Cottage Witchery (13 page)

The rose is also sacred to many goddesses throughout time and in many magickal cultures. Here are just a few:

aphrodite:
white and red five-petal roses

diana:
dusky purple roses or wild roses

flora:
all colors of roses

freya:
full red roses

hecate:
a deep burgundy or chocolatey red rose (check with the florist, those dramatic rose colors are available)

lakshmi:
yellow, white, and pink roses

lilith:
a deep burgundy thorny rose

mary:
all roses but especially white

our lady of guadalupe:
red and pink roses

selene:
a full white rose

titania, the faery queen:
all roses, the more fragrant the better

all-purpose rose spell

When in doubt, try this summertime spell. It basically covers all the bases. Gather three fresh roses and a handful of fresh rose petals from the garden. (Match the color of the roses to your magickal intention.) Go to the heart of your home and slip the roses into a water-filled vase. Take a moment for yourself and calm your mind and heart. When you are ready, scatter the petals in a loose circle around yourself. Repeat the charm three times.

A circle of rose petals I cast by my own hand,

Bring peace, health, and prosperity to where I now stand.

I call for positive change, come in the best way for me,

By my will and desire, and by the power of three.

Close the spell with:

For the good of all, bringing harm to none,

By flower and petal, this spell is done!

summer magick for the house faeries

Midsummer's eve is one of the biggest nights of the year for faery activity. If you have house faeries that you work with or if you want to encourage their benevolent presence on your property, then consider working this spell.

For this midsummer's spell you will need a vase of clean water, a few fresh roses, and some inexpensive, quartz crystal tumbled stones. Set the flowers in the vase in the heart of your home, altar, or at your hearthstone setup. Keep the crystals in your hand until the second line is finished. The time to work this spell is at sundown on the night of the summer solstice.

Midsummer is the time to work with the faery,

I call for your help, watch over my property.

(place the crystals by your hearth area)

I leave some gifts for you; do with them as you see best,

No pranks, just your kind assistance I do now request.

Close the spell up with:

In no way will this spell reverse,

or place upon this house any curse.

When you are finished, thank the house faeries in your own words and leave the crystals for them. Why? Rumor has it they enjoy sparkling things. It will also encourage them to leave your jewelry and keys alone.

The woods are full of fairies;

The sea is full of fish;

The trees are full of golden leaves;

Let's make an autumn wish.

Anonymous

Autumn Enchantment

Adding a little autumn enchantment to your home and into your life is easy enough, especially when you look at this from a natural magick perspective. So, let's take a look at harvest and Halloween/Samhain natural decorations and items that we are already familiar with and add a touch of cottage witchery to these down-to-earth items.

Apples

Apples are among the most magickal of fruits. According to many mythologies it is the food that grants eternal youth and immortality to the gods. To any mortal lucky enough to get a hold of a sacred apple, it was believed that consuming the apple would then gain them access to the underworld and bestow upon them the gift of prophecy.

When sliced crosswise, the apple reveals a star-shaped arrangement of seeds inside. This is sometimes referred to as the star of knowledge. The apple is a “secret” symbol for the Craft and is sometimes shown sliced crosswise on the tarot card The Empress. The traditional harvest and Halloween game of bobbing for apples may have some ties to old divination magick. As the apples float and bob along the surface of the water, people have to hold their breath, dunk their head in, and then try and grab an apple only using their teeth—sort of an ordeal by water. The point of this challenge or game was to test the petitioner. Going through water to get the apple was symbolic of the journey to Avalon (the land of apples). If they are successful, then they get to eat their apple, perhaps acquiring the ability of foresight and magick. Try it yourself this autumn. Fill up an old washtub with water and float a dozen apples in it. Let your family or circle mates take turns, and prepare to get soaked and to have fun!

If you are having a more restrained get-together, try hollowing out a space in the apple for a tealight and float these apple candles in a outdoor birdbath, fountain, or just a large cauldron full of water.

Autumn Leaves

Here is a great idea that won't cost you a dime. Gather fall leaves and display them in an old jar or basket, or arrange them across a shelf or mantle with seasonal gourds and mini-pumpkins. You could also use these leaves as accessories in your magick. Try scarlet-brown oak leaves for knowledge and magick, and to invoke the wisdom of the Green Man. Red or yellow maple leaves sweeten up your life and may be added to charm bags to promote love. Add the luminous red leaves of the dogwood to any spells and charms designed to bring love and security, and to encourage a happy and protected home. Work with the soft yellow elm leaf for faery magick and for a glamour. Why an elm? Well, one of the folk names for the elm tree is elven. Or simply use the various colors of the leaves in color magick, just like you would a candle. Match up the color of the leaf to your magickal intention.

Corn Stalks and Ornamental Corn

Porch posts wrapped in golden-brown corn stalks stylishly celebrate the harvest festivals as well as encourage prosperity and good luck. Corn is sacred to many an earth mother goddess, so think about that the next time you go to tie a bundle of these rustling stalks to your porch. Cornstalks displayed inside (or nowadays outside) of the home were thought to encourage fertility and to bring good luck. Plus it really sets the stage for a lavish harvest celebration.

Ornamental corn is a popular decorative accessory for the fall months. Often referred to as Indian corn, these brightly colored ears come in a rainbow of jewel tones and colors. Try stringing up ears of ornamental Indian corn into garlands that can be tied to the porch, above doorways, or across the mantle. Natural raffia would make a good choice for this, as it's fairly strong and the straw color blends in with the cornhusks. If creating swags and garlands with ornamental Indian corn just isn't your thing, then consider something a bit less complicated.

Typically ornamental corn is sold in bunches of three, which you could use to symbolize the three harvest festivals of Lammas, Mabon, and Samhain, or to represent the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Hang a trio of corn on your front door or living room wall and enchant them for fertility, prosperity, and protection. Embellish these ears by tying a pretty fall-colored ribbon around their husks—that will jazz it up a little. Try out this autumn enchantment as you fasten the ears of corn up for display.

This golden season of autumn I now celebrate

Blessed be the harvest, make strong my magickal faith.

Three ears of corn for the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone

Lady, bless this house with abundance, and make it your own.

chrysanthemums

In flower magick, the chrysanthemum is a flower that invokes protection. In this time of the magickal year when the veil between our world and the world of spirit is at its thinnest, mums come in pretty handy. Sure, we all know that Halloween/Samhain is famous for its free-roaming spooks, but how about using a little flower magick to ensure it's only the good-natured ones who find their way to your door on the eve of October 31st? These fabulous and inexpensive flowers are available in many colors and varieties. This makes choosing the right mum for color magick a snap! Try red mums for love and yellow mums to encourage joy and good cheer. Purple mums bring power and passion. White mums invoke the truth and bronze tones encourage a loving, happy home. Try setting out a few pots of mysterious mums with your pumpkins this autumn to protect your property and your pets and to encourage love, happiness, power, and protection for your family. Here is a fall flower charm to go along with your mum magick.

The chrysanthemum is a magickal flower indeed,

It brings love, joy, and protection with all possible speed.

In this season of autumn, I spin this fall flower spell,

Believe in this natural magick and all will be well.

pumpkins

What is Halloween/Samhain without a pumpkin? It's hard to imagine this holiday without the glowing, flickering faces of jack o' lanterns lining the streets and perched on top of porches, stumps, and hay bales. This native squash became popular as a replacement to the Irish custom of using turnips or hollowed-out cabbages. The pumpkin can be grown just about anywhere. It can even be grown on six out of the seven continents! It is interesting to note that the original purpose for jack o' lanterns was to frighten away evil spirits. Consider using your Halloween/Samhain pumpkins in conjunction with a little candle magick to frighten away negativity and bad luck this year.

I would recommend black, patchouli-scented votives in holders. These are readily available in the fall months at most arts and crafts or department stores. Patchouli is protective and its musky, spicy scent smells wonderful. So if you can find some, stock up. Carve a hideous face on your pumpkin, or any witchy design that you prefer. Try those pumpkin-carving kits—they are fun, easy, and have lots of magickal designs. Once your jack o' lantern is carved and ready to go, place the candleholder inside and drop in the scented votive. As you light the candle, repeat the following charm three times:

Bright pumpkins that glow and scented candles of black

Send bad luck away, turn negativity back.

By all the enchantment of three times three,

Lady, hear my spell on this hallowed eve.

Why not cast a witchy eye on all of the beautiful, natural bounty that nature has to offer us at any time of the year and discover what sort of cottage witchery you can craft for yourself? Take a fresh look at nature during all four seasons and see what sort of new, elemental spin you can put on your own celebrations for hearth and home.