Cottage Witchery (12 page)

If spring came but once in a century, instead of
once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an
earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder
and expectation there would be in all hearts
to behold such a miraculous change!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Spring Sorcery

tulips and daffodils charm

Tulips and daffodils are synonymous with the spring. The tulip is aligned with the element of earth and is a very magickal flower. This bright blooming bulb promotes good luck and encourages prosperity. There are several different definitions for the tulip in the language of flowers. Each separate color has its own enchanting message. If you don't have a garden, pick up a pot of tulips and add them to your spring décor. They will bring a little springtime sorcery right into your hearth and home.

Just as with candle magick, you can match up the color of the tulip to your magickal intention. If you want to look a little deeper at the folklore of the tulip, the following magickal associations are based on the language of flowers. Try red tulips for love. Pastel pink encourages a dreamy romance. Yellow tulips encourage cheer and sunshine. White tulips signify a faraway love and encourage your love to return home. Deep burgundy and black tulips could be used to bring the magick of the night into your boudoir.

The daffodil was once called the chalice flower. It's not too hard to imagine how that name came to be, due to its cuplike center. Today, it is available to us in many varieties, sizes, colors (even peachy tones, white, and a yellowish-green), and shapes. The daffodil is associated with the element of water and in the language of flowers it symbolizes regards, gallantry, and admiration. Pick up a little pot of daffodils and place them in the center of your kitchen table or on your natural magick altar or workspace. They will bring happiness and joy into your home and add a little cheer to your days. If you care to enchant the flowers to bring some springtime cheer after the cold and dark days of winter, try this little flower charm.

A basket of tulips and a pot of daffodils,

Bring to my home sunshine, cheer, and encourage good will.

By the elements of earth and water, I bless these blooms,

May their springtime energy spread into every room.

Close the charm up with:

For the good of all, with harm to none,

By earth and water, this charm is done!

spring greenery

At this time of the year the branches of the trees and shrubs change every day. At first, in early spring, there is just a haze of color along those branches. As the weeks progress the buds burst open and blossoms and tender green leaves begin to appear. This season, try working with the earliest blossoms of spring for a little enchantment to add to your hearth and home.

The forsythia is synonymous with early spring. Those bright yellow blossoms are so cheering after the dreary days of late winter. Snip a few small branches of blooming forsythia and bring them into your home to encourage cheer and good-natured fellowship between yourself and all who live with you. Work a few blooming stems into a vase and set them in the heart of your magickal home, or where you have set up your altar or hearth stone. Here is a springtime charm to go along with them.

Bright forsythia blooms do encourage good cheer,

May these blossoms bless our home and bring joy this year.

Their energy radiates out from the heart of the home,

Strengthened by the powers of water, wind, and the hearthstone.

Close this spell up with:

From foundation to rooftop, this homey spell is cast,

Elements four gather 'round, help my magick hold fast.

blooming branches

As long as we are on the subject of blooming trees and shrubs, be careful when you prune any blooming shrubbery. Take only the smallest amount that you'll need and don't go and raid the neighbor's shrubs or trees! Also, consider sitting next to the blooming tree or shrub and working a little improvisational magick right there and then. Perhaps gathering a branch isn't possible—then take only a few blossoms instead. Remember, if you take all of the clusters of blooms, there won't be any for anyone else to enjoy. Be a courteous and conscientious gatherer.

lovely lilacs

In
Garden Witchery
I gave the reader a few examples of the power of lilacs. The lilac is probably one of the most underappreciated magickal blooming shrubs around. They are sacred to the faery kingdom, the scent of the flowers encourages psychic abilities, and the scent has powerful cleansing properties in magickal aromatherapy. There are several colors available to us today—anywhere from white to rosy pink and many shades of soft purple. No matter what color they are, the stronger the scent, the better they will work for a cleansing. This spring when you start to contemplate spring cleaning, why not add a bit of natural magick to your task and do more than just vacuum and dust your home? Cleanse the house while you are at it.

All magickal practitioners need a good cleansing in their homes from time to time. Coordinate your efforts if possible to fall on the waning moon, for banishings. Or work on a Saturday evening to take advantage of the closing energies of the week and Saturn's energy for breaking negativity.

lilac protection spell for the home

Place a small vase of fresh lilac blossoms at the heart of your home. Perform all your mundane chores of sweeping and dusting, picking up and taking out the garbage. Once the house is set to rights, walk over and take a good whiff of those lilacs. Now ground and center, and repeat this charm three times.

The lovely lilac may be pink, white, or purple in hue,

Protection and cleanliness, their scent grants to me and you.

From the heart of my home, this power spins 'round and 'round,

No more negativity or anger can be found.

Close this spell up with:

For the good of all, with harm to none,

By blossom and scent, this spell is done!

When the flowers begin to fade, dispose of them neatly.

pansies

The pansy is a fun and readily available magickal flower to work with in the spring. This cold-hardy annual seems to be an ambassador of the season. On a practical note, the cheerful pansy is offered in a myriad of bright and bewitching color combinations. Match the color of the flower to your magickal intention, just as you would for candle magick. This flower is sacred to the god Eros/Cupid and is an awesome flower to work with to promote protection and love. Rumor has it that Cupid accidentally nailed a pansy with one of his arrows, which caused the flower to smile. Forever after the pansy's smiling face was shown to the world. Try chanting this flower fascination charm while you add these perky flowers into pots and containers for your porch, patio, deck, or home gardens this spring. Repeat this flower fascination three times.

The pansy's happy face is a blessing in the spring,

Protection, joy, and love this magick does bring.

Purple blooms for protection and bright yellow ones for cheer,

Blue shades for peace and health, red for the loved ones I hold so dear.

Eros, hear my call, add your loving magick to mine,

While I bless my home and family, come rain or shine.

The sun, the hearth of affection and life,
pours burning love on the delighted earth.

Arthur Rimbaud

Midsummer Magick

The summer months often seem to be made for kicking back and relaxing. Well, unless you are a parent of school-aged children. Then you are probably running around like crazy. However, the garden is typically in full swing and there are many natural items available. Fresh fruit and flowers are in abundance and you should consider working with all that nature has to offer us at this time of the year.

strawberries

Did you know that strawberries are sacred to the goddess Freya? They are a love food and are thought to ease the aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Wild strawberries are often found growing in your yard along the fence rows in an untrampled area. Make absolutely sure they haven't been sprayed by lawn chemicals before you eat wild strawberries. (Better safe than sorry.) Still, these flowers, foliage, and tiny fruits do come in handy as props for all sorts of homey spells and charms. The foliage of the strawberry plant symbolizes “perfection” in the language of flowers, so the foliage could be added to just about any summer spell that you want to turn out “perfect”!

If you have a friend who is expecting or are pregnant yourself, consider working with the fruits and foliage of the strawberry plant to bring love and contentment into your life and home. Pick up a package of strawberries from the market or go crazy and take yourself and your family berry picking early this summer. Now, if you happen to be allergic to the fruit of the strawberry, no worries—just substitute a favorite fresh berry that you can eat. How about raspberries? They fall under the planetary association of Venus, and they also have the same magickal correspondences of the strawberry.

a berry good spell for loving vibrations

* A small bowl of edible berries

* A few strawberry leaves for perfection or a maple leaf arranged around the outside of the bowl (the maple leaf sweetens spells up)

* A red berry-scented candle

* A coordinating candleholder

* Matches or a lighter

Set this up on your altar, hearth, or hearthstone. Arrange the bowl and candle in its holder to your liking. Set the foliage down next to the bowl and away from the candle flame. This spell may be worked to safeguard a pregnancy or to improve your outlook on life by giving you a more cheerful view. (This spell also comes in handy when you have a walloping case of the blahs; adjust the fourth line as necessary). Light the candle and repeat this charm three times:

Ripe and fresh berries are a love-inducing fruit,

They bring health and romance and happiness to boot!

As I eat this berry, I now bring into me
(eat a berry)

Strength and love, well-being, and a safe pregnancy.

Or use this line:

My strength, love, and happiness shine for all to see.

Close up this spell by saying:

By all the powers of three times three,

As I will it, then so must it be.

Allow the candle to burn out. When it has, return the foliage to nature. You may eat the rest of the berries as a snack or have them for dessert with your family.

roses

Yup, roses are a very popular flower to work into spells, flower fascinations, and charms of all varieties. Working with the different colors of the rose is similar to working with candle color magick, as you may use the different colors of the rose for specific magickal needs.

Try white roses for purity and as an all-purpose flower; yellow roses bring sunshine and knowledge into your home. Red roses, as you'd imagine, are for love and passion. (Put those flowers in the bedroom.) Red and white blended roses encourage creativity and unity. Soft pink roses encourage gentle love and affection between family members. Place a small vase of pink roses in a child's room (up and out of reach of small hands, of course). Or try bright pink roses in the main room of the home to symbolize the appreciation you have for your home and the people and animals who live there with you. Try orange roses for passion, vitality, and enthusiasm. Orange roses will also help encourage the movement of positive energy. Peach roses are for charm; ivory encourages steadfast romance between a mature couple and signifies the wisdom that comes with being on this planet for a while. Purple roses signify power, magick, and passion. Lastly, if you want to break negativity and work for protection, look for the darkest, deepest burgundy color that you can find.