, but every person is different! Mostly you can find borage fresh at the market during the winter months and use it for cooking or for teas. According to WebMD, borage flower and leaves are also used to help with cough, fever, and depression. In her Backyard Garden Witchery, Woodward cites borage as an "herb of cheer thought to inspire euphoria," making it an excellent plant to use with magical intention during the winter months. Woodward writes that the plant is associated with Jupiter and Leo and recommends brewing young leaves to make a green tea to "improve mood and lift spirits" or adding a handful of leaves to a "hot bath to ease exhaustion and aching muscles." She also cites the power of the plant as helping with courage, harmony, protection, psychic powers, and beauty. Custom-carved candle at Enchantments: Great Mother Candle, a custom-carved devotional candle for the Goddess. Kale As a ubiquitous "super food," kale is a great source of vitamin A, C, K, folate, and alpha-linolenic acid. It's a versatile little plant too: you can sauté it in a pan with garlic and olive oil as a side, add it to salads and stews and smoothies, or drizzle some olive oil over it and pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes to make "kale chips." In her Backyard Garden Witchery, Woodward cites the leafy green as being good for psychic and emotional, too, including "expansion, happiness, health, mood enhance[ment], and sight." Incorporate kale to your morning routine by adding a cupful to a green smoothie (with coconut milk or water, other fruit, and low-fat yogurt) and sip with the intention of expanding your happiness and psychic sight. Custom-carved candle at Enchantments: Love & Happiness Candle, a custom-carved candle similar to the Solar Blast candle, but focuses specifically on bringing in an abundance of love and joy, as well as paving the way for new relationships and/or friendships, memorable moments with loved ones, and increased self-love. Chamomile Ah, the calming joy of a chamomile tea. It's a well-known plant used to induce tranquility, sleep, and peace. Most "sleepy time" tea is made with chamomile tea, but it's really a wonder tea. Studies have shown its potential at "managing illness, including cancer and diabetes," as well as reducing inflammation, treating colds, and helping with relaxation. In magic, you can create a satchel of the dried tea leaves to help with sleep, add to ritual baths with sea salt, make a simmer pot on the stove with other herbs and flowers to refresh the home with feelings of peace, create a healing/calming salve, or ingest the leaves in a tea with magical intention. Recipe Tip: In her book Enchanted Kitchen, author Gail Bussi has a great "Loving Spray Mist" recipe to invoke your inner Love Goddess made with chamomile tea. Add the steeped tea liquid to a bowl to cool, then add witch hazel, lavender essential oil, and lemongrass and vanilla oils to a spray bottle and combine. Custom-carved candle at Enchantments: Aesclepius Healing Candle, a custom-carved candle, invokes Aesclepius, the Greek God of healing and is designed to help heal on the physical plane through the emotional aura.  Image by Ulrike Leone from Pixabay Rosemary Like chamomile, rosemary is also a wonder plant. It helps with memory, psychic vision, focus, creativity, and mood. I love to create a simmer pot on the stove with dried rosemary from my mother's garden, cloves, and cinnamon sticks and let its fragrance float through the house when I need a little "pick me up," especially when working from home. If my house feels a little stagnant, rosemary helps clear out any negative energy and help with my overall creativity. You can add it to stews, soups, and meat dishes for extra flavor, but also eat it with the intention of boosting your mood and harnessing good memories. As you sprinkle on the herb over your food, chant over your dish "May this rosemary spark joy and happiness." It's also good for protection and releasing negative energy, so you can carry a sprig in your pocket, bag, or place around the entrances of your home or create an oil-infusion to wear as you would perfume. Custom-carved candle at Enchantments: Song of the Elder Gods, a custom-carved candle for artists, musicians, and performers. The candle, which burns for 7-10 days (continuously) helps provide inspiration, focus, and creativity to achieve success in the arts. Carrots Packed with vitamin A, and a decent source of B vitamins and vitamin C, carrots are helpful during flu and cold season. It's best to get them fresh from the farmer's market rather than go for those packaged "baby carrots," which often have a chemically taste and come in plastic bags. Opt for the bundle with the greens in-tact, which you can sauté as a side, add to stews and soups for extra flavor, or blend up in sauces (especially Green Goddess sauces). Magically, carrots are associated with virility, lust, beauty, and potency, so you can eat the vegetable with those intentions in mind. Since carrots are also good for eye health, it can help open up your Third Eye, and according to Laurel Woodward's Backyard Garden Witchery, carrots can also help boost awareness. Recipe tip: Author Gail Bussi has a great South African vegetable recipe that uses carrots called Chakalaka in her book Enchanted Kitchen. Custom-carved candle at Enchantments: Hypnotique Candle, a custom-carved candle offered at Enchantments that helps make you appear mesmerizing to others and enhances sexual and romantic attraction. The candle will burn for 7-10 days (continuously) to create a highly seductive atmosphere.  Image by ShireShy from Pixabay Cabbage Cabbage as long been a staple food for those surviving through the long, harsh winter months and can be added to stews, soups, sautéed, or grilled with olive oil. My favorite way to cook cabbage is to cut it into four parts and bake it in the oven as a "cabbage steak" and serve with a balsamic drizzle and gorgonzola cheese. Healthline states the veggie is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, and vitamin K, as well as fiber and antioxidants. It also helps reduce inflammation. On the psychic level, Laurel Woodward cites the spiritual benefits of cabbage as "healing, health, luck, and protection." Associated with the moon and element of water, Woodward recommends eating it before bed to "help fix your sleep cycle or gain protection from nightmares," as well as money-drawing food magick. Custom-carved candle: Divine Protection Candle, a custom-carved candle originally designed by Jeffrey Whitfield (now deceased) of Enchantments Inc., it was originally called the "Magus." It calls forth the higher mysteries of the God energy and helps prevent psychic takeover and psychic attack. For more plant magic, including farmer's market guides and herbal magick, check out our Plant Magic Series section here. By Amber C. Snider Now that the holidays have come and gone (and oh-so soon), it's time to turn inward and manifest our highest desires. Here are eight candles from Enchantments to help with your New Years resolutions, restore the chakra points, reign in the money, and reignite love. What beauty will you conjure this winter?  After the Winter Solstice, the promise of the sun's return is here, and those long nights will continue to grow ever-shorter. The good news is, the cold, dark months of winter are great for contemplating your dreams, goals, and higher truths –– and a little candle magic can help with that. As with all spell work, we recommend beginning with a sea salt bath ritual to cleanse your body, mind, and spirit before lighting your candle. If you don't have a bath, no problem –– simply mix some sea salt (not table salt) with warm water and pour it over yourself. Afterwards, anoint your body with your favorite oils (here are of of our favs) or perfume and visualize your intention. Everyone's practice is individual, so there's no "right or wrong" way to do a spell, but sometimes it helps to write down your spell, chant a prayer over the candle, or recite a mantra whenever you light it. Each candle will burn for 5-7 days (all day and night), but be sure to leave it in a safe space during the day and night in case the glass becomes too hot. If you need to snuff out the flame when you leave your home, you don't have to repeat the ritual salt bath again, just relight it with intention the next time. Happy magic making and blessed be in this New Year. Champagne Candle It's a New Year full of possibility, new starts, and reinvigoration. If your love relationship has been a little lacking in recent months (with much to be desired), it's probably time to reignite the initial spark. The Champagne Candle helps to rekindle romance, rejuvenate friendship, and keep your cup bubbling over with love and joy. Like a glass of delicious bubbly on New Years Eve, it's a celebratory candle to reign in all the good vibes. Hand-carved with your name and astrological sign, we recommend taking a sea salt bath first to cleanse and purify your aura before beginning your candle spell. To purchase the Champagne Candle, click here. Healing Wand Candle Unlike the Crystal healing candle (which helps with emotional healing), the Healing Wand is a spell candle for physical healing. Many people in our lives are battling sickness and ailments right now, and the Healing Wand works through the spiritual plane to help heal the body. Carved with the Caduceus, the ancient symbol of medicine and healing, the Healing Wand can also work as a vision aid while you invoke the spirit world for assistance with healing. It should go without saying (but we'll say it anyways) that spell work is not a substitute for medical attention by trained professionals. As magic workers we know that there are great mysteries beyond our understanding and that Spirit works in tandem with the physical realm, so we must couple our spiritual intentions with physical action, too. Stay open to the signs and messages you receive while burning the candle –– the road to healing is a long journey, but the answer may be closer than you think. First Chakra Candle After the rush of the holidays, the social gatherings, and putting out so much energy for others, it's a good time of year to reset and restore. The First Chakra, the Root chakra, is associated with grounding, healthy boundaries, stability, security, and health. If you need a "reset" –– either physically or emotionally –– the First Chakra candle can help restore your balance. When you light the candle, focus on your Root Chakra point and visualize a red spinning ball of energy opening up. Couple the spell with other grounding exercises, like yoga and meditation, and healthy foods associated with that chakra point. For more on ways to work with the Root Chakra, check out this story on how to restore balance. Seventh Chakra Candle If you're ready to take your spiritual practice to a higher level, opening up and working with the Crown Chakra can help. The Seventh Chakra, located at the top of the head is associated with divine awakening, guidance, and connection with your Higher Self and Higher Powers. It's our link to the spiritual realm and the place where wisdom comes through the body. To help heal, restore, strengthen, and balance that chakra point, the Seventh Chakra Candle is a great tool, especially when coupled with meditation techniques to invoke universal wisdom.  Photo by Victor Castro for Enchantments Hecate Candle The Great Goddess Hecate is associated with the dark moon, sorcery, magic, the moon, and crossroads. As part of the Divine Trinity, the Hecate Candle invokes the Goddess in all her faces: maiden, mother, and crone. If you're at a proverbial crossroads in your life, need help making a tough decision, or are seeking ancient wisdom, call upon Hecate for assistance. She's a tough-love kind of Goddess and will show you what you need, rather than what you think you may want. Tip: Light the candle on the night of the Dark Moon in the Lunar Cycle. Successful Business Candle The new year also means it's time to get our money right! If you're an independent contractor, small business owner, boss babe CEO, or just starting a new venture, a Successful Business candle is a great way to refocus and invoke prosperity for your business. It's also useful for selling real estate, so if you're trying to sell your apartment or house in the next few months, this is a good choice. Welcome in abundance and prosperity this new year. Love Healing Candle Ah, love and money. So many people come to the shop seeking these two things, but what they may not realize before coming in is that they have to clear space and do a little healing before welcoming in new love and big benjamins. Many of us are still healing from old wounds, toxic patterns, or simply still hung up on our ex. It's time (yes, it's time) to let that shit go. The Love Healing candle helps heal old wounds and emotional issues, including grief and loss, but it also points the way towards a new beginning. Stay open to the signs you receive while you burn this candle –– and find the spark of love within. Money Pyramid Candle Alright, last one for the money: if you're ready to build a solid financial foundation in this new year, the Money Pyramid Candle is for you. This candle is not about a quick-fix, short-term financial gain, but helps promote long-term financial growth over time. It'll help you focus on financial responsibility, thinking about the big picture, and make better choices regarding money. Plus, it might just open up a path towards a new financial venture you never considered before. For more on candle magic, check out our FAQs here. To visit the official Enchantments store website for purchases, click here.
In preparation for the Winter Solstice, here we feature a delicious Yuletide recipe and lore from Earth Magic by Dodie Graham McKay.  Photo by Kim Daniels on Unsplash If you’ve ever been to the Enchantments’ shop in-person, you’re probably well aware that we're big fans of books. With a wide selection ranging from kitchen witchery and ceremonial magic to occult histories and tarot guides, we’re stocked up for the Yule season and always down to offer our favorite recommendations. As part of Llewellyn’s Elements of Witchcraft Series, Earth Magic explores the history, lore, deities, rituals, and herbs associated with the earth element and ways to use this sacred wisdom to enhance your Craft. Learn about mythological places, sacred earth sites, divination and magical tools, making tinctures, as you reconnect with the energies of the land this winter season. Excerpt and recipe from Earth Magic by Dodie Graham McKay. © 2022 by Dodie Graham McKay. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. Winter Solstice “This sabbat is also called Yule and is usually celebrated sometimes around December 20. Many Neopagans celebrate by staying up all through the longest night, sitting vigil and awaiting the return of the sun. In some Wiccan traditions the story of the battle between the Oak King and Holly King marks the season. The Holly King is challenged by the Oak King to fight, with the Oak King winning control of the next half of the year as the daylight lengthens. The feasting that happens at this time of year is a welcome break from the long cold nights where I live, and it is such a treat to have the company of loved ones around to celebrate the solstice. As the light grows, this is an effective time to do magic related to manifesting what you want or need in your life and setting goals for yourself.  From Earth Magic by Dodie Graham McKay. © 2022 by Dodie Graham McKay. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. Stuffed Acorn Squash This dish makes a hearty meal for two; just add some salad or other veggies on the side, or if you cut the baked acorn squash halves into quarters, you have a nice side dish to go along with roast meat. You can change up the flavour by using other types of cheese or herbs and chopped bits of apple, or bits of dried fruit give it a “turkey stuffing” vibe. This is a good one to serve at Yule or Christmas gatherings for guests who don’t eat meat and it can easily be adapted for vegans as well. Ingredients: 1 acorn squash ½ cup of uncooked quinoa ½ of a medium onion, diced small 6 large mushrooms, diced 1 heaping tablespoon each of raw sunflower seed and pumpkin seed 1 teaspoon rubbed sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup grated cheddar cheese plus extra for topping Generous handful chopped fresh parsley
For more book recommendations, check out this section on our website and to order Earth Magic direct from the publisher, click here. Here, Enchantments brings you excerpts from Gail Bussi’s Enchanted Kitchen (perfect for gifting, too!), including a Winter Solstice Blessing, a Brandy Butter recipe, decorating ideas, and more.  From Enchanted Kitchen by Gail Bussi. © 2022 by Gail Bussi. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. As the season for rest and reprieve comes upon us, what better way to celebrate Yule than a little practical kitchen magic? In her book Enchanted Kitchen, author Gail Bussi offers seasonal tips and rituals to enliven the holidays and brighten up those long winter nights. The book also includes more than seventy-five seasonal recipes for each month, so it's perfect for gifting, too. Here are a few gems to help make your Winter Solstice extra special this year, while honoring the change of season and sacred stillness. Enhance Your Home With Essential Oils “Essential oils and scented candles can echo this warmth by using fragrances such as myrrh, frankincense, juniper, sweet orange, and sandalwood. Citrus fruits can be hung as pomanders or simply piled in wooden bowls; chili peppers and cranberries, too, lend a bright warmth to the winter kitchen and can be added to wreaths and other decorations.” Blessing for December 21st, the Night of Yule “Earth, you have given us both light and Darkness. On this night we give thanks For the return of the sun and for the Blessings of warmth and growth. The old Yer has passed away; the new year is Here. May we all be blessed with light, With warmth, with grace. And so it is.”  Image by Nina from Pixabay Gift Homemade Recipe Cards “If you have any treasured old handwritten recipes, copy and laminate a few of them as very special Yuletide cards or simply keep them as page markers in your very favorite cookbooks.” Try a Traditional Yuletide Recipe “Brandy butter, a traditional Yuletide recipe from Britain, is usually served with hot Christmas pudding, but in my opinion just about any excuse will do! Mix 1 stick of softened butter with enough confectioners' sugar to make a soft and creamy mixture, then stir in about 2 tablespoons of brandy. Keep in the refrigerator and use with desserts or cake as a sauce or topping.”  Image by Дарья Яковлева from Pixabay Bring the beauty of outdoors table-side “Decorate your kitchen with sprigs of rosemary and pine tied with red ribbons, symbols of immorality and blessings; these make a lovely natural place setting, too. For abundance and prosperity, create a simple kitchen wreath with holly leaves and berries, juniper, small pine cones, and a few cinnamon sticks, trimmed with a gold or green ribbon.” From Enchanted Kitchen by Gail Bussi. © 2022 by Gail Bussi. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., www.Llewellyn.com. To purchase the book directly from the publisher, click here or head to the Enchantments shop in New York City. Read on to find out why this handy little manual will serve as a great companion throughout the Wheel of the Year.  It’s the time of the year when it seems like you blink once and Yule celebrations are already in full swing. If you’re the type to plan ahead and cross off your shopping lists early, check out Llewellyn’s new Sabbats Almanac (available in the Enchantments shop or online) as a gift for all the witches, magic workers, and Pagans in your life. More than ever we need to add ritual in our lives and take time to honor the cycles of the year. For those of us who practice earth-based rituals, a good almanac is an essential thing to have around on the shelf, but it’s hard to choose just one. Llewellyn publishes some of the best almanacs around, from the yearly Magical Almanac to the popular Witches’ Datebook and Witches’ Companion. But this year, we’re especially loving the new Sabbats Almanac. Use it throughout the Wheel of the Year to source recipes, rituals, and spells for each holiday, from the Witches’ New Year that is Samhain and back around to the Fall Equinox that is Mabon.
The 2023 edition features a great mix of writers from a variety of traditions and includes folklore, cooking recipes, craft ideas, and extended rituals for each celebration. There’s also a notes section at the end of each Sabbat chapter for you to add in your own rituals, seasonal intentions, and musings. The various essays include brief descriptions of each holiday and ritual tips, whether it’s working with corresponding foods, oils, trees, stones, or symbolic elements. Each section also has prayers and invocations associated with more structured rituals, whether you’re a solo practitioner or working in a coven.
For more on our favorites, check out our new Plant Magic Series, featuring some of the best books in botanical and herbal magic. By Amber C. Snider As part of our new series, our Magical Farmer’s Market Guides bring you plant-based ritual tips from authors, folklore, and spells using local, seasonal ingredients, as well as custom-carved candle suggestions.  Image by Bayley Nargang from Pixabay Spinach Packed with vitamins like iron, calcium, folic acid, and vitamins A and C, Spinach, a “cold-hardy leafy green,” also contains antioxidants to help strengthen the body and fight stress. It’s good for eye sight and overall health, so you can ingest it with the intention of health and “psychic sight,” too. Laurel Woodward, author of Kitchen Witchery and Backyard Garden Witchery, cites its benefits in money spells, longevity, and vitality. Add some leaves to a smoothie (with coconut water or milk, berries, and bananas) during your morning manifestations and meditations. As you sip, focus on the magic of the plant moving through your body, filling you with energy and strength for the day. The plant is associated with the earth element and Jupiter, and according to Scott Cunningham, it’s useful for “promoting money, employment, and overall prosperity.” Along with bay leaves, add spinach to your money spells via baths, teas, ouanga bags, or sprinkle some on your spell candles. Custom-carved candle: Money Pyramid Candle, used for long-term financial growth. It helps build a solid financial foundation and promotes responsibility and good choices regarding money. Thyme Thyme is one of my favorite herbs! It’s fragrant, grows in abundance, and loaded with nutrients such as vitamin C for immune system support and potassium. According to WebMD, thyme can also help reduce inflammation and help with respiratory health, which is especially great during the seasonal transitions. In magic, it’s good for “communication, courage, and dreams,” as well as healing, love, luck, psychic powers, purification, sight, and success,” writes Laurel Woodward in Backyard Garden Witchery. You can add the fresh herb to nearly any dish for a zesty burst of flavor, or keep it dried in your pantry. It’s a calming herb that enhances psychic ability, so you can also add some to your nighttime teas, place a few sprigs in a sachet to keep under your pillow, or add to a sea salt blend for baths. Associated with Venus and the element of water, Scott Cunningham writes in his Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs that thyme can be worn to attract good health and used in healing spells. “Thyme is also a purificatory herb; the Greeks burned it in their temples to purify them and so thyme is often burned prior to magical rituals to cleanse the area.” Custom-carved candle: Throat Chakra Candle, used for cleansing, healing, balancing and strengthening the third chakra. This chakra is associated with energy, power, will, assertiveness, self-esteem, confidence, courage and appropriate self-discipline.  Image by cgdsro from Pixabay Chocolate/Cacao Sensual, decadent, and uplifting, chocolate is associated with the planet Mars and good for “promoting protection and courage,” according to Scott Cunningham. It’s also associated with “magical strength and sexual energy,” he writes in Wicca in the Kitchen. If you find a chocolate dessert at the farmer’s market, eat it with the intention of invoking an abundant, luxurious life, sensuality, divine protection, pleasure, and of course, love. Add raw cacao to your smoothies, morning coffee, or make your own hot chocolate (a much healthier alternative to the packaged stuff). “Cacao also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that converts into serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to promote a sense of well-being and relaxation,” writes Laurel Woodward in Kitchen Witchery. The cacao tree was particularly important in ancient Mesoamerica, where it was used in sacred rituals by the Mayans, Aztecs, and others. Cacao is still widely used in spiritual ceremonies today. Custom-carved candle: Mystere Candle, an attraction spell which surrounds you with glamour, excitement, and an air of mystery and intrigue that helps attract potential suitors, drawing them in like moths to a flame. Parsnips A beautifully versatile root veggie, parsnips can be pureed, added to soups and stews, or roasted with olive oil as an autumnal side dish. They can be found at farmer’s markets or your local grocery store all year round, but are best in the fall and winter months. Packed with vitamin C and E, as well as potassium and other nutrients, they’re also low in calories. “Parsnips hold an earthy, masculine energy that supports creation and sex magick,” writes Laurel Woodward. Good for grounding spells or channeling the divine masculine, you can eat this superfood with intention –– or serve a hearty meal to your lover for an extra spark in the bedroom. Custom-carved candle: Root Chakra Candle, used for cleansing, healing, balancing and strengthening the root chakra. This chakra is associated with grounding, healthy boundaries, stability, security, trust, prosperity and health. Zucchini Harvested during the late summer months and early fall, zucchini has been “used in folk medicine to treat colds, aches, and various health conditions,” according to Healthline. I love sautéing zucchini in a pan as a side dish for dinner, adding it to stir fry (julienne style or sliced), or substituting for regular pasta (pairs really well with cream sauce), but they also pair surprisingly well with eggs in the morning. But what about its magical benefits? Laurel Woodward notes this veggie in helping to invoke “prosperity, protection, and psychic awareness,” in her book Backyard Garden Witchery. It’s also associated with sex and spirituality, as well as enlightenment and enhancing intuition, and considered an aphrodisiac. Custom-carved candle: Peace and Protection Candle, used to help keep out people who are invading your life through astral vibrations, visitations, psychic attack, verbal abuse, bickering, and paranoia. Helps quiet people who incite violence, slander and harm to others, and replaces their negative energies with ones of peace and tranquility.  Image by Konstantin Kolosov from Pixabay Basil There are so many uses for basil, whether it’s used as a botanical essential oil, steeped in teas, burned in sacred rituals, or added to incense blends, baths, soaps, lotions and more. It’s a super diverse, versatile, yummy culinary plant with several varieties. Also known as Tulsi, eating or drinking the herb can help reduce inflammation and contains “compounds that can help to alleviate anxiety and depression, increase your ability to think clearly, and lower the risk for age-related memory loss,” cites WebMD. In magic, it brings along “cheer and creativity,” according to author Laurel Woodward, as well as “happiness, harmony, love, and luck.” It’s associated with the planet Mars and can be used for protection and prosperity spells. Basil is also connected to the holiday Samhain which occurs on October 31st and November 1st, so consider making a tea offering to your ancestors at that time. It’s a soothing, calming herb, making it great for nighttime brews, as well. “A tea made from basil leaves will aid in spirit communication,” adds Woodward in Kitchen Witchery. Custom-carved candle: Love and Happiness Candle, which focuses on bringing an abundance of love and joy into your life. Paves the way for new friendships and/or relationships, memorable moments with loved ones and increased self-love. *Editor’s note: This article is intended for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals. For more on plant magic, check out our Plant Series here and our Herbal Series here.
By Amber C. Snider As part of our plant series, our new Magical Farmer’s Market Guides bring you plant-based ritual tips from authors, folklore, and spells using local, seasonal ingredients.  Image by tookapic from Pixabay Squash Super easy to find at your local farmer’s market, especially during the fall months, squash associated with the Sun (as are most yellow vegetables), the element of fire, and the festival of Samhain on October 31st/November 1st, as well as Mabon on September 21st. According to Laurel Woodward’s Backyard Garden Witchery, butternut squash is “loaded with dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta-carotene to support eye health and fight muscular degeneration” and can be added to meals to support healthy relationships. Woodward also cites its magical properties to help with “beauty, deepening relationships, health, influence, and prosperity.” In his seminal work Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, Scott Cunningham says that eating squash in dishes can “increase awareness of the nonphysical reality around us," adding that it is a "fine spirituality-inducing food.” Squash is great when roasted in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt, sautéed or fried in the pan for breakfast, as well as pureed for hearty fall soups. Custom-carved candle: Solar Blast. Helps the Sun come through to cleanse, purge and rejuvenate your entire being. Provides positive energy for all your endeavors. Invites joy into your life. A great 'wishing' candle. Traditionally used to celebrate your solar return/birthday! Lavender Lavender is one of the most popular herbs around and can be used for so many things, including teas, in baking, aromatic oils, baths, and more. I personally love to combine lavender with Himalayan sea salt to sprinkle on foods or add dried lavender to sea salt for a relaxing ritual bath. You can normally find it fresh or dried at the farmer’s market and easily create your own infusions and oils with the herb. Associated with the element of air, according to Laurel Woodward’s “Kitchen Witchery,” it’s excellent for spellwork involving “calm, clarity, communication, healing, love, protection, and sleep.” For sweet dreams, add a couple teaspoons into a sachet bag and place under your pillow at night, carry a few sprigs in your pocket for luck and protection, or combine with dried rose for a blissful beauty tea. Custom-carved candle option: Peace & Protection. This candle helps to keep out people who are invading your life through astral vibrations, visitations, psychic attack, verbal abuse, bickering, and paranoia and to quiet people who incite violence, slander and harm to others. It replaces their negative energies with ones of peace and tranquility.  Image by Michael Strobel from Pixabay Apples Fall is definitely the season for apple picking and if you’re on the east coast, you can find an abundance of varieties at the farmer’s market, from granny to honeycrisp and pink ladies. Associated with the water element and the planet Venus, apples are also used in many magical spells, particularly love and sex magic. Whether it’s apple bobbing for Samhain, sipping mulled apple cider on chilly autumn evenings, or baking them into pies for the fall equinox, there are many ways to use the sweet fruit. In Laurel Woodward’s Kitchen Witchery, apples are also a symbol of fertility and sexuality, and associated with “beauty, garden magick, healing, love, and youth.” They're also associated with love, health, and peace and were “valued foods in ancient Egypt...and intimately linked with spirituality in the British Isles," as well as for the Norse and Yoruba peoples, writes Scott Cunningham in his Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen. Cunningham recommends carving a heart into the apple’s skin before eating it to reign in love (remember self-love is a thing, too!) or baking an apple pie with ginger and cinnamon to share with your lover. Custom-carved candle option: Empress in Venus. Goddess based candle to help magnify self-love and confidence. Also can be used to attract romantic attention. Beets This hearty, resilient vegetable is great all year round, but you can find it in abundance during the fall months. Try making your own Ukrainian borscht for a delicious, warming meal or adding to fall salads with walnuts and goat cheese. Associated with the earth element and the planet Saturn, in magic, beets are used for love and beauty spells. According to Cunningham, “beets have been eaten for centuries by persons wishing to lengthen their life spans” and are also associated with the fall festival of Samhain on November 1st. They can also be added to love-attracting diets! “Cook and eat beets while visualizing yourself enjoying increased beauty,” he writes. Or make a love spell ink using the liquid from boiled beets and a dash of vinegar (recipe can be found in Backyard Garden Witchery by Laurel Woodward). Custom-carved candle: Catch a New Love. For use in attracting a suitable new romantic partner.  Image by Couleur from Pixabay Carrots Associated with the element of fire and the planet Mars, carrots hold strong sexual energy and traditionally associated with the masculine. According to Laurel Woodward’s Backyard Garden Witchery, carrots are associated with “beauty, clear sight, fertility, protection, strength, and youth” and can help boost women’s energy for courage or strengthen male virility. When “prepared and eaten with the correct visualization, carrots may play a part in overcoming psychological impotency,” writes Cunningham in his beloved Encyclopedia. I especially love roasting different carrot varieties, including white, deep purple, and yellow shades (aka kaleidoscope) in the oven with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, thyme, and rosemary, finished off with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. Custom-carved candle: Mars Candle. Invokes the God of war for strength, perseverance, passion, virility, victory, protection, courage and willpower. Sage Sage has been around for thousands of years and is particularly sacred to the Native Americans. When burned in a ritualistic manner, aka smoke cleansing, it’s used for purifying a space, banishing unwanted energies, and enhancing psychic ability. “Its energies include longevity and health,” writes Scott Cunningham, and has been “used in cooking, medicine, and magic for at least 2,000 years.” Associated with the planet Jupiter and the element of air, according to Scott Cunningham, sage is also useful for “promoting money, employment, and overall prosperity.” Laurel Woodward cites its magical uses as an aphrodisiac, as well as a great plant to promote cheer, creativity, and mental power. At the farmer’s market, you can normally find it fresh and add it to soups, stews, or roasted vegetables. If you’d like to use it for smoke cleansing, simply hang the herb in a dry area in your kitchen and when completely dry, bundle it with thread. When used for cooking, store the dried herb in a mason jar. Custom-carved candle: House Blessing candle. Cleanses and blesses your living space - whether you've been living there for years or just moved in. It will help put the house in order and keep it blessed with good energy and peace.  Image by Kasia from Pixabay Cinnamon Cinnamon actually comes from the inner bark of an evergreen tree and is widely used in magical practices and spells. Its warming scent can also be found in scented candles, body oils, perfumes, soaps and more. It’s also used in many love spells, either to attract new lover, entice passion, and enhance sexual desire, as well as spells involving productivity and success. Associated with the Sun and element of fire, cinnamon can be used to raise vibrations and increase mental clarity, so it’s great to use while working or studying, too. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your coffee for an extra magickal boost. Cinnamon “holds energy to draw money, stimulate psychic abilities, kindle love, boost attraction, and increase magickal energy in general,” writes Woodward in Kitchen Witchery and can be used in spellwork involving luck, love, protection, raising vibrations, and overall success. According to Scott Cunningham, “the ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in medicine and religion as early as 1450 BCE, while “in Greece, it played a part in processions to Dionysus.” When working with magical food, oils, or perfumes, it’s said to double a spell’s power. Also, if you’re trying to quit smoking, I’ve found organic cinnamon sticks to be an effective deterrent. Custom-carved candle: Fast Luck candle. It speaks for itself! This candle helps to bring luck in a safe and correct way so that you can succeed in your endeavors. Good for money magic spells. Pumpkin Associated with the earth element, lunar energies, and Samhain celebrations on November 1st, pumpkins can be found at your local farmer’s market throughout the months of September - November. In magic, according to Laurel Woodward, they can be used for banishing unwanted spirits, people, and energies, as well as divination and prosperity spells. They hold “stable, positive energy,” as well as “energy to fortify health, cheer spirit, and attract prosperity,” she writes. Cunningham cites pumpkins in healing and money spells, as well: “Pumpkin is also a nutritious money-attractant. Make a pumpkin pie and add cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to flavor it with money-drawing energies.” In addition to making pumpkin pies, pumpkin spiced beverages, and roasting in the oven with sea salt and herbs, you can also roast the seeds for a delicious snack. Of course, pumpkin spice lattes are all the rage in the fall months too, but make sure the syrup is made from real pumpkin and not just artificial flavoring. Pumpkin-scented candles add a coziness and warmth to the home, offering a welcoming energy for guests, too. Custom-carved candle: Uncrossing Candle. A purification. Removes negativity, blocks, curses and hexes from all elements of one's life. Can be used to cleanse your home, office, self or those around you. It clears the way for positive vibrations to come into your life. To purchase Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen click here. To purchase Laurel Woodward's Backyard Garden Witchery click here or Kitchen Witchery click here. For more on plant magic, check out our new series here. By Amber C. Snider For all you kitchen witches, herbal enthusiasts, and earth magic practitioners out there, we've rounded up the best books on plant magic. From wildcrafting to enchanted cooking and responsible foraging, there's a little something for everyone.  Image by AmandaKoch from Pixabay  Enchanted Kitchen by Gail Bussi Gail Bussi whips up 75 “edible magic” recipes, along with seasonal rituals and spells, in her latest book Enchanted Kitchen. New for 2022, this tiny-yet-mighty magical cookbook designed to help you connect to Spirit includes recipes for each month, complete with vegan and vegetarian options. Learn to make quick magic seeded bread, leprechaun pesto in March, sunshine lemon pickles and moon magic soup in January, spiced ghee in August, and more. Bussi, who studied holistic herbalism and natural healing, is a professional cook and also the author of Enchanted Herbal.  The Magick of Food by Gwion Raven Starting with Sumer and moving through Greece and Rome, Raven begins The Magick of Food with a “brief and incomplete” culinary history, before moving onto magickal cooking in modern times. The book includes kitchen tips, food & sex, healing, spellwork, and ritual offerings for the gods. Learn to make honey shortbread to conjure love, a Baba Yagatini cocktail or Metamorphoses mocktail mojito, a gratitude spell with bone broth, or celebratory dishes to honor the various sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.  Backyard Garden Witchery by Laurel Woodward New for 2022, Laurel Woodward’s Backyard Garden Witchery offers practical advice and spiritual guidance to help you realize the magickal potential that’s just outside your door. Explore the energy of plants, spirits of the land, earth-based rituals, flower spells, culinary recipes, magickal oils, and herbal brews to create your own “living, breathing sanctuary for herbalism.” She also offers advice on working with (and appreciating) weeds, shrubs, herbs, and flowers. A must-have for any garden enthusiast looking to transform their personal outdoor space into a mindful wonderland.  Kitchen Witchery by Laurel Woodward Laurel Woodward’s Kitchen Witchery (2021) is designed to “elevate the way you approach cooking" and explores everything from cooking with the lunar cycle, working with grains and wheat (with gluten-free alternatives), the magickal associations of nuts, oils, fruits, veggies, mushrooms, and more. It also includes rituals and spells for each ingredient. Whenever you’re wanting to add a touch of magick to a particular dish, simply look up the individual ingredient and see the possibilities. Great for kitchen witches, spice lovers, and anyone wanting to enhance their culinary creations with intention.  Encyclopedia of Wicca In the Kitchen by Scott Cunningham Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca may not be new, but it's an absolute must-have for any kitchen witch. This culinary staple by bestselling author Scott Cunningham covers five distinct sections: magic in the kitchen (including tools, magickal cooking, and festival foods), the magic of food (which inclludes the lore, magickal uses, and elemental associations with a variety of common ingredients), magical food diets (for protection, money, sex, spirituality, and more); Scott's favorite recipes (including desserts, main dishes, and apps); and finally, supplemental material (including symbols, resources, and more). It's truly a definite guide to the magical cooking in the kitchen.  Weedy Wisdom for the Curious Forager by Rebecca Randall Gilbert Gilbert's Weedy Wisdom is a beautifully written homage to the natural world and all the lessons we can take from working with wild plants. After spending her childhood foraging in Martha’s Vineyard with her grandmother and later teaching at Camp Jabberwocky, the oldest summer camp for people with disabilities, Gilbert shares her plant wisdom through dozens of recipes and includes ways to incorporate foraging into your everyday life. Here you’ll find info on edible flowers, leaves as foundational food, first aid plants, cooking techniques, and more. With an eye for gratitude and radical honesty, Gilbert shows how to use plants with a higher, more attuned consciousness and offers up a variety of plant knowledge for both spiritual and physical growth.  The Scent of Lemon and Rosemary by Raechel Henderson The Scent of Lemon Rosemary is a beautiful tribute to the Goddess Hestia. Rarely discussed in Greek and Roman mythology, Hestia’s power is pervasive, as the Goddess of the hearth, she’s the first one to receive offerings and keeps the fire alight in the home, heavens, and beyond. Here, Henderson covers working with the Goddess throughout the home (with chapters on love and transformation in the kitchen, purification in bathroom, prosperity in bedroom, and communication in the living room), including ways to invoke Hestia’s energy, protection spells, kitchen spells, magical houseplants, and more. She also includes several magickal recipes, herbal remedies, healing teas, and green cleaning recipes throughout.  A Witch’s Guide to Wildcraft by JD Walker In her A Witch’s Guide to Wildcraft: Using Common Plants to Create Uncommon Magick, JD Walker discusses the sacred energy of North American plants and ways to use them in your magical work. You don’t have to go far to find powerful plants all around you (hint: many are right in your backyard or nearby woods), including chickweed, clover, dandelion, ferns, grass, holly, and more. Here, she explores the uses of 30 common plants, ways to identify and harvest them, and offers spells and rituals for each one to help you “develop a closer relationship with our enchanted world and with your own spiritual self.”  Earth Magic by Dodie Graham McKay As part of Llewellyn’s Elements of witchcraft series, Dodie Graham McKay’s Earth Magic is an absolute staple for any witch seeking to hone their skills in the sacred art of working with elementals. Complete with invocations, info on sacred earth sites, offerings, stones, geomancy, wildcrafting, earth animal guides, and more, her book is thorough, practical, and above all, wise. She also includes guest essays that help inspire others to create positive changes in their environment and self, including a moving piece entitled “Indigenous Perspectives on the Land and Pagans” by Karen Froman, a member of the Six Nations of Grand River, Mohawk Nation. If you’d like to deepen your earth magic practices and grow in your Craft, this is definitely the book for you.  The Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Plants & Herbs for Your Magical Garden by Harold Roth Rather than an encyclopedia of hundreds of herbs and plants, Roth’s book focuses on 13 essentials that every witch should know about. As founder of Alchemy Works, Roth blends the scholarly with the magickal, combining his 30 years of gardening experience with deep knowledge of the occult. Great for an intermediate to an advanced practitioners, the book provides in-depth coverage of witch’s favorite plants, such as poppy, rue, hyssop, clary sage, and vervain. Learn to make psychic enhancing tinctures with clary sage, dream tea with vervain, the lore behind belladonna, plant spirit familiars, and more with this essential book.  Herbal Magick by Gerina Dunwich Filled with Pagan lore, herbal spells and techniques, gypsy magick, dream magick, and more, Gerina Dunwich’s Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination is an enchanting hardcover worthy of any herbal witch. Learn about cherry tree divinations, tea spells, the meaning of plants in dreams, the names of Gods and Goddesses, working with roots and leaves, and more. She also includes an herbal encyclopedia that contains the Pagan names (if known) of each plant, as well as its planetary and elemental rulers and the Pagan Gods/Goddesses associated with each, making it a handy reference book, too. For more on herbs and plants, check out our Herbal Series or our new Plant Magic series.
It’s time to celebrate the midway point between the Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox –– the sacred time of Lammas.  Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash Part of the eight sabbats in the Wheel of the Year, Lammas is a time to give thanks for all the blessings in your life and honor the abundance of the natural world. Historically, this time of year is a pivotal point in the calendar for harvesting the first grain and fruits of the season, which helps ensure survival over the coming winter months. In Celtic Ireland, Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh) honors the Sun God Lugh, who is also known for his craftsmanship. The holiday was traditionally celebrated by cutting the grain, grinding it into flour, and baking the first bread of the season (in Old English, lammas means “loaf mass") and offering it to the God. It takes place on August 1st or 2nd, and it's a time to celebrate all the hard work you’ve put in up until this point. For modern witches, Wiccans, and pagans this can also involve doing spellwork and rituals around prosperity, abundance, growth, and gratitude. Here, Enchantments’ staff member Marisabel Santiago discusses eight ways to celebrate Lammas, with links to purchase magical tools associated with the sabbat. Making corn husk dolls “Corn is abundant this time of year and in the olden days, people would make corn husk dolls from the harvest. They can be used as a form of sympathetic magic, too,” says Marisabel. “These are old traditions representing the Goddess or Lugh’s mother, because [in some stories] she would die this time of year. As a result, some people would use the corn husk dolls for sympathetic magic to symbolize the pieces of themselves that no longer serve them. They would put [aspects of] themselves that no longer served them inside the corn husk dolls and burn them in a ritual, thus, letting go and also giving birth to their own harvest.” A ritual with Rose of Jericho “Lammas is such a prosperous time. It’s good for money magick, prosperity, and [invoking] solar energy. I highly recommend working with the Rose of Jericho. It’s that miraculous plant that comes back to life. It’s typically left in water bowls and as it opens it brings prosperity. You can add dimes to the water to reign in more prosperity,” says Marisabel. Baking Bread “I like to make simple, white bread for Lammas. Because it was the first harvest of the season, people would make the first cut of wheat, grind it up to make flour, and make bread from it. The first bread was offered to the God Lugh and people would take a trip up the mountain (because the mountains are closest to the sun) and bury it there. Then they’d have their celebrations there on the mountain,” says Marisabel. “My favorite bread to make is herb pull-apart bread with mozzarella cheese (here’s a recipe). If you don’t want to use the corn husk for sympathetic magick, you can also make little breadmen and fill it with intentions. If you were trying to lose weight, mold yourself into that image. If you want to represent the Goddess, shape it into a nice Venus of Willendorf…it’s just a really fun way to celebrate,” she adds. Lammas Incense “Lammas incense is excellent when you’re trying to work with air elemental magick. All you have to do is light some incense and make your intentions heard. As the incense blows up to the heavens, so your prayers get brought up,” says Marisabel. “Lammas has this whole history of going up the mountain to get in contact with the solar deity, but the fact that the incense carries up to the heavens saves you the trip of going up that hill,” she adds. #RunningUpThatHill. Nine Fruits incense, which brings luck and blessings, is also great this time of year.  Image by Myléne from Pixabay Making a really nice meal “I love to make a really nice meal as a ‘thank you’ for all the blessings in my life during Lammas. It’s another great way of celebrating the harvest: You put in the hard work throughout the entire year to get to this point and you can take a moment to enjoy it all,” says Marisabel. “People nowadays really do have to take a moment to reflect on all the good, especially with all the bad stuff going around. Lammas is a great way to stop and just be. It’s also in the middle of Leo season, which is one of the happiest seasons!” Candle Magick “A Solar Blast candle is great for this time of year. We’re still in summer, but we’re heading into the darker half of the year, so I love a Solar Blast to try to get that last bit of the sun into our prosperity rituals,” says Marisabel. “I also love a Success Candle, because it’s Leo season, and it’s all about that 5th House of being the inner child, showing up, and having that strength and vitality. Adding that [Leo] energy to your Success Candles can be a really big blessing, especially this time of year,” she says. Frankincense & Myrrh “Frankincense and myrrh are solar resins, so they tend to bring a lot of prosperity,” says Marisabel. You can purchase Frankincense resin here, which is used for cleansing and protection, and often burned with Myrrh, which is good for cleansing and protection. Money related candles & spells “Money-related candles are great because it’s time to reap that harvest and get that money!” she says. You can opt for a custom Money Drawing Candle, Money Draw incense or oil, a Money Pyramid Candle (good for long-term financial growth and promotes responsibility and good choices regarding money), a Money Draw spell kit, (which comes with a small incense and dram of oil), or a picture candle like this Mr. Money Candle. By Amber C. Snider Learn how to respectfully petition water spirits, make moon water, and perform beach rituals.  Photo by Anastasia Taioglou on Unsplash The four elements are present in all of us: earth in our bones, air in our lungs, fire in our spirits, and water that continuously moves through our blood. Many of us are especially attracted to that last element: the call of the ocean is contained within us, the shoreline beckons us, and the sound of rain, waves, and streams is akin to holy music. We seek out water every day, whether it’s a cup of tap water to nourish our physical bodies or sinking into a daily ritual bath. And it’s no surprise that we’re so drawn to the power of water, since the human body is made of 60% of the stuff. Like fire, water has the power to both cleanse and destroy. Think of how salt water from the ocean can heal wounds and also wipe out entire coastal towns. It’s an element that deserves the highest respect, for we are no match for the fertile, engulfing power of the ocean. For witches and spiritual practitioners, performing spells and rituals by the seaside is also important: It brings us closer to our spiritual roots, grants us interior reprieve and rest, and recenters us. Here are ways you can work with the power of water in your rituals: No two streams are alike Each body of water, whether it’s the ocean, a river, cenote, or mountain stream, has a different energy and ‘presence’. For sensitive folks, this change in essence is palpable and every water source very much alive. Sit at the water’s edge and listen. Pray for insight to a question or problem and then wait for your answer. Like a slow breeze, the answer may come in a hushed whisper or an internal “knowing.” Respect your surroundings It’s good to get to know the energies of a place before you petition the spirits there, but the main common thread between them all is respect. If you bring things to the water, be sure to take it back with you. I personally do not believe in leaving ritual offerings at water sites – if it didn’t come from the ocean/river, etc. (and you brought it with you), take it back with you when you leave. It’s a quick way to anger the spirits of the land when you leave trash and/or foreign objects in their home. Tip from Enchantments’ witch Carmen “When making offerings to water deities, be aware of the signs that they send you. If your offering is not enough or it is not the right time, you may feel anxiety or discomfort while you set up or before you leave. Honor your intuition and reset your intentions, or come back at a later time when you feel compelled to continue. Remember, to leave these sacred spaces just as you found them. Make sure there are no plastics or non-biodegradable items in your offering. Clean up and take your trash with you.” Get to know the Goddesses associated with water ...and honor them accordingly (especially before working with them). Yemaya, the Great Ocean Mother and a powerful orisha, is both nurturing, protective, healing, and fierce. (Read more about her here). You can honor her by lighting blue and white candles, building an altar with cowrie shells, watermelon, and white flowers. You can also honor her by simply picking up trash at the beach whenever you see it. Venus, the Goddess of Love and Fertility, was “conceived” in the ocean, so the water’s edge is a great place to petition her for love. You can light green or pink candles to honor her, carry white roses with you (or use them in a bath) with offerings of copper. But again, as with all water rituals, I highly recommend you take all your ritual supplies with you when you leave. Ancient power of Cenotes Cenotes, primarily found in the Yucatan region in modern day Mexico, are highly charged spiritual sites dating back to the Ancient Mayans. Locals say that each cenote is “guarded” by a protective spirit, as well as aluxes (playful yet mischievous guardian spirits at the cenote’s entrance). With over 7,000 present in Yucatan, cenotes have become popular swimming sites for tourists – but don’t let that fool you into thinking that dulls their spiritual power in any way. Most cenotes were the site of Mayan rituals (including human sacrifice), so it’s extremely important for folks to be respectful when visiting. I also recommend doing a “light meditation” (envision a powerful white light around you with an outlining blue edge) when entering the cenote water or cave in order to protect your spirit, especially because not all the entities and spirits who live there are necessarily “friendly.”  A cenote in Mexico | Image by Darren Lawrence from Pixabay Making Moon Water Water and the moon are inextricably linked. Just think of the moon’s power on the tide – of course it has an effect on the human body. You can harness the power of the moon in many ways, but one practical way is to create moon water. Simply take spring water and put it into a clean mason jar to “charge” under the full moon for up to three nights. Speak to the water, say a prayer, or recite a specific intention over it. You can think of it as “collecting” positive energetic power to enhance your spellwork over the month. Add cupfuls at a time to your bath water over the month or drink it with intention. Some full moons are more chaotic than others, so be sure to check the influence of the planets before you make your moon water to ensure the energies you are harnessing are conducive to what you want manifest in your life. Ritual Baths Ritual baths are another practical way to work your water magick. Try adding sea salt baths (or try these with blended essential oils and herbs), essential oils (lavender for peace and protection, rose for love, musk for sensuality, citrus for invigoration, or any intention-based oil), herbs or flowers, and even teas to your baths. Keep your bath rituals technology-free (unless you’re playing music, then keep the phone on airplane mode) and try to be as ‘present’ as possible in the water. As you dunk your head under, ask for purification and imagine any spiritual impurities and negative energies washing away from you. As you watch the water drain from the tub, visualize a pure, radiant light around you – cleansing you entirely. One tip is to add your herbs to a cheesecloth sachet or tea bag for easy clean up. Beach Rituals Collect a few shells and natural ornaments that you find at the water’s edge. Place them in front of you and light a small white candle. If you brought offerings with you, place them alongside the candle. Create a sacred circle by calling upon the elements (earth, wind, fire, water), your ancestors, or spirits for protection and draw a circle around you in the sand. Sit in the space you’ve created and write out a petition or spell on a very small piece of paper. Meditate on the intention of the spell, try to envision its positive effects in your life and others around you. When you’re ready, burn the paper and say “So mote it be” or “Amen.” Collect everything you brought with you (but leave the natural shells and ornaments) and don’t look back. Continue to light the candle at home over the next few days until it’s completely burned out. Pay attention to the sign over the next few weeks. Once your prayer or spell has been answered, I always recommend following it up with a separate gratitude ritual to give thanks for the new blessings. Want more stories on water magick? Check out this amazing book from Weiser or this story on how to perform a bath ritual. By Amber C. Snider Smoke cleansing has been around for thousands of years. It’s used in nearly every spiritual tradition, religion, and magical practice around the world to cleanse, purify, and invoke good spirits. Here are some of our favorite hand-made formulas at Enchantments.  Image by Vasilijus Bortnikas from Pixabay While some herbs and resins need charcoal to ignite, most of the incense listed here are self-igniting since they’re handmade using a colored wood base. All you need to do is simply add a teaspoon or less to a fireproof dish (like a small or medium cast iron cauldron) and touch fire to it. There’s an old debate about whether to use a match or a lighter when lighting magical objects like candles or incense, but we’re of the mindset that you should use whatever is in your practice. For more on smoke cleansing, we have several articles on the subject! Check out this article on how to clear away negative energies, purify your space, and relax your mind using sage alternatives, ways to incense your spell work with incense here, and ten herbs for purification and protection here. Sun Formula The summer months are here, so it’s time to harness the life-giving power of the sun. The Solar Blend can be purchased in one ounce sizes (for $10 each) and helps increase energy, positivity, and vitality. Since it’s used to invoke the energy of the largest star in our solar system, it’s also good for solar plexus chakra work (read more about that here), which can help with self-confidence and emotional issues. When you light the incense, focus on increase positive attention and vibes all around and imagine your inner light shining through, like the radiant star you already are. Goona Goona For those of you who may be struggling with communication effectively, whether it be your emotions, intentions, ideas, or needs, try the Goona Goona incense. It helps create an atmosphere of trust and understanding between partners, whether it’s work-related, friendship, or love, while facilitating communication. Since communication is associated with the throat chakra, you can also try a Fifth Chakra Candle to help with self-expression and incorporate more blue (stones, crystals, clothes, etc) in your practice. Goona Goona incense can be purchased for $10 for one ounce and it also comes in an oil. Silk Love In the wise words of TLC, “I don’t want no scrubs” –– and the Silk Love Formula may just help with that. An attraction blend used to beckon a sophisticated, classy lover to your side. If you’re looking to add some luxury and a little refinement to your love life, burn the incense during a ritual, meditation, or while you’re getting ready for the day. It helps if you fully visualize the person you wish to bring in your life, too. Don’t focus on a specific individual, but rather visualize the qualities you’re looking for in your lover in order to bring them to you. Stay open to what the Universe has to offer! Since this hand-blended formula is made-to-order, the minimum purchase is $20 for two ounces.  Image by Michael Kleinsasser from Pixabay Success Formula All of magic is about intention. Magical tools do not work without you –– that means, your specific intention, your energy, your will. Success Formula helps in all areas of success, whether you’re looking to up your work game, create better conditions in your love life, increase positive recognition for a job well done, or simply add a bit more luck in your life. You can purchase Success Formula through the main shop website for $10 for one ounce. Siren’s Seduction Formula If someone has caught your eye or you’re looking to amp up a little lust in a lover, try the Siren’s Seduction Formula incense. You can burn the incense as you’re getting ready to meet them or smudge the room before they enter. Of course, no magical tool will bring on true love, but you can still add a little enticement to the mix. Siren’s Seduction is a sexual attraction formula for both men and women, and can be purchased on the main shop website here. House Blessing You may have already deep cleaned your house for spring, but regular spiritual cleansing in the home is important. We’ve said it before, so we’ll say it again: You take a regular shower to purify your body, so why would you not give the same attention to your spirit? House Blessing is a beautiful formula that attracts good spirits in the home, releases negative energy, and fills your space with positive energy. You can purchase the handmade blend for $10 per ounce on the main shop website here and consider adding either a custom House Blessing Candle or small House Blessing kit for $17.50 to your order. Copal Although it’s not an incense, but rather a sacred tree resin, copal is one of the most beautiful tools used in smoke cleansing. Used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica in sacred rituals, copal is great for clearing, cleansing, and invoking positive/good spirits. Enchantments sells South American white copal for $7 per ounce or black copal, which has a slightly sweeter smell than the white version, for $8 per ounce. Similar to frankincense, this holy, sacred resin is great for ceremonial work, house clearings, or aura cleanses. Since it’s a resin, you must use instant light charcoal to burn it. Love Healing Formula Let’s face it, we’ve all endured heartbreak before, but the last two years have been particularly tough on everyone, and it’s not always romantic love that we have to heal from. To help heal heartbreak, whether it’s romantic or the weight of the world pressing in, try the Love Healing Formula. Associated with the heart chakra, this blend helps to heal old wounds, emotional issues, and recover from loss and grief. Try burning it while taking a salt bath for an extra soothing ritual or combine the incense with a large, custom Love Healing Candle. Rebirth Formula Healing is a process, no doubt. And many of us still have a lot of work to do on our shadow selves to heal old traumas, wounds, and betrayals. Rebirth helps you let go of past troubles, release pain, and cleanse your spirit. Sometimes it’s time to move on and step into the powerfully radiant spirit you’re meant to be. Letting go of old habits, expectations, and even some friends/old lovers can be the catalyst we need to invite new opportunities and growth. If you want to release the past, here’s a calling to do so. The formula also comes in an oil or salt bath for ritual work.  Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay Ocean Mother Associated with Ocean Goddess, this formula helps bring about psychic dreams and visions. Since the ocean is our lifeblood and water is necessary for creation, the Ocean Mother formula can also be used in fertility magic. If you’re actively trying to get pregnant, be sure to add that intention to your spell when you burn the incense –– and pray to the great Ocean Mother herself for support. Since it’s made-to-order, minimum purchase for this incense is $20 for two ounces, but you can also try the ½ or one ounce oils. Peace and Protection Formula If things have been extra rough lately and you need more peace in your life (as well as protection), this incense formula may help. It promotes a feeling of security through tough times and can also help with protection against physical and psychic attack. If you work in a particularly emotionally-draining profession, such as a therapist, nurse, or teacher, burning the Peace and Protection incense before or after you start work is a good idea. It also comes in an oil form (½ or one ounces) so you can wear it just as you would a perfume. All Saints This airy, sacred formula helps attract good spirits and increases psychic power. It’s great for ritual work or meditation, as well. If you’re invoking or praying to your Spirit Guides, ancestors, Saints, or deities, All Saints is also protective and helps facilitate communication. You can burn it during a ritual or wear it as an oil, too. Since this incense formula is made-to-order for each purchase, the minimum is $20 for two ounces. You can purchase the oils in either ½ or one ounces to wear as you would a perfume, dress your spell candles, or add to a bath. Mojo Wishing Formula This “wish granting” formula can be burned, used for smudging, or added to a ouanga bag. Before you use it, energetically “charge it” with your intention and wear it on your person as you go about your day. If you burn it as an incense, add a ritual along with it where you focus on your specific wish. But always remember the rule of three when it comes to magic: whatever you put out there will come back to you 3 fold. This incense is made-to-order on-site, so the minimum amount is $20 for two ounces. For more stories on smoke cleansing and tools, check out this article on how to clear away negative energies, purify your space, and relax your mind using sage alternatives, ways to incense your spell work with incense here, and ten herbs for purification and protection here. What’s in the stars for you this summer?  Photo by Shifaaz shamoon on Unsplash Aries (March 21 – April 19) This bold cardinal sign symbolized by the Ram may benefit from a custom Emperor candle this summer, helping to expand your horizons, growth, and confidence. While Jupiter is in Aries until the end of October, it's a good time to take your business to the next level, receive recognition for hard work, or boost any existing creative project –– and the Emperor candle will help with just that, too! Taurus (April 20 – May 20) Pluto is shaking things up for you this year and during the summer months, Taurus, encouraging transformation and rebirth. Focus on your long-term goals, honing your intuition, truth seeking, and even a bit of travel. If travel plans are in the works, try Swallow's Blood oil for protective vibes on the road and a Purple Wisdom candle for Divine insight and acquiring knowledge in the occult arts, like Hermetic Qabalah. Gemini (May 21 – June 20) During the summer months, this mutable air sign will love to make new connections, friendships, and relationships that spur growth and intellectual activity. And what's better at sparking up a good conversation than a new book? We recommend Jack Chanek's Tarot for Real Life (summer 2022), Madame Pamita's Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft (spring 2022), and Heather Greene's Lights, Camera, Witchcraft (winter 2021, which explores the history of witchcraft and cinema in the U.S.). These new witchy titles will keep the good vibes going as you swap occult stories under the full moon. Cancer (June 21 – July 22) This water sign symbolized by the crab may be ready to leave the past behind and establish new friendships (creative, platonic, or otherwise). As with all relationships, boundaries are important, as well as truly healing from the past before jumping right into something new. Try a Love Healing candle or do a weekly Love Healing incense cleansing/meditation to make sure your heart is taken care of all season and beyond.  Photo by Magdalenalena / Pixabay Leo (July 23 – August 22) This fiery lion sign may want to reevaluate notions of individual success and look at things from an altruistic or a group perspective this summer. You have both Jupiter and Chiron on your side, contributing to both wisdom, boldness, and good luck. Make the most of it by applying your brightest side to helping others and using your enthusiastic talents for the greater good. As Solar Blast candle or Solar Plexus Chakra (Third Chakra) candle can help to boost your assertiveness, self-esteem, and self-discipline this season, allowing you to make the most of your natural abilities. Virgo (August 23 – September 22) This earth sign ruled by the Maiden, or the Earth Goddess, may be thinking about securing financial stability this summer. If you'd like to pave a way towards long-term financial success, you may want to do some magic involving first clearing out anything blocking money flow with a Money Uncrossing Candle and then bringing it to you in abundance with the Money Draw Candle. Be sure to take time for yourself (self-care, ritual baths with our Prosperity formula may be a good idea) and remember that you have the power to not only provide for yourself, but also strategically plan for big future successes at this time. Make the most of it! Libra (September 23 – October 22) While Jupiter transits your solar seventh house, work, financial partnerships, and more grounded love partnerships may be on your mind this season (until late October). While you're supported in these arenas and offering much of your energy to others, airy, beauty-loving Libra, may benefit from some solo time, too. Without indulging too much, treat yourself to the beauty of the natural world with long walks this summer, self-care baths (like this Love Goddess bath), and candle magic spells like the Venus Candle to reign in beauty, love, and financial prosperity or Lakshmi Candle to invoke the Hindu Goddess of prosperity, love, abundance, and beauty. Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) New opportunities, increased energy and creativity, and making new connections are all in the stars for you this summer. This water sign symbolized by the scorpion may benefit from a creative spell candle like Song of the Elder Goddess candle to help channel new inspiration and success in the arts, as well as a Divine Muse bath. Also, try incorporating ritual baths into your weekly routine (learn more about that here from fellow Scorpio and witch Carmen).  Photo Pixabay Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) Adventure-seeking Sagittarius values freedom, creative expression, and living life on their own terms, but all that spontaneity means an active effort must be put on health, well-being, and home life, too. This fire sign ruled by Jupiter gets a cosmic boost to help with home endeavors, comfort, and also long-term business projects, so why not try a House Blessing candle to hone in on the good vibes and make ample room for blessings this summer. The candle will help you put your house in order and keep it blessed with good energy and peace while you continue to enhance your inner self and develop long-term, beneficial routines in your daily life. Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) Rediscovery of passions, renewed motivation, and a dreamy summer awaits you Capricorn! This earth sign should make the best of it by planning a fun trip with family or friends to go exploring and discover new things. Neptune and Uranus are on your side to lighten things up and allow for inspiration along the way. For an extra boost in the arenas of luck, joy, and love (and to keep the good times rolling), try a Love & Happiness candle or the Success Candle to help you achieve your goals and triumph in any situation. Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) You're all about improvement this season, whether it be in your personal life, family life, financially, or in your friendships. This air sign may receive unexpected blessings, so to help conjure that extra luck, try a Fast Luck candle, the Double Fast Luck incense formula (also good for drawing in money), or a Fortuna Candle to invoke Lady Luck to turn the wheel of fortune in your favor. But keep your intentions practical and grounded during spell work and stay focused on the literal actions/changes necessary to attain all your heart desires, too. Pisces (February 19 – March 20) This water sign is ready for expansion, new opportunities, and a touch of adventure this season. An Empress Candle is great for magnifying all that self-love and confidence, while wearing Crown of Success oil can help keep the haters at bay and off your back, so they don't interfere with your success. Keep your enthusiasm high this summer, use your newfound confidence to inspire others and bring about positive change, but also remain grounded in practical matters.  Photo by Darkmoon_Art / Pixabay For more star sign stories, check out this on Enchantments.
As the warm weather approaches (on the east coast at least), it's time to spice things up with new intentions, renewed desires, and of course a little magic. Here are some candles to help!  Enchantments Candles | Photo by Victor Castro Solar Blast Who doesn't love a good Solar Blast candle? Great for invoking the energy of the sun, with all its potential for positive growth, the Solar Blast can be used all-year round to manifest joy, energy, and happiness. The yellow color is also ideal for chakra work, particularly your Solar Plexus (you can learn more about that in this story), which deals with self-confidence, self-esteem, emotions, and energy levels, as well as welcoming in the upcoming summer months. The Solar Blast candle pairs well with our Sun oil and incense, Sun Bath, Talisman of the Sun, or you can try a small Solar Blast Kit (candles burn for around 6-7 hours, instead of 7-10 days). Money Draw Candle Unless you have a full-time job (that you love!), the late spring and summer months can spell money stress for gig workers, teachers, and contractors. Since work tends to taper off for small businesses during this time, try a Money Draw candle spell to reign in the paper. The green coloring of the candle correlates to the Heart chakra, so add extra the intention of finding work that you really love, work that speaks to the soul. The gold glitter throughout the candle helps manifest a kingly/queenly quality that adds the extra "umph" to your daily work and money search. The candle pairs well with our Money Draw incense and oil and our Money Draw Ouanga. If you prefer to work with herbs, try this list of 10 herbs for prosperity, money, and employment here.
Love Ouanga Ah spring –– a time for rebirth, renewal, fertility, and love. If you're looking to do love magic or fertility spells, the lingering energy of Beltane is excellent for boosting your magic. A Love Ouanga candle helps draw forth love and can be used to attract a mate that's on your level. It can also help deepen and enhance an existing romantic relationship. This candle pairs well with all our love oils, ouangas, incenses: Love Ouanga, Silk Love (which helps attract a refined and classy love), and our Love & Success Formula. If you'd like to add herbal magic to your spells, we have a story here on 10 herbs to use for love, lust, and happiness. Emperor The Emperor Candle is great for spells involving recognition for hard work, building confidence, and helping new opportunities present themselves to you. It's also good for calling on divine guidance and intervention in order to lead you in the right direction. So if you're struggling with important decisions, accessing your Spirit Guides, or manifesting your power, an Emperor may be a good choice. Jupiterian in nature, the color purple is also ideal for Crown chakra work, which is all about accessing your divine intuition, wisdom, and connecting to the spirit realm. Pairs well with our High Conquering oil and incense, High Conquering Bath Formula, Jupiter oil and incense, Purple Wisdom Formula, and Motivation incense. Empress The Empress Candle is a Goddess-based candle that helps magnify self-love, confidence, and attract romantic attention. In order to attract love, you must embody love and reflect it back to the world –– and the Empress candle help you manifest the baddie that you really are. When connected to the Empress card in the Tarot, it's a candle for sensuality, fertility, and abundance. The Empress candle pairs well with our Bad Ass Oil and incense, Bad Ass Bath Formula, Goddess of Love formula, a Pentacle of the Goddess talisman, or our Empowerment Kit (which comes with a copy of Women Who Run With the Wolves).
By Amber C. Snider Here’s what color magic specialist, Tarot reader, and local NYC psychic medium Sarah Potter has to say about conjuring the fiery energy of Beltane.  Photo by Spencer Russell on Unsplash Also known as May Day, Beltane marks the midway point between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Often celebrated on May 1st, the origins of Beltane go back to the ancient Celts, when Pagan rituals dedicated to the marriage of the Goddess and the Green Man were held. It’s a time of fecundity, when the earth is beginning to burst with life, and also when the “veil between worlds” is said to be at its thinnest (similar to Samhain in the Wheel of the Year). The sacred element of fire, with its powerful capacity to both sustain and destroy life, is honored in Beltane rituals which often consist of couples jumping over roaring bonfires, dancing around the maypole (another symbol for fertility), seeking out the faeries, and generally relishing in Mother Earth’s bounty. The word Beltane actually translates to “bright fire” and also references the Celtic God Bel, so the bonfire was meant to not only honor the God, but also used for purification and protection. For urban witches, celebrating Beltane like the olden days may look a bit different –– but that doesn’t mean you can’t still harness the power of this time. Here are some tips from color magic specialist and city witch Sarah Potter on how to celebrate this decadent & fecund holiday. What do you desire? “I love Beltane! It is such a sexy holiday celebrating all of the beauty and joy of fertility, sex, growth, and abundance. This is the time of year to really honor your fiery, sexual, creative self. Where in your life are you wishing to increase your abundance? What do you desire? What do you wish to create?” –– Sarah Potter Editor’s tip: Try an automatic writing ritual to “coax” out your inner desires. Take a sea salt bath, light some incense (like this Beltane Fire Sabbat blend) or burn your favorite oil blend. After you emerge from the tub, grab a notebook and spend 20 minutes writing down your desires. Don’t censor or judge yourself as you write, simply focus on what you want for this season and stay open to whatever comes to you. Pull some cards... “Plan your rituals accordingly around your answers to these questions. Pull some Tarot or Oracle cards if you need a push in the right direction or to gain a little further insight.” –– Sarah Potter Editor’s tip: Here is a list of our favorite Tarot cards at the Enchantments’ shop. Fertility comes in many forms “If you are trying to get pregnant, now is the time to do some fertility magic! If you want to birth a new creative project or launch a business, focus your magic towards these endeavors! Fertility comes in many forms and this is a very creative, abundant time of year.” –– Sarah Potter Editor's Tip: Try a Song of Elder God or Song of Elder Goddess candle to invoke creativity and success in the arts.  Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay Solo? No prob... “Traditionally, witches dance around the maypole, a classic fertility dance! I live in Manhattan so I don’t usually do a maypole dance (I have a studio apartment), but I love to have a fun dance party with my coven sisters. This could be a solo situation as well: Create a playlist of your favorite feel good, sexy dance tunes and get moving and HAVE FUN! Dress up! Adorn your hair with flowers!” –– Sarah Potter Work in some color magic “Purples, greens, and early spring flowers like daffodils, hyacinths, forsythia, daisies, tulips invoke the energy of the season so adorn yourself, your home, and your altar accordingly.” –– Sarah Potter Editor’s tip: Learn more about color magic from Sarah Potter here. Burn and release “If the weather permits, get outside and enjoy nature. If you live in a city, go to the park. Enjoy whatever access to nature you have at your disposal. If you have a backyard, have friends over for a bonfire. Write your intentions down on paper and send them off into the universe by throwing them into the flames. This can be done with a candle flame as well if you cannot do a full on bonfire.” –– Sarah Potter Editor's candle recommendation: "Attraction" scented printed candle here.  Photo by David von Diemar on Unsplash Embrace your sexual fire “Leaning into the Beltane spirit of owning your sexual energy, take some sensual selfies for yourself (or share them if you choose!) Dress up in your fave lingeries or a silky robe, take a million shots, capture all of those angles, and admire your beauty!” –– Sarah Potter For more tips by Sarah Potter, check out this interview on "How to Manifest What You Really Want." You can also check out her IG here: @iamsarahpotter Interview by Amber C. Snider Blending Slavic folk magic and the wisdom of Baba Yaga, Madame Pamita’s latest book is a long-awaited homage to the beauty of Ukrainian magical traditions and the legendary crone of the forest.  As a Ukrainian Diaspora witch, Madame Pamita uses the stories of her ancestors and lessons from the ancient “grandmother of all grandmothers” to weave together a magical tale that will certainly become a classic. Mixing Ukrainian folklore, fairy tales, and practical spellwork, Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft takes readers on a journey through the forest where the wisdom of Baba Yaga comes alive. In the book, we discover the meanings behind magical embroidery (aka vyshyvanka), enchanted foods, motankas (or living poppets), hair braiding, crossroads magic, incantations, and more. Here, Madame Pamita discusses the culturally rich traditions of Slavic magic, the power of the Ukrainian people, and what we can all learn from the mysterious crone figure. Amber C. Snider: How would you describe Baba Yaga? Madame Pamita: Who is this legendary witch in legends? She's old, she's a crone, but she's super powerful and bad ass. Baba Yaga is a Pan-Slavic witch. Ethologists and folk ethnographers have discovered the idea of a forest woman or forest grandmother goes back to very, very ancient times when animism was the practice. Even before the pantheon of Slavic gods, we find these spirits and ideas of working with spirit. It's a very animistic culture, which means that the water has a spirit, the earth has a spirit, the sky has a spirit, the moon has a spirit. Everything has a spirit. ACS: How has Baba Yaga evolved over time? MP: Because the forest mother was wild and unpredictable, [Christianity] vilified her and made her to be this scary thing. We see this pan-culturally: when hierarchical religions come in, they demonize the spirits and deities of the Old Religion –– or they turn them into saints. A great example of that is the Goddess Brigid who turned into a saint so that she could be co-opted into [Catholicism]. Sometimes, when working with spirits, they can be kind of unpredictable. They're not always universally benevolent, but they're not demons. They're like nature. What is nature? Nature can be so beautiful, so enriching to our lives. But nature needs to be respected and can be dangerous. If you go out in the cold without proper gear, you could freeze or fall off a cliff –– all kinds of things can happen in nature. The forest was an area that you needed to be protected in. You would make offerings to the spirits of the forest before you would go in and work there. Baba Yaga had a million names in different regions and she has different names as the Spirit of the Forest. Baba Yaga is a tough taskmaster. She will give you what seems like impossible tasks – not to frustrate you, not to thwart you, but to challenge you because she knows you can do it. ACS: When were the stories of Baba Yaga first written down? MP: In the 1800s Alexander Afanasyev started doing what the Brothers Grimm were doing, which is going around and story catching. He gathered hundreds of stories from this oral tradition, wrote them down, and published them in books. He then recorded [the Russian stories of] Baba Yaga and that spelling became the first widely published version of her name, even though she was Pan-Slavic and was everywhere. I made Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft as a way to convey Ukrainian magical practices via the story of Baba Yaga. The design of my book is really to show you these really unique spiritual practices that go back thousands of years. ACS: You begin the book with a tale and lesson on magical stitching. What is the magical and cultural significance behind vyshyvanka? MP: Vyshyvanka are the embroidered blouses and tunics of the Ukrainian people. People look at it and they go, ‘Oh, that's cute. It's Bohemian. It's so decorative and lovely to look at.’ But what they don't realize is that each of those embroidered symbols are actually really powerful talismans that were embroidered into clothing. When you got dressed in the morning, you were protecting and blessing yourself with simply the clothing that you had made. It was magical clothing. That's the very first chapter and I give examples of different basic symbols and patterns that can be embroidered so that people can replicate it. It's a lot of work to embroider a blouse, but you could certainly embroider or cross stitch a little talisman. ACS: You start with the story of Vasylyna. How do you weave her story with Baba Yaga’s? MP: My story of Vasylyna is borrowed from many tales in Ukrainian literature, Russian literature, and Polish literature and folk tales. To tell the story of the magic, I take elements from expanded versions of these stories and mold them into the shape. Since I'm Ukrainian, I changed her name to the Ukrainian version of that same name, and it more or less follows the story of Vasylyna the Brave or Vasylyna the Fair. She’s a young woman that goes to meet Baba Yaga and is initiated by her. ACS: What does it mean to be initiated by Baba Yaga? MP: I'm a spiritualist and an animist. Working with spirits, you sort of have to have their agreement to work with them. They will often call you to work with them. Really the best sign is when they call you to work with them and you’re like, ‘Okay, I guess I'm gonna work with you right. Here we go!’ You get an inner call, you'll see images, you'll get synchronicities that tell you. Many people get called by Baba. She's super popular, but not a lot is written about her outside of fairy tales. I always like to give people a warning: She is a tough taskmaster. She will give you what seems like impossible tasks –– not to frustrate you, not to thwart you, but to challenge you because she knows you can do it. ACS: There’s so much we can learn from crone figures, especially in these extremely tumultuous times. What can we learn from Baba Yaga right now? What are some of her major lessons? MP: We can embody her. She's like the ultimate DGAF woman. She doesn't give a fuck, she will do whatever she wants. She's proud of her wrinkles. She doesn't care if you don't think she's ugly. I love the freedom that her energy gives. I’m a crone as well –– I'm a young crone, but growing into it. There aren't a lot of crone role models out there in society. Baba Yaga is fearless; she’s a super positive, powerful role model. She'll do whatever she has to do and will get it done and doesn't care what you think. Instead of seeing older women depleted, washed up, shriveled up, we can see them as bad ass. We see it in Ukraine right now. We see Baba Yaga in every Ukrainian village. Those grandmas have seen it all. They have been through so much, they lived through Soviet oppression. The older ones have lived through the Holodomor, which was Stalin’s genocide of 3 to 6 million Ukrainians by starvation. That’s exactly what they're doing in Eastern Ukraine where they're surrounding the city and cutting out the water and food and humanitarian aid. There are corpses in the street. It's the same strategy that Russia used and these people have lived through it. A lot of Ukrainian people have relatives in Russia and Russian people have relatives in Ukraine. They're very intertwined with this dictator who's wreaking all this destruction, havoc, death, and trying literally to destroy the culture. Not just destroy military targets, but to target schools and museums and individual civilian homes, just as Stalin did in the 1930s.  Image from Pixabay We see Baba Yaga in every Ukrainian village. Those grandmas have seen it all...they lived through Soviet oppression. ACS: Storytelling is such an important part of keeping a culture alive. Can you talk a little bit about how your book pays homage to these sacred Ukrainian traditions? MP: These really beautiful, unique practices are ancient and are being revived now. We really need to have this information out there. This is the point of [reviving] the culture that is being destroyed right now. It's almost like Voyager that's going out into space with a little bit of our human earth culture. We have to carry this with us. Culture gets dispersed when people are dispersed. Imagine you have your friends, your community, your family, your local customs, but now you're all spread out all over the whole world. What happens to your community traditions? They're gone. They get absorbed into the new culture where you're living. But we don't want these things to be lost. This is what has happened throughout history. Look what happened to, for example, the Druids. It was oral tradition and we only have what the Romans describe the Druids doing. That's why this is such an important book. We have to write this stuff down. We have to record it. There are so many diaspora Ukrainians who live in English-speaking countries –– Canada and the U.S, there are millions of us here. I have a feeling Ukraine will prevail in this whole thing because they're so strong and they have that Baba Yaga energy. ACS: You talk about Baba Yaga showing up in Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia and other countries. Do you also think that she's universal? MP: Yes. One of the things people sometimes ask me is, “Is this a closed practice?’ In my opinion, as a person that's a spokesperson for this, this is not a close practice. If this is something you want to experience, you feel called to it, come and participate in it. Everyone is welcome.  Image courtesy of author ACS: Baba Yaga’s fierce, wise crone energy reminds me a bit of Hecate –– in the sense that she'll tell you exactly how it needs to be, even if it feels a little painful or tedious or frustrating. Would you say there is a crossover with other Goddesses or crone figures? MP: To me, there's a huge correspondence with Hecate and Baba Yaga. It's not surprising either because there was a trade route going from Greece and into the Slavic Lands. But we don't know which came first: the chicken or the egg. Was Hecate influencing Baba Yaga or was Baba Yaga influencing Hecate? Or was it a melding of those things? They can't really look to a ground zero point where they were meeting, but there's definitely this crossover. There was a lot of cultural exchange and trade going on at that time: coral coming up from the Mediterranean into Ukraine and amber from the Baltic states going down into the Mediterranean and so on. There was trade in jewels and spices and all kinds of things. And of course, cultural exchange. ACS: You also write about how to work with crossroads in the book, which also shows up in several magical practices... MP: Crossroad magic shows up in Hoodoo, in Celtic Magic, in a lot of different traditions. There’s an example of Hecate there, too. Traditionally Hecate is the Goddess of the three crossroads and that’s where you do divination and magic. In the Ukrainian system, different numbers of crossroads have different meanings. A “T” shaped crossroad is a blocked crossroad and you wouldn’t do magic there. An X or plus shaped crossroad would be universally great for everything. If you want to do divination and connect with the spirit world, you go to the Y-shaped crossroad. If you want to do a really powerful working, you go to one with 5 or more roads (the more, the better) and if you take an artifact (like a stone) from a crossroad with 5 or more, you have a really powerful talisman. One very unique Ukrainian practice is with footpaths and crossroad journeys –– but you wouldn’t do this in a city street. You count the number of crossroads you find on a journey and when you get to a certain number you do that kind of magic at that crossroad. ACS: How was your writing experience like? Did Baba Yaga challenge you? MP: There were many times in the writing process that I was crying because I was so overwhelmed and frustrated and feeling so lost. Sometimes I was overwhelmed with the amount of work and research that I had to do and where I was going to find this information. I had to learn how to read Cyrillic (Russian and Ukrainian letters are in Cyrllic) and learn how to translate things, how to dig and find and learn new terminology. It became a very challenging task, but at the end I birthed this book that I'm so proud of. I think so many people are gonna love. It was really worth all of that challenge. I think of Baba Yaga as like a really tough coach. Coaches push you harder because they know you can do it and they believe in you more than you believe in yourself. That was my experience in even writing this book –– I mean, she made me cry. But she knew that I could do it and this book needed to be out there. Instead of seeing older women depleted, washed up, shriveled up, we can see them as bad ass.  Image from Pixabay ACS: You’ve been very vocal about Ukraine in your social media. How can people within the magical community around the world support and stand with Ukraine? MP: I read this beautiful quote from a professor in Kiev. He talked about how he was so shocked and surprised that his paycheck went through. Kiev is a war zone and he thought about how someone had to go down to the university and enter in that information; someone had to be at the bank working, allowing that to happen, in order to get his paycheck. We all have a job to do. This is not their war, this is our war. This applies to all wars. It doesn’t mean one war is worse or better or giving attention to one war or one group means you’re neglecting the others. You don’t have to ignore one to help another. I’m passionate about Ukraine because this is my heritage and culture. But that doesn’t mean I think it’s more important than others. Not just Ukraine but in any situation we have a job to do. Your job may be sharing a link to a fundraiser, donating to that fundraiser, or sharing vetted, accurate information. Your job may be to protest or do a spell or say a prayer. For me, the natural things are doing magic, raising money, and being vocal. I will nag and nag about this (I’m a mom), so that people see it and hear it. That’s my job. Just because I’m not on the front lines doesn’t mean my job isn’t important. Just like the guy/gal working at the bank who got that professor his paycheck –– they’re doing their job, they’re helping. Maybe you can’t help financially, but you can share a donation link. You can protest. Do what you can do. Do one thing and if you do that, it’s one more drop in the bucket. *Interview has been edited for length. To purchase Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft, head over to the Enchantments shop at 165 Avenue B (btwn 10th and 11th street) in New York City for a signed copy or the publisher's website here. |
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