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Celebrate New Years Eve with abundance, renewal, and protection Magic

New Year’s Eve is a liminal time exploding with the energy of renewal, transformation, and change. Marking the end of one calendar year and the beginning of another, it offers a secular reason for people to celebrate together. As we look upon a new calendar year full of possibilities and opportunities, it is important to start off the right way. Along with making resolutions, I like to ring in the New Year with a bit of magic aimed at accomplishing my goals. removing obstacles over the next twelve months, calling in abundance, and protection. This is a time for celebrating the changing seasons by incorporating spells into your New Year’s Eve festivities. Doing this can set the tone for a vibrant, abundant, and magical calendar year ahead.

What is the new year?

The new year is a symbolic time to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. The new year is the beginning of a new calendar year. The new year is celebrated on January 1st in most countries that use the Gregorian calendar, including the United States. However, the new year is celebrated on different dates in other calendars, such as the Chinese, Jewish, and Islamic calendars.

History of the New year

While it seems secular now, New Year’s is actually very much tied to ancient pagan celebrations. Many of our modern traditions are passed down to us from the ancients cultures and peoples. New year celebrations go back at least to the Babylonians. The Romans took these celebrations to the next level with copious amounts of drinking, feasting, and partying.

The new year hasn’t always been celebrated on December 31st/ January 1st. In 2000 B.C. the new year was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March, in Mesopotamia. Today, most New Year’s celebrations start on New Year’s Eve, December 31, the final day of the year on the Gregorian calendar, and continue through New Year’s Day on January first.

The New Year a Liminal Time

As the old year fades away and the new one begins, we find ourselves in a liminal space. This is a time of transition and transformation, when anything is possible. It’s a time when we sit on the edge of one calendar year turning a page for another one to begin. The liminal space between one year ending and another beginning is a special time that should be embraced fully!

The New Year a time of abundance

When the calendar new year comes again it opens up a portal of abundance and wealth. The transition from one year to the next is seen as a chance to “clean the slate” and start anew, creating an optimistic outlook for the future. This includes the abundance of having all our needs met in life. This is a time when we set our intentions for the year ahead and what we all want to manifest. So, on this new years eve we do our best to have our life look like what we wish to manifest in the year ahead. We surround ourselves with an abundance of feasting, drinking, being around community, and loved ones as we ring in the new year ahead. We show the universe and the gods and goddesses all we wish for them to give us in the year ahead.

The New Year a time of reset

The calendar New year is the closing of one new year and the opening of another opening of a new one. This new start comes with a naturally feeling of renewal and reset. It is a chance to press the reset button on our lives, a chance to get it right this time. This is a time to relook at all the past year and reset for something brand new you have never seen before to unfold in front of you. If you want to learn how do to reset your entire life this new year’s eve check our my guide here.

Common folklore traditions

There are many different folklore and traditions around the world for how to celebrate New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve is usually celebrated by most with gathering alongside friends and family. Popular rituals include serving food that symbolizes good fortune and making resolutions focused on what one hopes to accomplish in the next year. Along side doing things to draw in good fortune and to protect yourself and the home from unwanted spirits to come into your home. Let’s take a look at some of the many but, certainly not all, of the ancient traditions and folklore from across the earthly realm I have found below.

  • Ancient Babylonians celebrated the new year with feasts and returning farm equipment that had been borrowed from others.
  • In Norse traditions, Yule celebrations ended around the new year. The last feasts of the Winter Solstice were huge on this final night to celebrate the turning of the wheel.
  • In both Ancient Egyptian and Greek societies they paraded a baby around to symbolize the beginning of the new year.
  • The romans would kiss each other at midnight to bring love and prosperity into the next year plus to also ward off unwanted and malevolent spirits.
  • For the Aztecs, this was a time to sacrifice children by drowning in order to buy the favor of the rain gods.
  • DON’T do any laundry on New Years Day. In china it’s thought if you do laundry on New years you are setting up your next year to be full of cleaning
  • Do NOT cry, crying on January 1st instills a sad and negative mood throughout the next 12 months.
  • Make sure you wake up at dawn. In fact, according to a Polish tradition, getting up early on New Year’s Eve will make you wake up to the crowing of the rooster (and without the slightest effort) for the rest of the year.
  • If your dream for the next year is to travel the world on New Year’s Eve in Colombia, people go around with an empty suitcase which, according to ancient superstition, would ensure a nice trip within the year.
  • Eat 12 grapes (one after the other) just like they do in Spain, where they are said to bring good luck.
  • Have black cabbage and lentils be apart of your new years feast like the do in the southern United states to call in good luck, prosperity, and wealth
  • According to the ancient Chinese tradition, on New Year’s Day, you should not clean the house, as removing the dust or sweeping the floor would literally “sweep” away the good luck and the good vibes that would have been attracted by the celebrations and decorations dedicated to the new year.
  • Observe the weather in the very early hours of January 1st; if the wind blows from the south, the new year will be rich and prosperous; if instead, it comes from the north, then the new year will be problematic and turbulent, so better fasten your seat belts. The wind from the east also brings famines and calamities, while the wind from the west means that the new year will be rich and lush.
  • According to an Italian tradition, men and women should wear red underwear on New Year’s Eve if they want to find love, passion, good sex, and good luck in the next year to come.
  • If you live or are celebrating near a lake or ocean, try out this Brazilian ritual on New Year’s Eve, which involves jumping seven waves. With each jump, you make a wish for the upcoming year.
  • An ancient Persian New year’s tradition that is still celebrated by some in Iran is to light a bonfire and once you do you jump over it twice. On the first jump you say a blessing releasing your past years pain into the flame and then on the jump back. You say a blessing asking for the health of the flame to bless your life in the coming year ahead.
  • Eat round foods. In many cultures, eating round foods on New Year’s Eve is believed to bring prosperity and abundance in the new year. In Europe and the United States, people eat 12 round fruits to represent each month of the year. In the Philippines, people eat 13, which is considered a lucky number.
  • Smash pomegranates. In Ancient Greece, pomegranates were viewed as a symbol of abundance and luck. On new years eve people were seen smashing pomegranates outside their doors to bring good luck to the new year. The more pomegranate seeds spilled in the smash, the more luck you’ll have for the new year.
  • In Denmark, they break plates this tradition is done to ward off malevolent spirits and is symbolic of a fresh start to the new year.
  • Preparing mochi, which is a Japanese rice cake, on New Year’s is symbolic of renewal and is seen to bring about blessings for the year.
  • Grab some bread and bang the bread against the walls. The Irish believe that doing so wards off malevolent spirits and brings abundance to the coming year.
  • Danish tradition includes standing on the chair and “jumping” into the new year at midnight. It’s also believed that if you forget, it’s bad luck. ( I do this one every year)

The New Year and Duality

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including sacred times like New year’s eve. I have always loved New Year’s Eve for it’s duality. It’s a time of reflection for me and a time to set my intentions for the new year. It’s a time to reflect on the past while looking towards the hope of the future ahead. It’s a time to not just look at what I want to change and let go of but, to congratulate myself for the all the mountains I climbed. It’s a time when I take a look at what worked from the past year and what didn’t. I am reminded of the constant ebb and flow in life, the constant change, and how to live in the balance of liminal transformation as one chapter ends and a new one begins.

Correspondences for the New year’s

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 or for A holiday or sacred time like the calendar New year. I will list below for you to use. Remember this is not an all encompassing list and there may be other correspondences to use. Just follow your intuition and use what calls to you.

  • Planet-Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Saturn
  • Animal-Deer, opossums, whichever Chinese zodiac we are in that Chinese New year
  • Element- All elements
  • symbol-sparkles, babies, fireworks, glitter, the clock, the Gregorian calendar, father time
  • colors-Silver, gold, red, white, black
  • Herbs/flowers- rosemary, clover, thyme, pine, cinnamon, Lavender, Basil, Oregano, Spearmint, Patchouli, bay leaves, sage, fennel, rose, Cardamom, mugwort, orange, apple
  • Stones/ crystals- carnelian, rose quartz, lapis lazuli, citrine, amethyst, malachite, tourmaline, clear quartz, smokey quartz, onyx, black jet, jasper, fluorite, moonstone, sunstone, pyrite, jade, amazonite, tigers eye
  • Deities-Janus, Celtic Holly King, Cronus, Strenua, Marduk, Tiamat, Hotei, Nehebkau, Osiris, Ganesha, Amun-Re, Odin, Frigg
  • Food/drinks- wines, beer, mead, collards, lentils, black cabbage, pork, soba noodles, mochi, rice cakes, fruits, round shaped foods, NO CHICKEN

Ways to work with the energy of New years

However you choose to work with the New year’s eve magic and energies make sure to follow your intuition where it leads you. Make sure you tap into the energies of abundance, renewal, and the closing of one chapter, and the opening of a new one. In your everyday life, you can work with any affirmations, mantras, and visualization work for abundance, new beginnings, endings, reflection, and the changing of the calendar year. Let’s take a look at some of the many different ways you can magical work with the energy of New year’s eve.

Imagine and set your New year SMART goals

One of the number one ways to celebrate new years eve is to sit down, let your imagination run wild and think of all the biggest and wildest goals you wish to set for the year ahead. This is the eve when you are observing the calendar year that you can really think big, let the walls down and don’t think about what you can’t have but, come from a mindset of abundance and focus on what you can have. But, don’t forget to not only let your imagination run with your goals but take the time to set them in a specific way by making them SMART goals. If you have been with me the last year I have written about SMART goals many times, but I do so because using this method changed how I was able to take those goals in my imagination and bring them to life. To learn all about SMART goals and how to set them this New Year’s eve head over to my guide here now!

Visualization

Visualization is great way to set intentions for the new year. This is going to be the practice I am really intentionally committing to this New years eve and all 2025 long. I’ve come to learn with my manifestation work in the past year just speaking things out loud is not enough. I must see myself already having what I want in my hands. So, close your eyes and imagine yourself surrounded by all of the things you want to manifest in the new year. Picture yourself living out your dreams, achieving success, and feeling fulfilled by all that you have accomplished. Hold onto this image as you move forward into the new year, knowing that it will come true if you put in the effort and stay focused on your goals.

Cast protection spells

New Year’s Eve is a liminal time where the energies around us are more susceptible to change. As we look upon a new year full of possibilities and opportunities, it is important to start off the right way. Protecting ourselves, our family, and our space is something essential to do before we commence into the new year. A New Year’s Eve Protection Spell can be a powerful tool to keep us safe and supported as we let go of the old year and prepare for the future. So cast those protection spells this New Year’s eve to protect you home, your family, and your life all year long. Ps. don’t forget to cleanse yourself, your tools, and your space as well before you cast your protection spells.

Reflection through Shadow work

Remember how New years eve is a liminal time. It is time when we are sitting on the edge of change and transformation. In order to move onto the next stage of evolution and change that we are greeting in the new year ahead we must first look back. We must look at the highest heights we reached and lowest depths we sank to down deep. We must decide what we want take from one chapter into the next and what we wish to leave behind. The best way to do this for me is through shadow work. If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here;  you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.

Release work spells

As we go into the new year ahead with hope for a bright future we have to make sure we have left the things we no longer need in the past. One way to do this is to make sure we energetically and magically release the things from the past year. One of my favorite ways to do this on New year’s eve is to write down the things I wish to release. The patterns in the past year that no longer serve me and I no longer wish to repeat. Along with the blockages I met during the past year to align with the correct energies to manifest all of my goals being met. Once I write them down I wait until the clock strikes 12 then I read them out loud and burn them in fire to release the blockage from life. To no longer carry any of that into my new chapter of life.

Abundance and good luck spells

With a New calendar year unfolding before us on New Year’s Eve this is a day we can set ourselves up for a long and prosperous year ahead. We can tap into that unlimited potential this magical unknown year has for us. There are countless different traditions you can do like some we talked about above from around the earthy realm that will bring in abundance and good luck. Along with just as many spells. One really poplar one I like is to place a bowl of coins outside my threshold. When you return home for the first time in the new year (perhaps after a late-night party),bless them for everything you want in the new year to come. To get more ideas for abundance and good luck spells head over to my Pinterest where I have many or check out my abundance guide and my guide all about Thursdays magic.

This spell is my favorite one to do every single New Year’s Eve. It masters the liminal space and energy of change on the night, the magic and mastery of time to bring in a very abundant, vibrant, and magical life in 2025.

Shortly before midnight on New year’s eve Grab 12 candles, I prefer to use white or green, 12 coins, and an herb bundle made of rosemary, thyme, sage, and bay leaves. Take your candles and set them on the floor in front of in a circle to mimic a clock and place one coin under each candle. Then get yourself into sacred container while you focus on what it is you want to manifest in the next year ahead. Once you feel you have a clear vision in your head and your intent is set, sit with it until the clock strikes midnight. Once the you hear the clock chime, start lighting each candle in your circle starting at the top aka 12 o’clock and going clockwise until all 12 candles are lit. Don’t forget to focus on your intention you are setting for the year ahead as you light each candle in your magical clock. Once this is done go around your entire home and smoke cleanse your space bringing in your most abundant year yet. Let the candles burn until they go out on their own or if you are not comfortable with that for safety reasons burn them for 12 minutes for each candle and then blow them out by 1 as the time is met.

Other ways to work with New Year’s Eve

  • Divination-pull some cards or do some mirror scrying. Ps. don’t forget you can always book me for a reading in the shop
  • Create a new year altar
  • Perform a gratitude ritual like writing a list of all the things you are grateful for and reading them out loud to the multiverse
  • Cast fertility spells to speed up your manifestation work done on new years eve night
  • Do a chord cutting or uncrossing ritual for ties you no longer need in your life ( you can find both on my pinterest page)
  • Stay up until the stroke of midnight and jump over a fire to release the pain of the past year and welcome in the health of the new year
  • Work with snow magic for your manifestation and intention set his year
  • Place coins on your window seal, and/or throw them threw your front door, and/or bury them outside your threshold for a constant money flow all year long
  • Tie a bulb of garlic to a red string and hang it above your front door to ward off any ill will for the new year and break hexes from the past year
  • self care rituals and spells to promote self worth
  • Open your front door at midnight and make a lot of noise to keep unwanted spirits away.
  • Write a wish or resolution on a piece of paper and burn it on New Year’s Eve, ideally at midnight.
  • Open all of your windows and doors to help reset and cleanse for the year ahead
  • Right before midnight switch off the lights in your home then right at midnight flip them back on to bring in new light and to symbolize the changing moment of the year
  • DO NOT eat chicken or you will bring in bad luck all year
  • Meditation focused on reflection and new beginnings
  • Open your front door right at midnight to greet and welcome the new year into your home
  • Hang a horseshoe above your front door to bring good luck into your home
  • Make sure your wallet is full of money and maybe even add a herb of abundance in there as well like bay leaves or clover
  • Do dream work or travel to the astral realm for guidance in the new year
  • Start a dream journal and a bullet journal
  • Declutter and cleanse your technology like your apps, email, social media
  • Create a good luck talisman or spell bag to carry with you throughout the year to come
  • walk a labyrinth
  • Make a spell jar to harness the manifestation, abundance, and renewal energy of the new year
  • Wish magic
  • Create a simmer pot to cleanse, purify, and protect your home
  • Write a letter to your future self to open at a later date when you need it during the year
  • Start a gratitude jar
  • Go on an intentional and mindful nature walk
  • Have a bonfire with friends and family until dawn then release our wishes and blockages into the fire
  • drink, dance, feast, and be merry
  • Do some sex magic either solo or with a partner to manifest your goals for the new year

Final thoughts

The New Year has long been used as a time to purge the old and add new meaning to life. In witchcraft, this is done by focusing our energy towards personal goals and intentions. No matter what type of witchcraft practice we choose, the New Year is a great time to reflect on the past and set intentions for the future. Set your eyes high on your highest goals, reflect on the past year to release blockages, reset your life, and protect your family, yourself, and your home. The new year comes with this magical potential in the air swirling all around us, that anything is imaginable in the coming year. With the start of a new cycle upon us, we have a portal of possibility to start fresh, redefine our lives, and cast our vision for the life we choose to live this coming year.

Don’t forget to check out my New year’s blog from 2024 here as well!

Come join me the first Saturday of January to revolutionize how you set your goals for 2025. Let me show you hand in hand how to create my personal development plan. You will leave with your entire years worth of SMART goals planned, a way to keep yourself accountable, and have a clear path on how you meet every goal you set. https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/4ZKQ6FXMUGGEJ

Have you been feeling stuck, emotionally unstable, missing joy in your life, or having a hard time connecting to yourself and your magic? Do you want to start the new year from a different headspace? I have the answer for you to start out this new year from a place feeling grounded, present, and ready to manifest your dream life. Come join me for this special one time only two day event teaching you how to integrate the practice of Mindfulness to your magic and life!

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without judgment. It allows you to move from just existing in life to thriving, get back to wise mind, create a place to heal and grow in, and most important of all, align you with joy while creating a life where you truly thrive! This skill is a core skill in DBT, the therapy that changed my life! To register for this special two day event visit the link below! https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/JY5UBMB2TA27L

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Working with the magic of Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th has held our fascination in culture for a long time now, for many it has gotten a bit of an infamous reputation even. Because, most of the beliefs are that this day is unlucky. While that is the case in some cultures and practices it’s not the case for all. For many, we see that by bringing the beautiful and loving energies of Friday and the transformative and whole energies of the number 13 together, Friday the 13th is in fact, a very powerful day. A day for feminine energy, manifestation, and creativity. We see the magic of this day and it’s energy mirrored in the 13 lunar cycles of the year and in the blood women shed each month. It is also an extremely powerful time of death and rebirth as it represents that mid-point in the cycle between something new emerging and something old slipping away. Friday the 13th is a day that invites us to explore the depths of our soul and embrace our spiritual journey. Join me under the night sky as you speak to the moon, to learn all about the magic you can harness on this mysterious and mystical day instead of being afraid.

History and legends of Friday the 13th as unlucky

To truly understand the significance of Friday the 13th, we need to delve into its historical origins, explore its spiritual interpretations, and unravel the common beliefs and myths associated with it. The number 13 has a long and intriguing history, steeped in superstition and lore. Its reputation as an unlucky number can be traced back to various ancient civilizations and cultural beliefs. In fact, fear of the number 13 even has a specific name: triskaidekaphobia. The fear of the number 13 is so strong that it has influenced architecture and design. Many buildings and hotels skip the thirteenth floor entirely, jumping from the twelfth to the fourteenth floor in a practice known as; “floor numbering avoidance.” Let’s take a look at some of the myths that have lead to this deep seated fear and feeling of being unlucky.

First up an example of this day being unlucky and it comes from Norse mythology. From what I can find this may even be the oldest one. There was a dinner party being held in Valhalla amongst the gods for all, but one. The trickster god loki was not invited. When he heard of this he decided to attend anyways as the 13th guest of the party. Than during the party he convinced Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow killing him. Thus marking this day as unlucky.

Next up, we look at Christianity where we see the number 13th portrayed again as being unlucky. This comes up in the story of the last supper when the one who betrayed Jesus was the 13th guest; Judas. Not only that, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday, which has led some to view the day as a symbol of suffering and sorrow adding more bad luck to this day for some. We see it again in history with Christianity and the knights templar as well. Many even trace the origins of Friday the 13th superstitions back to the day they were arrested. Which was on Friday, October 13, 1307 by French King Philip IV. Most were imprisoned and later executed. This association between the number 13 and betrayal has resonated throughout history and has contributed to the belief that it brings bad luck.

The energies of Friday the 13th

Throughout history, the number 13 has been steeped in mystery and superstition. In numerology, this number is often considered to be symbolic of change, transformation, and spiritual growth. It is believed to possess a powerful energy that can bring about both wanted and unwanted outcomes. Similarly, the day of Friday has its own spiritual connections. In many cultures, Friday is associated with the planet Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. It is seen as a day of romance, creativity, and spiritual connection. When you combine these two energies the ripe fertile energy of manifestation appears. It is said to be a day when the veil between the physical and spiritual realms is thin, allowing for deeper insights, heightened intuition and spiritual awakening.

Friday the 13th; A day of the goddess

Friday the 13th is not only seen as an unlucky day, but a day of deep beauty and fertility. Before patriarchal times, Friday the 13th was considered the day of the Goddess. It was considered a day to honor the Divine Feminine that lives in us all and to honor the cycles of creation and death and rebirth. With it being the day of the Goddess it is a beautiful day for creating and celebrating life. It is a lovely day for getting in tune with your emotions, sensitivities, and giving thanks to the beautiful Goddess that lives in us all. All this fertile divine feminine energy makes Friday the 13th, a very powerful day to manifest, honor creativity, and to celebrate beauty, wisdom, and nourishment of the soul.

Friday the 13th; manifestation and spiritual awakening

Friday the 13th is a very fertile day for setting intentions, visualizing goals, and engaging in rituals to bring about positive change in our lives. the combination of Friday, associated with Venus, the planet of love and abundance, and the number 13, which is associated with transformation and rebirth, creates a potent energy for manifesting desires and intentions. The alignment of these cosmic energies amplifies our ability to attract what we desire and manifest our dreams into reality.

Friday the 13th is also seen as an opportunity for deep introspection, self-reflection, spiritual awakening, and personal growth. Friday the 13th is seen as a time to delve into one’s inner world and confront any emotional or spiritual challenges that may be hindering our personal growth. It is believed that by embracing this day and its energies, we can embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, shedding old patterns and beliefs that no longer serve us.

Friday the 13th and duality

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including sacred times like Friday the 13th. Man does, this day have so much duality to it and honestly I hope I have made it obvious at this point throughout this post even. While most people think of Friday the 13th as something to be fearful of as a day full of bad luck, dreadful omens, and misfortune. It’s also a time that is fertile with beautiful and loving energy to guide you towards spiritual awakening and manifestation with creativity. You can’t get much more dualistic in energy then that. Plus this day is also connected to a very liminal pocket of time and energy. It’s a time of death and rebirth, representing the midpoint between something new and something old. 

Correspondences for Friday the 13th

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 or for time of the year like a month, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of mystical day like Friday the 13th. Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

Planet-Venus & the moon
Animal- Black cat
Element- Air & earth
colors-black, red, blue, white, pink
Symbol- Friday, the number 13, skulls, coffins, eggs, broken mirrors, ladders, black cats
Herbs-roses, rose buds, lavender, apples, saffron, hibiscus, heather, water lily, coltsfoot, Turmeric, Lion’s mane, Holy basil, Ashwagandha, Oregano, Echinacea, vervain, mistletoe, Rhodiola rosea
Stones/ crystals-rose quartz, peridot, aventurine, jade, rhodonite, lapis lazuli, garnet, coral, emerald, Celestite, pyrite, black tourmaline,
Deities-Aphrodite, Venus, Frigg, Freya, Inanna, Juno
Zodiac- Aquarius
Themes-bad luck, misfortune, duality, protection, manifestation, good luck, bad omens, divine feminine, the goddess, fertility, cleansing, love, beauty, glamor, transformation, spiritual awakening, creativity

Ways to work with the energy of Friday the 13th

As witches, we can associate a lot of great, and magical, things with Friday the 13th. Friday is ruled by Venus, the planet of love, harmony, and money. It’s a good day for self-care, self-love, and to make for some great Venusian-style hedonism. When it comes to this mysterious, mystical, and fertile day there are countless ways to work with it. I will go over some below.

Shadow work

One of my favorite ways to work with this energy is to tap into the very fertile energies prime for personal growth and spiritual awakening on this day is through shadow work. Shadow work on this day is profound leading us to places inside ourselves to release blockages to create a life we have always wanted to manifest. Guiding us to the inner goddess within the creative energy swirling in our womb space.  If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.

Sex Magic
Own your sexuality! Use your orgasms to set intentions. As you pleasure yourself or consensually with a partner, think of a goal that you want to achieve and attain. While climaxing, state the intention over and over. Being that sex and orgasms are full of fertile manifestation energy, you can make your visions true by manifesting them this way into your life. On top of that it adds a very intimate and magical layer to your sex life and relationship. To learn more about sex magic you can watch my class with Divination Academy on YouTube here.

Harness the bad luck for protection magic

A reality we all have to face in life is that from time to time we will need protection from energies that come our way. Whether it be from a thing, place, or person in our life. So, why not work with the unlucky energy that exists within this day to help you do that. This is one of my favorite ways to work with this day! Taking bad luck, harnessing it, and directing it towards others to protect you can really put a damper on others day. Plus you can get pretty creative with your hexes and curses you cast that are anchored in the energy of bad luck and misfortune. You can make them as elaborate or as simples as you want as well! From writing their name on a piece of toilet paper, then taking it and flushing it down the toilet to flush away all of their good luck and bring only bad luck from this day on. You can cast hexes to just annoy them throughout the day as well; like having one of their shoes never being able to stay tied, or losing sight of their phone every time they set it down. The last way I like to work with this bad luck energy is using it in my protection spells as an amplifier by using its energy in things like bad luck charms and spell bags. Or even weaving it’s energy into my reflective shield causing bad luck and misfortune to befall anyone who sends unwanted energy my way.

Other ways to work with Friday the 13th

  • Manifestation magic and rituals
  • Abundance and fertility spells
  • Divination
  • binding and banishing spells
  • Make good luck charms and pouches
  • womb healing
  • Work with the goddess of Friday Venus, Freya, Aphrodite
  • Beauty magic, and glamors
  • Cleansing and purification spells
  • Speak to the moon
  • take a ritual bath to promote self care and boost self worth
  • Cast karma spells using the energy of bad luck from Friday the 13th
  • Leave 13 pennies on your altar and bury some at each door to your home to call in abundance
  • Work with the divine feminine and dark goddesses for healing and transformation magic like, Lilith, Nyx, Baba yaga, Sekhmet, Persephone, and more!
  • Scream your biggest worries and troubles into a jar, seal it shut, and bury it in the earth if you can
  • Bay leaf Manifestation ritual
  • Do a burn release ritual or ceremony
  • Love on some black cats
  • Mirror magic
  • Cast spells for peace, harmony, friendship, and strengthening relationships
  • Make a poppet of someone who has done you harm in your life, then place somewhere dark and keep it there until the next Friday the 13th or you want to bring them back into the light
  • Break up spells and love spells
  • Lunar magic
  • Set SMART goals, and intentions for manifestation
  • Death and rebirth magic, maybe even had to a graveyard for some graveyard magic
  • Inner child healing and healing the mother wound
  • Get creative and artistic today

Friday the 13th manifestation spell

Use this spell I created below with me today, to manifest 13 of your deepest wishes and dreams with the divine feminine and the energy of 13!

This spell is meant to use the ripe and fertility energy of Friday the 13th to manifest your wishes and dreams. What you will need is a cauldron or fire safe bowl, a marker, a white candle and 13 bay leaves.

When you are ready to begin get yourself into sacred container by visualizing white, warm, feminine energy surrounding you. Once you feel anchored in your container focus on 13 things you want in your life right now and focus on them clearly with every detail in your minds eye. Then take your 13 bay leaves and write one manifestation/wish on each bay leaf as you visualize it being in your life. Once done focus on the energy and number of 13 and light your candle sitting within the cauldron or bowl. Next, focus on the flame and as you burn each bay leave in the flame releasing your wish to the multiverse say. “ By the power of 13, my wishes I burn. By the power of 13 all my dreams come to me.”

Final thoughts

While some associate this day with bad luck and misfortune, others perceive it as a time of powerful manifestation and spiritual awakening. It is up to each individual to decide how they want to interpret and engage with the energies of this unique day. Friday the 13th is a day that invites us to explore the depths of our soul and embrace our spiritual journey. It is a time to release fears and embrace the unknown, trusting that the universe has a plan for us. By understanding the spiritual meaning of Friday the 13th, we can navigate this day with confidence and harness its powerful energy to manifest our desires and cultivate a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us. Embrace the magic and mystery this day holds and use it as a catalyst for spiritual awakening and transformation. Remember, the power lies within you to make any day, even Friday the 13th, a day of growth, abundance, and spiritual connection.

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The magic of working with Pumpkins

Autumn is a magical time, perfect for witchcraft, as we approach the latter half of the year and the long, dark, cold, months of Winter drawing near. In witchcraft we use many things in our lives as tools for our spell work from nature or our home, like one of the most popular symbols and flavors of fall; Pumpkins. Pumpkins are synonymous with the autumn season we see them everywhere; especially around Halloween / Samhain and carrying through the month of November until Thanksgiving here in the USA. But, Pumpkins and gourds have been used for centuries in magic though as a form of protection, a connection to abundance and fertility, a boost to love and more. Let’s take a look at the biggest fruit, full of seeds of potential inside, who takes center stage during the spooky and fall season; the pumpkin in this blogpost.

Pumpkins what are they?

The pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo, is a type of Winter Squash though technically it is classified as a berry! The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word Pepõn, which means large melon. Most pumpkins are typically large, round and ribbed and of a distinctive orange color. However, they can also be white, green, yellow and other shades depending on the cultivar, as there are 3 or 4 different kinds of pumpkins overall. Harvested in October, this nutritious and versatile orange fruit features flowers, seeds and flesh that are edible and rich in vitamins. The pumpkin, though popular in many places throughout the world today, is native to North America and Mexico and has been cultivated since at least 7000 BCE. They were even a common crop to be planted and grown before beans and corn.

Medicinal properties of Pumpkins

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pumpkins aren’t just the most popular fall flavor and a common witches’ tool set out on our front doorsteps but, they are incredibly healthy for us as well. Pumpkins are loaded with nutrients that can boost your immune system and help you stay healthy like vitamin C, E, and A. Pumpkins are also high in carotenoids, which are compounds that can function as antioxidants and some believe may help protect against certain cancers like, stomach, throat, pancreas and breast cancers. The health benefits keep rolling in with them being high in potassium, vitamin C and fiber, which have been linked to having heart benefits. Plus these popular fruits can help you stay looking younger since they are loaded with nutrients that are great for your skin. Pumpkin seeds can also help boost your mood. They contain tryptophan which helps boost serotonin.

Magical themes of Pumpkins

In witchcraft every single ingredient and tool we use in our spells and rituals has magical themes and energies it can align with and be used for. Pumpkins are no different. They can be used in spells, rituals, or charms to enhance your fertility, boost your manifestation, and connect you to the gratitude of the harvest. They can be utilized to attract wealth, success, and opportunities for financial growth. Don’t forget the most common magical use of all; calling on them to aid in protecting your home and guarding your threshold. Take a look below for some more themes you can use pumpkins for in your magical workings, spells, and rituals. . Don’t forget you can use all parts of the pumpkin too! Especially the seeds for potent fertility spell workings.

  • Protection
  • Divination
  • Prosperity
  • Healing
  • Good health
  • Death
  • The harvest
  • Gratitude
  • Abundance
  • Good luck
  • The dead
  • Love and matters of the heart
  • Fertility
  • Transformation

Pumpkins in myths and lore

Pumpkins are a true symbol of Autumn and spooky season, most likely because, that’s when they are harvested. We’ve also seen them as part of Fall and spooky season festivals and celebrations for thousands of years across cultures especially during Samhain. Below are a few myths and common lore we have involving pumpkins.

The Origin of carving pumpkins

The act of carving faces into a vegetable originates with the Scots and Irish but they didn’t carve pumpkins in ancient times, they carved vegetables like turnips or potatoes. Later on, after the Scotts-Irish migrated to the New World, they brought their Samhain traditions with them but, started to use the native fruit of the land pumpkins instead. The frightening faces carved into pumpkins were thought to serve as guardians. People believe these glowing, eerie faces could scare away malevolent and confused spirits, and other dark entities, keeping homes safe during the Samhain season when the veil is pulled back from the other side.

The origin of the Jack o lantern

The term Jack o lantern actually originated in England and is linked to a supernatural phenomenon called Ignis Fatuus or “foolish fire”. This is an eerie, spectral light that sort of bobbs and dances. It seduces people off the beaten path and often to their death. In addition to the jack o’ lantern being a spook light, the name also has a couple legends behind it and refers to a character or man named jack or stingy jack who made a deal with the devil. Because of this deal with the devil, he is not permitted to go to Heaven or Hell and is doomed to wander the earth forever with a glowing carved turnip ( now pumpkin) as his head.. And apparently he amuses himself and passes the time by leading people to their doom down dark and haunted paths on Halloween night.

Other mentionings of pumpkins

According to a Huron creation story, pumpkins arose when a divine woman died in childbirth. All of the plants necessary for life sprang up from her body: Beans grew from her legs, corn sprang from her body, and pumpkin vines grew from her head.

In religions that sprang from the Africa, pumpkins are associated with several major deities, particularly Oshun and Shango. Oshun is a goddess of rivers, love, and fertility, which echoes the connections between pumpkins, the element of Water, and the concepts of fertility and abundance as seen in other cultures and traditions.

Duality and Pumpkins

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including the tools and spell ingredients I use. Pumpkins are full of duality in the properties they represent and energies they allow us to work with. On one hand they are a symbol of prosperity and abundance. Connecting us to the unlimited and generous flow of abundance calling it INTO our lives. While on the other hand they connect us to the energy of death and protection. Being a common symbol sitting at our front doors protecting our homes and threshold by keeping unwanted entities and spirits OUT.

We can’t forget that the most popular time to work with this tool is in the fall when they are being harvested and there are plenty to go around. The fall season is a really unique pocket of liminal space and time for us to connect to duality. We get to be surrounded by the bounty and abundance of the fall harvest and all the joy, celebration and gratitude that brings. While we are also confronted with the reality of nature beginning to die around us and the dark cold winter that is very soon going to be upon us.

Correspondences for the Pumpkin

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 or for a magical tool/ fruit the pumpkin, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of the pumpkin. Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

  • Planet- moon
  • Gender- feminine
  • Day-Monday
  • Element- water and Earth
  • Crystals-Orange calcite, citrine, pyrite, heliodore, moonstone, onyx, obsidian,
  • colors-oranges, whites, reds, yellow, greens
  • Deities-Oshun, Nicneven, Priapus, Woden, Osris, Loki, Persephone, Cerrunnos, Dionysus, lady hel, lakshmi, hades, Saraswati, hekate, Janus, Anubis, fide, The Morrígan,Parvati, Shango
  • Holidays- Lughnasadh, Diana’s Festival, Mabon, Samhain, the fall harvest, Alfablot
  • Zodiac-Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus, Scorpio

Ways to work with the pumpkin

We’ve talked a lot about pumpkins in this post so far, including the magical themes associated with them. Those themes are the energies we can connect to with Pumpkins. They are how we can use them to build our spells and rituals. You have many options on how you want to include them in your spells and rituals and many different ways to work with them. Below you will find a list I put together of some ideas for spells, rituals, and ways you can work with them using the themes and magic we can harvest in each rounded and fruitful one.

  • Use their seeds as a spell ingredient for potent fertility spells in spell packets, spell jars, offerings at altars and more
  • Save their stems and grind them up to add to wish spells and manifestation magic
  • Abundance magic
  • Carve the pumpkin in a scary face and use it as a protection spell for samhain
  • Use the pumpkin in kitchen magic making pies, cakes, soups or drinks as abundance and fertility spells or to bless your home and hearth
  • Add a candle to the inside of a carved out pumpkin and use it for fire scrying
  • Carve sigils of protection and blessings in them and add them to your altar, hearth, or front door
  • Add them to your Samhain altar for your ancestors to represent death and transformation
  • Write an intention or goal for the spring and bury it in the ground with some seeds for them to grow in the spring
  • Write something you wish to release and let die and bury in the ground with old pumpkins to allow them to be released to the earth
  • Place 7 pumpkin seeds into a green spell bag or packet and place it in your wallet or purse and carry it around to attract prosperity
  • Paint an Algiz, Uruz, or Tyr rune on a pumpkin and place by the front door for protection during the Samhain season
  • Visit a pumpkin patch to soak up the abundance and fertility of the land they grow from
  • Carve a heart and the person’s name you love into the bottom of the pumpkin then light a red candle inside to attract their love into your life
  • Use them as portal magic when the veil is thinned during Samhain
  • Give them as offerings for graveyard magic or to deities of the dead
  • Hold a small pumpkin while working on balancing and aligning your sacral chakra
  • Get 3 smaller pumpkins and paint or carve symbols of fertility on them. Then mediate while focusing on them and thinking about what you would like to bring into life
  • Take a carved pumpkin and place a wish written on a bay leaf inside the pumpkin and bury it in the ground before sunrise

Pumpkin Scrying with water

There are countless forms of divination across the Earth using many different tools. Pumpkins can be powerful tools for divination, particularly in the practice of scrying due to their connection to transformation. Scrying is a form of divination that involves gazing into a reflective or translucent surface to receive visions or insights. Using pumpkins for scrying combines the seasonal magic of autumn with ancient divination practices.

How to perform pumpkin scrying

Hollow Out the Pumpkin- Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Save the seeds for fertility magic spells for later
Smooth the Interior- Scrape the interior walls until they are smooth.
Create a Reflective Surface- place a small mirror at the bottom of the pumpkin before adding water. This enhances the reflective quality of the water.

Fill the Pumpkin with Water-Pour clean water into the hollowed-out pumpkin, filling it to about three-quarters full.
Create sacred container- Do this in any way that works for you but, I recommned lighting black and white candles and setting them around the pumpkin to enhance the reflection

Gaze into the Water-Look into the surface of the water, allowing your gaze to soften. Don’t force any images to appear; simply observe and remain open to any visions or impressions.
Interpret Your Visions-Take note of any shapes, symbols, or scenes that appear in the water. Trust your intuition to interpret their meanings.

Samhain Pumpkin Protection Spell

Like we talked about above pumpkins were thought to be used as very strong symbols of protection during the fall especially when the veil was it’s thinnest during Samhain. While the veil is pulled back and entities, spirits, and the dead walk among us and come out to play. Don’t forget to protect your threshold. Making sure only those you wish to cross it on that hallowed eve are the ones who can.
Try this protection spell using a carved pumpkin on that night to give those unwanted spirits ghosts and entities a fright! I will even pull this spell out during different times of the year if my home ends up with an increased about of spirit activity for some reason.

What you will need:

A carved pumpkin, white candles, bay leaves, rosemary, sage, coriander, cloves

How to perform:

First take your white candles and set them in your pumpkin envisioning them bringing protection and being the guardian of your home this hallowed night. Next add your herbs of protection and connection to the dead to your pumpkin leaving out the bay leaves. Then take your bay leaves and add them one by one while saying out loud the names of the passed loved ones you would like to be able to cross your threshold and enter your home this hollowed night. After that take the top and with a deep breath seal the spell inside. Knowing this pumpkin will be the one now to decide who will come into your home on this hallowed night.

Kitchen Magic; Baking a pumpkin pie to bless your home

Kitchen magic is a very powerful type of magic that fills up the walls of your home. Allowing you to bless those you love while you can also create memories together and then fill their bellies with food. One common item to be baking right now especially with Thanksgiving at the end of this month when families will gather for a meal is a pumpkin pie. The entire process of making and baking the pie becomes a magical ritual. The spices used have their own magic properties helping you create your spell. You can then draw sigils or symbols in the pie crust before baking to add more magic and blessings for those you choose to serve it too.

Pumpkin Prosperity spell

Pumpkins are a significant sign of abundance and fertility for the fall. Think about when you cut open a pumpkin, it’s absolutely packed with seeds, each representing the possibility of new life and expansion. They can also be used to represent long term abundance as pumpkins can be kept for a long time before they start to decay. Another reason why they are plentiful for the fall harvest during this time right now. Try this prosperity spell using the very fertile and abundant pumpkin and watch your money flow get so much richer.

What you will need:
A piece of pumpkin
3 bag leaves
A pen
A piece of twine
A dollar bill
7 pumpkins
Cinnamon- abundance
Sugar- to sweeten the results and add speed
Rosemary-connection the dead
Basil-abundance/wealth
Nutmeg-abundance

How to perform:
Get yourself into sacred container focusing your energy and breath on abundance, prosperity and what it feels like to have more than all your needs met.
Then take your piece of pumpkin and sprinkle each one of your herbs on the entire thing continuously focusing on abundance and prosperity.
Next take your bay leaves and write the dollar amount you wish to receive on each of the three.
Take your pumpkin piece in your hand and as you envision that dollar amount coming to you freely grab it, the dollar bill and your three leaves and use the twine to bind and wrap the money to you and your family securely around your bright golden piece of pumpkin.
Once securely tied with the magic of a binding knot and your hand go outside somewhere you can bury it into the land. When you have your spot take your spell in your hand and recite out loud as you bury it into the ground.
” Pumpkin, pumpkin tightly bound bring your prosperity to me from the ground.
Pumpkin, pumpkin rich and bright bring this prosperity to me day and night.”

Now watch the money amount you requested begin to flow to you and your home.

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The Night of Hecate; Meet the goddess of witches at the crossroads

Hail Hecate! Hail the dark goddess of witchcraft and the crossroads on the night of Hecate!

To some she is Hecate, others Hekate. For many, she comes without a name revealing herself by the howl of her hounds during times of great personal pain and loss. To others she is the triple goddess connecting us to the phases of life as the maiden, the mother, and the crone. While some observe Hecate on the Deipnon, the dark moon, others dedicate a specific day , November 16th, as a time to work with her energy for protection, wisdom, and guidance. November 16th is known as the night she haunts the crossroads with her hounds and we follow the glow of her torch to answer her call. On this night we are meant to leave an offering at the crossroads to Hecate and ask Her to keep us safe from the storms of life, or even better, just keep the damaging and dangerous storms away completely. You can also go to her this evening to get clarity on your path and to appease the dead who wander the earth behind her each night.

What is Hecate night and why we honor it?

November 16th is called Hecate’s Night. On this night she roams the earth with her hounds hearing pleas from us as we stand at the crossroads. This is also the night that new initiations are made for Witches who follow her and a time known for them to gain more access and clarity into her magical ways. The Night of Hecate is a time to celebrate Hecate, and her association with transitions and the crossroads. It’s a time to go to her seeking wisdom and guidance for the year ahead. To give gratitude and thanks for her protection and aid given to those who are oppressed, marginalized, or caught in-between.

Who is Hecate?

There is much to learn about Hecate from the written records, but for a witch to truly know Hecate, we need to experience her. Hecate is a complex goddess with a long history. Hecate is an ancient Greek Goddess often associated with the Underworld, witchcraft, necromancy, crossroads, the spiritual realm, and the moon and so much more. She is the Goddess of Witchcraft, a guide along the path, and the universal Keeper of the Keys. The Guide who leads us back to our soul. And she is a face of The Great Mother, creatrix and destroyer of all. She is a liminal spirit – she guards the thresholds between the human and spirit world. She is the bringer of power and healing. She spins the wheel of time, weaving her magic and mystery throughout. The fiery spark that lives in all the universe.

To learn more about her you can watch my detailed class with DiviNation Academy, to hear myths she is apart of, her different origins, and more below!

Hecate Correspondences to use for Offerings

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 an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently, or a deity, like I will list below for you to use .Follow your intuition and use what speaks to you!

  • Planet- the moon
  • Animal-snakes, owls, hounds, sheep, crows
  • Element- Earth
  • Zodiac-aries, capricorn, scorpio
  • Sex-feminine
  • Symbol- keys, torches, the crossroads, the underworld, the wheel,, sword, 13
  • Colors-Red, black, silver
  • Herbs-lavender, mandrake, dandelion, yarrow, wormwood
  • Stones/ crystals-obsidian, black tourmaline, moonstone, ruby, jasper, labradorite,
  • Foods-garlic, honey, eggs, pomegrantes
  • Tarot card- The moon

Hekate’s Night Ritual- Hekate’s supper

Hekate’s ancient devotees held dinners in her honor known as Hecate Suppers or Hecate’s Deipnon which is Greek for supper. This ancient festival that honors the goddess Hecate, traditionally was held on the night of the New Moon aka the dark moon every month for some. While others set aside one day of time every year on November 16th to hold theirs. This supper was traditionally known as a time to honor Hecate as the goddess of the crossroads, the underworld, witchcraft, and to purify one’s household and spirit in ancient Greece.

On Hekate’s Night, food offerings were given to Hekate and her hounds, that they loved from the correspondences listed above. These offerings of food were both enjoyed by those celebrating the feast AND left out by the front door (the “crossroad” between indoors and outdoors, between one’s private space and public spaces) or at a crossroad, on a (perishable) plate or flat stone, as an offering to Hecate as she roams the Earth by night with her sacred hounds. inviting her protection, wisdom, and guidance inside.

This Hecate night why not do the same? Prepare your meal, host your feast with your fellow witches if you would like, make your heartfelt petition to her, and then go to your front door or a crossroads nearby. Make your invocation and petition for her to answer as she roams by this night. Tonight is a good time to ask for her assistance to release something from your life. Once you do then walk away from your plate without looking back. Encountering or hearing a dog is a good indication that your petition has been heard by Hecate and her sacred hounds and you will be getting an answer back.

The second part to this feast is the aspect of charity. Charity was important when honoring Hecate because she is commonly known for being the goddess to guide and protect those who are lost, down trodden, and consider themselves broken souls. So, don’t forget to make sure to find a way to help others in a charitable way. This doesn’t have to be humans either your acts of charity can extend to animals as well. Especially anything that involves dogs like taking in a stray, donating to a wildlife preserve, or donating your time and money to the ASPCA. This practice shows compassion for those whom she looks after the most and/or her sacred hounds.

The last part if you want to keep it as traditional as you can is the purification and cleansing of your home and spirit. Historically, people would fumigate or “smoke-cleanse” the doorstep where the offerings were left, after they’ve cleaned up the remnants. Along with cleansing their home and property as well. If you held your Hecate Night at the crossroads and only left biodegradable items, you can skip this step at your threshold. But, I still recommend to cleanse yourself and the space where you held your dinner at.

Other ways to connect to Hecate

Other than hosting a Hecate supper, leaving an offering at your threshold, and going to meet her and her hounds outside at a crossroads. Here are some other ways to work with Hecate for the next 24 hours for Hecate night and even beyond. Remember; it’s important to approach her with respect, reverence, gratitude and by building a relationship with her. Every time you work with a deity it is an even energetic exchange; which means what you put into your intention when working with them and building your relationship to them is what you get back.

  • Study and get to know more about her. Learn about her myths, legends, worship, and about the culture and region of Greece she comes from
  • Add her to an existing altar or create a new one just for her alone
  • Ask for her guidance using divination like a pendulum and tarot cards
  • Write a petition for protection read out loud under the light of the moon, then burn it, and wait for the sounds of hounds to be heard
  • Ask for her guidance in shadow work- If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here;  and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here. And don’t forget to register for new 6 week workshop series Embracing your shadow here!
  • Care for her most sacred animals dogs in anyway you can
  • Include Herbs in any of your spells today like for protection, transition, and awakening your magic
  • Perform lunar magic and spells associated with the moon since it’s the planet she is ruled by
  • Do spirit work or graveyard magic since she is the gatekeeper to the spirit realm
  • Work with deities of the underworld like Persephone and hades along side her
  • Menstrual magic using your menstrual blood since she a goddess of life and death attaching her to our womb
  • Ask for her to hold the torch and light the way during womb healing
  • Threshold magic
  • Key magic to unlock things locked away and hidden

Black Candle Protection Spell With Hecate

One of Hecate’s most revered qualities is her role as a protector. She is often invoked in spells and rituals when seeking to safeguard oneself or loved ones from harm, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Use this spell tonight to do just that.

What you will need:

  • A black candle
  • Oil of your choosing
  • A pin or something to carve with
  • A piece of black obsidian
  • garlic
  • mugwort
  • Lavender

How to perform spell:

First, once you have all of your supplies ready go ahead and get yourself into sacred container with your black candle sitting right in front of you. Focus on the situation or person you are seeking Hecate’s aid in protection from. Once you have the situation or person in your minds eye focus on the power of Hecate removing it from your life. Then with a deep breath take your pin and draw a symbol or sigil of Hecate into your candle while continuing to focus on what her aid and protection will feel like and bring. Next, take your herbs and mix them together and continue to focus on the sense of her protection. Once, they are mixed set them aside and grab your oil to anoint your candle. Once, your candle is covered in oil roll it in your herbs towards you calling Hecate’s protection to you and your life. Now, with your candle dressed in your oil and herbs set it back down in front of you. Focusing on the sigil/symbol you engraved into your candle light your black candle. As you light the black candle hold your piece of obsidian in your hand and focus on your intention of invoking Hecate’s protection. Visualize her presence surrounding you, a powerful goddess of the night, standing at the crossroads, holding torches that light your way. Say the following invocation or something similar that resonates with you:

“Hecate, goddess of the crossroads and queen of the night,

I call upon your power, your wisdom, your light.

Protect me now, as you’ve done before,

Shield me from harm, forevermore.

With this flame, I summon your might,

Keep me safe through the day and the night.”

Let the candle burn for at least 13 minutes or the rest of Hecate’s night as you envision a protective barrier forming around you. When you blow the candle out at the time that intuitively resonates with you, give thanks for Hecate’s fearsome protection she aided you with today. Then place the candle on your altar and come back and relight it at the next dark moon if you feel more protection from the situation or person is needed.

Orphic Hymn to Hekate (translated and sung by Melissaofthebees)

You can listen to it here!

I call Hekáte of the roadside, lovely god where three roads meet.

In sky, on earth, and in the ocean, yellow gown upon her form.

At tombs she celebrates the Bacchic rites with souls of those long dead.

Daughter of the Titan Persēs, fond of solitude and deer.

By night, protectress of the dogs, she is a most enchanting queen.

Barking dogs announce her passing. She’s unbound and fair of face.

On her head the bull-horn headdress, lady, priestess of the world.

Ruler, damsel, and our nursemaid, wandering the mountainsides.

With her worshippers, she’s present, maiden at the holy rites.

Always gracious when one worships with a god-like bull-horned zeal!

Refrain: I call Hekáte of the roadside, lovely god where three roads meet

How to know she is calling to you this Hecate’s night

I get asked this question every time I write or teach about a goddess. Remember, signs and messages appear in many different ways and are unique to the individual. It’s ultimately up to you to discern by opening up your clares, paying attention and listening to your intuition. Also, remember you can choose to work with her as well even if you don’t feel her calling to you. You can be the one to begin building that relationship by reaching out. Below is a list of some ways that you may know she is reaching out to you and beckoning you to meet her at the crossroads this Hecate night.

  • The number 13 keeps popping up everywhere
  • You hear dogs howling at night from nowhere
  • She shows up to you in your dreams
  • You keep finding yourself at either figurative or literal crossroads
  • Hecate’s symbols are repeating: the key, crossroads, torch, dagger, Hecate’s wheel
  • You’re drawn to graveyards and cemeteries
  • You are in a situation you are seeking protection from a person or situation
  • You’ve had a spiritual experience (either positive or terrifying) at a crossroads in the woods
  • You work with Persephone, Hades, or other deities of the Underworld
  • You’re new to the craft and need guidance but don’t know who to turn to
  • You are ready to break free from an unhealthy cycle
  • Hecate comes into witches’ lives who are pregnant and dying (during major transitions in life)
  • You’re seeing a white dog(s) everywhere you go (in real life or on TV, etc.)
  • The triple goddess moon symbol is showing up often in your life
  • Hecate’s name keeps showing up in your daily life (in random conversations, books, TV shows, online, etc.)
  • You love working with animals, in particular dogs
  • Stray dogs tend to find you and want you to take them in
  • You feel you are apart of a down trodden, marginalized, or targeted group of people
  • You were born under a Dark Moon or on Hecate Night
  • You seeking aid in the fight for equality and equity
  • Spirits communicate with you and have your entire life

It’s for you to discern and decide if you will listen to her hounds howling and follow the glow of her torch light as a guide at the crossroads this Hecate’s night.

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The magic of working with Apples

The air is getting a little crisper, and chillier as it blows through the trees around us. The leaves are following the cycle of the season as they change into their vibrant fall colors. We feel the pull to get outside in nature and soak up this changing season and the beauty fall has to bring us. One popular fall activity does just that as we find ourselves walking through an apple orchard and feel the living, moving, earth-shattering energy that swirls invisibly around us. Wrapped up in each juicy, ripe, colorful apple waiting for us to pick from the branches they weigh down. As we walk among the rows of the orchard, growing the food even cherished by the gods, we feel the magic of Autumn itself. As the veil thins during this season, we become more attuned to the other world, and the thinning of the veil. It’s a time when we can cast some potent spells and rituals connected to transition, gratitude, abundance, duality, protection, and accessing our ancestors. Let me show you in this blogpost how that basket of apples you just picked in the orchard can be a magical tool in all of these different kinds of spells and rituals!

Apples what are they?

Apples (Malus domestica) are among the most common fruits eaten in the US and Europe. This is because they grow just about anywhere! Apple trees have been cultivated for over 4,000 years, with origins in Central Asia. Although we do also know they’ve been grown in Europe for thousands of years and were brought to North America with European immigrants over the past few centuries. The apple tree’s ability to self-pollinate makes it a resilient tree and allows it to have many different varieties of colors, tastes, and sizes. Their five-petaled flowers appear in the spring blooming with a brilliant fragrance. The petals are white on top and pink underneath as they bloom. The fruit appears in late summer and ripens in autumn. The fruit can be red, yellow, green, or streaked red with yellow.

Medicinal properties of apples

Many have heard the common phrase ” An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” What if there was some truth to that? Apples are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, making them beneficial for overall health from boosting your immune system to aiding in weight management. Apples have been used for centuries in healing remedies, thanks to their antioxidants. Apples are great to use to treat constipation, other digestion issues, and even support a balanced gut microbiome. Apples contain malic and tartaric acids which helps neutralize the chemicals associated with gout even! Apples have even been linked to reducing the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and certain types of cancer. They even clean your teeth! The act of eating a whole apple (not sliced and peeled) cleans the teeth and freshens the breath. It helps remove plaque and pushes back the gums to remove deposits.

Symbolism of the apple in magic, lore, and myths

Apples are a true symbol of Autumn and Winter, most likely because, that’s when they are harvested. We’ve also seen them as part of Fall and Winter festivals and celebrations for thousands of years across cultures. But, don’t be fooled while apples are a key focus of fall they are seen throughout the year as well in different cultures. So, don’t be afraid to use them year round. Not only do we see them in festivals throughout the year we also see them apart of many myths and lore. So, many I’d never be able to cover them all here. From seeing the apple as a center piece to Christianity, a gift of healing in Celtic lore, a way to immortality in Norse mythology, an agent of chaos and discord causing the Trojan war, to it popping up in modern pop culture delivering poison to a princess.

First up, in Western and European lore, apples are strongly used to symbolize forbidden knowledge (aka sin), divine wisdom, and self-awareness. We see this in one of the most commonly known myths from the bible and Christianity, which includes Eve ( the first women according to all versions after king James), a serpent, the garden of Eden, and of course an apple!

According to Christian lore, Eve was the first woman who lived alongside the first man Adam in paradise aka the garden of Eden. They were to use the garden as it’s home and care for it’s creatures. But, for some reason neither Adam nor Eve were supposed to ever eat the fruit from this ONE tree within the garden. God himself had commanded them not too. Than one day along came a serpent (aka Satan) slithering his way into the garden and into Eve’s ear. Where he convinced her to grab an apple (aka divine wisdom) from the forbidden tree and to take a bite. She than convinced Adam to do the same. God got pissed for their disobedience and exiled them from the garden and gave Eve the bonus punishment of childbirth for being the first to take a bite.

Next up, we see the apple as a symbol of healing, immortality, and the dead in a few key Celtic, Norse, and Germanic traditions and lore. In the Prose Edda, a key writing to reference for Norse Mythology; the goddess Idunn is the guardian of an apple orchard that grows apples of eternal youth a.k.a. immortality for the gods. Also, in the Old Norse tradition, the alfablot was a sacrifice to the elves/alfar and one of the most commonly used offerings was, you guessed it, apples! In Celtic myth, the enchanting fairy goddess Cliodhna; offers apples of healing and immortality to journeying heroes in the Celtic Otherworld. We see apples again in Celtic traditions as the food of the dead where it is used as an offering to them at different festivals. Like, Samhain which is coincidently also known as the feast of apples. It was also said in Celtic lore, that a magical apple branch called the silver bough allowed the person who held it to pass into the Otherworld safely.

In other myths like with the Greeks, apples symbolize love, beauty, discord, and war. They are often associated with deities like Zeus, Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, and Eris. My favorite Greek myth involving apples involves the goddess of discord Eris and the cause of the famous Trojan war. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War is probably the most famous event. Today, anyone with any knowledge of the war assumes that it began as a result of the abduction of Helen. But the abduction of Helen by Paris is just one starting point, and preceding this was another starting point where the goddess Eris and a golden apple was involved.

Zeus had arranged for Peleus ( a greek hero) to marry the sea nymph Thetis, so he decided to throw a huge wedding ceremony and celebration. This wedding was so big all of the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon were invited to the festivities; all except for the goddess of discord Eris. Who of course found out about the festivities AND that she was the only one not invited. Being the goddess of discord she decides to crash the party in a fit of rage, bringing with her a gift to throw in their faces and cause a little chaos. Now, there are a few different versions and theories as to how she got this gift and if you want to hear them all you can listen to me tell them here. But when she arrives, in hand she has a golden apple with the inscription ” to the fairest of them all”. She takes it and tosses it into the room amongst those who rejected her and watches the discord fall upon them all. You see that shiny golden apple would cause a fight between three goddesses (Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite) to claim it that would start a war between human kingdoms resulting in many to fall.

To the Ancient Romans apples were so sacred and important they were to be treasured and guarded. So, much so, this one fruit had their own deity to preside over and protect them! Her name was Pomona. Unfortunately, she’s one of those pagan deities whom most of their information has been lost to history. What I can find about her, is that she was a virginal nymph of the woods who married the personification of Autumn, named Vertumnus. They were a very fertile and passionate match which made them the reason for the bountiful apple harvest every fall. We would see them honored when offerings would be left for them at the edges of orchards. Apples pop up again with the Romans during the festival of Diana, when apple boughs were carried around for luck and prosperity.

We see the apple pop up in English lore and myth as well with the Isle of Avalon. The Isle of Avalon is a mythical island in Arthurian legend that is said to be a place of magic and healing. It is described as a utopian paradise, a fairyland island that is said to be lost in the mists of time. Ruled by the enchantress Morgan le Fay and her eight sisters. This sacred Isle of Avalon is also known as, you guessed it, the Isle of Apples. Because legend says apples grow there all year round as food.

Even now in pop culture the apple is everywhere we look on the iPhone, iPad, and computers. Reminding us of the access to wisdom and knowledge that comes with them. And let’s not forget the apple’s role in one of the world’s most beloved fairytales; Snow white. Its most pivotal moment is undoubtedly when a naïve Snow White bites into an apple poisoned by the jealous Evil Queen, lulling her into a slumber that can only be reversed with Prince Charming’s kiss. Showing us the dark, poisonous, and protective side apples have to offer.

Magical themes of Apples

In witchcraft every single ingredient and tool we use in our spells and rituals has magical themes and energies it can align with and be used for. Apples are no different as you saw in the myths and lore we talked about above. Some of the most common themes associated with apples are love, romance, and attraction spells. They can be used in spells, rituals, or charms to enhance love in an existing relationship, attract a new romantic partner, or promote harmony between others. Apples are also very popular with abundance and prosperity spells. They can be utilized to attract wealth, success, and opportunities for financial growth. Below, you will find a list of some of the other many magical themes associated with apples. Don’t forget you can use all parts of the apple, the bud, petals, leaves fruit, seeds, and wood from its tree as spell and ritual ingredients too!

  • Love
  • Luck
  • Fertility
  • Immortality
  • Money
  • truth
  • the divine feminine
  • opens portals and gateways
  • Healing and promoting health
  • Vitality
  • lust
  • Garden magic
  • Wisdom
  • The Otherworld / Afterlife
  • Deception
  • “Poisoning” and Malefica
  • Faery magic
  • Abundance
  • forbidden knowledge
  • Ancestors
  • protection
  • discord
  • chaos
  • beauty
  • Vanity
  • The soul
  • divination
  • intuition

The apple and the pentacle

The apple and the pentacle have a unique and potent relationship binding them together. Did you know if you cut an apple in half (the “fat way,” not the “tall way,” if that makes sense), you will find a pentacle star in the middle? This along with it’s seeds, which are poisonous, are where apples get their protective qualities from. The apple reminds us that we do not have to close ourselves off to the world in order to protect ourselves. We can bring healing to others AND be open without overstepping our own boundaries. You can also use this center star or pentacle, as an altar by pressing spell ingredients into the flesh of the apple. Using the apple core as an all natural protective altar.

Apple Peel Reading

Apples have been used in divination practices, such as apple peeling or apple seed reading. They are believed to enhance psychic abilities, intuition, and provide insights into the future. Apple peel reading, is a form of divination also known as pomatomancy. It is a traditional practice that uses the shape and letters formed by apple peels to gain insight and predict future events. This method has been used for centuries to seek guidance and answers and is really popular to do around the fall harvest time. The practice is really very simple, carefully peel your apple skin in one piece and remove it, allow the peel to fall, and let it reveal messages through its shapes, letters, and symbols to you.

Duality and the apple

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including the tools and spell ingredients I use. And man is the apple ripe with the energy of duality. We see it in the themes it represents from love and discord, to death and immortality, to healing and protection. This fruit is connected to opposing energies and forces in almost every sense, along with the changing of the seasons and transition. Not only that, it’s such a versatile tool you can use it, in pretty much every area of your life. Which adds another juicy layer of duality to this fruit with each bite.

We can’t forget that the most popular time to work with this tool is in the fall when they are being harvested and there are plenty to go around. The fall season is a really unique pocket of liminal space and time for us to connect to duality. We get to be surrounded by the bounty and abundance of the fall harvest and all the joy, celebration and gratitude that brings. While we are also confronted with the reality of nature beginning to die around us and the dark cold winter that is very soon going to be upon us.

Correspondences for the apple

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 or for a magical tool/ fruit the apple, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of the apple Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

  • Planet- Venus
  • Gender- Feminine
  • Day-Friday
  • Element- water
  • colors- Greens, reds, yellows
  • Deities- Eris, Venus, Aphrodite, Inanna, Morgan Le Fay, Rhiannon, Cliodhna, Diana, Zeus, Apollo, Idunn, Hera, Dionysus, Gaia, Olwen, Pomona
  • Holidays- Lughnasadh, Diana’s Festival, Mabon, Samhain, Yule, Alfablot, the Esbats and Ostara
  • Zodiac- Taurus

Ways to work with the apple

We’ve talked a lot about apples in this post so far, including the magical themes associated with them. Those themes are the energies we can connect to with apples. They are how we can use them to build our spells and rituals. You have many options on how you want to include them in your spells and rituals and many different ways to work with them. Below you will find a list I put together of some ideas for spells, rituals, and ways you can work with them using the themes and magic we can harvest in each juicy one.

  • Apple cider can be used in place of wine during rituals
  • Apple wood can make an excellent wand
  • Visit an apple orchard, pick apples, and leave an offering at the edge of the orchard
  • Use apples to represent the element of earth in elemental magic
  • To ensure fidelity, give an apple to your lover as a gift. You eat one half, the lover the other.
  • Use an apple in poppet magic- poppet magic has been around for thousands of years and is found across cultures. Use an apple as base for your poppet during mabon or samhain
  • Apples symbolize the food of the dead, so leave them on the altar to honor your ancestors and welcome them to “feast with you” during the harvest season.
  • decorate your home with them to connect to the magic of September
  • Create caramel apples and imbue magic into each one as you dip them
  • If you peel an apple all in one piece and throw the peel over your shoulder, it will fall in the shape of your future mate’s initials.
  • se the pentacle in a return to sender spell
  • Bobbing for apples is a centuries old tradition from the British Isles and Ireland. It likely also has origins in both ancient Celtic and Germanic festivals.
  • Include apples on your altar for any of the holidays they are associated with like mabon or samhain
  • candle magic-encircling a candle with apple slices, dried apple slices, or apple blossoms. Or using an apple to hold your candles even as they burn.
  • Use the apple seeds in a banishing spell
  • Go wassailing- Simply put, it’s singing blessings to the orchards, oxen, and the people who tend them.
  • Add apples to an abundance spell jar or simmer pot
  • Use the peels in divination
  • kitchen magic-use apples in baking like in pies
  • Sigil magic- draw sigils on apples for spells and rituals
  • Use apples to call on deities that are connected to them in myths like Eris
  • Add apple slices or oil to a self care ritual bath
  • Create an apple wreath or garland and hang in your home for prosperity and luck especially during Yule
  • Make studded apples- This is an English and Irish tradition involving studding an apple with cloves, nutmeg, and mistletoe and carry it around on new years for good luck.
  • Use apple blossoms in beauty spells, glamors, and love spells

Red apple love spell

One of the most common spells associated with apples are all about love, romance, and attracting a partner. Try this simple tried and true love spell using a red apple to attract that special someone whose been the apple of your eye today!

What you will need:

  • red apple
  • lavender buds
  • twine or some string
  • rose petals ( I like to use pink for love but you can use red for pleasure and romance as well)
  • a small piece of paper

How to perform this spell:

First, take a knife and cut your red apple in half the long or tall way revealing the pentacle star in the middle. Next, take your piece of paper and write your name and the name of that special someone whose caught your eye. Once done take as many deep breaths you need to in and out until you feel yourself surrounded by love and comfort within your sacred container. Visualize that love surrounding you and that special someone. What it feels like, looks like, and will be like to have. Than, take your piece of paper and fold it towards you. when done place it in the center of your apple over the pentacle. Next, take your rose petals, and lavender buds placing them on top of the paper. With all your spell ingredients now placed in the center of your apple, take the other half and place it on top to make it whole again. Wrap it up tightly in the twine to seal the love and attraction in. Take your spell outside and bury it in the earth under a healthy growing tree giving it a place for your love to bud and bloom.

Rotten apple banishing spell

Don’t forget apples aren’t only juicy and sweet but, their seeds give a poisonous and protective side to them as well. This makes them a great tool to use in protection spells like banishing a problem or situation from your life. Try out this simple spell using an apple to do just that below!

What you will need:

  • an apple
  • a black ribbon or string
  • bay leaves
  • a skewer

How to perform:

First, take a knife and cut your red apple in half the long or tall way revealing the pentacle star in the middle. Next, take your bay leaves and rub each half of the apple with them visualizing the problem or situation in your life you wish to be banish. Take the two halves and put them back together still focusing on the problem or situation you wish to banish. Next, take a deep breath in as you pick up the skewer and on your exhale as you visualize the problem or situation no longer affecting you, stab the skewer through both halves with force. Then, take your black ribbon or string and tie your apple together sealing the problem or situation in the center where it can no longer affect you. Take your spell outside and bury it in the earth. As the apple rots with the problem or situation inside it will be banished from your life.

Autumn abundance simmer pot

Apples are very popular with abundance and prosperity spells. They can be utilized to attract wealth, success, and opportunities for financial growth. Paired with the abundance of the harvest and autumn swirling around us now is great time to do some kitchen magic .One of my favorite types of kitchen magic spells to do are simmer pots. Simmer pots are easy to do, very potent, and they leave your house smelling amazing and full of magical energy! Use this recipe to bring the abundance of autumn into your home today using apples as the core. If you need to learn more about how to use simmer pots you can read my blogpost in the link here!

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Working With The Powerful, Protective, And Transformative Gorgon Goddess; Medusa

The legend of Medusa is well-known in greek mythology. It tells of a beautiful woman transformed into a gorgon: who some would consider to be a hideous monster with venomous serpents for hair. She is feared by many, especially men. This is because, she is incredibly misunderstood. Due to the fact that most of her myth and story isn’t commonly told and her tragic beginning many have tried to have lost in the waters of time. The truth behind the myth of Medusa doesn’t start with Perseus. It doesn’t even start with Medusa being cursed by Athena. It starts long before that, with the god of the sea Poseidon.

Because of her story many pagans and witches, especially women chose to work with her as a goddess. She’s a powerful symbol of transformation. Transformation of anger and pain into passion and drive, accountability for oneself and growing from it. Seeing ourselves for who we truly are at our core, and approaching your obstacles and challenges with ferocity. Her name says it all; “Medusa” means “guardian, or protectress”. As a Gorgon, Medusa also represents a primordial force of chaos and destruction, embodying the untamed and unpredictable aspects of the natural world. Her petrifying gaze can be interpreted as a reminder of the inherent danger and potential for devastation that exists within the natural order. She uses it to protect others, especially women. And to show others their true nature; if they choose to take from another something they have no right to take.

Let go of your fear about her and come with me to stare into the slithering snakes upon her head to learn the truth about her myth, how she is much more than a monster but, a goddess who was demonized, and how to work with her.

Who Is Medusa?

Most view Medusa as a monster and they would be partially correct, but she is a goddess as well born of divine blood. Medusa is a complex being whose name evokes different emotions: fear, awe, anger, fascination and even courage. Her name means “guardian” or “protectress”. Medusa was born to two sea deities Ceto and Phorcyos, along with her sisters, Euryale (The far springer) and Stheno ( the mighty or strong). For some reason I can’t quite figure out why, but Medusa was mortal unlike her sisters. Medusa was shockingly beautiful as a mortal. She had long, silky hair and a beautiful body. She was a devotee of the Goddess Athena. Medusa was loyal to Athena and vowed to follow her path.

Medusa The Guardian and Protector

Medusa is a very powerful goddess to work with for protection. I mean her name says it all; “Medusa” means “guardian, or protectress”. Medusa literally means the definition of power and being the powerful one. Not only that but, she was devoted to Athena and had learned many forms of protection while guarding her temple. Which allows her to lend her guardianship to those who seek it when they call to her. Don’t forget her origin either which adds even more power behind her protection. Born of the sea gods Phorcys and Ceto, it is often forgotten that Medusa herself is a goddess of the sea. Which is a place of immense power and has the capability to do serious damage to the earth and humans if it chooses to. Her rage which she calls on for protection, is as powerful as the most ravenous hurricane and has the ability to drown those who seek to harm her.

Medusa The Demonized Victim

Medusa’s story is the tale of the deep cut of society’s knife: creating, blaming, and demonizing the victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Medusa’s tale is unfortunately a common one in myths and legends especially for the greek pantheon. It’s a tale of a beautiful women being defiled by a man who decided he would take something without permission. But, with Medusa she gets victimized even further after her rape and is turned into, what many consider a monster instead of getting protection from the goddess she served. This happening to her, leads to her story being retold in a way that paints her as a monster instead of the victim and to many erases her trauma completely. Which eventually leads to her murder and many thinking she was just another monster being slain by a hero. Instead of a victim of multiple gods and society, whose rage is justified and used to protect others from befalling the same fate.

Medusa The Goddess Of Femininity

Medusa is also known as a goddess of femininity, fertility, and menstruation. During her story we see representations of all phases of fertility and the aspects of women from her vow of chastity, her loss of that through the violation of rape, her hair being turned into a symbol of fertility the snakes, and the birth of children at her death. We also see it in many of her descriptions as a maiden and being a very beautiful one at that. Medusa’s power extends to those who need aid in these areas, so seek her out if you’re looking for guidance while trying to conceive or experiencing any sort of reproductive health issues.

Medusa’s Connection To Snakes

When she is cursed by Athena she acquires her famous hair made of snakes, when she is transformed into a gorgon. This has great significance to who she is, what she represents, and the powers she holds. When we look at the symbolism of snakes themselves they represent; fertility, a closeness to the earth, and the continued cycle of shedding in life. We see these themes throughout her story and who she is. She goes through many different changes in her story. Where she sheds many different skins from a mortal temple maiden, to a violated victim, what some view as a fearsome monster, and finally a mother upon her death.

Medusa’s Birth and Sisters

As we dive deeper into greek mythology medusa’s’ origin, and family is something that for me seems to be unique to most prominent figures in the pantheon. I say this because, usually there is a plethora of information with many differences in details. But, with medusa we don’t have a lot of information about her origin and family and what we do have I can only find one place of difference in her family history. So, who is her family and what is her origin?

Medusa was one of the daughters of the primordial sea-god Phorcys and his sister and wife, Ceto, deities of the hidden dangers of the deep and large sea creatures, like the kraken. She had siblings as well, two sisters named; Euryale (The far springer) and Stheno ( the mighty or strong). The three of them together are commonly known now, as the three gorgon sisters. But, their origin and identities is where we have differences with her family.

In many of the stories, the sisters were all BORN Gorgons not turned into them, while in others only Stheno and Euryale were. In some tales, specifically Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the most commonly known version of her story. Medusa was born MORTAL and was turned into a gorgon, while her sisters were already immortal. In that version of the story her sisters were turned into gorgons alongside her since they attempted to protect her from Athena. All three of the sisters were close and they fiercely loved and protected each other and we see that in every version of the story. Even when medusa was murdered her sisters heard it, and immediately went to take chase of the killer. When they failed they went back to their island to mourn. It’s said to have moved Athena so much, that she modeled after it the mournful music of the double pipe, the aulos.

The Story Of Medusa

Medusa the Priestess to Athena and Poseidon

The story of Medusa first appeared in Ovid’s work. There are now two versions to the beginning of her myth and story. Let me tell you the most commonly known and accepted version first.

Medusa was a priestess to Athena. Athens is the goddess of war and wisdom. She is also one of the virgin goddesses. Part of the requirements of being a priestess to Athena would have included Medusa promising to remain chaste while in service.

One day while Medusa was out gathering water for service in the temple, Poseidon happens to come upon her and he sees her. Medusa was rumored to be incredibly beautiful. So, as to what happens next; something far to common in many greek myths; Poseidon sees her, wants her, and decides she is his to take even amidst her rejections. It is said that she ran to the Temple of Athena seeking protection.

I mean why wouldn’t she? It was nearby, she was a servant to her, she protected women’s Chastity, and her and poseidon weren’t exactly friends either. But, Protection isn’t what she got. Poseidon rapes Medusa on the floor of the Temple of Athena.

Athena comes and sees that her temple has been defiled. She doesn’t blame her fellow god though; she blames the mortal Medusa. Medusa’s sisters come to her defense and thus suffer part of the punishment. Athena curses Medusa with a head full of snakes, and that any man who looks at her will be turned to stone. This punishment turned Medusa into a monster that is isolated from the world of men thus she can never be near another man again for breaking her vow of celibacy.

The second version of the beginning of her myth looks at the goddess Athena and what some call a curse a little differently. The initial telling of this myth depicts Athena acting out in anger and Athena punishing her. But, in this version Athena’s response is one from a place of understanding and concern. After all, Medusa took a vow of celibacy; she never wanted to be touched in the first place.

Instead of looking at it from the view of a curse look at it as a gift. Athena then gifts Medusa with a special weapon that frees her from the possibility of ever suffering such an assault ever again. From then on, men would fear the very sight of her, and Medusa would be protected from the unwanted touch of them. She wouldn’t have to deal with being violated, ever again. Those snakes on her head and her gaze to turn others into stone were truly a gift of protection and compassion in this version of the myth.

I also think that Medusa wanted the power of the snakes especially after what she went through. Though the transition may have been difficult, she probably chose to live this life in order to feel safe and protected. Medusa is all about finding your own inner power and using it. This power also allows her to protect others and stop them from having to suffer they way she had too.

Medusa and Perseus

In what is probably the most popular myth about the story of Medusa, the so-called hero Perseus was sent to slay Medusa.

The Greek “hero” Perseus is sent to take Medusa’s head in order to save his mother from marrying a selfish, evil king. Perseus was granted help by the gods in the form of divine tools. From Athena, Perseus received a mirrored shield. He uses this shield to gaze upon Medusa without being turned to stone and then he beheads her with a divine sword. A key note here as well, in most versions he waited until Medusa was asleep. But from Medusa’s tragic death springs new life and beauty; because every time the gods have sex a child is born. So at the moment Perseus cuts off her head, a Pegasus flies out of her body and is born. And the giant Chrysaor was born through the wound in her neck. Their father being Poseidon who had impregnated her during her rape. After the battle Perseus returns and gives the head to Athena, who in turn places it on her shield, protecting her as she goes into battle from than on.

Once this story comes into play it’s hard to imagine that Athena had good intentions in mind when cursing Medusa to begin with. Ultimately, it’s Athena’s tool that leads to her death. Why would a deity she served and gifted her with protection, than later provide the man with the tool to kill her? So, I will leave that up to you to decide how you feel about it.

No matter the point-of-view you believe of these tales, there is one common theme: Medusa befalls tragedies that no woman or man should have to suffer. As a result, she is persecuted further by the very goddess she sought to serve. Her rage is unmet, and her ferocity is as deep and as strong as the seas. It’s a story about society creating, blaming, and demonizing the victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Medusa’s Worship In History

Medusa and an image of a gorgan shows up in other cultures as well outside of Greece. People would carve her image over their doors to ward off evil and protect their homes. Medusa’s name in ancient Greek means “to guard and protect.” They recently discovered an amulet with the head of Medusa on it carried by a Roman soldier to England. Anthropologists believe that Roman soldiers would carry her image with them in their travels as protection. It’s even said, Medusa’s head was ultimately buried under the agora at Argos.

There is also the thought and belief that has become more popular recently, that there existed a matriarchal religion that she become the center of after her curse. Which is what led to her beheading, murder, and the demonization of her story after that throughout history. The gods sent Perseus to slay her and the threat to the very patriarchal religion and society of Greece.

What Is A Gorgon?

Medusa was transformed into a gorgon and is considered to be a gorgon goddess so what is one? It’s thought that the word gorgon comes from the word gorgos which means fierce or terrible which makes sense when you look at their description. Gorgons are described as winged serpentine creatures. Their bodies are covered in scales and they have large, round heads with snakes sprouting from them instead of hair. Most of the sources I have read claim those snakes are venomous as well. Some poets even went so far as to describe their boar-like tusks and massive lolling tongue. Their large eyes are not often remembered, for they transform you to stone at a moment’s glance. The gorgons originate from Greek mythology and we only see 3 mentioned by name in texts and poems; Medusa the queen and her two sisters. Other than that we do not know if others exist or its simply these three sister as a result of Medusa’s curse. I lean towards that others exist since we have similar creatures like Nagas in other cultures as well.

What Does Medusa Look Like?

It’s said that Medusa was incredibly beautiful before she was transformed. She has been described by the Poet Ovid as having a beautiful face and long, flowing hair. I have to note many poets wrote of the maiden as a seductress despite her chastity bonds. But, you have to remember who the author is and that most of them were men. So, was she really a seductress or just a beautiful young women confident in her own body? However, once transformed, Medusa’s appearance tremendously changed. She had been transformed into a gorgon and her appearance changed to resemble that. It was said though by some poets including Pindar that she still appeared as a beautiful women underneath the scales and snakes for hair, unlike her sisters.

Medusa’s Gaze

Medusa has many powers but, her most famous power: the ability to turn men to stone is probably the most intriguing. It’s very important to note that throughout all the myths and epic poems, I have read, there is never once a record of her ever turning any woman to stone with her deadly gaze. Which really shows us that she uses it as a way to protect women. To take vengeance upon those who have taken advantage of women and binding those who intend to do them harm. It also shows the emphasis on her power lying in the feminine shadow and her connection to femininity.

Her gaze not only is a powerful weapon men fear, but it has a lot of symbolism for those who work with her to ponder. Medusa’s gaze can represent the inability to face certain truths or confronting one’s fears. To the point they leave us paralyzed in life or stuck. Medusa’s gaze can also represent the contrast between romantic idealism and reality. Avoiding looking into her eyes can represent avoiding our reality and the reality of the cosmos around us. So, when we choose to gaze into them we become paralyzed by the overwhelm of reality.

Medusa And Duality

Since I am a grey witch every single energy I work with I look at how it can help me maintain balance and how it can represent the cosmic energy of duality. Medusa embodies the complexity and duality of human nature. On one hand, she is depicted as a monster capable of petrifying men. But prior to that she was once a beautiful woman who was betrayed by the goddess she served. This duality reflects the intricate nature of humanity, showcasing how individuals can possess both positive vs negative or wanted vs unwanted aspects within themselves.

She also shows us the complex duality that exist within being a victim. Being victimized, abused, or violated can push us into a place of darkness, despair and deep hurting. It can set you back in your mental health, your life, and your journey to healing. Which doesn’t allow you to transform into your true self. Or instead we can take that pain and darkness and turn it into personal power and our ultimate weapon to protect ourselves. Just like we see Medusa do. She could have taken the curse and hid away but, instead she uses it to protect herself and others who come to her seeking it with a rage as fierce as a hurricane.

Correspondences To Connect To Medusa

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 an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently, or a deity, like I will list below for you to use. Keep in mind there isn’t written documentation in antiquity that will give you this list for her. This list is compiled by my own personal experience with her, and aligning with each of her energies we can connect too.

  • Animal-Snakes, reptiles,
  • Element-Water
  • Sex- Feminine
  • Symbol- snakes, Aegis, the sea or ocean, gorgons, the maiden, the pegasus, seashells,
  • colors- silver, green, black
  • Themes- protection, victimization, femininity, justice, beauty, the ocean/water, banishing, transformation, personal power, female empowerment, standing up for yourself, sisterhood, binding, paralysis, rage, fertility, menstruation, wisdom, feminine shadow, healing
  • Herbs- nettle, mugroot, sage, mandrake, frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, lavender, black cohosh, sea kelp
  • Stones/ crystals- Serpentine, black obsidian, smokey quartz, aquamarine, bloodstone, Labradorite, malachite, black tourmaline, moss agate,snakeskin jasper, tigers eye

How To Know Medusa Is Calling To Work With You

I get asked this question every time I write or teach about a goddess and even though some consider her a monster, for many witches and pagans, myself included she comes to them as a goddess. Remember, signs and messages appear in many different ways and are unique to the individual. It’s ultimately up to you to discern by opening up your clares, paying attention and listening to your intuition. Also, remember you can choose to work with her as well even if you don’t feel her calling to you. You can be the one to begin building that relationship by reaching out. Below is a list of some ways that you may know she is reaching out to you.

  • You hear her name randomly throughout the day or think of her often
  • She pops up around you in your life like in tv, movies, games, social media, books etc.
  • You get gifted something that is related to her
  • You see the symbol of snakes or actual snakes often cross your path
  • If you live near an ocean and you keep finding big chunks of coral
  • She appears to you in a vision, dream, meditation, or prayer
  • You are going through a time of transition, and shedding of your identity
  • When you are trying to conceive
  • If you are having issues with your femininity and/or menstrual cycle
  • You need protection especially if you are a woman seeking protection from a man
  • Seeking justice against someone who has violated you
  • You are working on healing sexual trauma
  • If you experience an awakening at a cave and/or body of water especially the ocean
  • If you feel called to work in women’s rights or volunteer at a women’s shelter
  • You are going through a time where society or your family is ostracizing you
  • You are ready to stand in your own power
  • You have been paralyzed in life or stuck and are ready to move forward
  • You have a deep bond with your sisters or are looking to create a deep bond
  • You are recovering from domestic violence

Ways To Work With and Connect To Medusa

Everyone’s relationship with deities is different and we all work with and believe in them differently. You might believe in multiple gods and goddesses and work with them each as though they are close, personal friends. Or maybe you believe the old gods are reflections of Universal energy and simply archetype energies that you can learn a lesson from. However you incorporate deities in your practice is up to you. If you need help to figure this out you can purchase my eBook here on the Introduction to working with pagan deities.

But here are some ideas to get you started on ways to work with Medusa. Remember; it’s important to approach her with respect, reverence, gratitude and by building a relationship with her. Every time you work with a deity it is an even energetic exchange; which means what you put into your intention when working with them and building your relationship to them is what you get back.

Study, get to know her

As with every deity I have ever written about or taught about, The first way to get to know a deity, specifically a goddess like Medusa is to study all you can about her. I’ll be honest finding information on her can be a little scarce but, you can start by going back to the mythology section of this blog and go read the myths and stories she is in like; the different tellings of her rape, and being cursed, and her Murder at the hand of Perseus. Take time to consider how you interpret her story as well. Did Athena curse her and she turned it into a powerful tool of protection? Or did she give Medusa a gift to protect her from all men going forward? But, if that is the case why did she later gift perseus with the tool that led to her death? There is a lot to think about with her when learning about her, to build your relationship with her. Make sure to Learn about her sisters the other gorgons as well since they have such a fierce bond. You can even, study the culture, region, and worship of the people of Greece where she is from. The more you study and learn the better! When working with a deity it is all about building a true relationship with them and you do this first by getting to know who they are.

Dedicate Altar Space

Set aside some space in honor of Medusa. This can be an elaborate large altar or as simple as a small shelf or corner of a counter. Place a representation of Medusa there; be sure to cleanse the space before you invite her in. Include all of her colors, her symbols, and representations of snakes and any of her other correspondences you can use to connect to her. This will be a container that reminds you to connect with her and her energy. To allow you a container of protection, connecting to your power, and shedding your skin in transformation. Make sure when you create an altar for her that you keep poseidon far from it even though they both are connected to the oceans. I also don’t allow Athena near her either but, that will depend on your interpretation of her role in Medusa’s story. Remember to NEVER put a mirror or reflective item on her altar. It will turn her stone and it’s just disrespectful to represent the tool that led to her murder.

To learn more about altars and how to work with them in your practice you can read about it here in my study guide on my previous class taught at Divination Academy, on the topic; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cY9IKfLJgV-YBI76DCAtPAuwC6tSXdzh/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=107019596187888016346&rtpof=true&sd=true

Offerings

Everyone loves receiving gifts, and that includes deities like Medusa. You don’t have to give her offerings every day, but when you feel it is appropriate. You can place these offerings at your altar or if you live near a body of water you can place them at the shoreline.You can even place them at the mouth of a cave if you have one available to you. You can also give her offerings when performing any work to connect to her like meditation, prayer, visualization, and spellwork. Below I will list some of the best offerings you can give her, but keep in mind these are just some ideas from my own personal experience with her and her corresponding energies. Just follow your intuition.

  • Seawater or representations of the sea
  • Pieces of coral
  • Plates of seafood and wine
  • snake skins or representations of snakes
  • seashells, driftwood, or other things found washed up on the shoreline
  • Evil eye charms
  • Any of the correspondences listed above like herbs and crystals that associate with her
  • sand
  • hagstone
  • Pearls
  • Seaweed
  • sea salt
  • Image or statue of her; especially of her gaze
  • Serving others in need especially women

Call on her during protection spells and magic

The Goddess Medusa is a known guardian, so she lends her aid to those who need her protection. If you are seeking aid or guardianship after a domestic dispute, a violation, or after being demonized, evoke the power of Medusa. With her ability to turn men to stone, when you call on her gaze for protection she is able to assist in some of the most potent bindings I have done. She can help bind those particularly, who pose a threat to women. She is also an intense force for justice and female empowerment which can be used in protection spells that challenge your enemies, allow you to face your deepest fears and to hex those who have abused or violated you. The goddess Medusa is a fierce force to aid you in protection. She rages with the force of a hurricane to assist you to stand up for yourself, seek vengeance, and break free from any chains, those who have hurt still bind you in.

Work With the Snake

Medusa is the goddess of snakes. The snake is her familiar and fierce protector. If you want to work with Medusa the snake should become an ally of yours. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to own one as a pet but, you can add them to your magical workings. You can work with them as a spirit guide or familar depending on your belief system. When working with them in that way, the snake or serpents can guide you to universal truths, cosmic knowledge, the shedding of skins, and profound healing. Lastly, you can even use the image of the snake in protection workings or snakeskins being added as spell ingredients, like in spell jars.

Shadow work To understand your own personal power

Just like with every other deity I have ever written or taught about shadow work is a phenomenal way to connect to and work with the goddess Medusa. I find that the most important thing Medusa will teach you is how to use your power. She’ll show you that you don’t need to be afraid of power and that the innate power you have inside of you is already strong and beautiful; you simply need to learn how to use it. She will show you through shadow work how powerful you truly can be, when you become the best version of yourself. When you don’t allow your emotions, past traumas, and the actions of others to drown you but, to empower you and fill you with rage!

If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here; you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here;  and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here. And don’t forget to register for new 6 week workshop series Embracing your shadow here!

Meditation, visualization and Dream work

One of the best ways to channel divine energy and tap into goddesses like Medusa is through meditation, visualization and dreaming. These practices allow you to open up and receive/ connect to divine energy in a very intuitive, clear, and transformative way. You will find a plethora of guided meditations on YouTube that will lead you to your spirit guide or god/goddess.. Try those if you have a hard time meditating on your own. I have many classes on youtube as well on previous deities you can watch where I even summon and guide you to them in sacred container. In addition, ask Medusa to visit you in your dreams and teach you lessons that you currently need to learn. Then record every encounter with her in your journal, book of shadows, or grimoire.

Ward off the Evil eye

Because of Medusa’s fearsome looks, her image was used for centuries in ancient Greece to ward off the evil eye. We see her image used in antiquity on soldiers armor, pieces of jewelry, and above the doors of homes. So, you to can use her image as a way to ward it off still today. You can carry an image of her with you or wear an amulet with one on it. You can even place it at the threshold of your home or above your doorway.

Water based magic

Medusa is a sea goddess. Because of this, all water-related magic, including working with the sea, storm magic, water scrying, and elemental magic. Water magic encompasses themes of emotions, intuition, healing, and spiritual transformation. It allows witches to dive deep into their emotions, heal past wounds, and connect with their inner wisdom. You can connect to this aspect of her for guidance when you need strong feminine power and the innately intuitive energy of water in your rituals. Or for spiritual and healing energy for true transformation.

Mirror Magic

Mirror gazing is a profound and symbolic aspect of working with the goddess Medusa, as it allows you to connect with the essence of her reflective power. The mirror, as a tool in your magical practice, represents introspection, self-reflection, and the power of seeing beyond the surface. This practice serves as a potent gateway to tap into Medusa’s transformative energy while acknowledging her famous mirrored shield. To learn more about mirror magic and how to add one of my favorite types of magic to your magic you can read my guide here.

Prayers

One very powerful way to connect to a deity is through prayer. Things to Pray for: protection, power, healing from sexual trauma, aid with rage, justice, female empowerment, understanding and unlocking your own personal power, fertility, transformation, shedding an identity, breaking free from abusive bonds

Prayer To Medusa

This prayer is written by me and one I use especially during shadow work with her. You won’t find any written prayers from antiquity so, this is one you can use or you can follow your intuition and write your own.

I call to you dear goddess Medusa, the one who some call a monster But, I see your snakes as the protectors they are
I call to you dear goddess Medusa now is the time for me to shed my skin
To take my pain, my abuse, and violations committed against me and turn them into a fierce personal power
I call to you dear goddess Medusa to show me the way through your gaze
Guiding me into the depths of my emotions for healing and transformation and justice.
Dear goddess Medusa guide me so I may leave the seas within myself ready to rage with the power of hurricane behind me. To stand my ground in the face of any adversity.
To seek justice and vengeance against those who have abused and violated me.
Lend me your hair of snakes to petrify those who wish me harm into stone for eternity.

Fight for women’s rights and empowerment

Lastly, In recent years, Medusa has become a symbol of female empowerment. A statue was erected in Manhattan outside of the courthouse where Weinstein was brought to stand trial for numerous acts of assault against women even! Medusa stands proud and strong, holding Perseus’ severed head in her hand. In this we see the symbolic representation of women standing up against their abuser, and ultimately getting the justice owed to them. So, one great way to work with and connect to Medusa is by Standing up for women’s rights in whatever way you can and invoking the fierce, protective energy of Medusa the goddess. You can do things like join your local pro abortion activism group, volunteer at a domestic violence shelter, lobby at your local government for pro women legislation, vote, or become a sexual assault advocate.

Why work with Medusa?

So, after all we have talked about why should you work with Medusa? Working with the goddess Medusa encourages you to dive deep into a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding and trust in your inner power. Embracing Medusa is fundamental for personal growth and transformation. Medusa’s mythology, is a testament to the enduring strength and resilience that resides within her. About taking what was meant to be a curse and turning it into an ultimate tool for protection. Through the things that befall her, being victimized, and her many transformations, she emerged as a symbol of empowerment and fierce protection. Teaching us that even in the face of adversity, our inner strength can prevail. By trusting your inner power, you are aligning with Medusa’s spirit of unwavering resilience, rage, and justice. This trust in your inner power becomes the driving force for personal growth, resilience, protection and empowerment, aligning you with the essence of the goddess Medusa.

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Sekhmet The Egyptian Lioness Goddess Of War, Healing, The Sun, and Plagues

Sekhmet, lioness goddess of Ancient Egypt, is the powerful precursor to the more docile, fun-loving Bastet. She’s known as the Lady of Terror, Mistress Dread, and Lady of Flame. Yes, she’s fierce and a goddess of war. But she also has a protective, healing side that many sources don’t tap into. Like a lioness, Sekhmet watches over her pride, and will hunt and defend as the need arises. Sekhmet, the Bloodthirsty, could be both a loving mother and a ruthless foe. 

She is an ancient Egyptian goddess of war, healing, the sun, and plagues. She was also the patron deity of physicians and healers, and could at one time spread disease and cure it. Equally feared and worshiped, the lioness Sekhmet was without a doubt one of the most prominent goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon.

Sekhmet is an ancient Egyptian goddess of healing, protection and war. With the fierce powers of both a lioness and a cobra, she is seen as a powerful protector to those working in witchcraft. Let’s Learn about Sekhmet, Goddess of War and Healing and how to work with her energy in your spiritual practice and daily life.

Who is Sekhmet, the Lioness Goddess of Egypt?

Sekhmet is an ancient Egyptian goddess of war whose belief and worship was born in Lower Egypt. Next to Bastet, Sekhmet is the most important and influential of leonine goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon. Some believe that the Ancient Egyptian goddess Sekhmet was actually the goddess Hathor, which transformed herself due to the power of the Eye of Ra.. In some mythology, She is the daughter of Ra; in others, She is the daughter of Nut, the Sky, and Geb, the Earth.

She’s known as the Eye of Ra, one of his formidable daughters, of whom he employed to punish humanity when he got sick of us. (I’ll go over the myth in more detail later.) She nearly destroyed the entire human species with her wrath and fiery breath. Sekhmet is frequently portrayed as the embodiment of the Eye of Ra, meaning she was a personified enactor of Ra’s vengeance and a destroyer of his enemies. Sekhmet is a lioness, but she is also a representation of the blazing, hot desert sun. Her name likely means “strong”, “powerful”, “violent” or “mighty”.

Some sources see Sekhmet as a manifestation of the powerful creator god Ra. Her fiery breath not only destroys, but it creates. Many scholars claim from stories that her “hot breath created the desert”. In addition to using her fiery breath to destroy, she also has the power to call on plagues for further death and destruction. Sekhmet is a known healer, therefore granting life on the other side of death and decay. We see a sacred polarity with Sekhmet, as she indeed has a softer side and grants healing to those she deems worthy. In fact, at one point, Sekhmet’s physicians were the most well-known and beloved.

What is Sekhmet Goddess of?

Sekhmet is first and foremost a goddess of war and destruction. She is the Eye of Ra, and he called on her to exact his revenge and wrath in the old myths. It’s said that when Sekhmet rained wrath down upon humanity, the only way to stop her from destroying us was by pouring out red-dyed beer to trick her into thinking it was blood. She drank it and became intoxicated which stopped her. This was an act completed by Ra when he realized he had to stop her.

Sekhmet is also known to bring plague, or call on epidemics, yet has the power of giving life and healing to those she feels are worthy. The “Seven Arrows of Sekhmet” were feared by the Egyptian people and certain rituals were performed and offerings given to appease this terrifying goddess. Sekhmet is the hot breeze of the desert and a solar deity. 

But despite the monstrously violent aspects of Sekhmet, she was also worshiped as a goddess of healing. This stems from her ability to invoke and manipulate plagues and diseases.

Not only can she brandish them as a weapon or a scourge of humanity, but she can also cure them and restore life to the afflicted. As such, Sekhmet, goddess of war and healing, is a patron of doctors or physicians. Her priests were known for being physicians: they were originally established to worship and honor Sekhmet to appease her. And to keep her wrath at bay. Eventually, they would play a crucial role in medicine by reciting spells and prayers to Sekhmet while also applying herbal remedies to those in need of healing. Amulets were worn in the shape of Sekhmet to appease her and to invoke her protection and healing. Her priests performed a rite known as “appeasing Sekhmet” to ward off pestilence and plague.

Sekhmet and Duality

She evokes a distinct sense of duality; of violence tempered by compassion. Like a lioness, she is a guardian and is fiercely protective of those in her charge. But paradoxically, she also wields a capacity for inestimable violence and terror.

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, there are multiple mentions of Sekhmet as both a constructive and destructive force. But even in her destructive facet, she is, above anything, the keeper of cosmic balance or Ma’at. However, sometimes, she tried too hard to keep the balance between life and death, resorting to extreme practices to control the population. Plagues in ancient Egypt were often called “messengers” or “slaughterers” of Sekhmet, for they were supposed to follow her commands.

Sekhmet and the divine feminine

As women, we are told that showing our anger is not becoming, it is not lady-like, but anger, as every other emotion, is valid. Sekhmet represents the sacred rage that is ours, our true strength as women. Our anger is sacred and holy; it is the anger to change worlds — think Joan of Arc, Rosa Parks. Anger forces us to action. Use her to help you connect to your true divine feminine power and your rage to protect those who need protecting as a role of a fierce protective feminine energy. 

Sekhmet as symbol of the state

Sekhmet is also known as a goddess of sovereignty. One of her roles was protector of the pharaohs, even beyond death — once a pharaoh passed away, Sekhmet would bring them to the afterlife. 

Sekhmet as a dark goddess

She is the Goddess of the Sun, Lady of the Flame and Guardian of the gateway of rebirth. She is fierce but loving, protecting her own and those loyal to her, strong and powerful and will see hidden truths. Warrior, hunter and a healer.

Sekhmet will encourage you to live and follow your sacred path of inner integrity, help you to speak your truth and be honest and will empower you. She will help you with self healing and healing for others and will protect you.

A dark Goddess, she will help you with shadow work and to look deep within.

What does Sekhmet look like?

In Egyptian art, she was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, and sometimes her skin would be painted green just as Osiris was. She carried an ankh sign on her left hand and a long-stemmed lotus flower on her right hand. Her head was crowned by a large solar disk, relating her to the sun god Ra, and an uraeus, the serpent associated with Egyptian kingship.

Often she was seated on a throne and wears a long red dress. This is why she is sometimes referred to as the Mistress of Scarlet or Mistress of Red Linen. The red dress is a nod to her wrathful nature and fiery breath. Sometimes she has symbols painted over her nipples, which are assumed to be illustrations of lioness fur OR a representation of stars in the Leo constellation. With which she is inherently linked.

There were some six hundred statues of Sekhmet erected at the glorious temple of Karnak, commissioned by Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

Her name

Sekhmet’s name comes from the adjective sekhem, meaning “powerful” or “mighty”, while the ending –t is a suffix for female names. Of her many epithets, all were equally terrifying. She is sometimes referred to in Egyptian texts as “She Before Whom Evil Trembles”, the “Mistress of Dread”, “The Mauler”, or the “Lady of Slaughter”.

History of her worship

Sekhmet’s origins are unclear, but she seems to have been born in the Delta area, where lions were rarely seen and were thus regarded as mysterious and magical beasts. According to the Memphite Theology, an important text engraved in the famous Shabako Stone, the lioness Sekhmet was the wife of Ptah, patron god of artisans, and the mother of lotus god Nefertum. She was also the firstborn of the sun god Ra.

Sekhmet was worshipped throughout Egypt, particularly whenever a wadi opened out in the desert edges. This is the type of terrain that lions are often found. Many of them having come from the desert in order to drink and prey upon cattle in the area. Some believe that the worship of Sekhmet was possibly introduced into Egypt from Sudan because lions are more plentiful in that region. Sekhmet’s main cult center was located in Memphis, and was part of the Divine Triad of Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertum (fig. 4). Sekhmet, as the wife of Ptah, the ‘Creator’, and their son Nefertum is also closely associated with healers and healing. Some scholars believe that Sekhmet’s worship might pre-date Ptah by at least several hundred years, but because of the shift in power from Memphis to Thebes during the New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC) the Theban Triad made up of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu resulted in Sekhmet’s attributes being absorbed into that of the goddess Mut.

She was also revered as the “Mistress of Asheru” in the Mut Temple, at Karnak, and her cult was strong in the regions of Luxor, Memphis, Letopolis, and all the Delta. At some of the temples there, she was offered the blood of recently sacrificed animals, in order to placate her rage. If her anger was contained, it gave her worshippers control over their enemies and the vigor and strength to overcome weakness and illness.

Priests would perform rituals before a different statue of this Egyptian goddess every day, to appease her considerable anger. This is the reason why so many different images of Sekhmet have survived to our days. In Amenhotep III’s temple there have been found as many as 700 statues of Sekhmet. In Leontopolis (the city of the lion, in Greek) some sources inform that there were tamed lions and lionesses kept captive as living images of Sekhmet.

Sekhmet was known to enjoy the taste of blood. Every year, on the feast of Hathor and Sekhmet, Egyptians commemorated the saving of mankind by drinking copious amounts of beer stained with pomegranate juice. The surviving records of such feasts talked about how they did so to worship “the Mistress and Lady of the Tomb, the Gracious One, Destroyer of Rebellion, Powerful with Enchantments”. During the celebrations, a statue of Sekhmet was dressed in red facing west, while one of Bastet was dressed in green and facing east. Bastet was considered to be Sekhmet’s counterpart or twin, and during the festival, they embodied duality, which was an important concept in Egyptian mythology. Sekhmet represented Upper Egypt, while Bastet stood for Lower Egypt. Bastet was the tame, good goddess, while Sekhmet was the Bloodthirsty, the chaotic and dangerous deity of war and love.

Such a bad reputation was awarded to this Egyptian goddess due to a myth in which she had threatened to wipe out humanity which we talked about earlier. The only thing that prevented her from ending humanity was getting drunk on beer which had been dyed red as blood. Thus, during her annual festival, held at the beginning of the year, Egyptians danced, played music, and intoxicated themselves in an attempt to soothe the wrath of the goddess. This ritual had another meaning, too, and that is to prevent the excessive flooding of the Nile, which ran blood-red every year carrying upstream silt.

Her Mythology 

In Egyptian mythology, there is a long and interesting tale in which the story of Sekhmet is told. It is known as The Destruction of Mankind. This story is written on a funerary papyrus from the New Kingdom (1539-1292 BCE), and the tale it tells is extraordinary. At the beginning of time, the story goes, when gods lived among men, a rebellion aimed to overthrow Ra, king of the gods. Despite being a god, Ra had become old, and grew weaker every day, until humans decided he was not fit for ruling over them. Before this insurrection, Ra had been ready to give up the throne and return to the Nun, the primordial ocean. But now he was angry at humankind, and took one of his eyes which transformed into Sekhmet. He then ordered the eye to strike the seditious men with a heat close to the sun’s: “The desert was dyed red with the human blood, while the Eye was pursuing traitors and killing them one by one. It didn’t stop until the sands were covered with bodies. Then, temporarily satiated, Sekhmet returned triumphantly to his Father”.

Sekhmet continued to kill every man and woman in sight for the next few days, but at one point, Ra considered that it had been enough punishment, and decided to spare the rest of humanity. The problem now resided in how to stop Sekhmet from fulfilling her task. Ra ordered his Eye / Sekhmet to stop the killing to no avail for “his Eye had tasted human flesh and she liked it. She decided to kill again”. The only way to stop Sekhmet from killing was to get her drunk with beer, her favorite drink. Ra brought a red pigment from the desert and ground it into a fine powder, which he mixed with the beer. He then made seven thousand red-beer jars and poured them into the Nile. When Sekhmet saw the red liquid, she thought it was blood, so she drank it eagerly until she was too drunk and fell asleep. When the Egyptian goddess finally woke up, she had forgotten about her purpose of killing every single human being, and felt satiated. She then returned to her father, Ra, who welcomed her back and rewarded her for her services. 

In one variant it is said that she drank until She  fell asleep and She became Hathor again when she woke up. 

In some versions of this tale, she becomes angry again when she finds out she was deceived, and she leaves Egypt until Toth persuades her to come back.

In yet another variant on this story, when Sekhmet awoke from her stupor, the first creature she laid eyes on was the god Ptah. She fell instantly in love with him. Because of this, she is usually portrayed as the bride of Ptah, god of architects and craftsmen, as well as mother to Maahes and Nefertem. The union between Sekhmet and Ptah epitomizes harmony: on the one hand, we have Sekhmet the destroyer, and on the other, we have Ptah the creator. As such, the marriage of these two deities symbolizes the balance and order of the universe.

When it comes to statuary, this is even clearer when we consider the fact that Sekhmet, goddess of war and healing, with her red robes was often depicted facing westward, while Ptah was clad in green and facing the east.

They are positioned as opposites, and yet together their duality is neutralized. They form a complete whole.

Why Work With Sekhmet?

Sekhmet is often sought out by those who are facing challenges, obstacles, or a need for protection. She is known to bring strength, courage, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Sekhmet is also associated with healing and renewal, making her a popular deity for those seeking to heal from physical or emotional wounds.

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 the zodiac energy the moon is currently in like I will list below for you to use.

  • planet-sun
  • Animal-lioness
  • Element- Fire
  • Sex- Feminine 
  • Symbol- Lioness, Lions, Sun, Sun Disk, Ankh, Egyptian Spitting Cobra, Septer formed from Papyrus (symbolizing the union of Heaven and Earth), Flames, Fire, Blood, Desert.
  • colors- Red, yellow, orange, gold
  • Themes- destruction, chaos, war, plagues, fire, royalty, and the afterlife
  • Motto- “I am pure strength. I honor my anger by giving voice to it”
  • Chakra-Sacral and solar plexus 
  • Herbs-Bay, basil, catnip, bloodroot, Patchouli, Frankincense, Mrryh, Amber, Pomegranate, Copal, Dragons Blood, Red Sandalwood.
  • Stones/ crystals- Red spessartine, Carnelian, Garnet, Red agate, Ruby, citrine,Cinnabar, tiger’s eye, fire agate, Zincite, orange calcite, bloodstone, amber

How to work with Sekhmet

Everyone’s relationship with deities is different and we all work with and believe in them differently. You might believe in multiple gods and goddesses and work with them each as though they are close, personal friends. Or maybe you believe the old gods are reflections of Universal energy and simply archetype energies that you can learn a lesson from.. However you incorporate deiteis in your practice is up to you. But here are our ideas to get you started:

To work with Sekhmet, it’s important to approach her with respect and reverence. She is known to be a fierce and powerful goddess, and may not always be easy to work with. 

Study Sekhmet

As with every deity I have ever written about or taught about, The first way to get to know a deity, specifically a goddess like Sekhmet, is to dive into their history and qualities. Begin by studying the myths, verses, and incantations featuring this fierce goddess. Read about her connection with Ra, syncretization with goddesses Mut and Hathor, and how she might be the predecessor of the cat goddess Bastet. Then read about the culture from which she arose. Then study some more. Keep a section in your journal and/or book of shadows dedicated to Sekhmet.

Dedicate Altar Space

Set aside some space in honor of Sekhmet. This can be an elaborate large altar or as simple as a small shelf or corner of a counter. Place a representation of Sekhmet there, be sure to cleanse the space before you invite her in. Include her color red, her symbols, and representations of lions and the sun and any of her other correspondences you can use to connect to her. This will be a space that reminds you to connect with her and her energy. To bring that ferocity and self-protectiveness to your daily life. To learn more about altar and how to work with them in your practice you can read about it here in my study guide on my previous class taught on the topic; All About Altars study guide.docx

Work with her as part of the triple goddess archetype

Many pagans and witches who work with the divine feminine work with that energy in the essence of the triple goddess. You can do this with Sekhmet as well. She is commonly known as being part of the Egyptian triple goddess with Hathor, Bast, and Sekhmet. Hathor is seen as the mother aspect, Bast the maiden, and Sekhmet the crone aspect. To learn more about working with the triple goddess archetype you can read my previous study guide here; Triple Goddess Study Guide.docx

Offerings

Everyone likes receiving presents. Sekhmet is no different especially since this was so central to her worship and mythology.  Give her beer, pomegranate juice, representations of arrows, gold, and incense like frankincense, myrrh, and kyphi.  You don’t have to give her offerings every day, but when you feel it is appropriate. You can place these offerings at your altar space dedicated to her or when performing any work to connect to her like meditation, prayer, and visualization. 

The best offerings for Sekhmet include:

  • Alcohol, especially red alcohol.
  • Blood, or substitutes like bloodroot soaked in wine.
  • Images of cats or lions.
  • Incense.
  • Fire, from bonfires to candles.
  • Milk.
  • Spicy foods.
  • Red gemstones.
  • Dragon’s blood resin.

Stand Up For Yourself

Women are beginning to realize they are their own people, and they have immense power in this world. They are beginning to claim their power and take it back.. And they’re beginning to stand up for themselves. If you find yourself in a situation or a relationship in which you’ve allowed yourself to be used or abused, Sekhmet is in your life to teach you to stand up for yourself. Invoke her power and energy to aid you in speaking your truth, being your own person, and standing in the sunlight of your own soul and personal power.

Protection Rituals

If you’re in need of extra protection at home or at work, or anywhere for that matter, call on Sekhmet to guide and shield you. While performing your protection rituals at home, such as cleansing, shielding, and warding, invoke Sekhmet’s energy to set up a barrier of fire around your home. She will only allow those with good intent to cross it. Wear an amulet dedicated to Sekhmet while traveling or leaving the home to keep her protective shield around you at all times. To learn more about protection you can read about it here in my previous study guide; All about protection study guide.docx

And you can watch the two classes here; Magick and Witchcraft Basics: Protection and Warding Part 1 & Magick And Witchcraft Basics: Protection and Warding Part 2

Sunbathing

Obviously Sekhmet is a solar goddess and therefore she enjoys warmth, sunlight, and hot climates. So why not get out in the sun and do a little sunbathing like a cat? It feels great, gives you energy, and allows you to soak up the magical energy the sun has to offer us humans as the vital energy of our existence. 

Connect with an Ankh/Sun Disk

Find an Ankh or a sundisk, you can even have a piece of paper with the symbol on it in your hands. Close your hands around the symbol or place on your heart space. Close your eyes and ask Sekhmet to connect to you through the symbol.

Perform solar magic

Like we just talked about, Sekhmet is a solar goddess so a very obvious way to connect to and work with her would be performing and working with any kind of solar magic. There are so many different ways to work with solar magic and the sun from meditating under it’s bright rays, making sun water, drawing down the sun and more. To learn all about solar magic and connecting to the sun and how to do so you can read about it here in my previous blogpost; https://modgepodgemystic.com/solar-magic-a-guide-to-harness-the-bright-vibrant-and-confident-magical-energy-of-the-sun/ 

Alternative Healing

Sekhmet was once a mother goddess of war and healing in ancient times. You can tap into her healing vibrations by learning a mode of alternative medicine. Consider taking a class or reading a book on herbalism, DNA activation, past life regressions, or energy healing modalities like Reiki.

Meditation, visualization and Dream work

One of the best ways to channel divine energy and tap into goddesses like Sekhmet is through meditation, visualization and dreaming.  These practices allow you to open up and receive/ connect to divine energy in a very intuitive, clear, and transformative way.  You will find a plethora of guided meditations on YouTube that will lead you to your spirit guide or god/goddess.. Try those if you have a hard time meditating on your own. You can even use listen to the guided meditation in my class below! In addition, ask Sekhmet to visit you in your dreams and teach you lessons that you currently need to learn. Then record every encounter with her in your journal, book of shadows, or grimoire. 

Meditation to connect with Sekhmet

Find a quiet spot, put on some incense or an oil diffuser, light a candle and close your eyes.  Take three deep breaths and relax. Hold your intention in connecting to Sekhmet. You could say this in your head three times, ‘My intention is to connect with Sekhmet.’

Imagine you are in a desert. Sand is all around you, the sun is high in the sky and its hot. In the distance you see pyramids. You start to make your way towards them as there is nothing else around. Although its a tiresome and long journey you know its worth it.

You finally get to the pyramids. There is one large one in the middle and two either side. You walk up the steps of the middle pyramid and enter it. Inside is quiet, painted with wonderful pictures and symbols. There is a door in front of you and you decide to walk up to it. It slides open and you hear a voice say ‘Enter’. So you enter and see a beautiful woman on a throne in front of you. ‘Who are you?’ the woman says. You answer her and state you are here to connect with Sekhmet. She nods for you to approach her and tells you she is Sekhmet. That is all she says and you wait in silence as you do not want to force anything. She then stands and starts to talk to you. What does she say?

Take this time to connect with her, listen to what she has to say and ask questions. When you have finished connecting and she has gone and ready to go yourself, take three deep breaths and come back to the room. Write down your experience. What did she say to you? Did you ask questions? Were they answered? What else happened?

Study the Lioness

Since Sekhmet is a lioness goddess one way to connect to her would be to study the lioness. If you’ve never watched the lioness move in the wild, now’s your time to. Watch videos on YouTube, documentaries on the TV, and read books about how lionesses hunt to feed their pride and defend their families. This is how the lioness moves, and this is how Sekhmet moves.

Move your body and be active

Sekhmet is a very vital, active goddess, and she appreciates action. You can take a martial arts class and dedicate it to her, or join a group to combat injustice.

Stand up for others

Sekhmet stands against those who don’t believe in equity, harmony, and reciprocity, so you can align yourself with her by helping to bring more justice and balance to the world.

Live according to the principles of Ma’at

In the legend of her enacting Ra’s vengeance, she destroyed people who didn’t live according to the principles of Ma’at. One of the best ways to work with Sekhmet is to live according to these ideas.

The seven principles of Ma’at are:

Truth, the ability to see between fact and fiction.

Justice, the state of equity between all things.

Harmony, the state of alignment and balance between all things.

Balance, both within an individual and with the world outside.

Order, the state of clarity and a lack of excess.

Reciprocity, the acknowledgement that what goes around will come around.

Propriety, performing correct actions to uphold truth, justice, harmony, balance, order, and reciprocity.

Shadow work

Just like with every other deity I have ever written or taught about shadow work is a phenomenal way to connect to and work with the goddess Sekhmet. With her being considered a dark goddess due to her destructive nature she has the ability to bring us into a very liminal space that is also steeped in duality with her connection as a healing goddess as well. When doing shadow work with her she is going to be able to shed some light with her burning fire on topics more focused on healing, past wounds, standing in your own personal power, justice, retribution, anger, and destroying barriers, bridges and things that no longer serve your highest good. To learn more about shadow work and how to use it in your life and magical practices you can watch my previously taught class on the topic here;

An Invocation of Sekhmet

“The Powerful, powerful in her existence, She that impurity fears. The one who’s face is beautiful, remarkable of image, who thrusts back sadness. The solar feminine disc, radiant, rejuvenating, illuminating the country. The Mistress of the sky, appearing in her sanctuary. Sekhmet, powerful against the enemies, inspiring terror in the rebels. The Mistress of Iunet, entering into her chapel, whirling and dancing in her temple.”

(translated into English by Kerry Wisner, 1999-2000, from the French text “Dendera – I Traduction” by S. Cauville)

A Prayer to Sekhmet

Behold, I smell the earth before the mighty one. Behold how I have kept the vigil in the shrine of Sekhmet. Behold, I am the child, the child of Sekhmet, the lady of the east. I am with her. I am one with her. I am Sekhmet and the flames of all those who praise her. I am the hand of the powerful goddess, wearer of the solar disc. I am the twice beautiful one, more splendid than yesterday. I am she who goes forth with Ra. I am she. My hair is the hair of Sekhmet, the golden one. My eyes are the eyes of the lioness. My ears are the ears of the goddess. My nose is the nose of she who can sniff out all evil. My  teeth are the fangs, which can devour the darkness My neck is the neck of the divine goddess. My hands are the hands with long claws. My forearms are the forearms of the mighty one. My backbone is golden and it shines with splendourMy  chest is the chest of the mighty one of terror. My Belly and back are the belly and back of Sekhmet. My buttocks are strong, as the goddess . My hips and legs are the hips and legs of the goddess My feet are the clawed feet of the lion goddess. There is no part of me that is not of the goddess. I am Sekhmet who cometh forth in the dawn. I am the power of Ra by day. I shall not be dragged back by my arms and none shall lay violent hands upon me, lest I destroy them utterly. Nether man nor god shall hurt me, nor shall the living, Nor shall the holy dead detain me. Nor shall the demons destroy me in battle, for I am Sekhmet And I shall eat off their faces. I am she who cometh forth. I am yesterday and I am the seer of millions of years. I am the power of the divine judge. I dwell in the east. I am the lady of eternity, the unveiled one. My name is created to defy all evil. I am the flame that shineth in the sanctuary. I am Sekhmet.

Prayer of Protection

Lady of the Burning Sands, Sekhmet, Mistress of Terror! May no enemy find me, May no harm approach me, Your sacred fire surrounds me, No evil can withstand Your Eye.

Prayer To Overcome Adversity

“O Sekhmet, Source of Strength and Mercy, I am beset by sorrow and many troubles; wounded by injustice and the offensive wrongdoing of others. Grant me the strength to meet adversity with quiet courage and unshaken will. O Sekhmet, Overcomer of All Enemies, Forgive my weakness and renew my hope. Place your protective mantle around me, help me remain steadfast and resolute in front of my enemies. Shield and defend me and my loved ones from the ravages of fear and anxiety. O Sekhmet, Who Rouseth the People Grant me the fortitude to show forbearance to those who would sin against me. May I allow no trial, however severe, to embitter my soul and destroy my trust. May my heart not despair of human good. O Sekhmet, I praise and honor Thee with gratitude for your help.

Sekhmet’s Message

I am the Sun. Powerful and bright. Full of energy and life. I am also the darkness and the mystery. I will protect you, help you to know your inner wisdom and find your true self. I will help you look at your shadow to help heal your issues and to face your fears. When you are ready, call to me, I will be waiting.

Sekhmet’s Message

Sekhmet ~ Be Strong: “You are stronger than you think you are, and your strength assures a happy outcome.”

 “See yourself as strong and victorious. Do not complain about anything. Do not blame anyone or any condition. You are the embodiment of strength, not victim hood. As you rise above the old tendencies and see yourself in the new light of beautiful feminine strength, your life will automatically shift in miraculous ways. You will attract new opportunities, forms of abundance, and relationships to help you manifest your highest potential. Being strong means seeing yourself in the most favorable light you can imagine. Be real, allow yourself to feel genuine emotions, but most of all, be strong.”

How to Know She’s Calling You

What if Sekhmet was calling you to her? Here are some of the signs that Sekhmet is calling you:

  • Lions and lionesses start showing up everywhere: TV, radio, books, etc.
  • You hear the name Sekhmet over and over in random places and conversations
  • You are drawn to lions and large cats
  • Your occupation is in the medical field or alternative healing
  • Your zodiac sign is Leo OR is another fire sign like Sagittarius or Aries
  • You’re drawn to ancient Egypt and the Egyptian pantheon
  • You descend from the ancient Egyptians
  • Your phase in life calls for ferocity, standing up for yourself, or even justifiable wrath or revenge
  • The desert seems to call to you
  • You feel more aligned with the sun than the moon
  • You feel strong pulls to fight for social justice issues
  • You start seeing and hearing things about lions all the time
  • An encounter with a large cat (or even a lion) may be another sign that she’s trying to get your attention.
  • If you feel a powerful, protective, or even intimidating presence around you, that may be Sekhmet.
  • The sudden urge to take up a martial art or otherwise improve your offensive and defensive skills can be another sign of Sekhmet’s attention.

How Sekhmet will help you

Sekhmet will help you look deep within and give you the courage to look at your shadows. She will help and guide you through this healing process and give you strength and empowerment. She will help you speak your truth and empower you to be who you are meant to be and not shy away from the world. Helping you to become whole again, happy and complete. Call on her when you need courage and strength. When you wish to do shadow work. Call on her to help with healing yourself and others. Call on her for protection.

I will leave you with this poem about the power and identity of anger and the fierce protection of the burning flames that is Sekhmet. Just remember if you choose to work with Sekhmet she is fierce, has high standards, roars with protection, and will burn down anything that she sees as injustice and not serving the greatest good of all man. She is a fierce deity who will protect those who are part of her pride and bring about the most transformative healing with the cleansing power of flames. 

“I burn and fume

and shoot daggers from my eyes

I erupt and roar

(though you’ve not pulled my tail)

my edge are sharp

and I cut deep

my energy is strong and fierce

and my displeasure

needs to be expressed

Though sometimes mild

I can be very intense

Once incited

I am difficult to put out

I am always appropriate

always needed

Don’t try to get rid of me

I need to be acknowledged and heard. 

I am anger”

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Solar Magic; A Guide To Harness The Bright, Vibrant, And Confident Magical Energy Of The Sun

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

Morning Sun – 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.

  • Animal-lion, rooster, phoenix, bear, pheasant, swan, eagle, hedgehogs, peacocks, spiders, jaguar, horses, Griffin, Hawk
  • Element-Fire
  • colors-Yellow, gold, orange
  • Chakra- Solar plexus
  • Herbs/ flowers- Marigold, Sunflower, Chamomile, succulents, rosemary, goldenseal, St. john’s wort, dandelion, bay, juniper, olive, turmeric, oak, sandalwood, pineapple, heliotrope, cinnamon, peppers, buttercup, bergamot, orange
  • Stones/ crystals- sunstone, citrine, carnelian, amber, tiger’s eye, yellow topaz, red agate, goldstone
  • Deities-Helios, Apollo, Amaterasu, Inti, Sol, Ra, Surya, Tonatiuh, Utu, Xihe, Lugh, shamash
  • Symbols- disc, circles, spirals, crosses, circle w/ dot, cardinal directions
  • Themes- Gold, abundance, vitality, life, ego, confidence, strength, pride, healing, growth, creativity, protection
  • Zodiac-Leo
  • Trees-oak, cedar
  • Day of the week-Sunday

Magical Ways To Work With The Sun

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!

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The Magic Of Eggs; The Magical Meanings And Uses Of Eggs

With Spring in the air, the days getting longer and the snow beginning to melt in some areas of the world most of us will feel a pull to refresh, rebirth, and renewal. We may even celebrate some spring holidays like, the Spring Equinox, Ostara or Easter. Whichever holiday it is you celebrate; a common symbol you will see is the Egg. The egg has been a powerful, and prominent symbol in human culture for 1000s of years far back into antiquity. The egg has been a staple not only as a food source and a center piece at breakfast time but, in magic, religion, and cultural practices as well. It can be seen in texts, art, and stories across many different cultures and even still today we see it every time spring rolls around in modern culture. Eggs symbolize fertility, birth/resurrection, Spring, nourishment and protection. Let’s roll into spring and crack open the magical uses and meanings of eggs in this blogpost.

Eggs In Cultures Throughout History

From Roman and Greek funerary rites to the birth of the Hindu god, Brahma, the egg is featured prominently in religious/spiritual traditions, folklore and celebration practices around the world. For many modern pagans, the egg symbolizes the Spring Equinox and/or Ostara and the renewal of life in the natural world. Let’s look at some more ( not all) of the ways eggs have been used in different cultures throughout history.

In Persia, eggs have been painted for thousands of years as part of the spring celebration of No Ruz, which is the Zoroastrian new year. In Iran, the colored eggs are placed on the dinner table at No Ruz, and a mother eats one cooked egg for each child she has. The festival of No Ruz predates the reign of Cyrus the Great, whose rule (580-529 b.c.e.) marks the beginning of Persian history.

In some Native American creation tales, the egg features prominently. Typically, this involves the cracking of a giant egg to form the universe, the earth, or even gods. In some tribes of America’s Pacific northwest region, there is a story about thunder eggs–geodes–which are thrown by the angry spirits of the high mountain ranges.

A Chinese folk tale tells of the story of the formation of the universe. Like so many things, it began as an egg. A deity named Pan Gu formed inside the egg, and then in his efforts to get out, cracked it into two halves. The upper portion became the sky and cosmos, and the lower half became the earth and sea. As Pan Gu grew bigger and more powerful, the gap between earth and sky increased, and soon they were separated forever.

In early Christian cultures, consumption of the Easter egg may have marked the end of Lent. In Greek Orthodox Christianity, there is a legend that after Christ’s death on the cross, Mary Magdalene went to the emperor of Rome, and told him of Jesus’ resurrection. The emperor’s response was skeptical, hinting that such an event was just about as likely as a nearby bowl of eggs suddenly turning red. Much to the emperor’s surprise, the bowl of eggs turned red, and Mary Magdalene joyfully began preaching Christianity throughout the land.

It was commonly thought in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period that witches could use empty eggshells to “fly” to their sabbaths. Eggshells were also thought to be used as vehicles for the fairies, so it was highly encouraged to destroy your eggshells before such magical beings could put them to use.

There’s an old English superstition that if you’re a girl who wants to see who your true love is, place an egg in front of your fire on a stormy night. As the rain picks up and the wind begins to howl, the man you will marry will come through the door and pick up the egg.

In American folk magic, eggs appear regularly in agricultural stories. A farmer who wants to “set” his eggs under broody hens should only do so during the full moon; otherwise, most of them won’t hatch. Likewise, eggs carried around in a woman’s bonnet will provide the best pullets. Eggs placed in a man’s hat for safekeeping will all produce roosters. Even the eggs of certain birds are special. Owls’ eggs are said to be a sure cure for alcoholism, when scrambled up and fed to someone with a drinking problem. Dirt found under a mockingbird’s egg can be used to alleviate sore throats.

Symbolism and Meaning Of The Egg

In many cultures and society, the egg is considered the perfect magical symbol. It is, after all, representative of new life. In fact, it is the life cycle/ circle of life personified in it’s shape alone. As we talked about above Eggs are the center of many creation myths and the source of where our universe began. Even when you look up the definition of what an Egg really is; it is the place life begins, and is protected and nurtured until it is ready to be born into this realm. Life is LITERALLY hatched from and BEGINS in eggs. The egg is a source of powerful energy that is able to take stagnant and unproductive energy and metamorphize it into fertile and productive energy. Eggs in magic and witchcraft represent fertility, rebirth, creation, nourishment, protection and abundance.

Magical Ways To Work With Eggs

As you can imagine because, eggs are such a potent, prominent, and powerful energy with many different energies you can connect to there are just as many ways to work with them! On top of that they are generally pretty easy to get ahold of, if you don’t already have some in your kitchen. You can roll into Spring feeling refreshed, and ready to crack open in rebirth and transformation with any or all of these magical workings.

Oomancy-Divination With Eggs

Oomancy is the name for egg cleansing and divination, also known as ovomancy, ovamancy, ooscopia, oomancia, oomantia. The name comes from the ancient Greek word for egg “oon” and “manteia” meaning divination. There are several methods to how this can be done in different cultures. Oomancy was a very common form of divination practiced in ancient Greece and Rome specifically, where it was believed that one could tell the future by interpreting the shapes formed when the separated whites from an egg was dropped into hot water.

Included here is a standard version if you would like to try your hand at.

Directions

First, you will want to fill a clear glass bowl with water. Hot, boiled water may make it easier to see shapes since it will partially cook the egg and prevent it from moving more than necessary.

Next, cleanse the egg before rolling it down your body starting at the crown of your head, allowing it to absorb impurities, then crack it into the water. Below is a list of signs to look for when divining with eggs. When reading an egg cleanse, the yolk is representative of you and the whites symbolize others.

  • Clear or mostly clear means you’ve been keeping up with your cleansing methods and wards…it means you don’t have a lot of negative energy affecting you!
  • Strings of white that go from top to bottom in the water indicate energetic cords that are negative and need to be cleared (if it’s thin, the attachment can be cleared easily but if it’s thick, it might take a longer stint of purification rituals to sever the tie)
  • Blood in the yolk could mean one of two things (or both simultaneously): the person is ill and/or is being spiritually attacked by a witch/evil eye
  • Cloudiness in the whites and around the yolk is the actual negative energy you’ve lifted off yourself/the individual
  • Foul odor also means the person is being spiritually attacked and affected by witchcraft or the evil eye
  • Actual symbols should be read accordingly. For instance, if you see an eye, we interpret this egg cleanse meaning as someone is watching you or sending you the evil eye. If a scary face is in the white, you may have a ghost or spirit nearby of a malevolent nature
  • Thick white blob still connected to the yolk typically means the person has another person strongly attached to them and could be feeding off their energy (sometimes the blob appears to look like a little head growing off the yolk itself)
  • Cobwebs or thready substance around the yolk means you have folks who are envious of you and your endeavors
  • Thick coating around the yolk could indicate a strong protective shield around the person OR the person is so defensive that they struggle in relationships
  • Letters or numbers should also be read accordingly in an egg cleansing reading. Letters could indicate someone’s initials who is throwing magical shade your way OR someone who is attached to you energetically. Numbers could indicate the amount of people who are throwing shade your way, or it could be predicting a future event on a certain date.
  • Double yolk means one of a few things: a. if you’re pregnant, you’re having twins. Or b. you have a twin soul somewhere out there. Or even c. your soul may have been split in two during a traumatic experience during your life.
  • If eggshell gets into the cleanse: this means your spiritual protective barriers have been penetrated. Consider learning how to shield yourself and wear a protective amulet.

Repeat as many times as necessary, cleansing and protecting between, until signs are good and there are no indications of a curse.

Bury A Raw Egg In Your Garden Or Yard

A classic symbol of fertility and abundance, a buried egg in your spring garden blesses the harvest for fruitful yield. It helps that it also makes excellent fertilizer! This also appeases the nature spirits present in your garden. You can also spread or sprinkle eggshells in the garden for the same purposes. You can amplify this energy and blessing by drawing a fertility sigil, a symbol for a Spring deity, or a growth intention before you bury it in the earth. You can recite a mantra, prayer, or invocation as well as you buy the egg. During this on a New moon or during the Spring equinox can also add more energy to this practice for you.

Banish A Dark Mood

Feeling a little under the weather emotionally? Try this liberating ritual. Write one word or symbol on a raw egg that represents your frustration, sadness or grief. Go to the edge of a moving water and throw the egg against a river rock. Watch the contents drain into the water. Walk away and don’t look back.

Leave Eggs At A Newer Gravesite

The Greeks and Romans left eggs in tombs or near grave sites to symbolize the afterlife. Leave eggs at the graveside of a loved one to bless their eternal life and heal grieving souls.

Use Eggs In Kitchen Magic

Include eggs in kitchen witch recipes for abundance, fertility or to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Get creative! Next time you crack an egg into a bowl, tell it what you want it to do. “An egg to increase fertility and increase my chances to conceive,” as an example. “An egg to protect all who eat this cake.”

Cascarilla; Egg powder

Cascarilla powder is simply eggshells ground down into a fine powder. This magical powder is used for different magical purposes but mainly for protection. Wash out your eggshells, let them dry, then grind them down in your mortar. Save the powder and use in protection rituals and spells. Some of my favorite ways to use egg powder are adding it to black salt, using to line a magic circle when casting, add to a spell bag or spell jar, or a prosperity bowl.

Cast A Glamor Or Beauty Spell

Eggs symbolize renewal, rebirth and eternity. Whisk together an egg white, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a little honey, then apply it to the face ask you would a skin mask. Close your eyes and meditate on the manifestation of eternal beauty. You can also use eggs to create a hair mask to use instead of a face mask as well.

Ostara/ Spring Equinox Wish

One of my favorite Ostara traditions to do is making an Ostara wish using a hard boiled egg. It is so simple to do as well! All you need is a hard boiled egg. Take a hard boiled egg, write a wish or intention you would like to plant to bloom by harvest time this year. Take your egg with your wish written on it out under the moon on Ostara. Hold it up to the sky, recite your wish out loud, and than take your egg and bury it in the earth for your wish to sprout, grow, and bloom this year.

Decorate Eggs

Eggs are a symbol of the Spring and henceforth Easter and Ostara. The tradition of painting and decorating eggs pre-dates Christianity and spans multiple cultures. To appease the gods and the spirits of Spring, decorate and paint eggs, then leave them at the foot of trees as offerings. Decorated eggs in the home in Spring ensures abundance and health in the coming months. The colors you choose to use when decorating can even represent specific energies and intentions as well. Below is a list of some ideas for you as you decorate your eggs.

  • Red- Passion, Power, Transformation
  • Orange- Attraction, Good Fortune/Luck
  • Yellow- Happiness, Inspiration
  • Green-Abundance, Prosperity, Wealth, Good Health
  • Blue- Peace, Tranquility, Spirituality
  • Purple- Mystical, Magical, The Power of Spring
  • Pink-Love, Friendship

Egg Magic For The Home

While I don’t necessary condone throwing a bunch of eggs on your roof, one egg or eggshell thrown on the roof of the house can protect you from another witch’s hexes. You can also line any threshold with an egg like a window sill or door for home protection. You can take a hard boiled egg and bury it in the earth near your front door as a protection ward and to call in abundance too. Or sprinkle broken eggshells across the threshold as a protection barrier.

Decorate An Easter Egg Tree

In Germany, it’s traditional to have an Easter tree to celebrate the Spring season. This is the same thing as a Christmas tree, except it’s for Easter. And if you’re pagan, call it your Ostara Tree. instead. Purchase hanging or make your own. You can even add magical symbols and words to each egg.

Egg Prosperity Spell

This spell is designed to bring you prosperity, whether it be financial or otherwise, by working with the magical properties of the egg.

What You’ll Need:

  • An egg or eggs if making more than one
  • biodegradable sachet
  • pyrite
  • mint
  • marker, dye, and other tools to decorate the egg

What To Do:

Begin by cleansing, charging, and/or blessing your items. After the items are ready to go, write, draw, or otherwise decorate your egg with your intent: prosperity. You can draw a rune in gold on your egg to represent prosperity. Other color choices are green, orange, or violet. You can dye the egg a solid color, draw sigils, or money symbols. After the egg is decorated, place it along with the pyrite and mint into the biodegradable sachet.

When all the items are placed in the sachet, hold it in both hands and imagine it filling with gold and green light. Say,
“With egg for new beginnings adorned all in gold [you can insert your own color here, but it may not rhyme ]
With pyrite for wealth and mint for fortunes untold,
I open myself to wealth beyond measure,
And accept the Universe’s treasure.”

Once the spell is done, find a safe place in your garden, preferably by a plant also associated with prosperity and abundance, and bury the sachet

Egg Fertility Spell

This Spell is meant to bring you fertility in your life especially if you are trying to conceive in your life right now. It harnesses both the potent power of the egg and the snake. This is a very simple spell to do that needs very few items.

What you will need:

  • A hard boiled egg
  • A jar or Satchel- Depending on what you want to make a spell jar or spell bag
  • Mint
  • Thyme
  • Rose
  • Gold wax/candle

What to do:

Once you have hard boiled your egg, take a pen or marker and draw a symbol of a snake on the egg. Take the egg, remove the shell, and save the shell for later. Eat the egg while envisioning golden light full of fertility filling you up from the inside. Than take the eggshells, mint, thyme, and rose place them in a jar or spell bag and seal with some gold wax from a candle. Place the jar or bag under the bed you would like to conceive in.

One Last Tip; Using Your Eggshells

We have talked about a lot when it comes to Eggs, the history of eggs through many cultures, their meanings and energetic connections and many ways you can work with eggs in your magical practice and life. The last tip I want to leave you with is to remember to keep your eggshells for all kinds of magical workings as well. You can grind them up to add them to all kinds of protection workings like spell jars, spell bags, black salt, and even use them to line your magic circles when you are casting. They can even be used in fertility, prosperity, and growth spells as well. However you choose to work with eggs this spring enjoy the very potent, powerful, and fertile energy they will bring to you move through this season of rebirth.


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The Magic Of Casting A Circle

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!