Loki is a very complicated, controversial, and charismatic Germanic and Norse deity. Just saying his name turns heads and invokes lengthy conversations full of debate. This may be because in modern times, Loki has often been compared to the figure of Satan. Though this is incorrect since he is still interested in preserving the cosmic order, while Satan is a fierce rival of that order. Even at times you may be told things meant to terrify you away from even looking into who he is, like he is destructive, deceitful, chaotic, and the bringer of the end of the world. Are some of these things true? In a way yes but, you also have to look at your perspective of those words and I also feel he is this way for many justifiable reasons as well.
First, is he deceitful? Well isn’t everyone at times? I find him too much more mischievous than deceitful. That he likes to play pranks, and manipulate things at times to get what he wants. At times being mischievous, doing things you shouldn’t, and breaking rules is how you get the attention of the truly powerful. Sometimes it’s what’s needed to shake things up and get the attention of those who really need to hear what you have to say.
Secondly, with him being a God of Mischief, destruction, and chaos he inherently is feared. But, like I have talked about in almost every single class I have ever taught or blogpost I have written, destruction is necessary for anything new to be rebuilt. Death is necessary for rebirth. There has to be an energy exchange in order for anything new to be created, or birthed into this multiverse. And as much as you may fear Ragnorak it has happened before and will happen again as it is meant to for the multiverse to stay in balance.
Third, Loki in my eyes has very justifiable reasons for the actions that he does take and for his feelings against the Aesir and Odin in particular. Depending on which version of his parentage and story you look at Odin is his brother and by blood. So, wouldn’t you treat a brother the way loki does when you look at their relationship like that? Banishing Loki’s children and punishing them for the same reason. Is that justifiable? Was Loki’s punishment for killing Balder really okay if you think about it?
My experience with Loki
I briefly touched on it above. I have worked with Loki and do still when I feel the call from him or when I want to work with chaos and transformation magic. He is not a patron deity of mine nor am I Gothi or goði in the norse path either. I have spent quite a bit of time studying him due to the region I live in and my family’s heritage. I have worked in my own solitary practice. Since, I am a Grey witch and thrive in the liminal space; I honestly hit it off right away with him. He is honestly one of thef ew of them I have even extensively studied and worked with in the Norse and Germanic Pantheons. He has always been easy for me to understand, communicate with and he really helped me deepen my understanding of the liminal space through his access to chaos.
Who is Loki?
Loki; trickster, shapeshifter, and the cause of—and solution to—Asgard’s greatest troubles. Famously known for his cunning and tricky nature. Although his father was the giant Fárbauti, he was included among the Aesir (a tribe of gods) according to some and others do not consider this to be true of him and consider him to be simply a giant.
One way in which Loki is different from the Aesir gods is that he did not have an area of responsibility that he symbolized, such as war or fertility. While he was considered a trickster, his mischief was mostly a foil for the Aesir gods, and not for men.
Loki is a Deity of Germanic and Norse Origins. According to the Eddas written by Snorri Sturluson, Loki is a god that will cause a war known as Ragnarok between the Norse gods. Basically, he is the cause of the end of the world.
In Old Norse the word ‘loki’ means knot or tangle, and he may have been considered responsible for some of the misfortunes that befell men, and therefore be a kind of trickster god, but there is little evidence for this.
Loki was represented as the companion of the great gods Odin and Thor, helping them with his clever plans but sometimes causing embarrassment and difficulty for them and himself. He also appeared as the enemy of the gods. He frequently causes problems with the gods, stirs shit up, and then comes back to save the day. But why?
Loki is the epitome of the Divine Paradox. He is…and he isn’t. He’s male, then he’s female. Then he’s an animal. He’s foe, then friend. Interestingly, he’s also credited as the reason the Aesir gods are gifted with powerful weapons and magical tools. Odin’s magical spear Gungnir and Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, for example. He is both a devoted and loving father and yet he killed Baldur. Loki is meant to represent the spectrum of humanity and the struggle of trying to balance it all.
Loki is much more than a trickster. He’s much more than the god of mischief. Writing him off as this ONE thing is a big mistake on our part. Keep in mind, Odin calls Loki his brother, calling him blood of his own blood. And Thor needs Loki as a traveling companion for reasons we can only try to comprehend. He may also be a creator god….one who was there during the creation of man. In another guise – Lodur. Doesn’t it make sense that a destructive god would also be a creator god? There’s that divine paradox.
Loki is also remembered as the father of witches. In fact, it is said that he had found a half-cooked woman’s heart among the glowing embers of a bonfire, and eating it he was impregnated, giving life to witches.
Family and his children
Loki was the son of Fárbauti, an unspecified jötunn whose name meant “cruel striker.” His mother was usually called Laufey, though she was also referred to as Nál. Loki’s brothers were Helblindi and Býleistr, also jötnar.
With the giantess Angrboda, Loki had three children. The Aesir gods so feared the potential chaos that could be caused by these children that they placed each of them in a place where they could do the least harm.
The first, the giantess Hel, was given dominion over the underworld of Helheim, where all souls that did not fall bravely in battle found themselves after death. If you want to learn more about her I already taught a class on her you can watch the class here.
The second Jormungand, was a mighty serpent and the Aesir threw him into the sea surrounding Midgard, the world of men. There he grew to such a great size that he could surround the entire world.
Their third son was a might wolf named Fenrir. He was chained up in Asgard using a magical ribbon made by the dwarves.
Each of these children of Loki and Angrboda are prophesized to have a role to play in Ragnarok, the Armageddon of Norse mythology, with Fenrir killing Odin himself, and Thor and Jormungand slaying one another in the final battle. As such, they are some of the ultimate symbols of chaos and destruction in Norse mythology.
Loki also had a wife Sigyn, who was probably one of the Aesir gods. We actually don’t know much about her but I am working on a post about her coming soon. They had a son Nari. Narfi, Loki’s son with Sigyn, meets a tragic and grisly fate in the annals of Norse mythology. In a twist of events following the orchestration of Baldr’s death by Loki, the gods sought to punish Loki for his role. To do so, they turned Vali, one of Odin’s sons, into a wolf. In his feral state, Vali attacked and tore apart Loki’s son Narfi. The gods then used Narfi’s entrails to bind Loki, ensuring his punishment was both symbolic and severe. This act not only served as retribution for Loki’s deeds but also highlighted the intricate and often brutal nature of Norse myths.
Loki was also the mother of Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged steed. This was the result of Loki’s shapeshifting ability. According to the old Norse story, near the beginning of time an unnamed builder offered to build the fortifications around Asgard in exchange for the goddess Freya (who was very beautiful and seductive), the sun and the moon.
The gods agreed to this, but only if he completed the work within one season and with the help of no man. The man agreed on the condition that he could have the help of the stallion Svadilfari, and Loki convinced the gods to accept the deal.
The stallion helped the builder complete the work extremely quickly, and with only three days to go before the deadline it looked as though he was going to finish the work on time. The gods blamed Loki for putting them in this terrible situation of having to pay the agreed price, and they demanded that he ensure that the builder did not complete his work.
In order to do this, Loki turned himself into a stunning mare, successfully distracting the stallion and delaying the work of the builder. This distraction also resulted in Loki’s pregnancy and Some time later, Loki birthed Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse, who was to become Odin’s favorite mount. It is hard to see Loki as the bad guy in this particular story, especially since the god’s not only went back on the deal, but Thor also killed the builder.
Loki in Myths and stories
Let’s talk about the myths and legends he shows up in. We don’t exactly know what his true origins are prior to him showing up in the Eddas. There are thoughts and theories though amongst researchers, historians, and archeologists that he was a much older deity than we realize and he was originally considered an elemental deity of the hearth. We don’t have any written documentation of this but, we do have some archeological evidence of this throughout Northern Europe.
Loki’s entrance into Norse mythology came later than most, his origins remained difficult to discern. In the oldest poetic works, such as the Grímnismál (which had fragments going back to the eighth century), Loki was conspicuously absent. In non-Norse sources of pre-Christian Germanic religion, Loki was once again either absent or presented in a very different manner.
So, if he was originally a very primordial ancient deity of fire, home, and hearth how did he end as this demonized, and malicious intent deity many see him as today. Well, like I’ve said before with other deities I really think we have the Christian and Roman Catholic church to blame for this. You have to remember the author of the Eddas was christian himself. As with other deities I have taught about before, they really like to do this with deities they deem too powerful or that have too widespread of influence to be able to completely write out. They take them and turn them into that region or culture’s version of satan. I really feel this is a possibility for what happened here.
The Betrayal of Baldur and the Binding of Loki
The critical turning point in Loki’s relationship with the gods came with his role in the story of Baldur, one of Odin’s sons and the half-brother of Thor. While the full story was spread out amongst a number of old sources, the narrative generally remained consistent between them.
It all began when Baldur was troubled by dreams of his own death, dreams that his mother had as well. Seeking answers, Odin summoned a völva from the dead. The völva confirmed Odin’s fears and told him that Baldur would indeed die, but did not reveal how his death would occur.
Desperate to protect her son from all harm, Frigg went around and secured an oath from every living thing in the universe that they would never hurt Balder, or assist in hurting him.
This basically made Balder invincible, something which amused the other gods, who would often throw weapons at Balder for the pleasure of watching them bounce off him causing no harm.
Loki, jealous of Balder (some claim) and generally always looking for a way to make trouble, used his shapeshifting abilities to trick Frigg into telling him that she may have forgotten to secure the oath from the humble mistletoe plant.
Learning this information Loki immediately made a dart of mistletoe and tricked Balder’s blind brother Hod into throwing it at Balder as part of the gods’ regular game. It struck him dead immediately, much to the surprise of all the gods. After Balder’s death, Odin beseeched Hel, Loki’s daughter and the keeper of the Underworld, to allow Balder to return to Asgard, explaining to her that the world should not be robbed of this most beloved being.
Hel actually agreed to return Balder, but only on the condition that every living thing in the universe weep for him. And this they did, except for one giantess, who many believe was Loki in disguise. As such, Balder was not able to return.
For his part in his tragedy, Loki was finally expelled from Asgard by the Aesir gods. They chained him to two rocks, hanging a poisonous snake above his head to drip painful poison onto his face.
Loki’s loyal wife Sigyn tries to protect Loki from this pain by catching the poison in a bowl, but when she must leave to empty the bowl, Loki is inflicted with the pain of the poison, and it is his shudders that cause earthquakes.
When the time for Ragnarok itself comes, it is prophesied that Loki will slip his chains, and will join the giant movement against the Aesir gods. During the battle it is foretold that he will engage Heimdall in hand to hand battle and that the two will slay one another.
Ragnarök
During Ragnarök (the “fate of the gods”), the sequence of events leading to the death and rebirth of the world, Loki was said to play a decisive role. Ragnarök’s beginning would be marked by Loki’s release from bondage, and the trickster would eventually join the side of the jötnar in their conflict against the gods. Loki’s children, Jörmungandr and Fenrir, would also contribute to the demise of the gods. In the end, Loki himself would turn into a seal and battle Heimdall; both were fated to die in the melee.
Where Loki is mentioned in myths and stories
Poetic Edda In the Poetic Edda, Loki appears (or is referenced) in the poems Völuspá, Lokasenna, Þrymskviða, Reginsmál, Baldrs draumar, and Hyndluljóð. Prose Edda Gylfaginning The Prose Edda book Gylfaginning tells various myths featuring Loki, including Loki’s role in the birth of the horse Sleipnir and Loki’s contest with Logi, fire personified. Norwegian rune poem Fjölsvinnsmál Poem Hyndluljóð Poem
Key Stories Loki is in
Fortification Of Asgard And Birth Of Sleipnir I talked about this one earlier but, Loki’s cunning shines again when the gods are at risk of losing a bet with a giant builder. To prevent the giant from claiming the sun, moon, and Freyja, Loki transforms into a mare, distracting the giant’s stallion. This act not only prevents the completion of Asgard’s wall but also leads to the birth of the eight-legged horse, Sleipnir.
Abduction Of Idunn Loki’s cunning is on full display in the tale of Idunn’s abduction. Initially, he tricks Idunn into leaving Asgard, leading to her capture by the giant Thjazi. Without her rejuvenating apples, the gods begin to age rapidly. Realizing the gravity of his actions, Loki transforms into a falcon, rescues Idunn, and returns her to Asgard, restoring youth and vitality to the gods.
The Otter’s Ransom In a thoughtless act, Loki kills an otter, only to discover it was a transformed dwarf. To atone for his mistake, he embarks on a quest to retrieve cursed gold as compensation. This tale showcases Loki’s ability to rectify his misdeeds, even if they were born out of mischief.
Sif’s Golden Hair After mischievously cutting off Sif’s beautiful locks, Loki finds himself in a predicament. To make amends, he commissions the dwarves to craft golden hair even more beautiful than Sif’s original locks. This act indirectly leads to the creation of iconic artifacts like Thor’s hammer Mjölnir and Odin’s spear Gungnir.
Þrymskviða: The Deceptive Wedding In the Þrymskviða, Thor’s hammer, Mjöllnir, is stolen by the giant Thrym, who demands Freyja as his bride in exchange. Loki devises a plan: Thor will disguise himself as Freyja, with Loki as his bridesmaid. The duo travels to Thrym’s hall, and despite some close calls due to Thor’s behavior, Loki’s quick explanations keep their cover. When Thrym brings out Mjöllnir to bless the “bride”, Thor seizes it, dispatching Thrym and his court. The tale underscores Loki’s cunning and the gods’ resourcefulness in dire situations.
Lokasenna: Loki’s Taunts In the Lokasenna, Loki crashes a feast of the gods and hurls insults, revealing uncomfortable truths and secrets. His sharp tongue and audacity lead to heated exchanges, showcasing his fearless nature and his delight in causing discord.
Correspondences to connect to Loki
First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be he zodiac energy the moon, an archetype energy , or a deity like I will list below for you to use.
Symbols: infinity snake and ouroboros, number 8, chaos star, runes that spell out his name: Laguz, Othala, Kenaz, Isa as well as the rune Hagalaz
Lokean Practice; Modern day Loki Worship
A Lokean is someone who works with, worships, and/or venerates the Norse god Loki, typically as a main deity. The term “Lokean” has two uses. The first describes patronage to Loki similar to saying “Lokisman” or “Odinswoman”, while the second implies a subcultural identity distinct from Heathenry. For this reason, not everyone who works with Loki may identify with the term Lokean or Lokean Heathen, and may opt to use “Heathen” or “Norse Pagan” instead.
The word “Lokean” originates in North America, growing out of controversy, superstition, and queerphobia sometime in the 1990’s.* Lokispeople were excluded from Heathen spaces and a division in the community occurred as a result. Whether “Lokean” was created by this division, or was simply propagated by it, is hard to say. Either way, it became something of its own identity as the years went by.
Because its identity was separated from Heathenry in such a way, not all Lokeans think of themselves as Heathens; some may be Wiccan Lokeans, agnostic Lokeans, Left-hand Path Lokeans, or may otherwise work with Loki in a non-Heathen context. Lokean practice is unique in that it intersects with Heathenry at varying degrees.
What does Lokean Practice Look Like?
The only needed component of Lokean practice is Loki, so it can be whatever a Lokean would like it to be. Generally it’s marked by very typical staples of neo-Paganism, such as deity-work, offerings, holiday observances, and even creating an altar or sacred space for him. But again, this is all up to the practitioner and there’s no right or wrong way to venerate Loki. The purpose of this spiritual practice is to foster a relationship with Loki that feels fulfilling, so everything about it can and should be tailored to your needs.
Other ways to work with Loki
Read, Research, and study Just like I teach and write with every single deity the number one and most important way to connect to a deity is by learning all that you can about them. Earlier I gave a list of the key myths and stories you find him in that are a great place to start. Find other books on him like; One book I recommend is Dagulf Loptson’s “Loki: Trickster and Transformer”. You can find many podcasts, youtube videos and more to learn more as well.
Create an altar for him If you are new to deity work one of the main ways to connect to a deity is through an altar. Add any of the correspondences listed above or any of these offerings; Loki enjoys alcohol, candy, hot peppers, spicy foods, meat, and some folks even give him toys. One tip I have for him is I seem to have better results if he is in my kitchen, or near my sacred space where I do my magical workings. I also do not recommend putting him together with other deities or pantheons outside of having Odin, Thor, Sigyn, or Hel with him. Things just tend to get chaotic and messy in my life and my workings if I have him mixed in with other deities and pantheons.
FIRE Loki was born when a lightning bolt struck a birch tree. He is known as a “hot” deity and indeed manifests as fire. So, what better way to honor him and get to know him than with fire? This could take many forms: cooking on open fire, lighting candles as offerings, fire poi (if you’re so brave),or my favorite fire scrying. Just remember to be on the safe side when working with this particular element.
Shadow work Being a grey witch and mystic I thrive in the liminal space which makes the practice of shadow work one of my favorite things to do and I am a very unique guide through it. Every class I teach I always talk about the benefits we get from shadow work and how we can use a deity to assist and guide us on some of those journeys into the darkness.
Loki is my favorite male deity to call on for shadow work. He is my favorite guide into not only my divine masculine but, to really truly understand the balance of both and how to move in between the energies fluidly like the shapeshifter in him has the ability to do.
Loki also has this ability to pull on our inner child and yank them out of the shadows where they either like to hide or we have pushed them to disappear into. He will pull them out and let them feel all it is they have to feel. Which for some can be really chaotic, overwhelming and hard to handle at first but, working with them and letting them feel what they need to will lead you through a death and into your next rebirth.
When working with Loki, you’ll notice he likes to dredge up those pesky shadows we tend to ignore. In fact, I see this as an inherent ability he uses time and time again with the gods themselves. His trickster spirit takes things away, only to return them in a new form OR to allow for something new entirely to take their place. When Loki steals things from the gods, he forces them to face their shadows. To re-examine the value of the things they hold dear. He tends to do the same to his devotees and friends. To learn more about how to do shadow work you can watch my previous class on it here.
Number 13
One of loki’s symbols is the number 13. Consider implementing the number thirteen into your rituals, offerings, magick, and daily life in honor of the Trickster God. Examples: draw thirteen runes (if you’re adept to the runes), light thirteen candles (keep an eye on those bad boys!), hail his name thirteen times, etc.
Play pranks on others
I don’t know if this is something you are comfortable with doing honestly, this one is hard for me to do. But, playing some harmless pranks on others can help you connect to that playful mischievous side of Loki.
Enhance your magic
Loki is a very gifted and powerful magic practitioner. His skills in shape shifting are evidence of that alone. So, call on him in your magical workings to help transform and amplify your magic and your understanding of it.
Exploring Paradox
What is paradox? Paradox is defined as “a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.” Loki embodies the Divine Paradox – he is a walking, godly contradiction in many facets. He often appears as a man, yet he is also gender fluid and can appear as a woman or any other gender he likes. He’s a god, then animal. Then back again. He’s good. And yet he’s bad. And yet neither. By exploring your personal paradox, you connect further with Loki’s true essence.
Use Loki to unbox yourself
As a shapeshifter who changes aspects about himself often. He
Changes gender, species, agendas, and so much more. He never restricts himself to be one thing or one way. No matter what outward appearance he chooses to project. So, use him and his energy to do the same for you wherever you may need it in your life. He was pivotal for me as well when it came to my sexual identity and not feeling the need to be boxed in by the assumptions the image my marriage portrays.
Prayer to Loki
“My beloved god of chaos, My beloved god of hoaxes and lies, My Beloved god that guides me to journeys inside. You pull out what must be seen, and remove all barriers to access my true identity. My beloved god loki I ask that, Your powerful destructive energy might be mine. To destroy what must be to have space for new creation. I am open to receive your blessings, guidance, power. I am ready to keep creating and destroying in your name. Amen. Aho. So mote it is.”
Loki’s Roles And Responsibilities: The Dual Nature Of The Trickster God
I always talk about duality if you are new to learning from me it is in every class I teach. I also teach that I do not view it as good vs evil at all but, there are times I title it this way or teach it this way because that’s how most view these opposing energies. With, that being said Loki really does embody all of this in my opinion the best way of any male deity I have found and worked with so far.
Have you ever wondered if Odin is the all the father and Thor is so powerful why haven’t they just gotten rid of Loki at this point and stopped him from annoying them and wreaking havoc on them constantly? For many reasons, but this is one of them he needs to be him and doing what he does to keep the universe in balance. Also, they like the friction he causes and they know it. It makes things interesting for them.
His role with humans
I want to touch on something I feel is important when it comes to Loki and why I really like to work with him. If you look through all of his stories and myths and where he comes up the only time he is in conflict with humans and even then indirectly is in Ragnorak. Other than that, his myths and legends have to do with the gods not humans.
This aspect about him even makes him all the more intriguing to work with and why he is so inviting when it comes to that deep shadow work. I think it is also both why his histories were erased and changed in my opinion and why he is making such a huge comeback in modern times.
If you choose to work with him now, be prepared to look deep within yourself to understand the true divine paradox we are simply for being humans. He will allow you to unbox your identity and remove any barrier that may be in your way to fully understand all parts of who you are. He welcomes you into the liminal space and will be a great guide for you.
To continue learning more about him, and even get a chance to meet him, you can also watch my free class on Youtube with Divination Academy below!
Books to Read
To Further look into Loki and who is these book would be the ones I recommend to start with!
Pagan Portals – Loki: Trickster and Transformer by Dagulf Loptson
Loki by Mike Vasich
Loki of Midgard: The Making of a Magician by Jennifer Meinking
The basis of life is in the five elements. We only live and survive because of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. The earth is beneath us, provides us shelter, stability, and nourishment. A place to call home. We breathe the air around us, it fills our lungs and our blood with life-giving oxygen. Fire gives us heat, protection, and helps us cook our food. And water? Well, we are made up of over 60% of this element and need it to survive, as well. Spirit is the magical fountain within each of us; our individual source. Within Spirit, all the basic four elements come together to work in harmony with one another. These elements are also the foundation of modern natural witchcraft.
As practitioners of magic, we understand the power and significance of the elements in our craft. Understanding the elements and their energies can help us deepen our connection with the natural world and enhance our magical abilities.
Let’s learn how to use this knowledge to enhance our magical practice and deepen our connection with the natural world. I’ll do a sequence of articles on each element. This one will serve as the introduction to the topic.
Before we begin
Before we begin, it is important to note that elemental magic is a complex form of magic that requires a deep understanding of the elements and their properties. It is essential to approach elemental magic with respect and caution. It is also important to note that this guide is intended to serve as a starting point for your elemental magic journey. It is not an exhaustive guide, and you should continue to research and learn about elemental magic as you practice it. It is also important to note that not all witches, and practitioners use the same correspondences for the elements. It can differ from person to person, practice to practice and from culture to culture.
What is Elemental Magic?
Elemental magic refers to the magic of the elements of nature: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.. Spells and rituals will typically consist of using a single element most related to the goal of the caster. They may also contain more than one, even all of the elements like when using them to cast a magic circle, working with the watchtowers, or creating an altar. Most elemental magic requires only basic ingredients that can be found anywhere: bowls of water, stones, candles, and so on. This makes it perfect for learning the foundations of magic.
Energy
Before we dive into the elements themselves we have to touch on energy. Energy is the foundation of all elemental magic. The words and actions accompanying a spell are the least important part. The words and actions of the spell serve only to guide your focus on the energy involved.
There are huge stores of energy in your body. You will learn to tap into this energy when doing elemental magic and to transfer it. When a spell calls for you to inscribe a rune into the dirt, the physical motion’s purpose is to help you transfer your personal energy. There is also the energy already present in each element which we will discuss later.
Depending on your practice and your magical journey this may not be news to you but, for others it might be. There are more than 4 elements to work with, there are at least 5! If you started your path and journey in wicca or alchemy or have studied Chinese, Japanese, Buddhist, Greek, some Indigenous north american tribes,some African tribes , and Babylonian cultures this won’t be news to you. If it is new for you we will go over the most commonly used five elements in rituals and spells; earth, air, fire, water, and spirit aka ether.
Each of these five elements is a fundamental building block of the universe and symbolically represents the various stages or forms of matter. Each of these elements also has its own qualities and correspondences. In most if not all traditions, each element is associated with very specific correspondences and used in specific ways based on their nature.
The five elements are most often invoked during the consecration of a magic circle, or at the very beginning of a ritual. Each element is linked to a cardinal direction. As each element is called and welcomed into the circle it is termed ‘calling the quarters’. Calling the quarters can be simple or it can be dramatic, poetic, and complex. It can work in a theme such as the human body if it is a ritual for healing or it can be written to target a specific pantheon of gods and goddesses. The possibilities are endless! If you need to learn more about how to cast a magic circle or calling the quarters you can read all about here; https://modgepodgemystic.com/the-magic-of-casting-a-circle/ and watch my previous class on it below.
Let’s explore the characteristics, correspondences, and how to work with each element below.
Up First, EARTH
The earth element is powerful in so many ways. The earth is our planetary home. It is where all life abounds and is the source of our sustenance. The natural cycles of the earth are growth, harvest, decay, and regeneration. A myriad of topographical landscapes are found all over the earth complete with diverse flora and fauna. But the earth is not simply the living things that inhabit it. The earth consists of deep caves, reaching mountains, and dense forests.
Depending on the tradition and even the individual, earth’s magical properties will vary. When the earth element means growth and grounding to one person, it may mean death and psychic abilities to another. In Wicca and other western magical traditions, it is one of the 5 major elements from which all life is sustained. The earth is inherently our mother.
Earth embodies the embodiment of stability, grounding, and material abundance. It is the fertile soil that nurtures life, the mountains that rise with unwavering strength, and the foundation on which we build our spiritual journeys. Just as the Earth provides sustenance for all living beings, this element enables witches to manifest their desires, anchor their intentions, and connect with the physical world. It aligns us with the rhythms of nature and helps us find balance, resilience, and prosperity.
Earth is often connected with the practical aspects of life, including abundance, prosperity, physical health, and fertility. It influences our connection to the physical body and the material realm. Earth magic is especially potent for grounding and centering oneself, establishing boundaries, and bringing stability during times of chaos or emotional upheaval. By harnessing the Earth element’s energy, witches can create foundations for their intentions and manifest their desires in a tangible and grounded manner.
From a blade of grass to a mighty mountain, witches use the earth element in their magic and spiritual practice for many different purposes. In spell work, Earth is often used for grounding and centering, to make a spell stick, or to bring abundance and prosperity. So, sit with the element and follow your intuition to use the element in the way the best serves you.
Earth Folklore
When it comes to the Earth, much of the focus of our folklore focuses on how our planet was actually formed. These myths shed a great deal of light on our magical associations with the element Earth, especially in regards to rebirth, fertility, and death. The name Earth comes from the Norse goddess Jord, pronounces “yurdth,” who was a personification of Earth. While she is not an official goddess of the Norse pantheon as she was a jotnar, it is believed she coupled with Odin to bear a son known as Thor. Jord was believed to be the life force of the planet, causing trees to fruit and seeds to sprout at her touch, thus strongly associating her with fertility, birth, and new beginnings.
Her personification was adopted by a number of cultures across Europe and eventually became known as Mother Earth or Mother Nature. Greek Mythology has a similar goddess known as Gaia. According to Greek creation myths, Gaia (the Earth) emerged from Chaos. Without assistance, she bore Uranus the Sky who then fertilized her. From this union, the Titans were born of which the Gods and Goddesses were born. As such, Gaia is the personification of Earth, the mother of all life. In Roman mythology she is referred to as Terra, meaning Earth. In the babylonian myth earth is literally the great goddess Tiamat’s body split in half.
Similar myths can be found in every culture around the world, but they all have two things in common, the Earth is usually a feminine figure associated with birth and life.
Apart from creation myths, Earth also appears as the golem. According to Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated human-like creature made of mud and clay. Through ritual work, a creature could be brought to life using clay and mud to do the life-givers bidding. Some reports say to bring the golem to life, the Hebrew equivalent of the word “shem” was written on a piece of paper and placed in the golem’s mouth while other reports say “emet” which means truth was written on the forehead of the golem. To “kill” the golem the paper was removed or the last letter of the word truth was removed to turn the word into dead.
The rest of our Earth folklore focuses on ley lines, a grid of Earth energies that circle the globe that connect important sacred sites. In the British Isles, these lines were sometimes referred to as “fairy paths” and it was believed to be dangerous to walk along them for fear of being snatched by the fairies. In general, these lines not only connected sacred sites, but also certain hilltops in the countryside, and were liminal places between realms. We still view them as such today, recognizing the energy found among them is potent as well as liminal.
Earth Correspondences
First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus, Saturn
Time: Midnight
Season: Winter
Direction: North (although if the closest body of earth to you is a different direction, use that instead)
The earth element works in conjunction with all other elements to sustain life on this planet. In fact, it IS the planet. Think about how earth works with the others: earth feeds fire, requires water for growth, produces air (trees/plants) in conjunction with water. But can also suffocate fire and air and impede water. We live on the earth, our feet and homes planted in the soil, and grow our food in the earth. Without earth, we would not survive. Earth is nurturing, grounding, loving, growing, replenishing, moving, sowing, and reaping.
Ways to connect to Earth
If you are an earth zodiac sign, your most powerful magic will facilitate the earth element to make change. Earth magic doesn’t have to be complicated, unless you want it to be. Here are some easy ways to cast earth magic and harness the energy of the earth element:
growing and maintaining a magical garden
making herbal infusions and brews
burying spells i.e. witch’s bottles and jars
using different kinds of dirt and sand in your spells
Air, the element of wisdom, communication, reasoning, logic, and breath. It is the perfect element to work with during the fall months because this shifting of the seasons often requires us to look inward and assess our situation; to take a deep breath and let go of what no longer serves us; to communicate our truths.
The air element is powerful in so many ways. The air is felt through the breath, the skin, and the view of the swaying trees. It is movement in the purest form as the wind travels around the globe spreading seeds for life, changing the landscape of the earth, and allowing the creatures of the sky to move amongst us. The air holds clouds, birds, and the stars above us.
Air is a force that is both seen and unseen, carrying the energies of communication, intellect, inspiration, and transformation. Just as the wind whispers secrets through the trees, Air symbolizes the realm of thoughts, ideas, and the power of the mind. It holds the potential for clarity, mental agility, and the swift currents of change. By tapping into the essence of Air, witches can amplify their intellectual capacities, enhance their intuition, and facilitate the free flow of energy within their craft.
Air magic encompasses themes of intellect, communication, inspiration, and travel. It aids in enhancing mental clarity, fostering effective communication, and seeking truth and wisdom. By working with the Air element, witches can harness its energy to stimulate creativity, promote clear thinking, and invite swift transformation in their lives. It serves as a conduit for ideas to take flight and for intentions to be carried far and wide.
Depending on the tradition and even the individual, air magical properties will vary. When the air element means communication or activation to one person, it may mean emotions and abundance to another. From a gust of wind to a gentle exhale, witches use the air element in their magic and spiritual practice for many different purposes.
Air Folklore
Much of the folklore associated with Air encompasses weather magic and the wind itself. In Greek mythology, the Anemoi were the four winds, each of them corresponding to the four cardinal directions. They were the children of Eos, goddess of dawn, and Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds.
The first of the sons was Boreas, the god of the north wind and bringer of cold winter air. He is often depicted with a beard in a short, pleated tunic and said to have a violent temper. When Orithyia, a princess of Athens, refused to marry Boreas, he stole her away to marry her in the clouds where they later had two sons and two daughters together. From then on, Boreas was seen as a relative by marriage and they called upon him for protection when attacked by neighboring kingdoms. In 480 B.C. Boreas supposedly sank 400 Persian ships that threatened the Athenians.
The second son, Zephyrus or Zephyr, is the god of the west wind. He is the gentlest of the winds, blowing in Spring and warmer weather. Zephyrus appears in a number of stories, each one often depicting a different lover both male and female. His amorous relationships make him a fertility god, which makes sense since he is said to bring in Spring, the ultimate icon of fertility.
The god of the south wind, Notus, is associated with the hot, desiccating winds of Summer that blew in after the Summer Solstice. It was him that brought late summer storms, destroying crops in his wake.
And finally, there was Eurus, god of the east winds, who was believed to be responsible for the turbulent winds during storms at sea. Seafarers would often try to appease Eurus to ensure a safe trip and would place protection charms on their ships to ward off ill will.
In other traditions, Air is deeply associated with breath, the life-giver. In ancient Greece, this breath of life was referred to as pneuma, which later became translated into soul or spirit. I’ll address pneuma in more detail in later posts, but I wanted to mention it here because, without breath, life ceases to exist, and as such a number of superstitions arose around breath. For example, when passing by a cemetery one should hold their breath to avoid breathing in the spirit of someone who recently passed. In multiple cultures around the world, we see tales of the night hag, a demon who sits on your chest and steals your breath away, a phenomenon now referred to as sleep paralysis. For centuries in England, it was believed cats should suck an infant’s breath away, causing the baby to die. In 1791, a jury in Plymouth, England convicted a cat of infanticide while in 1929 in Nebraska, a supposed doctor claimed to have witnessed a cat “lying on the baby’s breast, pay on either side of the babe’s mouth, the cat’s lips pressing those of the child and the infant’s face as pale as that of a corpse, its lips with the blueness of death.” This idea persists even in modern times, despite their not being any evidence that cats suffocate babies in this way. However, the idea that breath is linked to life is an important one, giving Air its association with life and death.
Air Correspondences
Remember, a correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.
If you are an air zodiac sign, your most powerful magic will facilitate the air element to make change. Air spells don’t have to be complicated, unless you want them to be. Here are some easy ways to cast air spells and harness the energy of the air element:
make a wish while blowing bubbles OR divine a message using bubbles
burn incense as offering to the gods and to manifest your intentions
write your air spell on a piece of paper, take it to the top of a cliff, let it blow away in the wind
keep a magical grimoire or book of shadows
make a wish and blow out the birthday candles
smoke-cleanse your home with burning herbs to rid it of negativity
blow a dandelion seed-head and make a wish
balloon magick (although not recommended for the environment nowadays)
storm magick: harnessing the energy of a storm to manifest your air spell
cloud scrying: divination using the patterns in clouds to tell the future
cloud bursting: moving air with the power of your mind
whispering air spells into the wind
working with air element fairies and spirits
volunteering your time or resources to a local bird rescue (the energy you offer to these creatures may help manifest your intentions)
automatic writing
writing and reciting poetry
learning and playing an instrument (particularly woodwind, flutes or stringed)
singing your intentions
chanting your intentions
daily words of affirmation
feather magick: divination or spells
The Unique Magic of the Air Element
The air element works in conjunction with all other elements to sustain life on this planet. Think about how air works with the others: air fuels fire, moves earth, makes clouds with water. You may notice how some of the air element’s magical properties and associations cross over with the elements. That’s because they all work together flawlessly in the circle of life. As for air, we inhale and exhale air, it cools us off, but it can also be destructive and blow down houses. Without air, we would not survive. Air is whirling, twirling, twisting, freeing. Whipping, swirling, caressing, calling, kissing, misting, clouding, flying. Speak it into existence, whisper it into the wind.
Let’s Dive into the Element of Water
The water element is powerful in so many ways. Humans are predominantly comprised of water. Water flows into and through our bodies and is necessary for our continued existence. We are suspended in a life giving liquid while growing inside of the womb. Water falls gently from the sky to nourish the earth and help the flora to grow and thrive. The water embraces sea creatures, an unexplored underwater landscape, and falls from the sky above to feed the earth.
Water, the element of fluidity and intuition, mirrors the ebb and flow of life itself. It represents the vast seas, serene lakes, and soothing rivers that nourish the Earth and all living beings. In the realm of emotions, Water governs the depth of our feelings, encouraging us to embrace vulnerability, intuition, and empathy. By connecting with the Water element, witches can navigate the currents of their emotions, tap into their psychic abilities, and embark on a journey of healing and spiritual transformation.
Water magic encompasses themes of emotions, intuition, healing, purification, and spiritual transformation. It allows witches to dive deep into their emotions, heal past wounds, and connect with their inner wisdom. By working with the Water element, practitioners can harness its energy to enhance their psychic abilities, facilitate emotional healing, and invoke a sense of divine flow and receptivity within their craft.
Water, the element of emotions, healing, purification, and renewal. It is the perfect element to work with during the winter months because it is during winter that we spend time reflecting and setting goals for the future. This reflection process often includes shadow work where we confront past traumas to heal and break bad habits. Shadow work is by no means easy and takes more than a little self-reflection to work, but Water can help with the process greatly, especially in the beginning stages.
From an ocean wave to a dew drop, witches use the water element in their magick and spiritual practice for many different purposes.Depending on the tradition and even the individual, water’s magical properties will vary. When the water element means dreams and emotions to one person, it may mean destruction and purification to another.
Water Folklore
Humans have always been deeply connected with water, which makes sense considering we are mostly comprised of water and need it to survive. Just a couple days without water and we die. Our ancestors knew this as well and discovered quite quickly that water had the ability to sustain and restore life, as well as take it away. Throughout history and across all cultures, water was revered, being associated with deities, spirits, souls, and the Otherworld. One of the most famous tales is of the River Styx, the river in Hades or the Underworld that separates the living world from that of the dead. To cross said river, you had to secure passage from Charon, the ferrymen, by paying him a coin. However, water folklore goes back even further.
Before the Roman invasion, much of Europe was inhabited by a series of tribes, united by a common language and similar spiritual beliefs, called the Celts. The Celts believed water to be sacred and viewed it as a liminal place, a place between our world and the Otherworld. As such, a series of myths arose around major water sources across Europe. When the Romans, who had their own set of water beliefs and rituals, invaded, they meshed many of the Celtic ideas of water with their own. These traditions were so prevalent and such a cornerstone of society, that when the Christians invaded sometime later, they found it impossible to squash the pagan beliefs. Instead of trying to stamp it out, they wrote over the pagan names with Christian names (much like they did with our holidays), thus preserving much of the folklore related to water, even to this day. From wells and springs to rivers and lakes to the wide-open ocean, folklore abounds.
Across Europe, especially in the UK, there are several sacred wells and natural founts or springs riddled with folklore. While different in location and water type, it was generally believed that these sources of water were imbued with healing properties that could cure just about any ailment. Archeological sites, folklore, and existing wells inform us that there were a number of sacred wells designated across Europe as healing wells.
But not all folklore surrounds freshwater sources. Being as vast and dangerous as it is, the ocean has played a dominant role in human history and thus has its own magical properties and folklore. You could write an entire book on sea folklore and witchcraft, and people have, so I am just going to give a brief overview here. The ocean played a major role in the development of civilizations around the world. For a long time, the ocean was impassible and untameable, which led our ancestors to tie the sea to destruction, instability, and chaos.
And these are all just bodies of water! There is numerous folklore about dew, mists, and rain! Again, there is absolutely too much folklore on these subjects to include in this post, so I’m going to very briefly summarize. Dew has long been a prized magical ingredient, especially in protection and glamour magic. Especially lazy and dirty women and children were believed to be taken away by faeries where they were carefully cleansed by morning dew becoming more beautiful upon their arrival home. Most famously, however, dew was often collected and applied before sunrise on May Day (Beltane) to heal and as a glamour. On the Summer Solstice, it was believed that dew would increase one’s strength. Across Europe, especially in Britain, dew was believed to have curative properties. It was often applied to the eyes to help eye pain or rubbed on warts and freckles to remove them. Dew collected from stones with depression or cups called Bullaun Holes were used by wise women and men in medicines to enhance their restorative qualities. Sometimes the dew was collected with a white rag and tied around the ailing part to help it heal faster.
While dew was often seen as a healer, mists were viewed as a magical veil that was used by spirits of the Otherworld to shroud themselves. Furthermore, Celtic folklore suggests that not only did the fae and other spirits arrive with the mist, but the mist could carry you away as well, bringing you to the water if you weren’t careful. With mist and fog, it is believed all manner of devilish creatures can walk the Earth. People often report seeing black dogs, an omen of death, in the mists or hearing the luring voices of women calling them out to sea. However, in the Haudenosaunee myth The Maid of the Mist, the maiden is a savor who warns her village of impending doom. In almost all legends, the mists act as a portal or gateway between realms, thus becoming an excellent hedge riding tool for astral travel.
Rain, on the other hand, as a complete set of unique myths, but in most cases, rain is associated with life, fertility, and healing. Originally, the rain was associated with spontaneous generation and was believed that frogs and worms came directly from rain, thus associating it with life, abundance, and fertility. Oden, a Norse god of fertility among other things, was also associated with the rain. I’m sure you can figure out what the rain was meant to be in this case. In Greek mythology, rain is believed to be the tears of Calandra, daughter of Hades, mourning the death of her beloved, Orestes, son of Zeus. Zeus and Hades, upon hearing of their love, struck down Orestes and locked Calandra in the clouds to mourn for all eternity. Rainwater has been used in all manner of magical ways, including spells for rejuvenation, healing, protection, cursing, and nourishment. Rainwater alone deserves a post of its own, which I’ll likely do this year sometime in April because “April showers bring May flowers…”
I’ve only scratched the surface of water folklore. There is plenty more from Asia, Africa, and the Americas that wasn’t touched on here. There simply isn’t enough time for me to cover everything in great detail, but this folklore provides a deeper understanding of how important water has been throughout human history. It is the bringer of life and death, a healer and a curse. Without water and all its amazing, properties humans would not be where we are today. It nourishes our bodies, helps our cells and organs function and while aiding plants in creating food. It helps us and our planet maintain a relatively constant temperature and allows cell membranes to form a double layer.
Water Correspondences
Remember, a correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.
Nature Spirits: Undine, nymph, mermaid, finfolk, lake ladies, water maidens, Cailleach, water horse, kelpie, bean-nighe, banshee, white woman, washerwoman, water cows, faeries associated with wells, streams, ponds, or lakes
Colors: Blue, silver, white, gray, seafoam, indigo, aquamarine, bluish-silver, black
Food and Drink: water, tea, apple, pear, coconut, strawberry, watermelon
If you are a water zodiac sign, your most powerful magick will facilitate the water element to make change. Water magic spells don’t have to be complicated, unless you want them to be.
The water element works in conjunction with all other elements to sustain life on this planet. Think about how water works with the others: water extinguishes fire or is evaporated by fire, water feeds the earth, water is made with and moved by air. We require water to live and our bodies are made up of at least sixty percent water. The planet is mostly made up of water. Water is our great mother, the creator, and yet in an instant becomes the great destroyer. But remember, where there’s destruction then after comes creation.
Next, The element of Fire
Fire isn’t just without. It comes from within. It’s as much a part of this world as it is a part of ourselves. Fire drives away the darkness. It warms our cold bones and stirs the passions inside of us. Fire does not have its own physical existence like the other elements. It comes into being as light and heat in a powerful and dramatic fashion and then once it has consumed an object, it disappears back into another realm. Fire is often linked to the masculine energies as it is protective. Fire is depicted in volcanoes, the phoenix, and transformations.
Fire is quite the element, associated with new beginnings, energy, courage, anger, passion, lust, war, and purification. It’s the perfect element to work with during the summer months when the Sun is at its strongest, the ultimate source of Fire. Fire is also the perfect element to work with when trying to enact change, especially social change.
Fire dances with an intense and captivating energy, embodying the qualities of passion, creativity, willpower, and transformation. It is the spark of inspiration that ignites our desires, fuels our ambitions, and drives us forward. Just as fire can both nurture and consume, the Fire element in witchcraft represents the potent force of change, the catalyst for spiritual growth, and the embodiment of personal power. By harnessing the essence of Fire, witches can kindle the flames of their intentions, manifest their desires, and embody the transformative nature of this element.
Fire magic encompasses themes of passion, willpower, courage, purification, and transformation. It empowers witches to ignite their creativity, fuel their ambitions, and embrace their personal power. By working with the Fire element, practitioners can tap into their inner strength, channel their intentions with fiery determination, and embark on a path of self-discovery and transformation.
From a candle’s flame to a bonfire, witches use the fire element in their magical craft for many different reasons. Depending on the tradition and even the individual, fire magical properties will vary. When the fire element means passion and success to one person, it may mean emotions and cleansing to another.
Fire Folklore
Fire has long been coveted by humankind as not only a life-bringer but as a source of transformation as well. How we first acquired Fire is debatable and we will likely never know, but the fact that we did allowed humans to prosper and ultimately dominate our surroundings. There are myths found in every single culture around the world explaining how humans first acquired Fire, from the Greeks to the Cherokee to the Hindus to the Aztecs. Almost all of these stories tell a story of theft, the Fire is stolen from some greedy source and given as a gift to humans. In Greek mythology, the titan Prometheus stole Fire from the gods, giving it to man along with the skill of metalwork because he loved humans more than the Olympians who had banished his family to Tartarus. This gift resulted in the progress of civilization and ultimately resulted in Fire temples across Greece.
In various Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest and First Nations, Fire was stolen by Coyote, Beaver, or Dog and given to humans, while in Algonquin myth it is Rabbit that steals Fire from a man and his two daughters to share with other humans. The Cherokee myth, however, is my favorite of the Native American Fire myths. After both Possum and Buzzard failed to acquire Fire, Grandmother Spider weaves a web to sneak into the land of the light, where she steals Fire from the Sun and hides it in a clay pot. She brings the clay pot back, giving it to humans so they may see in the dark. In Rig Veda, a Hindu text, it is Matarisvan who steals Fire that had been hidden away from humans. All of these myths reveal the nature of Fire; that is it deeply associated with trickery and chaos, most likely because we may think we have control over Fire, but ultimately it is in control. Furthermore, Fire is extremely destructive but transformative, thus leading to the progress of civilization in all of these stories.
Fire was so revered by our ancestors that shrines, temples, and festivals were dedicated to Fire. In Ancient Greece, every private and public hearth or prytaneium was regarded as a sanctuary for the hearth goddess Hestia. In Greek mythology, Hestia was assigned the duty by Zeus to feed and maintain the fires in the Olympian hearth with the fat from animal sacrifices to the gods. As such, she was usually given the first offering during a sacrifice so that she may share a portion with the gods to maintain their Fire.
Hestia’s Roman equivalent, Vesta, played a much more prominent role in Roman culture. She was very rarely depicted in human form, but instead as a flame. Vesta’s temple in the Forum Romanum only allowed entry to Vesta’s priestesses known as Vestals. The Vestals tended the sacred hearth fires of Vesta which were believed to be indispensable for the preservation and continuity of the Roman State.
Across the ocean, two important Celtic deities were honored for their sacred flames. The first was Brigid, who later was Christianized St. Brigid. Brigid, who is deeply associated with holy wells, was also associated with sacred flames. In Kildare, Brigid’s sacred fire was tended to by priestesses since pre-Christian times. However, it wasn’t just Brigid who was associated with Fire in Celtic lore. Belenus (Belus or Baal), whose name means “Shining One,” was one of the most widely worshipped of the Celtic deities. He was the Celtic god of the Sun and was celebrated year-around, but honored specifically at Beltane, an ancient Fire festival on May 1st.
Other Sun gods from around the world, including Ra, Aten, Nanahuatzin, Helios, and Sol, were worshipped year around with the Sun’s heavenly movement. Early humans recognized that as the Sun traveled through the sky that it drove the changing of the seasons. From this knowledge, myths arose to explain what happened to the Sun god during each transformation. In modern Wicca, the equivalent of this story traces the birth and death of the God, who represents the Sun. These myths were so prevalent around the world that early Christianity adopted them and associated them with Jesus.
Apart from Fire’s association with deities, it has long been viewed as a protective force. This likely arose from the fact our early ancestors found that keeping fires lit through the night safeguarded against beasts of the night. Fire quickly became associated with warding off evil spirits, especially in the case of childbirth. Multiple cultures around the world light candles and lamps and keep them burning to ward against demons waiting to pounce on the newborn child and mother. This custom still persists in parts of Britain, Scandinavia, and Germany, where candles and fires are lit around the new baby to keep evil spirits away.
Fire has also been used as a form of divination and as an omen. As mentioned earlier, the extinguishing of Hestia’s and Vesta’s fires were believed to be ruin and bad luck. The Banyoro in Central Africa and the people of British New Guinea will not hunt the following morning if their fire goes out overnight, an omen of bad luck and death. In modern Greece, the behavior of logs in a fire is said to foretell the future. Crackling means that good news or a friend is coming, while sparks and ash flying are believed to foretell trouble and anxiety brewing. On the other hand, in parts of Britain cinders were read to predict major future events, such as births, marriages, and deaths.
The vast amount of folklore around Fire suggests a few things. First, Fire is an important source of life. It warms, cooks food, and inspires. Second, Fire is an important protector and purifier, yet has the ability to consume all that it touches. In modern times, witches use fire for these same reasons, often as in protection rituals, and to send messages to the spirit world.
Fire Correspondences
Remember, a correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun, Mars
Time: Noon
Season: Summer
Direction: South (although in the Southern hemisphere, North may work better for you)
Tarot Cards: Wands or Swords (depends on belief system)
The fire magical properties are fueled by air. So, essentially, air can be used to fan or increase fire. Water may be heated by fire OR in larger quantities can put out the fire. Fire cooks or burns up earth or can be extinguished by earth.
People who are fire signs tend to be very passionate, driven people. They are sometimes easy to enrage, and love working with the fire element in their magick. If you are a fire sign, fire magic spells and charms will be your most potent form of witchcraft.
Candle spells
Sun-bathing / re-charging by sunlight
Burning papers with wishes/intentions in bonfires
Burning old belongings to release old habits and negativity
Hearth magick: cooking, brewing, baking, etc.
Fire scrying: divination in candle flames and bonfires
Smoke scrying: divination with smoke
Burning Incense and Smoke-cleansing
Storm magick, particularly harnessing the energy of lightning
Burning candles as offerings to gods, ancestors, spirit guides
Blacksmithing and forging
Working with crystals linked to the fire element
Following your passion in life
The Unique Magic of the Fire Element
Fire is creative and destructive. It warded off wild animals, intruders, and illness for our ancestors. It also kept them warm and provided a means of cooking. But it could also destroy entire villages and forests, destroying life as we know it. Fire dries/evaporates water, is fueled/extinguished by air, and is fueled/extinguished by earth. The interaction with fire all depends on the amount of each element used. Without heat and fire, our ancestors wouldn’t have survived and neither would we. In Greek mythology, fire was gifted to humans by a god. Let the fire element cleanse you of your past and prepare a path for the future.
Lastly, the element of spirit
This fifth element is not recognized by all paths. It has been known as Akasha or Aether. No matter what you call it Spirit or Ether (or Soul!) is the element of self-awareness, wholeness, and transcendence. It is a bridge that connects the spiritual and physical soul. It is often represented as white or purple. It is the crown chakra in eastern religious practices and the halo in Abrahamic traditions. Spirit is the element called forth in ritual as it is the force that connects us to the magickal realm.
Spirit is the ethereal essence that exists beyond the physical realm, encompassing the divine, the collective consciousness, and the interwoven tapestry of all existence. It is the universal life force that breathes energy into every being and every element. Spirit, in witchcraft, represents the connection to the divine, intuition, spiritual growth, and the transcendent nature of our existence. By embracing the essence of Spirit, witches can tap into the boundless wisdom of the universe, commune with higher beings, and embark on a transformative journey of spiritual awakening.
Spiritual magic encompasses themes of intuition, divination, spiritual growth, and connection to higher beings. It allows witches to tap into their innate wisdom, connect with spirit guides and ancestors, and seek guidance from the divine. By working with Spirit, practitioners can deepen their understanding of the unseen, explore their spiritual gifts, and experience profound transformations within their spiritual journeys.
Spirit Folklore
Spirit has always existed within folk beliefs, with some of the earliest forms appearing in animistic religions and spiritual practices around the world. Animism, which is derived from the Latin anima which means breath, Spirit, or life, is the idea that all things, living and non-living, have a Spirit within them. It is this Spirit or energy that modern-day witches use when working with magical correspondences, and it’s the foundation of nature-based spiritualities around the world.
Later, humankind began differentiating living Souls or Spirit from that of non-living objects through the use of blood. Prior to the reign of Psammetichus (664-610 BC), Egyptians equated wine with blood, saying it was the life force of those that had warred against the gods. For this reason, they didn’t leave wine as an offering and believed that drunkenness would drive a man mad for the drunkard supposedly had consumed the life-blood of their ancestors. We see modern manifestations of this idea in Christianity with wine being part of the sacrament as the blood of Christ. The idea that the Soul was derived from blood is also found in a number of myths around the world, including a Chaladae myth which says that humans and animals were born from the blood of a decapitated deity when it mixed with clay.
Later, the Soul became something intangible as the breath of life. In Genesis ii. 7 we see an allusion to this: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” In Greece, this breath of life was referred to as stoic pneuma, which originally meant “air in motion” or “breath” and later became religiously known as the Soul or Spirit. It was believed to be a mixture of Air and Fire that when combined created life. Pneuma was adopted by Judaism and Christianity, sometimes being used to describe the Spirit and other times to describe the wind. No matter the religion, however, Spirit is often a central focus, and protecting the Spirit or Soul is believed to be fundamental in ascending into the afterlife.
Other topics that can be considered tied to the folklore of the spirit or soul would involve soul eaters, demons, ghosts, mental illness and much more but that is for another time. If you want to learn more about demons though you can check out my previous class on them below.
Spirit Correspondences
Remember, a correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or to connect to an element like I will list below for you to use.
Crystals and Gemstones: Quartz, pearl, opal, amethyst
Animals: Dove, deer, cat
Ways to connect to Spirit
The spirit magical properties are fueled by everything. Every thread of energy, and everything in between weaving to hold the multiverse, universe, and collective together. The way we think of the spirit element today is rooted in the Greek thinking of Aether as the fifth element, it was literally the air the gods breathed. How to connect to those propeties will all revolve around your spiritual beliefs, and practices, and how you choose to connect to the divine both within and without yourself.
Spirit works with all the elements in the same manner: Spirit supports each of the elements and each of the elements supports Spirit. Spirit cannot be separated from the other elements as it is infused in all that we do.
We have talked a lot about the elements but, have you ever heard of the elementals? Or elemental spirits? Let’s take some time to talk about them now.
What are Elementals?
Elementals are considered interdimensional beings, which means that they can move through different planes. Likewise, they maintain a strong bond with Nature, which is why many cultures consider them protectors or guardians of the earth. Physician and alchemist Paracelsus (1493 – 1541) mentioned elementals in his works, highlighting the hybrid quality of these entities, as they are neither humans nor spirits
Each of these beings has the function of guarding and protecting everything that is within its realm of influence. They are considered lower spirits, incapable of incarnating in the material world, so they are generally invisible to us. However it has been claimed that they are capable of assuming human form and other appearances.
These guardians watch over our planet and can aid us in our spiritual journeys if treated with respect. Let’s explore all four types of elementals and see how you can invoke them in your practice.
Gnomes, the Elementals of Earth
Gnomes and gnomids are the elementals of the Earth. They look like old men with their long white beards and ceremonial charm, and reside in the underbrush found in trees, roots, and soil. They can live in the mines of the earth or take care of the hidden treasures that lie there. Gnomes are the guardians of all treasures and precious metals hidden under mountains and deserts.
As Earth elementals, they also like gardens, hence the custom of placing figures of gnomes around the green areas of the home, to call for their protection and wisdom. Though generally a bit grumpy, gnomes are happy to help humans in their earthly quests. They stand ready to impart deep wisdom upon us. As keepers of material safety, you can ask Gnomes for protection in physical matters, and for aid in doing what’s right for the planet.
Their planet is Mars and their zodiac signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.
To invoke an Earth elemental, salt can be used as an offering on a plate. You can also bury a coin in the soil to ask them to intercede with the spirits of the earth, so that prosperity and riches come to our lives. Spend time outside and let your intuition guide you to a spot that is special.
Undines, Water Elementals
Undines derive their name from the Latin word unda, meaning “wave”. They come in different shapes such as mermaids or nymphs, but are also thought of as the collective body of water itself. Undines are present in each drop of water.
Their presence represents beauty and dreams. They like to live in and protect the waterways and are relatively benign elementals, historically aiding sailors in safe passage. They are the most closely linked to humans and their appearance can be that of beautiful angels.
To keep Undines present in your daily life, think of water as a close friend. Treat it with reverence; never waste it. With increased honor for this sacred element, the Undine is sure to support your emotional life. Their planets are Saturn and Mercury, and their zodiac signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.
Invoking water Elementals
To invoke the elementals of Water in your practice, work with the cycles of the moon. Perform rituals on full and new moons (also known as Esbats).Set up an altar with water at the center. Allow it to soak up the energy of the moon (Moon Water), and then mindfully drink or bathe in the water the next day.
Salamanders, Elementals of Fire
The Salamander does not necessarily appear as the slithery amphibian one might think, though it does often appear in a reptilian form, closely related to dragons. Fire elementals can appear as little balls of light that glide across water. They are thin and dry, very similar to the grasshopper or cricket, although much larger in size.
The Fire element is associated with two opposites: Creation and destruction. Salamanders can cause, control and extinguish fire. They can root out negative forces, hexes and curses that fall on a person. Fire elementals also have the ability to clean and purify all low passions and all vices, helping to make a change that allows improving everything that hinders one’s development. Their planets are the Sun and Jupiter, and its zodiacal signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.
Invoking Fire Elementals
Invoke the Salamander with a flame. Safely light a fire, burn a candle or incense, and practice gazing at the flame’s licks or at the smoke. Feel the warmth of the fire lighting your own internal flame. Call upon the Salamander to reignite lost passion, or give you the strength to carry through difficult tasks. The Salamander is ready to aid in your evolution.
Sylphs; the Elementals of Air
A Sylph, like air, is ethereal. It does not take on a physical form but is seen in wispy fancies, much like clouds. Though some folks actually see fantastical flurries of light and color, the Sylph can appear mentally, even in the thinnest of air.
These creatures of Air are said to look like very beautiful children with rosy faces. They can be the most mischievous in character and they represent thought. They are directly related to inspiration, knowledge, communication and travel.
The spirits of Air are the ones that cause the winds and shape the clouds, they have a preponderant role in the growth of plants, flowers in particular. Sylphs are carriers of the life-sustaining energy that nurtures all living things, the breath. On subtle levels, sylphs transmit the currents of Spirit from heaven to earth. Their planets are the Moon and Venus, and their zodiac signs Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.
Invoking Air Elementals
Working with Sylphs is all about intention. Because they lack form, the Sylph is greatly comforted by your faith alone. Pay respect to the Eastern sky, or pay extra attention to the breezes that caress your cheek. To invoke the Sylph in your ritual or spell, practice different forms of breathwork, or gaze at clouds and stars. Look to Sylphs for inspiration and clearing mental blocks.
Conclusion
While the five elements are linked with the beauty of the self and the natural world, each element also contains a darker component. It is through these components that change comes in drastic forms. The earth shakes with tremors, the water rises in tsunamis, the air rises as tornadoes, and fires rage out of control. Each element should be respected for its ability to exist in all forms and treated accordingly.
Take time to work with the powers of each element in your practice. As you journey down the pagan path, usually an element will feel natural to your own magickal working. Embrace it and relish in working with your element, but don’t forget that they all work in tandem with one another!
To expand your knowledge about this path and if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on YouTube below!
Full moons are intense, emotional, and deeply connected to our subconscious and our psyche which can have a profound affect on us as humans. The moon’s soft light has the ability to shine some clarity on our more hidden caverns, those emotional realms we may not consciously choose to explore. This exploration can be overwhelming, draining, and exhausting. To add to that the moon also physically rules our hormones and having the moon illuminating it’s focus on our bodies may send our hormones out of balance which can affect our emotions and our reaction to others. This can leave us feeling tired, groggy, unfocused, and just emotionally exhausted and if it is does you may experiencing what is becoming more commonly known as a moon or full moon hangover!
What is a moon hangover?
We all know that the word lunatic originates from the Latin word for moon: luna. Though lunatic is an unsavory word now, it points to a long understanding that strange things—and strange feelings—tend to occur around the lunar phases so this isn’t a new concept and has been around for centuries. It just more recently has been coined with the terms Moon or full moon hangover. So What is a moon or full moon hangover?
The way that a moon hangover looks for each of us is different and affects us differently and it may look different based on the zodiac sign the moon is in as well. But, overall a moon hangover is when you are emotionally, mentally, and physically drained after experiencing the restructuring of your existence under the full moon. How it will affect us may look like, affecting our sleep patterns, which in turn alters hormone levels, leaving us feeling feel raw and drained. For others, they may lack mental clarity and be experiencing some brain fog.
Others may completely lack motivation to get anything done or even participate in life. One of the most common affects is getting stuck in our head and stuck in unwanted emotions. Because, the full moon is all about sending us into caverns of our emotions we don’t normal visit it can cause some of us to get stuck in trauma loops, to ruminate, and to get stuck in thought patterns we would rather not be in.
It may not all be unwanted affects though, if you are working through sadness or grief, the full moon can augment these feelings to the point of catharsis and/or resolve; or, if you are moving through a period of growth and expansion, the full moon may amplify this energy into a culmination which can lead to a burst of awakening energy during the full moon as well.
When do they occur?
They’re strongest right around when the full moon occurs (the day before, of, and after). However, the impact of Full Moons can last for about two weeks before and after (starting after the previous New Moon and lasting until the next New Moon). We’ll usually feel the Full Moon hangover starting a few days before and for a week after the Full Moon. Depending on what the Full Moon is doing for you personally and what other astrology you have going on, this may last longer, but in general, it’s about a week and a half long. The most intense period to feel this will be the day before and after, for up to 3 days after.
What is the Full moon?
Over the centuries, the Moon has played a significant role in different cultures and traditions. The full moon simply put is when the moon is completely illuminated in the sky and it has reached it’s peak in this lunar cycle in the sky. When the moon is completely illuminated it’s time for all to reach full expression. The full moon is the most powerful and potent time of the entire lunar cycle.
With the moon being fully illuminated it creates this portal to some of the most potent energy to connect to for us to manifest our desires and dream life. This portal creates a connection to our peak creative energy and the deep seated creative passions we all have within us. This creative energy and power is the energy we need to actually do and create the things and lifestyle we need to manifest what we desire. With the new moon phase being about planting the seeds of what you want to manifest, the full moon is about actually doing the work and moving the energy to make your manifesting happen. The full moon allows you to bridge the connection between these energies and themes and bring them into your life while reminding you how important it is to have them in your life not only when the moon is illuminated in the sky for you to see.
There is no “cure” for a moon hangover but, there are some things you can do to help ease the affects if they become to much for you or are unwanted.
Take note of how it is affecting you
First thing for you to do is take note of what is going on and become aware of how the full moon is affecting you. Are you more tired and groggy? Are your emotions bouncing all over the place? Have you lost motivation? Are you ruminating? You need to be aware of how it is affecting you in order to properly ease the affects. It also gives you the ability to prep and prepare for the next one even!
Rest, Rest, Rest
Get some rest! When our bodies, souls, and brains are being overwhelmed and bombarded with sensations and emotions it can be physically exhausting and draining. And remember the moon rules over our hormones and when they are out of balance and all over the place it can cause us to be physically tired as well. On top of that, when you are looking into the caverns of your emotions, traumas, and things you would rather not deal with, your mind gets tired as well. When you get some good rest your brain has the ability to shut down, process the information and emotions and reset your mental clarity. So, if brain fog is an issue right now for you rest will also help with this. So rest and lots of it is going to be crucial right now with so many things potentially draining our energy.
Comfort yourself, and stay in your comfort zone
Comfort and familiarity can go a long way, so you may want to stick to the people who support you best and the places that feel most comfortable. Stepping outside of your comfort zone might just add to your emotions right now. Take some time to do things that bring your comfort, make you feel safe, and fill you with self love.
Stay Hydrated
The moon is deeply connected to the element of water and the fact that we as humans are made up of so much is another reason we are so affected by it! So, one way to help us lessen the affects of the moon hangover right now is to make sure we are hydrated. So, drink water to nourish your body and create an integration between yourself and the element associated with the moon.
Do things tied to the Zodiac sign the moon is in
Each full moon we experience will have a slightly different affect on us based on the zodiac sign the moon is currently in. The energy the zodiac sign is in will affect different parts of our bodies, different areas of our lives, and we will venture into different caverns of who we are based on that signs energy. So, one of the best ways to help deal with a moon hangover is to make sure we are tapping into the specific energy and doing magic, and activities aligned with it. We feel less drained and overwhelmed when we are in alignment with the energies affecting us.
For, example as I write this we are experiencing a moon in the sign of Scorpio which is deeply rooted to our sexual passions and desires. So, to help ease the overwhelming energies of it that are making me exhausted from an insane sex drive right now, I have made sure to participate in sex magic for the last week straight. Doing this has kept me in alignment with the energy and allowed me to not let it overwhelm me to the point of getting stuck in unwanted feelings, and being emotionally drained and exhausted in this area of my life.
Do some grounding and/or earthing
One of the possible affects of a moon hangover we talked about was experiencing unwanted emotions, rumination, and trauma loops. How do we combat that? There are many ways to do this from breathwork, using DBT skills, meditation and more. But, one of the best ways to do this is through grounding and earthing. So, take the time to ground yourself to who you are, to the earth, and to the universal energies all around you. If you need to learn more about how to ground you can do so by watching my free class with Divination Academy here; https://youtu.be/eDkacr-CXoU?si=UgZnzrd5B05UhHZh
Explore those caverns with Shadow work
The full moon is really illuminating those dark caverns of who we are and trying to be a guide to allow us access to them. To help ease this overwhelm and the draining feelings it may be causing instead of running from those caverns lean in and follow those moonbeams of light into them. You can do this by doing some shadow work right now. Shadow work will help you enter those caverns, face what is being illuminated and work with it in a way to integrate it into your every day life. To learn more about how to do shadow work you can watch my free class all about it below and you can book me for a 1:1 guided session here; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555318986253
You are a creature of this earth, inseparable from the energetic and physical pulls of nature’s cycles. Allow the full moon to do her work on you. And if the affects seem like too much and you need to ease them make some notes of what you need to do during this full moon hangover period, to help you prepare for the next one!
Energy! Nothing is solid; Everything is made up of energy. Me. You. Your family. The chair you’re sitting on. Your bed. The ground you walk on. That’s why energy work is so important. The language of our higher self is spoken to us through our intuition and intuition communicates with us through the language of energy. It allows us to understand the world around us, both in practical everyday matters and in the mystical and sacred stuff!
Because we are always moving in a sea of energy, and that energy is feeding our energetic body, it informs us of what is happening around us. It is important that we pay attention to how this process works. Just as we can live better by knowing how the food we eat affects us, we can do the same with knowing how energy affects us, and how to nurture it and bring ourselves into mental and physical balance.
On top of this, we can use energy to pick up information around us and become more intuitive. Having great intuitive skills enhances our lives, giving us comfort knowing where to go and what to do through our inner guidance. By learning how to develop our intuition coupled with learning about energy, we become powerful in our connection to divine wisdom.
Why knowing about energy is so important
Part of being good at rituals, spells, magick is having a solid relationship with energy. If you think about it with any magickal work that you are doing you are working with energy. It’s incredibly important to understand that energy and to know how to work with it in order to find the most success in your work.
You have to develop a relationship with energy in order to be able to work with it in the best way. Everything in the world is made up of energy so the more types of relationships you have the more success you will find.
Energy Work
What is energy work, and what are some of the options out there? Energy work is simply put tapping into the body’s own frequencies to promote well-being.
Energy work is any work that involves changes to the human energy field or subtle body. It is commonly used as part of a holistic healing regimen or alternative medicine. The practitioner makes adjustments to the flow of life energy using various techniques including acupuncture, acupressure or may use crystals or their own energy through Reiki or Laying on of hands.
Energy work is the intentional effort to manipulate your or someone else’s energy for spiritual, emotional, or physical healing. There are countless modalities of energy work practices in cultures around the world. You can perform energy work on yourself or seek it out from a professional.
Energy work affects both the subtle body system (the energetic body) and the physical body in various ways. The subtle body system shows up differently across cultures. Here are some of the subtle body systems we see across the world: chakras and nadis (Hinduism), meridians (Chinese Medicine), the three cauldrons (Celtic), aura (cross-cultural), Ojos de luz (Incan energy system), and the list goes on. Most cultures around the world have some reference of an energy or subtle body system.
Energy work and magic
Magic is probably the purest, the most basic, and the oldest form of energy work there is. Plus if you think about it almost all magical workings can be classified as energy work. Because magic itself is the practice of manipulating and changing energy. You do not have to practice witchcraft to do Energy Magic. You are just you. you have a power within you that is divine. This power allows you to merge, draw upon, and contain for a few moments an ancient force and then propel it in the direction where someone asks for help.
History
Energy work has been around for 1000’s of years across many cultures.
The ancient eastern medicine masters learned 5,000 years ago that energy makes up everything in the Universe, including our bodies and our minds. While the Western world is beginning to scientifically prove that everything is energy, the Eastern philosophies have figured out how to manipulate it to create health, wellness and even abundance.
The spiritual tradition of energetic healing was commonly used throughout ancient India and China. In India, energetic work is based in the belief of Prana, or universal energy, breathing life into all things. In China, vital life-giving energy is referred to as Chi. Chi is made up of two opposing forces, Ying and Yang. When these forces are balanced, optimal health is displayed.
Energy Flow
All energy does is flow. It is us who have blockages that makes the flow of energy need to re-route itself. This stream of life-force energy is always flowing through you. The more you allow it the more it will flow.
Within the natural world there is a primal energy force. It is what people sense when they are out in nature, that uplifting energy that makes people feel better. But what we sense as humans only scratches the surface. This energy is as ancient as the Earth, and it stems from an energy that is as ancient as the Universe itself. Magic is created using this primal, natural force of nature. The caster of any spell is a conduit for this energy.
Energy System- Chakra system
Chakras are wheels of energy within our bodies and interwoven with our auras. If your chakras are blocked, negative vibrations, attachments and illness occurs. The seven chakras are the main energy centers of the body within Indian culture and practice within the buddhist and hindu religions. Chakra translates to “wheel” in Sanskrit, and you can imagine them like wheels of free-flowing positive energy. Chakras are used to describe the way energy “moves” throughout the body. Each of the seven chakras are said to correlate with different abilities, expressions, and types of health.
Each person has 7 major chakras aligned along the spine from the top of your head to the bottom of your spine. When energy flows freely through our chakras, it flows freely through our entire bodies including our physical, emotional, mental, and astral bodies. When the chakras are blocked or imbalanced, energy doesn’t flow and therefore causes issues throughout the person’s entire being.
Root Chakra
Your root chakra is a spinning wheel of energy located at the base of your spine. It’s color is dark red to black and links us to the energy of the earth beneath us. If you’re grounded and connected to the Earth’s energy, your root chakra will be unblocked and spinning freely. You attract financial prosperity and have a level head.
The Muladhara, or root chakra, represents our foundation. On the human body, it sits at the base of the spine and gives us the feeling of being grounded.
When the root chakra is open, we feel confident in our ability to withstand challenges and stand on our own two feet. When it’s blocked, we feel threatened, as if we’re standing on unstable ground.
When Your Root Chakra is Blocked…
When your root chakra is blocked, you may feel scattered and have financial problems or money blocks. You feel disconnected to the earth and anxious. You may even have back or hip pain or problems – reasons to unblock chakras ASAP. In addition, your spirituality may suffer when it comes specifically to ancestor work. Why? Because the ancestors dwell in the earth, in the roots of the World Tree below our feet. And as our root chakra connects us to the earth, it also connects us to our ancestors.
Sacral Chakra
Your sacral chakra is the wheel of energy located between your navel and coccyx. It spins in the area of your reproductive organs and is the color orange. The sacral chakra represents sexual health and creativity. When it’s unblocked, you express your sexuality in a healthy way AND creativity flows into all aspects of your life.
The Swadhisthana, or sacral chakra, helps inform how we relate to our emotions and the emotions of others. It also governs creativity and sexual energy. Those with a blocked sacral chakra could feel a lack of control in their lives.
When the sacral chakra is blocked…
Your sacral chakra governs sexuality, so when it’s blocked sexuality isn’t expressed or satiated. You may have blocked sexual energy, be confused about your sexuality, have low libido OR struggle with imagination and creative thought put into action. Illness, infertility and infection with sexual or urinary organs may also be present. For men – prostate issues may also arise. And, as the sacral chakra is located near the lower intestines and bowels, your digestive system may also suffer. Mentally, your creative ideas might not come to fruition if the sacral chakra is blocked.
Solar Plexus
Your solar plexus IMO is one of the most important chakras in your body. It’s located between the bottom of the sternum and above the belly button. The solar plexus is a yellow color and connects us to the divine energy of the sun and the light. It is your energy zone that supports self esteem, courage, and your personal power. If your solar plexus is healthy, you exude confidence and tackle goals with clarity and fervor. People may see you as vivacious and lively.
The third chakra, the solar plexus chakra, speaks to your ability to be confident and in control of your life. Think back to the last time you had butterflies or felt a pit in the stomach: That’s the Manipura chakra at work.
If your solar plexus chakra is blocked, you might feel overwhelming amounts of shame and self-doubt. Those with open sacral chakras are free to express their true selves.
When your solar plexus is blocked…
you may struggle with self esteem and confidence. You look in the mirror and don’t recognize your true power and beauty. Depression may result from a blocked solar plexus, as well as struggles with career paths, maintaining healthy relationships, making new friends, etc. Digestive illness and problems may surface. A blockage of masculine energy could also be present because of disconnection with the sun.
Heart Chakra
Your heart chakra is located over and through your heart. In the middle and middle-left of your chest. It’s green in color and manages all things related to love in your life – romantic love, friendships, family members, etc. It also governs self-love. If your heart chakra is freely aligned, you give and accept love freely, maintain healthy relationships, and love yourself wholly.
The Anahata, or heart chakra, is the bridge between the lower chakras (associated with materiality) and the upper chakras (associated with spirituality). As the name suggests, this chakra can influence our ability to give and receive love—from others and ourselves.
Someone with a blocked heart chakra will have difficulty fully opening up to the people in their life. If someone’s heart is open, they can experience deep compassion and empathy.
If your heart chakra is blocked…
you have trouble loving yourself and may engage in reckless behaviors to self-medicate the emptiness. Low self esteem and feeling isolated from others. You may be overly-defensive and don’t trust others. You may also have heart or lung problems. Arterial and vascular problems may also arise from a blocked heart chakra. If your heart chakra is imbalanced, you likely have problems loving yourself and others. And lose your fervor for love.
Throat Chakra
Your throat chakra is located over your throat in the middle of your neck. It’s blue in color and governs how you speak to others and how you speak of yourself. Communication is the key aspect of the throat chakra and relates to ALL forms of communication including writing and music. It’s how you express (or don’t) express your truth. If your throat chakra is functioning well, you communicate your feelings and needs with others in a healthy manner AND express your true self.
The Vishuddha, or throat chakra, gives voice to the heart chakra and controls our ability to communicate our personal power.
When it’s functioning at full capacity, it allows us to express ourselves truly and clearly. Someone with a blocked throat chakra will feel like they have trouble finding the words to say how they truly feel.
When your throat chakra is blocked…
you may have a problem with pathological lying or simply “stuffing down” your feelings. You are afraid to be yourself and express your truth. Communication is blocked in your relationships and with yourself. Throat, digestive and thyroid problems may occur.
Third eye
Your third eye is located between your brows, slightly above the bridge of your nose. It’s purple in color and allows you to see the truth in others, energy in the spiritual realms, and brings clarity of mind and soul. When your third eye is open, you see the beauty in the world and in others, as well as being able to see auras, invisible truths, etc. Your ability to tap into psychic awareness comes easily.
As we move up the body, we’re getting closer to communion with the divine. The Anja, or third-eye chakra, controls our ability to see the big picture and connect to intuition. Think of it as the eye of the soul: It registers information beyond the surface level.
Visions and intuitive hits are not uncommon for someone with an open third-eye chakra.
When your third eye is blocked…
You have a spiritual block and don’t see the beauty in others or the world around you. Signs from the universe go unnoticed. You feel disconnected from others and your own spirituality. Headaches, sinus infections, eye problems and other head illnesses may occur. This is a common chakra blocked with many people due to the way society functions. We are taught not to believe, not to see. To focus on what’s directly in front of us. And therefore, ignore our third eyes.
Crown Chakra
Your crown chakra is located at the very top of your head and is the color white. It is your direct link to the energy of the universe – to Source energy a.k.a. God,Goddess, or the Divine. Its your source of spiritual connection and gives you the ability to hear god’s voice, accept divine healing, and feel the presence of your guides and angels.
The Sahasrara, or crown chakra, the highest chakra, sits at the crown of the head and represents our ability to be fully connected spiritually. When you fully open your crown chakra—something very few people ever do!—you’re able to access a higher consciousness.
When your crown chakra is blocked…
you may not believe in god or any other power outside of physicality. Hearing divine guidance or feeling the presence of spirit guides is non-existent. You may feel “unlucky” or angry because of past traumas. You’ll feel disconnected spiritually and alone in the universe. Headaches, migraines, and other neurological illnesses may occur. Sensory processing issues could surface, as well as issues with dizziness and regulating temperature and sensory stimulus.
Chi-China
Chi is your life force, the energy that flows through you and through everything. It is that which gives you life.
The concept of chi (also spelt Qi) has its roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Martial Arts. But the idea of a vital life force energy and its role in our health can be found in many cultures. For example, in yoga and Ayurveda we describe this life force as Prana.
Chi energy moves through the body like breath and blood and is nourished by a healthy diet, enough sleep and movement practices, however its qualities go beyond the physical or tangible.
Chi can be described as the purest energy that arises out of consciousness, awareness, stillness – through you into your body and all expressions of life. Chi in short can be described as the essence of your true self. Chi is the bridge between physical form and pure awareness
Chi energy is like a bridge between your form, which is your body, your thoughts, emotions, sensations, and the formless which is your essence, consciousness, awareness. In a way, when we trace chi back from form to formless, this is the journey of being on the spiritual path. Various practices including Qigong, Tai Chi, yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises), acupuncture and working with marma points all work to support the free flow of chi or prana. They work on strengthening chi and removing any blockages.
The Three Celtic Cauldrons
What is it? Well, the Cauldron of Poesy is a medieval Irish bardic poem extolling the virtues of a trio of metaphysical cauldrons located within the human body.
The three cauldrons the poem talks about are the Cauldron of Warming, the Cauldron of Motion, and the Cauldron of Wisdom. Each cauldron is positioned in a different part of the human body. The Cauldron of Warming is located within the pelvic region, in the depths of our bellies. The Cauldron of Motion is located in the center of the chest, where our heart and lungs reside. Lastly, the Cauldron of Wisdom can be found within our head or sitting on top of it like a crown.
The poem further explains that when we’re born, these spiritual cauldrons are situated differently. Upon birth, the Cauldron of Warming is found in the upright position—basically how we expect a cauldron to sit normally. It is said to contain the basic energy and wisdom we need to live, breathe, grow, and survive at the instinctual level. It can be upset by sickness or unhealthy choices, though.
The Cauldron of Motion is supposedly on its side when we are born, meaning that it is partially empty. Being situated close to the heart, we can connect the Cauldron of Motion to what inspires us—what makes us move. As we pursue what we love and immerse ourselves in culture, the cauldron shifts into the upright position. When we deny ourselves artistry and emotional exploration, we can feel drained and unbalanced. If we immerse ourselves too much, we can flood ourselves and unbalance ourselves physically and mentally.
Lastly, we come into the world with the Cauldron of Wisdom completely overturned and empty. This cauldron guides our spiritual development—exploring the divine, our own places in the universe, and each other. We can upright and fill this cauldron as we become aware of our purpose and seek to make wise choices on our paths.
Each cauldron can be in one of three positions: upright, tilted, or inverted. The position indicates the ability of a cauldron to function. An upright cauldron can hold and ‘cook’ its ingredients; a tilted cauldron allows ingredients to slip away; an inverted cauldron cannot hold on to anything.
Why to use this method?
It resonates with a threefold idea of how many have viewed human consciousness/divinity. Coincidentally, there are a multitude of practices and belief systems from all over the world that see the human soul as being made of three parts. In the Modern Tradition of Witchcraft, we identify the three parts as the animal/physical self (our most basic raw form), the conscious self (that which is aware on this plane—it has reason, emotion, and artistry), and the self-divine (our connection to the tapestry of the universe, the gods, and our own god-selves). So we could connect each of the parts to a different cauldron: animal/physical self to the Cauldron of Warming, conscious to the Cauldron of Motion, and self-divine to the Cauldron of Wisdom.
kabbalistic tree of life in Jewish mysticism
a 2,000 year old poem is a description of Ten Sefirot-Ten Energies is the basis for the Tree of Life –a Kabbalistic map developed in the south of France in the 12th century in the mystic school of Rabbi Isaac the Blind. The Tree depicts the flow of energy from the infinite source (above)to the finite expression/manifestation (“below”).
In Transformational Kabbalah the Tree of Life becomes a pragmatic tool for seeing how and why things, people, and events manifest in our lives -and how and why we go about creatively manifesting things, people, and events.
Prana
Life force (Prana) simply means energy. All matters in the universe are made up of energy. It is not just about our physical body we are talking about here. Even, our thoughts and feelings are also energy waves which actually can be measured through proper instruments. Pranic healing requires no physical touch. Pranic healing is a three-step process in which it accelerates the body’s inner healing ability to heal at all levels like physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Medicine Wheel
The medicine wheel (also called the Sun Dance Circle or Sacred Hoop) is an ancient and sacred symbol used by many Tribes. It signifies Earth’s boundary and all the knowledge of the universe. The Indigenous medicine wheel represents the alignment and continuous interaction of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual realities.
The Medicine Wheel, sometimes known as the Sacred Hoop, has been used by generations of various Native American tribes for health and healing. It embodies the Four Directions, as well as Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Spirit Tree—all of which symbolize dimensions of health and the cycles of life.
Quantum Healing
Quantum healing is a pseudoscientific mixture of ideas which purportedly draws from quantum mechanics, psychology, philosophy, and neurophysiology. Advocates of quantum healing assert that quantum phenomena govern health and wellbeing.
Quantum healing is a term coined by Deepak Chopra to describe how our thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect the way we experience illness and health in our lives. According to this principle, our consciousness does not just control the function of our brain and nervous system.
Working with your Energy- Raising the Vibe
You have probably heard others talking about raising their vibe or going to a higher vibration. When they are saying this they are talking about energy work.
When you raise your vibration you become consciously aware of your mental and emotional state. As this awareness increases so does the perception of your blocks. But keep in mind that this is all good information.
A lot of people think that raising your vibration means that you’re going to feel better, lighter, and even imagine stepping into fantasy picture of riding in on a unicorn. Additionally, while “raising your vibration” sounds like a lovely result, (and of course it is), its the entire process that will show you where you are out of balance with that higher vibe.
Let’s say for instance, you want to be more loving. So your light body will begin to hold more love. But as you hold more love, you will be shown all the frequencies that are out of alignment with love. This is not the fun part. So now you are seeing things like hatred, trauma, disgust, rejection all come to the surface because you are holding more light, and these shadows can no longer be hidden.
But hang in there! Don’t throw away all your amazing work just because it is getting hard. It’s all part of the experience.You actually have the chance here to do the spiritual healing work to release these stale emotions, memories and experiences that will change your entire life!
With a higher vibration, you’re able to hold higher states of consciousness and this consciousness lift will help you move through your inner blocks more and more quickly.
Raising Your Vibration means that a lot of your old trauma, past memories, and old energy is revealed so that you can heal it and bring in a new higher vibration to hold in your mind, body and soul.
Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese style of bodywork founded by Mikao Usai. The name translates to “spiritually guided life force energy”. It is a spiritual and vibrational healing intervention without the involvement of physical manipulation. Reiki is spiritual in nature but is not a religious practice, the intent is to maintain physiological balance through a subtle vibrational field.
Reiki has been used to treat ailments alone or as a supplemental treatment to promote recovery and enhance the quality of life.
To learn more about reiki you can watch the Divination class series on it below.
Polarity Therapy
This method was founded by osteopathic physician Randolph Stone in 1947. Polarity Therapy is a holistic wellness practice used in alternative medicine. Inspired both by Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicines, the intent is to rebalance the distribution of energy throughout the body using a mix of bodywork, exercise, nutrition, and counseling to alleviate or prevent health issues.
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘ayur’ – life and ‘veda’ – knowledge, translating to knowledge of life. This natural medicine practice originated in India over 3,000 years ago and is based on the idea that diseases are a result of an imbalance within one’s consciousness. In India, Ayurvedic medicine is regarded as equal to conventional Western medicine.
Ayurveda treatment starts with an internal purification process, followed by a special diet, herbal remedies, massage therapy, yoga, and meditation. The primary concepts of the practice are universal interconnectedness, the body’s natural constitution (prakriti), and life forces (doshas). Herbs, plants, oils and spices are all commonly used in Ayurvedic treatment.
Currently there is no national standard in the US for Ayurvedic medicine, so be sure to research your practitioner’s background and experience and consult your medical professional before using herbal medicine.
Centering
Centering gives you perspective on your own energy by allowing you to differentiate between what is yours and what is in the environment around you.
Think of centering like cleaning up your house after several weeks of not putting things away where they live. There are half-finished projects, maybe a couple dishes, you haven’t unpacked a shopping bag. All of those material possessions belong somewhere.
It’s the same with your energy. Whenever you experience extreme emotions, little bits of your energy can become detached. This can make you feel sort of, spread too thin. Centering helps you to call back and reattach all your bits of energy and helps you feel whole again.
If you don’t have any energy fragments scattered around, centering can simply gather and focus your energy so that it’s ready to work toward your next intention. To learn more about centering send me a message on facebook and ask me how to get access to my witchcraft basics bootcamp for a week of detailed work on centering!
Method:
Lay down or sit comfortably. Enter a meditative state by focusing on your breathing.
Find your center. This is the place where all of your energy radiates from. For me, this is the center of my pelvic region in my root chakra. Some people find their energy center is the middle of their forehead at the third eye chakra. Yours may be somewhere else entirely. Wherever it is, feel the energy circulating from it.
Now visualize that you—and your energy center—are the nexus of a galaxy. Orbiting all around you are stars and planets and comets and meteors. These are your energy fragments.
Notice that some of the orbits are large while others are nice and close to the center. Feel the gravity of your center grow and pull the furthest fragments of energy closer to you.
As the gravity of your center continues to grow stronger, the bits of your energy galaxy circulate right near your center. Everything is back in it’s home, and your energetic universe is harmonious.
At this point, you are centered and can ease yourself out of the meditation. Sometimes it’s nice to hang out in your energy galaxy, though. It’s a good opportunity to close up any energy leaks and to get to know your energy a little better.
Take note of how you feel in contrast to how you felt before you centered.
Grounding
Grounding is a term used to help center and calm a person’s energy and emotions. It is a process that helps us to energetically and physically connect deeper to the healing frequencies of the Earth and puts us more in a present state of awareness.
Grounding is a way to connect you to the earth and to your purpose. It gives you the opportunity to take a strong stand in your intention.
To learn more about grounding you can learn about it here in the study guide from my previous class I taught on it. Grounding &earthing
Breathwork
What is breathwork? It’s breathing, but not like you know it. Think of breathwork like an active meditation, where you change your breathing pattern to boost mental, physical and spiritual health.
Breathing also helps move energy and you can use the breath to facilitate its movement in and around your body. As you breathe in, imagine drawing in pure divine energy. This can be very powerful. As you breathe out you can imagine you are sending energy out in a particular direction. Send out the negative energy you may have accumulated, sort of like dirt or pollution, into the ground where it will be neutralized.
Sound Healing
Sound Healing is a powerful therapy that combines different healing sounds, music, and sound healing instruments to improve our multidimensional well-being by creating a beautiful experience where all layers of our luminous energy field (body, mind, soul, spirit) are awakened gently and lovingly.
Integral Sound Healing is highly effective at triggering our relaxation response, which counters the many symptoms caused by chronic stress, while helping to balance our whole being.
Sound Healing Instruments that are easy to play can be applied both on the body and off-the-body, whilst also incorporating vocal sounds and tones.
Sound Therapy techniques are delivered using instruments such as Tibetan and crystal singing bowls, gongs, drums, tuning forks, and more, both during a one-on-one sound healing session or sound bath
Work with crystals
Crystals are such amazing tools to help us harness energy and use it in a much more effective way in our lives, and magical practices. Using crystals help us be in alignment with the energies surrounding us and can also help us call on certain energies when we want to use them.
Crystals come directly from the earth and therefore vibrate with healing earthly energy. All of our medicines come from the earth and so why can’t natural resources also provide some sort of healing? They can! This includes crystals and stones of various types and colors.
Thought alignment
An important key to working with energy, is using your thoughts. Energy follows thought. Using your thoughts and your imagination are the tools for directing, manipulating and controlling energy.
With every thought we think, energy reacts to that thought by moving. So learn how to manipulate your energy and the energy around you with your imagination. When you do so, you’ll tap into your intuitive guidance system because energy is the language of your intuition. By moving energy with your intention and your imagination, you can control and move energy to pick up intuitive information about things. For example, you can expand your energy field to connect with a place or area you would like to pick up intuitive information about.
Protection And Energy
There are ways you can shield yourself from negative energy or energy that you don’t want to experience. The amplitude of your energy, which is the LOUDNESS of your energy, will overwhelm the energy of other things. Have you ever noticed that when you’re near someone who is extremely happy and excited, the energy rubs off on you? By the same token if you are near someone who is very, very depressed, sad and down, that you feel it as well? Sometimes their energy is so “loud” that you can’t help but absorb it and feel the way they do. If you are a sensitive person you’ll pick up and absorb all the nuances of that energy until it becomes yours. The solution is to turn up your own energy so it shields you from energy of those around you. If your energy is ‘louder’ than the “Negative”nergy around you, you will drown it out and not be affected by it. You can stay light and happy yourself. Remind yourself to observe those people and not absorb their feelings, thoughts and energy. Remember energy follows thought. If you can’t do that, then your intention can create an energetic shield against the negative energy.
Here’s how to do that.
Step 1: Pull your energy back in to yourself – close to your physical body with your intention.
Step 2: Imagine a shield, like a force field, or a wall made of steel, titanium, or diamond, whatever is strong to you.
Step 3: You can physically move away from the ‘source’.
You can imagine being in an energetic egg of protection with energy that allows the good to come in but the bad bounces off. You can also use a physical shield, by putting something between you and the negative energy source, or simple step back, or walk away.
The last energy work type I’ll discuss here is called shielding. In my opinion, this is the most important energy work practice that you can learn as an energy manipulator. If you can commit to starting a daily shielding practice and keeping it up, you are committing to keeping your energy safe and secure.
Shielding is a way of keeping your energy safe. You set up a barrier to separate the feelings, emotions, and thoughts of others from your own space. It can prevent energetic vampires from draining your energy, and it protects your energy from spirit attacks and other unfriendly things. It’s a great way to help protect empaths from absorbing all of the negative emotions of other people as well.
Shielding can be especially useful before going to areas with lots of people like a concert, convention or fair. These types of events have a lot of free-floating energy that can be overwhelming.
You can build a shield around anything you want to protect: your loved ones, children, and pets, your home, your car.
Method:
Ideally, you would ground and center before you build a shield.
Sit down or lie down. You could stand up to do this, but it helps to close your eyes, which—while standing—could potentially make you get wobbly.
Visualize your body surrounded by a sphere of glowing light. Make sure it completely surrounds you with no cracks or weak areas.
Imagine the light forming to your body like a second skin. Let it lock into place around you.
Now visualize that the outside of this shield is shining and reflective like a mirror. Imagine negative energy coming toward you and bouncing off the mirror back to its sender.
This is a basic, yet effective method of shielding yourself from negativity. Do you feel safe and protected after shielding?
Alternatives:
If this shield doesn’t feel strong enough to you, or it just doesn’t feel right, try something else. Here are some other ideas for shields you can test that may feel more comfortable or satisfying. Construct them in the same way, by visualizing them surrounding you.
A whirlpool or hurricane of water swirling around a calm eye of the storm where you are
Big gusts of wind or a tornado blowing around you and sending away negative energy
A sphere of burning flames to incinerate any negative energy that tries to get close
Mountains of solid, impenetrable rock
A tangle of thorns sticking out away from you, with beautiful flowers on the inside
Clouds of smoke and mist that obscure you from enemies
Anything else you can imagine! Whatever feels right to you.
If you would like to expand your knowledge on energy and energy work you can purchase my Ebook on the topic in the shop, and reach out me for a booking on many different types of energy services I offer for 1:1 guidance, and clearing. Or if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on YouTube below!
We have entered a new lunar phase today, the full moon and this full moon in April is bringing us into the Sign of Scorpio. The Scorpio Full Moon is the most serious of the lunations. Full Moons are highly emotional and serious, and Scorpio is an emotional water sign and ruler of the serious. Scorpio is intense, passionate, deeply transformative and unrelenting, and we can have a hard time letting things go with a Scorpio Full Moon. We’re really invested, and we’re a bit stubborn about it, but we likely need to recognize that it’s not doing us any good, and it’s time to move on.
The Scorpio Full Moon is a moment of profound transformation and self-discovery. We likely need to work on a major transformation, and this can be intense, but ultimately leads to solutions and frees us. You may feel things a little more passionately, or you may be willing to go to extremes that you might not otherwise go to.
This is also a time of when you’ll look within to truly understand the depths of your feelings. This period of introspection could lead to greater self-awareness as well as an awareness of those around you. The ability to get in touch with the intricacy of your own emotions gives you the insight needed to understand others’ motivations. We do need to be mindful of frustrations boiling over with this Full Moon though, and especially coming after that Aries Solar Eclipse, you’ll react a little more sharply and with that stinger Scorpio is known for.. We need to bite our tongues and try to be rational and think things through before blowing up.
Let me show you in this post the depths of the full moon in the water sign scorpio. And how to connect to this unrelenting, transformative, serious and emotional enegy this full moon. To harness the most potent energy to connect to for us to manifest our desires and dream life today!
First, What is the Full Moon
Over the centuries, the Moon has played a significant role in different cultures and traditions. The full moon simply put is when the moon is completely illuminated in the sky and it has reached it’s peak in this lunar cycle in the sky. When the moon is completely illuminated it’s time for all to reach full expression. The full moon is the most powerful and potent time of the entire lunar cycle.
A full moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact opposite positions in the Zodiac (called an opposition). The full moon greatly affects humans and it’s no wonder it does because, there’s a scientific reason for this – we are made up of 60% or more of water. Full Moons are the peak point of the lunar cycle: at this time of the month, the light of the Sun is fully illuminating the Moon, and the luminaries are exactly opposing one another from our perspective on Earth. This potent alignment offers us opportunities to gain more awareness about what is moving in our inner and emotional world, and information previously uncertain or hidden could be revealed at this time.
With the moon being fully illuminated it creates this portal to some of the most potent energy to connect to for us to manifest our desires and dream life. This portal creates a connection to our peak creative energy and the deep seated creative passions we all have within us. This creative energy and power is the energy we need to actually do and create the things and lifestyle we need to manifest what we desire. With the new moon phase being about planting the seeds of what you want to manifest, the full moon is about actually doing the work and moving the energy to make your manifesting happen. The full moon allows you to bridge the connection between these energies and themes and bring them into your life while reminding you how important it is to have them in your life not only when the moon is illuminated in the sky for you to see.
There are so many ways to work with the full moon, to learn more about the basics of working with the full moon energy check out my blog post here; https://modgepodgemystic.com/working-with-the-practical-productive-and-nurturing-virgo-full-moon/ But, remember each full moon will be slightly different and have different practices to add and different ways to do it based on which zodiac sign the full moon is currently in at the time.
So, who is Scorpio?
Scorpio is one of the most misunderstood signs of the zodiac. Because of its incredible passion and power, Scorpio is often mistaken for a fire sign. In fact, Scorpio is a water sign that derives its strength from the psychic, emotional realm.
Scorpio is all about TRANSFORMATION, who you are becoming in relationship to life and the journey of embodying your true authentic power. Themes related to intimacy, control, power, money, and sharing will be a strong focus. This is an opportunity to WELCOME and honor how you are changing shape. It is Scorpio who companions us on the journey to the underworld as we look at the areas of our life that need our tender love and compassion.
This is a potent time for manifesting anything around mystical abilities, sex, love, intimacy, death, transformation, and rebirth. This sign rules over transformation, death, the occult, and sexuality. Scorpio can be a very intense energy, and this is partly because it’s a water sign, so it’s ruled by emotions. It is known as a time of deep introspection caused by the depth of our emotions. This period of introspection could lead to greater self-awareness as well as an awareness of those around you. The ability to get in touch with the intricacy of your own emotions gives you the insight needed to understand others’ motivations. Don’t be surprised if you have a few light bulb moments during this time.
It’s also ruled by Pluto, the planet of transformation, the underworld, and death. This means death in the sense that something comes to an end and transforms into something else (very similar to the Death card in tarot). I talk about this all the time in my classes. Death is crucial and central to every area of our lives especially when it comes to profound transformation, healing, and enlightment. A death of some kind must happen for something to be born Scorpio isn’t afraid to explore dark or deep things, making it a very psychic and sexual sign that isn’t afraid of topics considered taboo or to help you on journeys like shadow work into some of the darkest depths of who are.
The Full Moon in emotionally intense Scorpio is always a dynamic event. During any Full Moon we feel the tug of war between opposing signs, and in this case, the passionate waters of Scorpio counter the practical Taurus Sun. This illuminating event could put a spotlight on what it is you really need in your life and what it is that needs to go since full moons are also a potent time to release and shed all that no longer serves us.
We have talk about some aspects of who scorpio is; now let’s dive deep into the details of how scorpio can affect you and benefit you especially during a full moon!
Unlease your sexual desires with Scorpio
Scorpio is the sign most closely associated with sex: this is due to their enigmatic nature which is what makes them so seductive and beguiling. This sign even rules our reproductive and sexual organs! Sex isn’t solely about pleasure for these sensual scorpions though. They also crave the physical closeness, spiritual illumination, and emotional intimacy sex can provide.
When the moon is in the sign of scorpio it is oozing sexual passion, and desire. With it also being a time about going into your dark depths you may have some desires being illuminated you normally shy away from or simplely have not acknowledged. This is the perfect time to not run and hide from them but, to aproach them without fear and experience the waves of pleasure those dark sexual desires can bring you and your partner. Use this energy to expand and unleash your sexual pleasure with your deepest sexual desires coming to the surface.
Liberation thru transformation with Scorpio
This Full Moon in Scorpio brings to light all the problems you insist on hiding. But sooner or later, you will have to face them head-on to have them resolved and to overcome it. It will be responsible for putting you face to face with your greatest fear or trauma. Take advantage of this transformational moment and try not to run away from the darkness and the breaking apart. The intention is to break to rebuild. Scorpio has this ability to regenerate and transform like no one else and always comes out stronger from a battle.
I talk about this all the time. Things have to break to rebuild, die to be reborn, and burn down to sprout from fertile soil. This sign is all about transformation, transforming to align with our soul’s purpose and to do that we must face those dark depths and allow them crash over us with the forces of transformation. With transformation, comes healing, alignment, and complete liberation from your past, traumas, unwanted energies and all things that do not truly serve you. Being alive means engaging in a continual process of transformation. Nothing in the natural world stays the same so allow the energy of scorpio to guide you in this process.
As the sign of extremes, Scorpio energy can draw out both our darkest shadows and our most enlightened selves. This Scorpio full moon could bring some eye-opening awakenings for anyone who’s been refusing to deal with a lingering conflict. This transformational full moon can support deep processing and healing, if that’s what is needed and guide you into a complete sense and expierence of liberation.
The unrelenting, intense waves of emotion with Scorpio
Have you already heard that Scorpio is the most intense sign of the zodiac? This sign is all about deep and strong emotions. This is for a few reasons, one scorpio is tied to the element of water which is deeply associated to our emotions. And with the sign of scorpio we tend to dive deeper into the depths of our emotions where the water is darker, and seemingly endless. And like the depths of the ocean even if we come up for a breath Scorpio will pull you relentlessly back down. Down, into the depths of your emotions until you no longer fight the waves of your emotions but, succomb to the ebb and flow of the endless waves.
The second reason scorpio is so intenses is because, Scorpio is always looking inside like a detective. Its gaze is investigative and never fears the truth. So, Full Moon in Scorpio comes to invite everyone to closely examine what goes through your heart and mind.
Things to look out for with Scorpio
Since Scorpio has a tendency to bring anything hidden to the surface, your truth radar may be sending you additional communications. Listening to your gut instinct is important now, and especially due to the volatility of this energy. But, be very mindful to exercise emotional maturity if something needs to be addressed. It could be easy, during this window, to end up in emotional drama, conflict, or to simply blow up on others with our words. So stay conscious of your emotional awareness and use this powerhouse energy to fuel your desires instead of getting steeped in drama, conflict, and damaged relationships.
Themes of Scorpio
We have talked a lot about who scorpio is and how scorpio can affect you and benefit you. Now let’s list all the topics to consider that correspond to the full Moon in Scorpio. Keep in mind that the full Moon relates to the contiuation of your journey to manifest your desires and dreams. To release all the things that no longer serve us and create blockaged to our manifesting. It is the time to really truly nuture the seeds of intention you had planted during the new moon so, they can bloom and thrive. So, try and have any of your workings based on these topics be grounded in those seeds of intention you had planted on the new moon.
Sex / Intimacy / passion
Emotions
Depth and darkness
Love
Transformation/ Change
Psychic Abilities
The Occult—anything supernatural, mystical or magical
Intuition
Taboo Topics and desires
Death
Regeneration / Rebirth
Life
Relationships
Desire
Secrets/ Mysteries
Seriousness
Honesty/ Truth/ Investigative
Reflection / Insight
The Scorpio Myth
In Greek mythology, the constellation Scorpius was identified with the scorpion that stung Orion, the mythical hunter. The two constellations lie opposite each other in the sky, and Orion is said to be fleeing from the scorpion as it sets just as Scorpius rises.
In one version of the myth, Orion tried to ravish the goddess Artemis and she sent the scorpion to do away with him. In another version, it was the Earth that sent the scorpion after Orion had boasted that he could defeat any wild beast.
The Pink Moon Meaning
The Pink Moon is a name given to the April full moon, originating from the pink flowers, known as wild creeping phlox, that typically bloom during this time of year in North America. However, despite the name, the Moon itself doesn’t actually appear pink but instead takes on its usual golden or white hue.
Combining the Pink Moon’s energy with Scorpio’s intensity can create a powerful time for personal growth, transformation, and letting go of what no longer serves us. It’s a time to delve into our subconscious, release emotional baggage, and embrace change and renewal. This period invites us to embrace our vulnerabilities, confront our shadows, and emerge more robust and more self-aware on the other side.
Hebe Asteroid
We have another cosmic energy affecting us at this time as well on 4/22 Hebe asteroid 6 appeared vertical to virgo in the skies which will have an affect on us. Combined with the scorpio energy this aestroid could bring about some very deep traumas, emotions, and triggers for us especially around childhood traumas and rejection. So, let’s touch briefly on this asteroid and who it represents.
Hebe is the goddess of eternal youth. She served as the cup-bearer to the gods before Ganymede took her place. Her name comes from the Greek word meaning “youth” or “prime of life”. Hebe is associated with being of service; she can be a servant or even a slave. There are negative associations with abuse, probably from her elders or elites. She could also be about healing from childhood trauma, especially in the context of this Scorpio/Pluto moon energy.
There is an account that Hebe’s demotion as cup-bearer was because she fell, ripping her dress, shamefully exposing her naked body publicly. Hebe is also associated with the Fall in terms of the change of seasons. Similar to Demeter and Persephone, Hebe is the maiden version of Hera, her mother. So Hebe is the springtime Virgin goddess. Other positive associations with Hebe are elixirs that rejuvenate, eternal life, mercy and forgiveness.
Correspondences for the Scorpio full moon
First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently in like I will list below for you to use.
Now, that we have talked about the themes of this intense, serious, emotional, sexual, transformative, Scorpio full moon and how it is going to affect you let’s talk about how you can specifically connect to and work with this moon.
With this moon there are certain spells and rituals that will help connect you this moon in the most effective way. Remember these are just some of the many ideas follow your intuition and the energy of this moon.
connect to deities of the underworld, rebirth and transformation like persephone and hades
Transformation and rebirth magic and spells
Write down and release all things that no longer serve into a body of water
moonlight bathe in the nude
Ritual Full Moon Bath
Taking a full moon bath is an extremely soothing way to harness the power of this moon phase. A Moon bath can be an especially powerful practice when the Moon is transiting the water signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. This is because the element of water is activated, i.e charged up – like a crystal, it has more potential to HOLD intention and frequency. So, this Full moon take a ritual bath to help you connect to your depth of your emotions in scorpio right now. I would recommend to have your items added to your bath right now be focused
Top tip: Using Moon water in your ritual bath will take it to the next level!
Self-love mirror gazing ritual
This is a very transformative ritual to be doing every single full moon but, I really like using this one during a scorpio moon. The feeling of self love and passion for myself I feel seems to be so much more amplified after acknowledging my deepest, darkest emotions needed to be addressed. This ritual helps remind me during a scorpio moon to remember that even while working through those deep, dark emotions and traumas I still am worthy to be loved and to have all my needs met. You can find the ritual below and to learn more about one of my favorite types of magic; mirror magic in general you can read about in my previous blogpost here; https://modgepodgemystic.com/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall-whose-the-most-magical-of-them-all-a-guide-to-mirror-magic/
Self -love mirror gazing ritual You will need: A mirror Under the light of the full Moon, do some stretching, shaking, dancing, or deep breathing, to bring your awareness into the fullness of your body.
Place the mirror beneath the Full Moon in the night sky, so that you can sit looking at your own reflection AND have moonlight falling on your face.
Look into the mirror at your own reflection. See, sense and feel the light of the Full Moon fall onto your face, and feel yourself soaking up her rays.
Now gaze into your eyes, holding the intention to both give receive more love. Say the words: “I am loved, I am held, I am whole” aloud.
Searching the depths with scorpio meditation
This meditation is all about helping being a guide for you while you dive deep into the depths of your soul and emotions with the scorpio full moon. The ideal time to perform this ritual day or night of the full moon. If possible do it under direct moonlight. or the day after the full moon.
You’ll need: 15-30 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time Vessel of water Pen/pencil and paper Optional: amethyst
Meditation/Ritual: Create sacred space by grounding yourself and connecting with your breath and body. If casting a circle or calling in the quarters is in your practice, you could do this too. To learn how to do that you can do that by reading my previous blogpost here and watching my previous class on the topic with Divination Academy. https://youtu.be/MwDSVeNPjfs?si=mEMMrUwKy37bI-K0 Sit, close your eyes, and begin to connect with your breath and body. If you’re using amethyst you can hold it or place it near you to inspire your intuition. In this meditative state, ask aloud or in your mind, “Show me my soul’s deepest desire. show me where I have not been acting in alignment with my intention” Breathe and allow your mind to take you where it wants to go. Be open to visualizations, messages, or feelings that may arise. After spending some time with the first question, and when you feel ready, ask aloud or in your mind, “Show me my next steps to be in better alignment with my soul’s deepest desires?” Again, breathe and allow your mind to take you where it wants to go. Be open to visualizations, messages, or feelings that may arise. The subconscious mind often works through symbols. Be open and curious about anything that comes through to you, understanding that even though it may not make sense at the moment, it may later. When you feel ready to come out of your meditation, thank any guides who came through to offer guidance, then write down any insights that came to you. Place your paper in your vessel of water to remain there until the moon is new. Check in with your bowl of water with the paper in it each day to refill with water if needed, touch into the feelings you experienced, and as a reminder to take continued action towards your soul’s desires, even when it feels challenging. At the time of the next new moon, bury your paper outside and pour the water on top of it, trusting that you will be guided in your soul’s journey.
Sex Magic To enhance your sex life
With the full moon of scorpio being so deeply connected to our sexual desires, passions, and energy this moon is an extremely potent time for any type of sex magic and sex work. This includes doing spells to enhance your sex life. We can all use a little enhancement from time to time for many reasons and even if you don’t why not add some enhancement to increase your pleasure, your partners pleasure and have some really body alterating orgasims at that! I am passionate about sex magic and use it in my life, magical practices and my marriage ALL the time! To learn more about sex magic you can check out part two of class on the topic here and the study guide with divination academy here!
The spell below is a great spell enhance and intensify any of sexual pleasure sessions!
Carve your name and your partners name into your red candle
Anoint your candle with honey while thinking of all the passion, desire, and freedom you want to experience in your sex life.
Take your anointed candle and roll it in your cinnamon and sugar again viualizing all the passion, desire, freedom and climaxing you want to experience with your partner.
Be as specific as possible.
Light your candle during your next sex session together to ignite your passions and let it burn until it goes out on it’s own
Reflection topics and questions for Scorpio Full Moon
Every full moon is a great time to for reflecting on those seeds you had planted during the new moon and how they are doing now at the end of the lunar cycle and how you can celebrate your success and adjust the future for even greater success. Whether you do it thru meditation, shadow work, or divination like tarot; below is a list of prompts and topics to connect with the energy of the Scorpio full moon.
What is my soul’s deepest desire?
What emotions are sitting in the deep that I avoid?
What do I need to release from my past to fully transform?
Are there any mysterious about myself or others in my life i need to explore?
Where is my intuition trying to guide me?
Is there something in my life I need to listen to my gut about?
What parts of myself am I avoiding?
What are my deepest sexual desires, needs and passions? are they being met? Am I afraid to have them met? If so why?
What could I achieve if I stepped outside my comfort zone?
What areas of my life do I need to address to transform?
What fears and hidden emotions do I need to face?
What areas of my life do I need to transform to be in alignment with my soul purpose?
What emotions, wounds, or traumas coming up for me and how will I face them?
However you choose to work with, connect to, or celebrate, follow your intuition, and passion to guide you the rest of this lunar cycle to finish growing your seeds of manifestation. Use this full moon in scorpio and its unrelenting crashing waves of emotions, sexual passion, and desire to transform yourself!
Celestial bodies (an aggregation of matter in the universe; planets, stars, heavenly bodies ) affect all humans at all times though how and the intensity may change. It’s common for witches and pagans to work with those energies in their lives, manifestation work, and magical practices. We hear witches and pagans all the time talking about the celestial energies of the moon but, we can harness and work with every celestial energy within our solar system and the universe including the sun! Even though many witches seem to place a much heavier emphasis on the moon and lunar magic, I would argue the sun and solar magic is much more important and potent. The Sun impacts our lives like no other force in the universe. Though the moon greatly affects us, the planet earth, and the tides; nothing on Earth could survive or exist without the Sun. It is the center of our solar system for a reason. The Sun is a highly influential Celestial energy for those of us on Earth. It has similar energy to the Stars but because of our relationship with the Sun, the energy has shifted into something else. Let’s shine the Sun’s luminous rays on the vibrant, masculine, and vital, energy that is solar magic and add it to your practice and life today!
What Is The Sun?
The sun is the center of and the largest object in our solar system. It contains more than 99% of the total mass of our solar system. It is 1,390,000 km in diameter and has a mass of 1.989e30 kg. The temperature of the sun is 5800K on the surface and 15,600,000K at the core. It is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium.
The Magic Of The Sun
While I honor, respect, and work with the energies of the moon in my life and magical practices, I have written many previous posts about the magic of the moon and hosted many free moon ceremonies with Divination Academy. I even acknowledged above the importance of the moon as well, I will argue the Sun is much more vital, potent and important. The sun is necessary for many reasons including the growth of plants and trees, for our own physical and mental health, and to keep our planet warm and alive! Everything on the planet needs the Sun to survive. There is a reason the Sun is considered the center of our solar system and not the Moon. Sun = LIFE.
Solar magic harnesses the power of the sun to bring about positive change in one’s life. This could involve anything from casting spells, or making moon water, to meditating in the rays of the sun and focusing on your desired outcome. Whether asking for protection or blessings, developing confidence, getting grounded and centered in your self image and who you are, or encouraging growth; solar magic can bring peace, vitality, strength, movement, and harmony into your life.
The sun’s potent energy is known to amplify the effects of magical workings, strengthening the intentions set during rituals and spells. Witches and Pagans may utilize the sun’s energy to increase the effectiveness of a wide range of spells, from love and protection rituals to manifestation and abundance incantations. The infusion of the sun’s energy into these workings can lead to more powerful and impactful results.
The Sun is the energy we can connect to for joy, happiness, playfulness, and the things that truly make our souls sing with happiness, contentment, and allow us to feel as if we are thriving. The sun is seen as the archetypal joyful, and healing energy of the solar system.
Solar Witch
If you have ever felt like another celestial body or time of the day called to you more than the moon when hearing others talk about it or when reading about it, like during the day when the sun is out you may be a solar witch. A solar witch is simply a witch who has an affinity and connection to the sun. Who feels an intuitive energetic pull from the Sun when performing their magical workings, spells, and rituals. If you feel empowered by the sun more than the moon, you might be a solar witch. Don’t worry though you don’t have to identify as a solar witch or feel only called to the Sun to work with it. Any one can work with the energies of the Sun in their life and magical workings! Keep reading to learn more!
The Sun And Astrology
Astrologically the sun represents the Self or the ego and rules the life force. It is symbolized by the unbroken circle that is the soul with a dot in the center to represent the spark of life. The sun also involves creative enterprises that are a projection of the person, from art and business to having children and parenthood (especially fatherhood). In female charts the sun is often thought to represent the men in their lives, particularly husbands. It also rules the fun side of life from sport and recreation to holidays and social events.
According to ancient cosmology, the Sun (and other planets) traveled around the Earth. The portion of the sky (or arc) that the sun travels in every year, rising and setting in a slightly different place each day, is therefore, in reality, a reflection of the Earth’s own orbit around the Sun. This arc is larger the further north or south from the equator the latitude is, giving a more extreme difference in day and night and in the seasons during the year. The sun travels through the twelve signs of the zodiac on its annual journey, spending about a month in each.
The sun is the ruler of the 5th house and the planetary ruler of the zodiac sign Leo. Leo is the zodiac sign which is known for its leadership qualities and strong personality. The Sun’s influence is also associated with the heart, circulatory system, and vitality. In astrology, the Sun represents the self or ego, making it an important symbol of personal identity.
The Sun’s position on a person’s birthday, determines what is usually called his or her “star” or sun sign, this makes sense because the sun itself is a star. The Sun is the most important “planet” in astrology when it comes to determining a person’s inner makeup. The Sun represents the Self. This is believed to have a great bearing on the person’s overall personality makeup.
In Chinese astrology, the Sun represents Yang, the active, assertive masculine life principle. In Indian astrology, the Sun is called Surya and represents the soul, kingship, highly placed persons, father.
Solar & Sun Worship
Sun Worship has been around for an incredibly long time. The Sun rules our day cycle and our year cycle. By harnessing the power of the Sun, and with the creation of irrigation, our society and way of life shifted from hunter gatherer to agricultural.
Sun worship, veneration of the sun or a representation of the sun as a deity, has been seen in antiquity for centuries. We see it in Egypt as early as the 14th century BCE with atomism. We see the sun being venerated in the building of Stonehenge, gobleki tepe, and so many more sacred sites around the ancient world to track the movement of the sun through the year and honor it during it’s most sacred days of the year like the Equinoxes and solstices.
Although sun worship has been used frequently as a term for “pagan” religion, it is, in fact, relatively rare. Though almost every culture uses solar motifs, only a relatively few cultures (Egyptian, Indo-European, and Meso-American) developed solar religions. All of these groups had in common a well-developed urban civilization with a strong ideology of sacred kingship. In all of them the imagery of the sun as the ruler of both the upper and the lower worlds that he/she majestically visits on his/her daily round is prominent.
Cultures and religions that have practiced prominent Sun worship include the Incas in Peru, the Nabateans, who built the city of Petra in Jordan, and Shintoism in Japan. One of the most important Gods for the Inca civilization in South America, was the Sun god, Inti but, we will talk more about solar deities below.
Solar Deities & Gods Of The Sun
Just like with the moon and other celestial bodies there are certain themes, magic, and energies we have the ability to connect to them with, including deities. Everyone works with and views deity energy a little differently. Whether you view them as archetypes of the human consciousness, representations of the source energy, or as being entities on their own, there are certain deities that help you connect to and honor the vital and potent energy of the Sun in your life and magical practices. You can do this by invoking them through prayer, sigils, offerings and correspondences while doing solar magic and ritual work. You can honor these deities during any of their sacred holidays and festivals for some extra potent solar energy as well. Let’s take a look at some of them below.
Helios
Helios, the god of the sun, is a prominent figure in Greek mythology. He is known for his role as the driver of the sun chariot, traversing the sky each day. Helios was worshipped and revered, particularly in the island of Rhodes, and his influence expanded as he became associated with other deities. During the Roman Empire, he was even worshipped as the invincible sun itself. In Greek mythology, the captivating tale of Helios, the god of the sun, is an intriguing and timeless story. It revolves around the ambition of Helios’ son, Phaethon, to drive his father’s majestic sun chariot for a day. This desire led to disastrous consequences, as Phaethon lost control of the chariot, causing chaos and destruction on Earth. Helios is not only associated with the sun but also shares connections with other fire and light deities.
Apollo
The god Apollo was the Greek and Roman god of the Sun. Unlike most of the other Roman divinities, which had an Italic origin but had early been identified with Hellenic deities, the god Apollo was a truly Greek god. Apollo the sun god was indeed the god of every bright activity of the human intellect, like Science, Divination, and the Arts. In particular, the Roman god Apollo was the deity who presided over Medicine, Music, and Poetry. He is the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, and was born in the Greek island of Delos, along with his older twin sister Artemis – goddess of the hunt. Apollo is alternately referred to as the God of Light and the God of Truth. Apollo served as an intermediary between the gods and men. Apollo’s most celebrated role in Greek mythology is as the god of sun and light. In this role, his duties often overlapped with Helios, the deified sun. And in some myths, Greeks even describe them as the same deity. Apollo personified the qualities of the sun with his glowing golden hair, and, like Helios, he was responsible for bringing the sun to the earth each day while riding on a golden chariot. Because of this, he was often described as ‘Phoebus’, meaning bright and pure.
Ra
The sun god Ra was ancient Egypt’s most revered and sacred deity, who they worshipped as king of the gods and father of creation. King of the deities and father of creation, he was the most sacred of all the gods, a solar deity who embodied the sheer power of the sun and gave life to the universe. As such, he symbolized the great reverence ancient Egyptians had for the sun as an agricultural society in the desert whose lives revolved around growth and regeneration. According to many Egyptian myths, sun god Ra was responsible for the creation of all life. Out of eternal darkness, an entity called Atum called forth the beginning of creation. An island slowly emerged out of the Primeval Ocean, which turned into Ra, the sun god and than Ra spawned the first gods. As creator of the universe, Ra became father and king to all gods, humans and living creatures. Egyptians believed that it was Ra’s duty to travel across the sky every day, bringing light and life to the world. As the sun set, Ra would descend into the underworld, where he battled against forces of darkness, including the evil serpent Apopis, in order to ensure the sun could rise again in the morning. Egyptians likened this daily pattern of light and darkness to the entire cycle of life, in which humans live, die and rise again in the afterlife.
Inti
Inti, the ancient Inca sun god, holds great significance in Inca culture and religion. As a revered deity, Inti is believed to have been born from Viracocha, the god of creation, and is considered the patron of the Inca Empire. Inti’s influence extends to various aspects of Inca society, including the foundation of the capital city Cusco and the teachings of civilization to the empire’s founder, Manco Capac. Festivals and ceremonies dedicated to Inti were vital for ensuring the well-being of the Inca ruler and the agricultural prosperity of the empire. Inti’s representation as a golden disc with a human face can be found in sacred sites throughout the empire. The sun was not only seen as a celestial body providing light and warmth but also had deeper significance in various aspects of Inca society. The Inca people regarded the sun as the primary source of light and heat, essential for their everyday lives. The warm rays of Inti brought life and illuminated their empire, sustaining both their physical and spiritual existence. Today, Inti’s legacy continues to resonate in modern-day Peru’s cultural traditions and historical sites. Inti, the revered Inca sun god, held a vital role in the culture and beliefs of the Inca civilization
Amaterasu
The last sun deity I have for you is one of my favorites and a personal deity I work with daily in my life. I also made the choice to include them to change it up a bit and show you a goddess of the sun and not only gods. Amaterasu is the primary deity of the Shinto religion in Japanese mythology, revered as the goddess of the sun, universe, and creation itself, and considered the highest manifestation of the spirit of the universe. Amaterasu was born from the left eye of her father, Izanagi, when he purified himself after visiting the underworld. Her birth gave her the unique status of being the only deity born from Izanagi alone. As the source of all light, life, and creation, the sun goddess sustains heaven and earth with a light so compelling that her father appointed her ruler of the universe when he first laid eyes on her. Amaterasu is also known for her role as the ruler of the Higher Celestial Plane. In this realm, she was responsible for bringing light to the world through the sun that she embodied. Amaterasu is the rising and setting sun: without her, all forms of life would cease to exist. As ruler of the heavens, she governs over all spirits (kami), and her divine powers brought about the cultivation of rice and wheat: she is also credited with first using silkworms and looms for weaving. Amaterasu’s role as the ruler of heaven is to ensure the continuity of life by maintaining order. As the embodiment of the sun, she assimilates all of its qualities and provides comfort and assurance to all those who look to her for guidance and protection. Having served as the mother of the imperial family she is revered as the goddess of the state, and is both nurturing and maternal.
The Sun’s Cycle
The Sun has two energy cycles both a yearly and a daily cycle. Each is unique in their uses. Both have a place in natural magic practices and in astrological or celestial magic practices. Our Sun’s energy cycles a lot more slowly than the Moon since it takes a full year to see the extent of the cycle. As the Sun shifts through the seasons, different energies come out and play.
Spring Time – Growth In Spring, we see a shift from dormant energies to quickening ones. I use the word quickening to also mean that the Sun’s energies are fluttering, gaining momentum and speed. This is the perfect time to plant seeds, set long term intentions, and really plan out how you are going to get there. As the Sun returns, your energy may also become more lit up on a daily basis.
Summer Time – Work In the Summer time, the Sun’s energy is at it’s brightest and fullest particularly at Beltane. With the full Sun, this is where most of the work is done with our intentions. We have gained momentum and now it’s up to us to keep the pace up with what ever project we started. That can be a garden, a work project, construction or art project. This is less of planning phase and more of the action phase.
Autumn Time – Reflection Autumn time is a season of slowing down. We start to lose momentum from Summer’s bright energy and here we begin to see where our hard work has gotten us. Because we put in the work in Spring and Summer, we now see the harvest of Autumn come through. Autumn brings clarity in our emotions. It’s at this stage that we realized where we might have overstretched. We also have realizations of where we may not have worked as hard or where we might not have been as motivated. Autumn time provides space to reflect on the year and energy to see what can be adjusted for the future.
Winter Time – Rest Winter time is a season of rest and dormancy. The Sun’s energy is at it’s lowest this point of the year. We use fires and hearths to help generate heat and warmth not only in our homes but in our hearts and energy fields because the Sun has waned so much. In the Winter with rest, we begin to really see what feeds and nourishes us. Winter will show us if we stored up enough to sustain us not only in an agricultural sense but in a very real energetic reserves sense. If we realized that we over extended ourselves, Winter will be a good time to heal that and allow us to change what we do in the future.
The Sun’s Energy Phases
The Sun’s Energy also has a Rising and Setting cycle to each day. This waxing and waning happens quickly but on a much more subtle level. Harnessing the power of your day can lead to amazing variations in your spells. You might think of this pattern in the same way you’d think of the waxing, full, new, and waning moon cycles.
Rising Sun – This is used for new beginnings, fresh starts, and growth type spells. As the Sun rises and grows through out the day, what would you like to grow as well? This is the best time for any workings having to do with; healing, happiness, positivity, truth, self-care, peace, amplifier, the element air. Activities aligned for this time will be; charge sun crystals, make sun tea and/or drink, meditate, greet the sun, prayer, sunrise yoga, sunbathe
MorningSun – Growth, drawing positivity into your life, such as money, love, friendships. Great for courage.
Noon Sun – When the sun is at it’s peak, this energy is used to supercharge a spell and is the best time to create solar/ sun water. This is when the sun is at it’s peak and when it is time for action. This is the best time for any workings having to do with; Growth, abundance, success, money spells, health, justice and protection.
Afternoon Sun – Similar to Fall, the afternoon Sun is for spells that require reflection, seeing beneath the surface, and for sending energy away. As the Sun wanes, you can “reduce” the energy that you give to negative thoughts and habits. This is the best time for any workings having to do with; resolution, clarity, and psychic connection.
Setting Sun – As the Sun sets you enter the Winter phase of the Sun. This is where rest happens and where we can become cozy and ready for the new day to come. This is the best time for any workings having to do with; charging yourself and your tools, gratitude, resolution, release work, and divination.
Observing the Sun’s life cycle through the Wheel of the Year
The Wheel is a visual depiction of the cyclical nature of the seasons and of time. Our ancestors lived in harmony with these rhythms, celebrating the sun’s journey of growth and retreat. The Wheel of the Year is a modern conceptualization of cyclical seasonal celebrations that follow the ebb and flow of darkness and light over the course of a year aka the movement and life cycle of the sun.
For those who might not be familiar with this yet, the Wheel of the Year is like a pagan/witch holiday calendar. It has deep roots in wicca specifically but, it has been used in some shape or form throughout history and across cultures. You do not need to be wiccan to follow it. It contains eight holidays, or sabbats, altogether: four solar festivals (the equinoxes and solstices), and four fire festivals (each Celtic in origin, marking the halfway point between solstice and equinox). The calendar is heavily reliant on Celtic mythology and folk holidays, with some Germanic and Norse influences as well.
You may also have seen them often referred to as Sabbats, and they are divided into two categories. Lesser Sabbats, or Solar Holidays, celebrate the two solstices and two equinoxes. Greater Sabbats or Cross-Quarter Days are celebrated in between Lesser Sabbat. Each festival celebrates changes in the cycles of life, the movement of the sun, and the seasons of the earth. The Winter Solstice is the day most strongly associated with Solar Energy, though it peaks at the Summer Solstice, it declines thereafter.
Solar Eclipse
There other more potent and unique times to work with the sun and call forth some solar magic. One of those times is during a solar eclipse. Before we talk about the magical and spiritual significance of a solar eclipse let’s talk about what it is. A Solar Eclipse appears when the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth, blocking out the light of the Sun. It’s considered to be three times more potent than a regular New Moon because it’s happening in close proximity to the Lunar Nodes of Destiny. During a solar eclipse symbolically, the energies associated with the Moon eclipse those of the Sun, so that feelings and emotions dominate over the ego and the will.
Beyond its astronomical wonder, the total solar eclipse holds spiritual significance for many. It symbolizes a time of darkness and spiritual renewal, offering an opportunity for introspection and the shedding of old energies. In astrology, the eclipse signifies the darkness of the ego and the potential for spiritual rebirth, marking a moment to release past patterns and embrace new perspectives.
Eclipses bring about energy of great change meant to shake things up. To create an intense time of great transformation, rebirth, and growth. A solar eclipse specifically is a time of new beginnings, taking initiative, and starting brand new things like jobs, businesses, projects, and relationships. This energy is all about change, transformation, good luck, growth, and abundance. This energy is known to change the wheel of fate and awaken things for us.
Despite the fated nature, Eclipses should not be feared but welcomed as a source of evolutionary change that leads to a powerful yet often uncomfortable, and even painful transformation.
Correspondences For The Sun
First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy, the zodiac energy the moon is currently in or for a celestial body like the Sun which I will list below for you to use.
Using the sun’s magical correspondences and working with the sun in your magical practices, rituals, spells, and workings, can bring positive and transformative energy into one’s life. The Sun, as a celestial body, radiates warm and stimulating energy that encourages growth, abundance, and protection. Its influence is not limited to the material world; it extends to the spiritual and psychological realms as well. Solar magic can be practiced through rituals, spells, and the use of objects that correspondence with the Sun’s energy.
Sun magic is versatile and can be used to manifest positive changes in various aspects of your life. For instance, you may use solar magic to promote the growth of your career, enhance relationships, or attract wealth and prosperity. The Sun’s bright energy is also believed to have protective qualities. As the Sun illuminates the world, it can be used in magic to dispel darkness, uncover hidden truths, and protect against deception. Additionally, Solar magic can strengthen one’s sense of self and boost confidence, making it useful for personal development and self-empowerment. Let’s look below at some ways that you can start working with the sun today!
Draw Down The Sun
Drawing Down the Sun is a transformative practice within the realm of magical practices. While the practice of Drawing Down the Moon involves channeling the essence of the Goddess into oneself, Drawing Down the Sun focuses on capturing the radiant and vital energy of the sun. This ritual allows practitioners to internalize the sun’s energy and charge their spiritual battery, preparing them for the darker months ahead. Drawing down the Sun is an easy way to pull in powerful energy to be used in spells and magic for the future.
The Sun’s radiant energy can be an important tool for witches that want to do blessings or beauty spells, but the energy is useful for almost anything. If you’re dealing with depression during the winter, this drawing down spell can help you to bring more positive energy into your life. The sun’s warm and invigorating energy is known for its uplifting and rejuvenating qualities. For individuals who grapple with feelings of depression or seasonal affective disorder, Calling Down the Sun can serve as a valuable practice for attracting positive energy into their lives. By recharging their spiritual battery with the sun’s energy, practitioners can alleviate feelings of sadness, fatigue, and hopelessness
One of the most significant benefits of Drawing Down the Sun is the enhancement of spells and incantations. The sun’s potent energy is known to amplify the effects of magical workings, strengthening the intentions set during rituals. Practitioners may utilize the sun’s energy to increase the effectiveness of a wide range of spells, from love and protection rituals to manifestation and abundance incantations. The infusion of the sun’s energy into these workings can lead to more powerful and impactful results.
The sun’s energy is often associated with attributes such as vitality, radiance, and beauty. Drawing Down the Sun can play a pivotal role in beauty spells and self-enhancement rituals. By harnessing the sun’s vibrant energy, practitioners can promote a radiant appearance, elevate their self-confidence, and attract positive attention from others. Additionally, this practice encourages practitioners to embrace their inner beauty and self-worth, allowing their unique light to shine outwardly.
How to perform
The specifics of the ritual can vary based on the tradition or individual practice, but it generally involves invoking the sun at a specific time of day (such as dawn, noon, or dusk) and channeling its energy into oneself. You may use visualization, meditation, and spoken invocations to connect with the sun’s energy. You can even place a mirror or bowl of water out as a reflective surface to absorb and draw in the sun as well as you perform this ritual. Then you have a amplified tool to come back and use as well. The ritual may be performed alone or in a group and is often done at key solar events such as the solstices or equinoxes.
Sunbathing
Just like when we honor, celebrate, and venerate the moon by going outside and bathing in it’s soft glowing moonlight we can do the same with the sun! We humans are fueled and energized by sunlight and warmth. In fact, humans often become depressed or ill without enough sunlight. So, if you have been feeling down, sick or disconnected? Get out and intentional soak up those bright, energetic rays! By intentionally I mean truly being mindful while out in the bright rays and noticing the feel of the sun on your skin, and it’s energy entering every part of your body!
Work With a Solar Deity In Your Practice
It’s common for many pagans and witches to work with deities associated with the moon in their practices and magical workings. Many even take it further and worship the triple goddess representing three aspects of the moon by three different deities. Just like you have the ability to work with the lunar deities in your spell workings and magical practices you can do the same with any of the solar deities we discussed above. You can call on them when making sun water, doing any spell workings associated with any of the magical themes of the sun. Like, growth, prosperity, healing, protection, divination, life, fertility, abundance, strength, self image, beauty, and vitality. You can add them to your altar, spell workings, and rituals by including any of their correspondences, images, and sigils.
Connect To The Sun Through Color Magic
You can connect to the sun by including color magic in your daily life, magical practices and workings. What is color magic? Color magic is using the color spectrum and the intention of each color to invoke its magical response and connect to that energy and vibration of the color. Each color has it’s own magical properties you can connect to. You can use those colors in spells, on your altar, to connect to elements and/or deities, and to set intentions and manifestations. You can even use color magic in your every day life like in the clothes you wear, the décor of your home, the color you paint your nails and more! The sky is the limit it really is up to you!
The Sun is connected to a few colors two of them being yellow and orange. The color yellow is happiness, joy, and warmth in it’s most pure and energetic form. This color can help connect you back to the joy and fun your soul experiences through adventure and innocence. This color surrounds you in warmth, comfort and self acceptance. You can also use this color to connect to your intellectual mind which makes it the ideal color for study, learning and expanding your knowledge.
The color orange is connected to the sun, and Wednesday. This color connects us to a very vibrant, energetic and expressive energy. This energy can help us in so many ways from unlocking our creative expression, helping us create art, assist us in a new job search and help our communication flourish. Use this color to bring a spark of expression and energy into your life.
Make Sun Tea
Sun tea – not only is it delicious, but it’s fun to make and WITCHY. This is literally tea brewed by the power of the sun. Get out a glass jar with an airtight lid. Fill it with water and herbs of your choice or teabags with added herbs like mint, stevia, chamomile, etc. Meanwhile visualize your intentions for this batch of tea. Then set it in direct sunlight and leave for a few hours for the sun to brew then pour over ice.
Create A Sun Altar
With any energy you choose to work with in your life you have the option to create an altar to honor, venerate, and connect to that energy. That includes celestial bodies like the sun as well. You can create an altar anywhere in your home and sacred space to help you connect to the sun and remind you of the bright, strong, confident energy you have the ability to connect to. On your altar you can have any correspondences you connect with that represent the sun or any solar deities. To amplify your altar you can have it in sunlight as often as possible and even place it outside! To learn more about altar work keep in eye our for a blogpost coming, or you can check out the study guide for my class previously taught on the topic that will be posted soon here; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cY9IKfLJgV-YBI76DCAtPAuwC6tSXdzh/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107019596187888016346&rtpof=true&sd=true
Work With Your Solar Plexus
Your solar plexus is arguably one of the most important chakras in your body. It’s located in the center of your torso just below your breast plate. “Manipura” means “lustrous gem of the city,” and is associated with the natural element of fire. Its associated color is yellow, hence its links to fire and, more broadly, the sun.
It is the center of your vitality, your connection to the Sun, and your source of self confidence and esteem. It is directly linked to your sense of self This energy center is associated with your self-esteem, sense of purpose, personal identity, individual will, digestion, and metabolism. When consciousness moves freely in this center, you are empowered by transformative energy.
When the solar plexus chakra is in healthy alignment, you will be comfortable with your own inherent power and become empowered. You will have a sense of who you are and why you are here. When you connect with your purpose, you gain a deeper understanding of how you as an individual can contribute to the collective in a beneficial way.
You will let go of the things—whether it’s your job or bank account balance—that you depend on to define who you are. Those things may have value, but overvaluing anything that subject to change is a quick road to suffering. You have inherent value; take the time through practice to investigate it, and you will be less dependent on external sources of happiness.
Work on aligning and reopening your solar plexus with meditation, eating healthy, and personal affirmations. As you work with the solar plexus chakra, cultivate a willingness to gain insight into your understanding of power, individuality, and identification. Doing this will naturally help you connect to the sun and work with it’s vital, and vibrant energy that sits within the sacred energy of the solar plexus chakra.
Sun Salutations
Sun salutations or greeting the sun can come in many forms, with yoga sun salutations, sunrise positioning, and/or runic stadhas like the sowilo stadha to honor the sun. In addition, moving your body in tune with the sun promotes a healthy lifestyle, vitality and peaceful mind. You can also make sure to greet to the sun in gratitude for it’s role in your life and every life on our planet. You can do this by simply offering up a small prayer of thanks to the sun while facing it each morning when you rise out of bed. I personally never start a day without this to ground myself in energy, strength, and gratitude for one of the most vital energies and things that sustains my existence.
Work With The Sun on Sunday
Every day of the week has it’s own magic you can harness to influence your life and magical practices and you guessed it Sunday is all about the energy from the sun. Due to this Sunday becomes the perfect day to focus on who you truly are and harnessing the vital energy of life to actively shape your life to be the brightest shining success it can be. Timing with spell workings and magical practices affects the potency and the energies being used so to make any of your sun magic more potent and amplified make sure to perform those spells, workings, and rituals on Sunday!
Connect To The Sun Thru The Element Of Fire And Candle Magic
The wick. The wax. The flame. A simple candle spell is potent in manifesting nearly any intention. And creates a connection to the element of fire and the celestial body the Sun. And it also doesn’t require a ton of energy on your behalf. This type of magic has been used for ages! The first “candle” dates back to at least the tenth century BCE. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that as long as people have been using candles to light their homes and buildings, they’ve also been using candles to make magic. Why? Because people and fire magic go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is potent magic, sacred to us, and easy to access.
There is so much to candle magic from the type of candle, ways to use it, different forms of divination methods, colors and so much more. Take a look below to learn some more about candle magic to add to your practice and lives today, keep an eye out for a future blogpost and check out my Facebook and Pinterest page for many more ideas on candle magic!
Sun Water; How To Make It
Similar to Moon Water, you can also create Sun Water to harness and work with its energies within your craft. Consider the Sun’s current sign when making your water as well as that will affect it just as it does with moon water.
So, Sun water what is it? Simply put it is water left under the rays of the sun to absorb the magical, spiritual, and energetic properties of the sun. When left in the sun, water can harness magical healing, protective, and energizing properties. This charged water is often used in witchcraft for spells and rituals to strengthen spiritual energy. The sun’s cosmic energy is infused in the water, making it the perfect channel for spells, cleansing, and healing rituals. Once charged, sun water holds positive, encouraging, and uplifting properties that can be used to douse negative energy and strengthen self-confidence.
How To Make Sun Water
Fill your jar or bottle with your preferred type of water.
Place your jar outside or on a windowsill that gets good sunlight. South-facing windows get the brightest all-around light. East-facing windows are great for sunrise energy and west-facing for sunset energy.
For more focused intention, write your desire on a small piece of paper and fold. Place your folded paper under the jar of water to direct the sun’s energy. You can also speak your intention over the water when you place it out in the sun.
It’s best for the water to be in the sun for at least an hour if possible. I usually put mine out at sunrise and bring it in at sunset. You can also use specific times of day (see below) to further focus the energy of the water towards your desired intentions.
Sun Water is potent, so a little goes a long way – even a drop will add a healthy amount of power to your workings.
Ultimately, working with the Sun’s magic allows you to tap into your own inner light and harness the transformative power of this celestial body. The bright rays of Sun magic is a practice that can enrich your life and bring a sense of warmth, abundance, virality, bravery, motivation, joy and clarity to your life, magic and manifestation in a much more potent, vibrant and confident way than lunar magic. Don’t forget to call on the sun and include it when doing any spells, workings or rituals that focus on abundance, vitality, life, ego, confidence, strength, pride, healing, growth, creativity, protection! Be prepared for an explosion of energy, vibrancy, and life when you add sun magic to your practices, spells, and life!
To expand your knowledge about this type of magic or if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on YouTube below!
The magic circle — also known as the magic circle of protection, ritual circle, witch’s circle, and even sacred circle — is one of the most iconic trademarks of magic. You hear over and over again about how we should know how to do one and when you attend ceremonies and rituals you hear the facilitator/ practitioner use one often but, do you really know why we cast a magic circle and what one really is?
What is a magic circle?
A magic circle is a sacred space that practitioners of magic believe contains energy. The magic circle is an area of non-physical space created and constructed of personal power. It creates an energetic and psychic container – a safe, protected space – for magic and healing to take place. When you cast a circle, you are said to be in a space between worlds – void space, magic space, liminal space, grey space, spiral space beyond linear time. It’s a magical environment in which the deities are welcomed and celebrated, and where rituals and magical workings take place.
Many magical practitioners create a circle as part of their magical ritual. The circle may first be marked out with chalk or paint, or drawn in salt or, more usually, it is visualized with no physical representation of the circle at all. All of the participants may stand around the perimeter of the circle or may stand in the center.
A solo practitioner generally stands in the center. The circle is established using the energy of the practitioner(s) using means specific to their tradition. The energy encircles the area horizontally as well as vertically, creating something more like a sphere or bubble of spiritual energy.
There are two main types of magic circles used. Those formed by ceremonial magicians are designed to protect the magician from the forces that he or she raises. While those formed by witches and wiccans, are mainly used to create sacred space in which to meet and commune with the Goddess, God and Spirits. The magic circle is essentially a magical seal or sigil. Circles may or may not be physically marked out on the ground, and a variety of elaborate patterns for circle markings can be used. A castor may even add tools, candles, and other items as well.
When it comes to casting a circle there really are endless possibilities to how you choose to cast one, when you choose to cast a circle, and what/if you call in to add energy to your circle as you cast it as well. Continue to read to learn all about the history of casting a magic circle, why you should use and when, and some of the many ways you can cast a magic circle and decide if this staple of magic workings will be added to your practice.
A Circling Group
A group of witches or magic users may sometimes refer to themselves as a Circle or Circling group rather than a coven. A coven implies the group’s shared set of beliefs and oaths. Using the term Circle to describe a group of magical practitioners implies that while the group performs magic together and gathers for some spiritual and social occasions, they do not necessarily share the same belief system and owe each other no oaths.
Circles are often formed for training purposes or for family groups and general fellowship and Circle members may be involved with other groups as well.
History of casting a circle
Manly P. Hall once said, “The most primitive and fundamental of all symbols is the dot [circle].”
They considered geometry holy teaching in antiquity. Scholars and wise men of old deemed the circle sacred and studied it along with other divine natural sciences in studying the stars and mathematics. At the time, they saw mathematics as a discipline to aid in communication with their gods. Ritual magicians utilized solving geometric equations like squaring the circle. We see this in the mystical teachings by Pythagoras.
Circle casting has been around for 1000s of years. We see evidence of it as far back as Sumerian culture. Evidence of its practice can be found in texts like the Lesser Keys of Solomon as well. It is mentioned in other “high magick” grimoires; many of dubious origin. In this early metaphysical literature, casting a circle was a means of containing spirits and energies conjured during complex rituals of evocation. The means of conjuring these spirits was risky to all involved and it’s easy to imagine that many spirits were not too happy with the mages doing the summoning. Circles also functioned as a way to protect the humans performing the ritual and were often combined with sigils.
Over time, the reason for casting a circle has changed. Most contemporary witches who cast circles do so to create a sacred space or vortex of power that sits between and connects the physical world with the spiritual. In this space, the witch is free to work with the energies they choose to evoke. The circle, no longer just a means of protection, has become an energetic focus and sphere of unadulterated power when properly created. This modern idea of circle casting began with the work of traditional English witches in the early 1900’s and was popularized afterward by Gerald Gardner, the creator of the Wiccan religion.
Mesopotamian Magic
In Mesopotamia, called by some the cradle of civilization, most people created rituals. Both individually and as a community. The Sumerians called the use of ritual circles Zisurrû.
Sumerians used a common technique in casting ritual circles. They drew the circle with flour or chalk. They spread the flour around figurines of deities and figures of protection entities. For example, I, An, and Enlil who were all gods of Mesopotamia and are within the seven gods. Sumerians believed they attributed to the gods with this ritual.
The type of flour was crucial as different grains held unique properties. Wheat flour specifically invoked deities. Barley encircled beds to protect against disease-causing demons, and šemuš-flour repelled ghosts.
Archaeologists have also discovered the use of magic circles. Similarly, not on the ground but in pottery. Written on the bowls, called “incantation bowls.” In spirals were magical words of invocation, multiple names of deities, and seemingly “nonsense” words that hold mystical power.
Greek Magic
In Greece, Magic circles were protective necessities. However, this motif of the circle as protection against negative spirits is a constant theme in all cultures.
The ancient Greeks used prayers from priests as a spoken magic circle.
Charles Stewart, the author of Magic Circles, says,
“An exorcism prayer for clearing a space of evil spirits describes how the priest’s blessing establishes a circular ‘boundary of fire’ within which all terrestrial, aerial, and astral spirits will be bound and rendered subordinate to Christ and the saints.”
Hermetic Magic, Golden Dawn, Thelema, and Others
A significant tradition exists within the magical Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. They named this tradition the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or LBRP.
Physically, you will draw out pentagrams representing the four cardinal directions. The archangels are usually the magic circle and will not have markings. The figures you draw and envision form a protective circle around you.
Wicca
In the early 1900’s and was popularized afterward by Gerald Gardner, the creator of the Wiccan religion.
In Wicca, a magic circle is typically nine feet in diameter, though the size can vary depending on the purpose of the circle, and the preference of the caster.
Some varieties of Wicca use the common ceremonial color attributions for ‘quarter candles’: yellow for air in the east, red for fire in the south, blue for water in the west and green for earth in the north (though these attributions differ according to geographical location and individual philosophy).
Have you ever been told that you can’t enter a circle or leave a circle once it has been cast? That is a wiccan belief and actually doesn’t spread across all castors when it comes to magic circles. This is because wiccans believe the barrier is believed to be fragile, so that leaving or passing through the circle would weaken or dispel it. This is referred to as “breaking the circle”. It is generally advised that practitioners do not leave the circle unless absolutely necessary.
In order to leave a circle and keep it intact, Wiccans believe a door must be cut in the energy of the circle, normally on the east side. Whatever was used to cast the circle is used to cut the doorway, such as a sword, staff or knife (athame), a doorway is cut in the circle, at which point anything may pass through without harming the circle. This opening must be closed afterwards by reconnecting the lines of the circle. The circle is usually closed by the practitioner after they have finished by drawing in the energy with the athame.
Purposes
Casting a circle can have many purposes to benefit your magical workings and practices. What purpose you are meaning to use it for as well will help you determine when and how to cast one in your magical workings, practices and even in your daily life.
Create Intentional Space
Part of casting a circle is about mindset. It allows us to shift out of the mundane world and into the sacred. As you get used to casting a circle, it will start to signal to your body and brain that you’re entering into a ritual space, and your energy will likely begin to shift automatically. Your body, brain, soul, and spirit will automatically shift into a more grounded, mindful, and energetic state.
Protection
When you open yourself up to working with energy, it’s important to protect yourself from unwanted energies. Working with magic and ritual, especially any astral or Akashic work, it can leave us vulnerable to unwanted energies coming in. When you cast a circle you are creating a potent extended barrier of energy around you and your space to help you filter the energies you are allowing in. It can be even more potent if you add deities, other entities, guides, the watch towers, elements, and more.
Focus the energy of your workings
Casting a circle isn’t just about keeping unwanted energy out; it’s also about keeping the desired energy in. Our magic is more powerful when we can focus it in a specific direction, rather than let it scatter and diffuse. An energetic circle helps us gather and concentrate more energy to support the purpose of our magical workings!
When to cast a circle
So, when should you cast a circle you ask? Again, the possibilities really are endless and there isn’t just one answer to when you should be casting a magic circle. For example, you can cast a magic circle of protection around yourself before you leave on a long trip in your car or flying in a plane. Or you can do one when you are taking a ritual bath, calling down the moon, creating a spell jar, on Samhain, and even during meditation. The list really is endless. You can cast a circle whenever you feel you need to use its magical and energetic purposes in your life. Here is a list of some more idea below;
Any pagan holidays or festivals
When honoring the Wheel of the year
When doing divination
While calling down the moon
Shadow work
During cleansing
Meditation
Spell work/ Casting
When working with a deity
Coven/ group work
When in need of protection
When you need to focus
For amplification purposes
Astral travel
Akashic/ Spirit Work
As Protection magic
When working with the Elements and/or planets
property/home magic
Where to Cast a Circle
I feel like I am going to sound like a broken record here but, guess what guys? Your possibilities for where to cast a circle are again going to be endless. You can cast one one your way to work in your car to help you with dealing with coworkers, you can cast one in your living room, your front yard, your bedroom for enhanced sex magic, literally the list could go on. It all just depends on the purpose you are using the circle for, the time you have to cast it, and how you want to do it. Then you just make sure your location fits all of those needs.
Do you have to cast a circle?
Is casting a casting a circle you have to do each time you cast, or do deity work, or celebrate Samhain? No, you don’t. Casting a circle is completely up to you. You can choose when you cast a circle, and if you even cast a circle at all. Most of the times when I am working with a deity I cast a circle but, not every time. Other magic workings like when I am making spell bags I have never cast a circle when doing. This is going to all be up to you and what you decide. One of the many beauties of this path.
What you’ll need to Cast a Circle
Depending on your practice, purpose, and space this could mean many different things. You could need nothing to cast your circle but yourself and a quite space alone or in a group. Or you may need representations of the four elements, a deity, the four directions, and the list could go on. So, this is really going to be up to you.
Some common items you may need when casting a circle will be listed.
A bowl of salt or herbs to represent earth
A chalice of Water
A wand or Athame
Incense or feather to represent Air
Candles to represent fire
Crystals
Images of deities
Statues of deities
Offerings
Anything you can use to outline your physical circle if you choose to like flowers, salt, flour, branches, rocks, etc.
Prep for your circle
So, you know you’re going to be casting a magic circle. Is there any prep for casting one? Yes, for every type of circle casting there is at least a little bit of prep. I say this because, even if you are doing a quick one in your car or a daily one in the mirror at home you still have some prep work.
Your prep work for casting a circle will look different every time as a whole but, each time you need to decide what is the purpose of your circle you are going to cast, do you need to cleanse and prep your space, will you be physically drawing your circle and do you need any tools? Once you answer those questions then you do what needs to be done. You decide the purpose, you grab any tools if needed and you cleanse the space if you need to. If you decide to cleanse I like just doing a simple smoke cleanse with incense or an herb bundle. After that your next step to prep work is to go to your chosen space, physically draw your circle if you chose and than get grounded, enter sacred space, take some deep breaths and get ready for your visualization and circle casting.
How to Cast Circle
There are so many ways to cast a circle. It’s my belief that magical practice is always more powerful when it is YOURS. When you take the time to study it, sit with it, experiment with it and develop it to be your own personal magic and style. However you choose to cast your circle, one thing is common: you’ll work with visualization and energy.
Below is one example of how to cast a circle using the four directions and elements;
Center yourself with a few deep, grounding breaths.
Let your eyes close and start to call on the elements.
Starting in the East, with the element of Air, speak aloud to invite the energy of Air, of breath, of voice, of mind, to hold the circle.
Then turn your focus to the South, the element of Fire, and speak aloud to invite the energy of Fire, of transformation, of passion, of the sun, to hold the circle.
Turn your focus again to the West, the element of Water, and speak aloud to invite the energy of Water, of feeling, of surrender, of the ocean, to hold the circle with you.
Lastly, turn your focus to the North, to the element of Earth, and speak aloud to invite the energy of Earth, of holding, of soil, of forests, to hold the circle.
Feel the shift in your body and your space as the circle forms. Visualize a golden circle of light around you, supported by the powerful energy of each of the elements, holding a sacred and safe container for you.
When you feel ready, say out loud: “The circle is now cast.”
When you need a quick circle for protection in public places, here’s how to cast a simple circle:
Relax your body and mind as much as possible.
Cleanse your body with 5 deep breaths and allow the tension to leave your body.
Close your eyes (if you can) and visualize a bright white light bursting from the top of your head.
Continue visualizing – this white light now showers over your body, forming a circle from head to feet.
Hold the image of an impenetrable, shining white bubble. This circle protects from energetic intrusion. Hold the image as long as you can and it will protect you for the day.
How to Cast a Circle for Pagan Rituals (AKA Calling the Quarters)
For pagan rituals and sabbats, after cleansing and preparation
Stand at the North point of the circle (have your wand/athame ready, if you use one.) Turn and draw a circle with your wand, ending where you are standing in the north.
Then, take a breath and envision a cave of impenetrable crystals encircling you.
Face the north, raise both arms, and say, “I call on the element of Earth. Nourish and protect us this magical night.”
Walk towards the east. Envision a powerful, illuminated wind encircling you.
Face the East and say, “I call on the element of Air. Inspire and guide us this magical night.”
Turn from the east and walk towards the south. Envision a fire that ignites passion and power from deep within you.
Stand facing the south and say, “I call on the element of Fire. Ignite our spirits and empower us this magical night.”
Now turn and walk towards the west. Envision a gentle rain falling all around.
Stand facing the west and say, “I call on the element of Water. Give us powers of dream and intuition and purify us this magical night.”
Next, stand in the middle of the circle and visualize a white bubble of light where you walked the circle. This circle isn’t just one dimensional – it reaches above your head and below your feet forming a perfect sphere.
At this point, you may call the ancestors or gods of your choice (this is optional).
Say, “The circle is cast. Let no one enter or leave the circle until it is released.” Proceed with the ritual.
An example of one of my circle Castings
My circle castings change every single time I do one. When I am casting for my home and property I will physically create one with the points of my property and items, when I do shadow work I at times will invoke deities, sometimes I use just my energy and others I use crystals and all the elements. I follow my intuition and the purpose I have for this particular circle.
Below is a short example of what I usually include in a circle casting in most of classes and rituals; ( Each element part changes each time)
I call to the spirit and guides to each and every soul in this circle.
I ask that you encircle us in protection, guidance, connection, and wisdom.
I call to guardians and gatekeepers of the four directions and I thank you ever so much for turning your gaze towards us and I ask for you to join us.
I call to the direction of east and the element of Air
For you are the breath in my lungs the reason I can breath
You bring transformation and wisdom on your wides of change each time you blow through my life.
I honor your breath, your power of change and that you are my breath of life.
I ask you element of air to hold the eastern gateway
I call to the direction of south and the element of fire.
You are my passion, my spark, and the ember in my soul for motivation.
You teach me to blaze and burn brightly to be a guide in the dark and warmth to those who seek my shelter.
To have passion and desire and also to know when to use my flames to burn those who need to be taught a lesson
I ask you element of fire to hold the southern gate.
I call to the guardians and gatekeepers of the direction of west and the element
Of water.
You teach me water that your depths are vast and deep and moving in your tides can cause your to drown or float just like our emotions.
You teach me to swim with grace when I need to and float when your depths call.
You are the life force for each living being and the reason earth is so very unique.
I call to you element of water and ask you to hold the western gate this evening.
I call to the guardians and gatekeepers of the direction of north and the element of Earth.
You are the home of every living being.
You are the resting place of every ancestor of every line and every generation.
You are where we all begin and where we all end.
You are the populated cities and the vast uncharted territories yet to be found.
I call to you element of earth and ask you to hold the northern gateway.
I call to the guardians and gatekeepers, spirit guides, inter dimensional beings, elementals, any deities, and all other entities willing to protect, guide and assist of both above and below and thank you so very much for holding those gateways.
Amen. Aho. So mote it is
Other ways to Enhance a Circle
You can make casting a circle as simple or as complex as you’d like. Here are some other ways you can choose to enhance and cast your circle.
Place your Ritual Deck element or direction cards around you in each of the corresponding directions.
Place physical items representing each of the elements around in the corresponding directions. Learn more about how to represent each of the elements here.
Place four crystals around you in each of the corresponding directions. Hematite or snowflake obsidian work well for Earth/North, amethyst or kyanite for Air/East, citrine or pyrite for Fire/South, and moonstone or carnelian for Water/West.
Place four lighted candles around you in each of the corresponding directions. A black or brown candle for Earth/North, a yellow or purple candle for Air/East, a red or orange candle for Fire/South, and a blue silver candle for Water/west
Walk the circumference of the circle.
Use a wand or athame (ritual knife) to draw the circle around you.
Physically draw your circle using salt, sugar, or flour
Add offerings and image of deities or other entities
Add sigils at the four directions and/or corners
The Elements Vs. The Guardians of the Watchtowers
Some people prefer to invoke the elements when casting a circle, while others call on the guardians of the watchtowers. What’s the difference between the two? When the elements earth, air, fire, and water are invoked to cast a circle, we are calling those elements specifically and the energy they bring. When the guardians of the watchtowers are called, we invoke the highest beings that watch over each directional point and related element. These are sometimes seen as gods and goddesses, sometimes seen as angels.
Breaking a Circle
Have you ever been told you can’t enter a circle once the castor has begun or that if you leave you can not re enter or you will be ending the circle for everyone? Are these things true? I am not going to say it’s a definite no. For some the answer is yes. For others like many wiccans, you have to open a door by cutting one in the circle using your left hand and athame. For others like myself I don’t think it is true unless I make the decision for it to be true. I believe your circle is being constructed with your energy which means you get to decide if no one else can enter, if they can under certain circumstances, or if anyone can enter at anytime.
Closing Your Circle
You cast your spell, meditated for shadow work, focused your energy, or cast protection now what? Now, you have to make sure to do one more important thing, close your circle. Your circle is a sacred energetic space you created and you are also energetically keeping it in existence. When your circle has served its purpose and intention do not forget to thank your circle for how it assisted you and then ask it to be released/ dispelled and your energy to come back to you or go to where it came from.
Wrap Up
Casting a circle in magic has a long history across many cultures and practices and how you choose to cast yours is up to you. Remember it may change each time as well. Experiment with it and decide what works best for you, using the elements, tools, the directions, a deity, or just yourself. It really is up to you! And remember you can decide to never cast one as well and that’s okay though I really think you should give it a try the benefits are worth it!
To expand your knowledge about this magic or if you’d rather listen than read; you can watch my free class with Divination Academy on YouTube below!
