Self Dedication Spell

Self Dedication Spell:

 You can use this spell to dedicate yourself to any path you choose. You may need to edit the wording to suit your needs. May your path be blessed!

Prepare a sacred space at home in which you plan on doing your spiritual work. It must be clean and free of clutter. You may want to have a small table that will become your altar. You may want to create a sacred space to store everything that you may need during ritual (all of your ritual tools, candles, incense, etc…. and lighters.

Dedicate yourself on the Full moon if possible. Also… SamHain (Halloween) is the perfect night for a self dedication as it’s the Pagan new year..

On the night of your choosing, sit quietly and ponder the reason for wanting to dedicate yourself to witchcraft. What do you have to offer? What do you wish to take from it? Where do you want to go from here? Take time and really envision the answers to those questions. The door and key are symbols to help you focus on this new path is like a door opening you to new possibilities in your life.

Light the candle. Recite:
O Mother Goddess, O Father God,
Answers to all mysteries and yet mysteries unanswered;
In this place of power I open myself to your essence.
In this place and in this time I am changed;
From henceforth, I walk the Wiccan path.
“I dedicate myself to you, Mother Goddess and Father God.

Rest for a moment

I breathe your energies into my body, commingling,
blending, mixing them with mine,
that I may see the divine in nature, nature in the divine,
and divinity within myself and all else.
O Great Goddess, O Great God,
Make me one with your essence
Make me one with your essence
Make me one with your essence

You may feel a difference, subtle or strong. Whatever happens, know that you have opened yourself and that the Goddess and God have heard you. You should feel different inside.

Allow he candle to burn as long as you can supervise it. Extinguish it when finished. It is charged to be used in future spells, rituals and divination. 

Feel free to edit this spell if you feel drawn to do so (this is your intuition guiding you)

Do not over-think your magick. I get calls all the time from customers that are worked up over tiny details. There is no wrong way to do the right thing when it comes to magick. It is your intentions that make it happen. The candle magick is just a tool to help you stay focused and to send your desire out to the universe.

Credit for the incantation goes to Scott Cunningham.

Advertisement

How to Choose a Tarot Deck – How to Buy a Tarot Deck

How to Choose a Tarot Deck

 

Being in the metaphysical store business for 15 + years, I have often had customers tell me that they would love to learn how to read tarot cards but they must be gifted with a deck.  I don’t have any problem with it as long as you have friends and family that you can open up to about your beliefs and interests and that they would take it upon themselves to buy you a deck.

 

My personal opinion is that you should be the one to choose your own tarot deck. I also believe that you should start off with one of the Rider Waite decks even though there are hundreds of gorgeous decks from which to choose that would better reflect your energies, beliefs, interest and lifestyle. I recommend the Rider Waite decks so that you can build a strong foundation that will allow you to evolve towards other tarot decks that reflect who you are. The Rider Waite decks are not the most attractive decks. The reason I want you to start out with one of these decks is so you will have a deck that corresponds to most tarot books and tarot workshops. These decks are very similar in symbolism, numerology and color. Books and classes are designed to teach you to interpret all of these aspects for not just each card, but also the combination. One book will undoubtedly lead to numerous others. By choosing the best selling decks, you will be able to follow the instruction. A tarot reader doesn’t just look at a card. She studies it. A card isn’t just a picture. Rider Waite has people and animals on almost every card. What are they doing? Which way are they facing? What are they wearing? What are they doing in the picture? What emotion do they show? What is the number on the card? What colors are there within the card? My favorite part is the small details that are easily missed. Perhaps there are symbols on their clothing, a chalice or sword in hand. Those aren’t decoration. Those are hints or reminders of what that card represents. All these aspects are to help open you up to an opportunity to communicate guidance via the cards laid out in front of you. To the client, those cards are pretty or scary pictures. As a tarot reader, it is your job to translate the message to them. As you study and come familiar with your Rider Waite deck, you will start to understand how it all comes together. At that point, you may wish to choose a deck that you find more appealing. Start with a good foundation and all other decks will be much easier to interpret.

 

I offer numerous tarot decks and a variety of tarot books that I have read and recommend.

 

http://www.alleghenycandles.com/tarot.html

 

http://www.alleghenycandles.com/tarotbooks.html

 

 

 

Candle magic / Color Magic

Purple

• spirituality ·
• crown chakra·
• power & force – add when needed to rituals
• protection of the innocent
• can be used in spells for relief from injustice or for protection.

Blue

• peace, tranquility – use for relaxation, stress relief & meditation
• communication – helps w/ getting message across thru spoken or written word or understanding in relationship problems.
• Light blue – throat chakra
• dark blue – 3^rd eye chakra
• west direction
• element – water

Green

• money, luck
• fertility – creativity, growing things or pregnancy
• healing and health
• growth and expansion
• love
• heart chakra
• north direction
• element – earth

Yellow

• joy, happiness – raises the spiritual vibration
• solar plexus chakra
• money
• east direction
• element – air
• follow up to a curse removal to raise the vibration
• Can help w/ depression.

Orange

• elevatate mood & vibration
• aids in love affair problems
• balance, adaptability
• energy
• naval chakra

Red

• root chakra
• love, passion, sex
• energy, vigor
• courage
• south direction
• element –  fire

Pink

• love drawing
• aids in emotional healing of a broken heart or grief
• smooths over problem between friends
• honor, morality
• weight loss

Brown

• grounding
• connecting to earth energy
• north direction
• element –  earth

Black

• grounding
• protection
• secrecy

White

• purify, cleanse
• can be used to represent deity
• protection
• truth
• it can be used as a suitable replacement for any other color

Silver

• goddess
• female energy
• moon or night time

Gold

• god
• male energy
• sun or day time

Dressing candles refers to rubbing ritual oil into the candle that is related to your desire. It adds power to your energy work.

• Sit quietly and mentally prepare yourself. Quiet your mind and then think of your desire.

• Place a drop of oil on your finger tip and rub from the middle of the candle out to the tip as your concentrate on your intention.
• Repeat to the other end
• Take a few moments to reflect on your desire. Visualize it coming to fruition.
• If you have more than one candle to work with, repeat the process to each one.
• Continue with your spiritual work.

 

Many practitioners prefer smaller candles for a single use. They will allow it to burn completely out and then bury the candle remains as a final step. Do not leave a burning candle unattended.

To some, blowing a candle out is considered disrespectful. They will pinch it out or use a snuffer.

Candles can be carved with name, date, intention etc…

© Amy Summers 2006

Keep it Simple

I am the kind of person that studies people and human nature in general. I like to understand so that I can avoid making the mistakes that others have already made. I’m not saying that I don’t find creative new ways to make mistakes (I’m an expert at that). I don’t like to pass up lessons when they come my way. I think the single most important thing I have learned from dealing with my customers is to keep it simple. People tend to complicate everything and make it more difficult than need be which often leads to giving up. I get many emails on my candle magick (I offer them because they are the easiest form of magick one can do). I get overwhelmed with emails asking how long to burn the candle or where should I position this or that. I give them the same response every time…. “Where do YOU think it should go?”. I tell them to stop over-thinking everything and follow your intuition. They usually give it thought and write me back and ask for my approval. My message to all of you is to follow your heart when you are manifesting a change in your life. Stop worrying about the tiny details. When you fuss and worry… and doubt…. you create a blockage to your efforts. If you want to cleanse your home…. or attract love into your life… follow the instructions but don’t worry about perfection. The perfection is in your intention and in your faith in yourself. The words, gestures or tools for a spell are just there to help you keep your intention focused. In truth…. nothing is needed except for your intention and faith.

How to Sell Your Home With a Sage Smudge Ceremony

How to sell your home with a Sage Smudge Ceremony

 Right now, it’s pretty much a buyer’s market. If you have a home that you wish to sell, there are steps you can take to help attract a buyer. I can’t promise you that this will sell your home. But, it can’t hurt to try. If your house has been sitting on the market for awhile, you have nothing to lose.

 Mundane steps to be dealt with first to help sell your home

 First, you need a good qualified realtor… someone who is very familiar with the area and has experience selling homes. Make sure your realtor is dependable and has your best interest in mind. Remember…. They are to be representing you… not the buyer or themselves! Is your realtor listening to your questions and concerns? Do he or she understand what your needs and goals are? It doesn’t matter how nice your home is or how good of a price you have if your realtor isn’t doing his or her job.

 Second, clear out the clutter. Recycle or throw away junk. Give away or sell items that can be reused. I have found www.freecycle.org to be a very helpful resource for getting rid of stuff. You can also donate it to charity and write it off your taxes. Rent a storage unit for the things you want to keep. Remove all personal items like photos and artwork that might not appeal to the general public. Don’t feel bad about that… it’s your stuff going to your new home. Don’t let it stop your sale b/c someone just can’t imagine themselves making your home their own. Remove unnecessary furniture, kitchen appliances..etc… This includes books. Yes! Books I said! They make a room feel small and cluttered… pack them up and send them to the storage unit. Do not use the garage as a storage unit. If I’m looking at your home, I want to see that my car(s), tools, lawnmower etc…. will all fit in there. If I see your junk, then I’ll think your house is too small to suit my needs.

 Getting rid of these things does several things to your home:

•  look bigger
• look cleaner and more organized
• more comfortable
• more neutral so buyers can see their own possessions in the home
• improves feng shui
• makes it appeal to more people

 Negative energy tends to stagnate around clutter. Think of it like this. Imagine energy is air. Wherever air is likely to stagnate, so is energy. This is a bad thing when trying to sell your home because people feel this on a subconscious level. You want it to feel fresh, clean and inviting to those who enter.

 Once the clutter is cleared, give the house a very thorough cleaning. An unclean house means that you probably don’t do maintenance. That’s a red flag to buyers. If it’s too big of a task, hire a reputable person to do the job. Wash walls (or repaint), scrub carpeting, clean out cupboards and closets because buyers are going to look. You want it to look and smell CLEAN.

Spiritual steps to attracting a buyer for your home.

Once your home is decluttered, organized and cleaned, it’s time to move onto the spiritual part of things.

 Smudging is a traditional method used by indigenous people to clear away negative and residual energy. To “smudge” is to clean with smoke… a smoke bath. The smoke is generated by burning herbs believed to have spiritual properties the are desired. Sage is the most popular herb used in smudging. There are many varieties of sage. However, California white sage and desert sage are the most commonly used. It must be dried. If you have some that is not ground, you may be able to light it as it is. If it is powdered, then you will need charcoal tablets to burn it. However, the most common way to smudge with sage is with a smudge stick (also known as a smudge bundle or smudge wand) in which the sage has been cut and tied up into a little bundle. Sometimes, you will find sage sticks that are combined with other herbs such as lavender, cedar or sweetgrass. All will work just fine for the purpose of your smudge ceremony. If you are interested, these are the blends I carry on my website linked below.

• Cedar is powerful protection and purification
• Lavender is for love, peace and tranquility
• Sweetgrass is to attract good spirits
• Copal is a powerful resin for purification

 Supplies needed for the smudge ceremony:

 Sage smudge stick

Lighter (not matches)

Heatproof bowl (a big ash tray will work)

Sand (optional) – pour a ½” into the bottom of your bowl if it might get too hot. This will dissipate the heat.

Hand-held fan or feather (optional) – to fan the smoke around. You can also use your hand like I do.

 Important notes:

 Sage is difficult to keep lit. You may want to cut the bundle open and separate the sage into several smaller bundles (they tend to stick together naturally). The smaller bundle seem to burn better and give off more smoke (which is what we want).

 Always work counterclockwise to banish the negative energy.

 Ready to smudge?

 This is the pattern that you would smudge a home for sale. It can also be applied to any building you wish to sell.

• Go to the highest part of your house and start there.
• If you have an attic in which you can walk around, start smudging to the right of the entrance. Work your way counterclockwise toward the left of the entrance.
• If your attic is a crawl space, fan a lot of smoke into the attic so it can reach all the corners and around anything stored up there.

1. Work your way down to the next floor, keeping with the counterclockwise pattern. If it is the 2^nd or 3^rd floor, start to the right of the staircase smudging each room in the clockwise manner. Do this till you end up to the left of the staircase.
2. Smudge the staircase.
3. Do each floor the same way till you reach the ground floor. Skip the ground floor for now if you have a basement. Smudge the basement. Spend a lot of time here because basements can be like a dead end for energy. It can sit there and collect. That’s why basements are so creepy.
4. Move back to the ground floor. Start smudging from the right side of the door, again moving room to room in a counter clockwise pattern… smudging each room counter clockwise.
5. Work your way out the front door.
6. If you have a porch, patio, gazebo etc…. smudge them.
7. If you have a garage, workshop or pool house, smudge them as well.
8. You can smudge the entire property if you feel comfortable enough to do it in front of the neighbors.

The actual smudge ritual is quite easy. It is little more than a Native American ceremony with a twist to it. The important thing is NOT to over complicate things. You cannot do this wrong. It is what is in your heart and your desire that makes it work. The actual steps aren’t that important. It is all about your intentions.

 This is the ceremonial part:

1. Light the sage. If it doesn’t go out on it’s own, carefully blow on it. The goal is to get it to smoke and smolder. You can relight it as needed… hence the reason for a lighter over matches.
2. Place the smoking sage into the heatproof container.
3. Use you hand, fan or feather to GENTLY move the smoke to the areas to be cleansed.

• Pay attention to corners, under and around furniture, cluttered areas and areas where negative energy might be really bad (like the place where you pay bills). Smudge inside of cabinets, the stove and fridge if they are being sold too. Think like a little kid playing hide and go seek. Where could a small child hide? Smudge it!

4.      As you walk around each room, you may want to ask for God, the universe, source or spirit to attract a buyer to your home. The Lord’s prayer is also quite popular for this. You can get creative… kindly ask you guardian angels, spirit guides and passed loved ones to help you make a spiritual connection with the buyer for your home.

5.      Be careful as you walk so as not to trip and burn the flooring. Walk slowly… fanning the smoke gently. Relight as needed. Stop walking when you want to say your prayer. As you smudge, envision this smoke as your desire going out into the universe and making a connection with a family who is looking for “just the right home” which happens to be yours.

6.      Take great care not to burn yourself or get close to curtains, fabrics or anything flammable. Don’t leave the smudge burning if you are interrupted. Remove pets and small children who may get in the way.  Keep in mind that smudging might be an issue for folks with allergies or asthma. Only you can decide if you want to risk  smudging knowing how it might affect them.

7.      An important step in selling your home is to release it. Let your home know that it’s time for you to move on. The home has served you well and it’s time for a new family to come in. Envision your desire going out into the universe and connecting with the right buyer. Thank your home for the protection, comfort and shelter it has provided. Give the home your blessings and tell it “goodbye”.

8.      When you are done, thank you angels, guides, loved ones, god and anyone else you believe has helped you with your ceremony.

 9. It’s a good idea to open the wondows and ait the place out after the smudging. The smoke smells somewhat like marijuana smoke and you don’t want to turn buyers off as soon as they walk in the door. You may even want to use something like Febreeze to clear out the odor.  Buyers may think that you were smokers which can be a big turn off.

If you do not have a local store that carries sage smudge sticks, please consider purchasing from our website. You will find them at: http://www.alleghenycandles.com/sage-smudge-stick.html

I wish you blessings of good luck in the sale of your home AND in your new home!