A Book of Shadows
The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Why a Book of Shadows, you may wonder? Over the years, I have had more requests for this type of book than anything else. When I began teaching public classes on witchery, practical magick, and the Craft, I based every single class I taught from the correspondences in the original version of this book, 7 Days of Magic. But I have always wanted to take a shot at expanding and intensifying that original little manuscript. However small the size of that manuscript may have been, the original book was packed full of daily correspondences, spells, and lessons on how to incorporate witchery into each and every day of the week. In essence, it was a Book of Shadows—it was my Book of Shadows, containing a collection of spells, charms, and correspondences, all of it witchery that worked well and that I had created, written down, and successfully practiced and then went on to teach to the public.
So here we are. You hold in your hands not an old book with a new cover. No, indeed. This book is bigger, better, and more in-depth; the information has more than doubled in size. The fundamentals that you have come to expect from me are still here, but now there is even more magick to try your hand at. For example, you will find enchanting and new daily meditations, potion and philter recipes, Witch crafts, full moon magick, and rituals that are more intense and much more involved, in addition to the classic crystal, color, herb, tarot card, and deity magick.
This Book of Shadows is meant to kick-start your own brand of creativity, and it will give you many fresh ideas on how to build your own personal brand of witchery and magick. I promise that this book will keep you happily conjuring seven days a week—because, as I always say, magick is where you find it, and creativity is the key.
Witchery for the Week
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Magick is all around us at all times. Enchantment can be found in each moment of every day of our lives. In this frantic and crazy world that we live in, it is more important now than ever to stop and take a few moments for yourself and your witchery. Each day, set aside some private time just for you. Then use this personal time to connect to the wonder, divinity, and magickal energies of that specific day. If you’ve got only ten minutes to spare for magick, then incorporate your intuition and your knowledge of the Craft to use every bit of that time wisely.
Magick doesn’t have to be complicated. You are not any less of a Witch if you choose to keep things straightforward and basic. Who says you have to spend an hour setting up and then performing your spells? Certainly not me. If you keep things uncomplicated and practical, you’ll enjoy it more—and you’ll be working magick more often. Witchery isn’t limited only to the sabbats and to the occasional full moon; magick happens twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Every day is a bewitching day, Sunday through Saturday. Each day holds its own planetary correspondences, deity associations, magickal energies, and applications. A clue to how these magickal traditions started is to consider how the days of the week got their names in the first place. To the ancients, there were seven known planets, or celestial bodies, in the heavens. These were the sun, moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Back in the day, folks believed that the seven planets all revolved around the earth—that whole “the earth is the center of the universe” thing. They also believed that the movements of the planets signified the will of the gods and their direct power over human affairs.
Sunday is obviously named after our closest star, the sun. Monday was named after the moon. All of the other names for the days of the week are actually inspired by a combination of the old Roman and Norse deities and mythologies. Each day of the week has its own energies and specialties, and the day itself may affect people in different ways. For example, do Mondays make you cringe? Why? They are not always the start of the work week. For those of us who work weekends, Monday is just another day. It is, however, the moon’s special day of the week. What kind of magickal work could you possibly perform on a Monday?
Well, on that sacred day of the moon, you could work for increased psychic abilities or you could connect with a lunar god or goddess. If a full moon happened to fall on a Monday, this could infuse extra magickal power into any lunar spell. Sounds like a double whammy to me. How could you use this information in your own brand of witchery and magick?
Techniques for Newer Witches
Over the years, I have met many newer Witches who are often confused and overwhelmed by daily magickal correspondences. They rub their foreheads and give me a pained expression as they ask, “Tuesdays are for what?” Goddess knows I’ve fielded this question many times with my students, magickal friends, and my covenmates. Some magickal practitioners break a sweat after taking one look at those massive correspondence charts and planetary hours. I can totally sympathize.
While serious astrological charts and the accompanying information make my eyes cross (I think it reminds me too much of math), you can and should still learn more about the individual magickal associations of all the days of the week. Daily planetary information and magickal associations will help you figure out the hows, whys, and whens of magick working the way that it does. Once you learn how to apply the daily correspondences, you turn up the power and the volume of your Craft. In essence, this gives you more unique magickal tools in your repertoire, and this will then allow you to creatively experience more options.
Inspiration for Experienced Witches
For those Witches who wonder what the point is of relearning what they perceive to be very basic material, try looking at daily correspondences in a whole new way. It really doesn’t matter how old you are. Whether you are in your late teens or in your seventies, many experienced Witches have trouble working successfully with the daily magickal correspondences, so they face boredom and burnout. Whatever scenario you are dealing with, either is frustrating.
The topics covered in this Book of Shadows—the daily correspondences, meditations, theme spells, tarot card associations, Witch craft projects, potion recipes, and other natural accessories—are like building blocks. You can successfully add this magickal information to the Witchcraft that you already practice. Before you know it, you’ve increased your knowledge of the Craft, expanded your understanding of magickal correspondences, tried your hand at creating some of your own spells, and stepped up in the ranks.
Expanding Your Magickal Toolbox
For all a rhetorician’s rules
Teach nothing but to name his tools.
Samuel Butler
Mastering the daily magickal correspondences actually expands the size of your magickal toolbox. You know that fun little “mental toolbox” that you cart around inside your head? Think of all the ways you will be able to personalize and advance your witchery! Instead of wasting time wondering which item, color, herb, or other magickal prop best harmonizes with what theme, you’ll already know, leaving you free to focus on the task at hand. When you free up your mind and focus on your magick instead of worrying if you have all the correct items, you allow so much more room for the spells and witchery to manifest—and without a bunch of expectations or worries slapped all over them. Remember that the most advanced magick springs from the hidden lessons that you began with. There are layers in magick and worlds within worlds. Are you willing to take the time to carefully investigate them?
Whenever I teach public classes, I always ask how many students know their daily correspondences by heart. The response ranges from horrified to confused. At a recent class I taught while on tour, there were over thirty-five people in attendance, and not a single one of them knew their basic daily magickal correspondences from memory. These students also included a few third-degree practitioners from another established tradition. I will admit that it took me a moment to recover from my surprise. How can someone say they are a third-degree high priestess and not know their daily correspondences? And most importantly, why were they not taught this essential and foundational information? I say “foundational” because you will use this daily magickal information as a foundation on which to build your own witchery and magick every single day.
My theory for this common lack of knowledge is that the daily correspondences are a magickal topic that is simply not focused on. However, it certainly should be. The surprising truth is that many practitioners do not know their daily correspondences by heart—such as what specific planet or which crystals, colors, herbs, plants, or flowers correspond with a particular day, or even which deity lent its name to any particular day of the week. And that always shocks the hell out of me.
I once had a student get so hostile about that topic that she threw a tantrum in class. Why, she had studied for years, she sputtered at me. Did I understand just how many books she owned on the Craft? However, during all of her “how dare yous,” she missed the whole point.
What finally stopped her tangent was when I cheerfully asked her how often she actually cast spells. She had no answer for that one. She really turned red when I gently asked her if, when the mood struck her and she began to create her own personal magick, did she waste a lot of time looking everything up? Or instead, by her knowing the basic correspondences, was she able to use her knowledge of what items work harmoniously together, thereby leaving her free to apply her intuition to create her own personalized spells?
The tantrum-throwing student’s mouth hit the floor. And I saw several people in class have an aha! moment when the information hit home. And this, my friends, is the entire point: if you want to have the freedom to create your own personal brand of witchery, then you need to have a solid foundation on which to build. Learning and studying the daily correspondences and the magickal theme of the day allows you to open up amazing possibilities for awesome witchery for each and every day. It is, quite simply, all up to you. How much do you want to learn, and how far do you wish to advance your own witchery?
How to Use This Book of Shadows
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
Charles W. Eliot
This book has separate chapters for each day of the week and an additional chapter on full moon magick. This way, you can apply the knowledge you gain on the individual days of the week and apply it to your full moon magick. For example, if the full moon falls on a Friday, what daily energies are already in play? How could you add those successfully into your witchery? Within these chapters, you will find a listing of the specific magickal correspondences for the individual day. Each chapter is also broken down into several enchanting sections. These sections are:
At-a-Glance Correspondences: A quick reference list for you to check out, this is an at-a-glance listing of the bewitching accessories and natural items that correspond with that particular day of the week.
Daily Magickal Applications: The specific captivating attributes for the featured magickal day. A smidgen of history and lore about the highlighted day and how it got its name.
Deities: Information on an eclectic mix of the coordinating deities of the day.
Meditations: A guided meditation for the day that focuses on that day’s magickal theme—a lesson to be learned and a journey to take. Where will your meditations take you?
Magickal Plants & Flowers: Flowers, herbs, and plants that share the same astrological significance of the featured day. Doses of daily garden witchery and herbal spells, including flower fascinations and natural magick.
Colors, Candles, Metals & Crystals: What colors you can wear to help unify the day’s energies. Spell candles to burn and magickal candle aromatherapy. Harmonizing metals and crystals to wear, carry in your pocket, or group around a candle. A complementary color and crystal spell or two. (Please note: If you are wondering where to find all of the various scented and colorful candles that are mentioned throughout this book, try taking a look at the little votive candle. Votives come in an impressive array of colors and scents. They are inexpensive and have a very high oil content, which means their wonderful and magickal scents are released immediately as they are burned. If you have ever burned a votive candle, you will have noticed that they turn to liquid wax right away—which is why you should always burn votives inside of a votive cup, otherwise you’ll get a big puddle of wax all over your work area. Check them out for yourself. Votives are a great, affordable candle to use in your own custom-made magick.)
Potions, Philters & Oils: Recipes for personalized magickal philters and potions for each day’s magickal theme. Each daily recipe will have directions, a supply list, and its own spell to enchant your homemade philter. Also, you will discover a handy listing of the classic essential oils that coordinate with each bewitching day.
Tarot Card Associations: Got a tarot deck and want to use it for more than the occasional reading? Try using certain coordinating cards as props to focus on while you perform your daily spells and charms. You’ll be amazed at how well they work!
Daily Witch Crafts: Let’s put some craft back into your Witchcraft. Each day’s chapter features a handmade craft project for you to create, along with a spell to enchant and empower the item.
Custom-Made Daily Magick: A potpourri of magickal information, a smidgen of foods and bewitching spices—tips and tricks on how to take all of the information that is presented and inspire you to begin creating your own rituals and personalized magick. How to put all of the information together, plus even more theme spells and charms for the day.
Ritual for the Day: A more intense and longer magickal working—in other words, a ritual. Each of the day’s featured rituals will correspond with that day’s specific magickal theme.
Witchery for Every Day
put your heart into it!
A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.
Thomas Carlyle
These daily spells and rituals should signify something important to you. If you want to see the best results possible, then you have to put your heart into it! To create a positive change, you need to focus on the desire and the will. Creating loving change, or a positive transformation, is the ultimate goal of every Witch.
Yes, spells, charms, and rituals can be used for many purposes: connecting to deity, encouraging love, increasing prosperity. You may also perform magick for protection and healing, or even to boost your own creativity. This magick may take only a few moments, or it may take a bit longer. It’s up to you. Now, if you’re wondering how all of these daily spells, charms, magickal projects and so on really work, I have some thoughts on that. To begin with, performing a spell can help us to focus on the sacred, and it actually slows us down.
As we begin to work magick, our minds shift to a calm and centered place. As we go through the process of setting up for the spell, it forces us to concentrate on the task at hand. This helps to bring us into a calmer, more focused attitude. That quiet focus is heightened when you add a little personal power and connect with deity. Then the magick that we perform is helping us concentrate on the present while at the same time allowing us to deal with any past problems. And, finally, it encourages us to be creative and to visualize our future in a more positive, life-affirming way. Most magick users will agree that there are several elements to the good performance of a ritual or a meaningful spell. Check out this list below—you’ll get the idea.
The Elements of Spellwork and Ritual
Certain things are everlasting.
Magic is one of them.
Laurie Cabot
Purpose: This is the purpose of the ritual. Are you focused? Did you take a moment to ground and center and to put aside all negativity? Is your intention pure? Are you sincere?
Sequence: Every ritual has a clear beginning and end. Write up a quick outline. You may find it helpful to refer to page 301, where a daily spell worksheet has been provided for you. This will help you sort things out, set things up, and get ready to go.
Sacred Space: Spells and rituals cause a change in consciousness, as they take place outside of ordinary life. Toss a pretty scarf or piece of fabric over a card table or the kitchen table, or be bohemian and sit on the floor. You may care to work your daily magick in a special spot, such as your altar or household shrine. Perhaps you’ll want to set up in the garden or on the patio. Wherever you choose to work your witchery, make it a sacred space. By this I mean a clean, happy, and pleasant environment.
Supplies: Most rituals employ complementary colored candles, oils, herbs, crystals, and other props. You will find lots of information in this Book of Shadows—such as daily meditations, Witch craft projects, recipes for personalized potions, and complementary tarot cards—in each of the daily chapters that will harmonize with that day’s specific magickal energy. All of these correspondences and featured magickal components will work in tune with each other, as they have the same sort of energy, or vibration.
Why Daily Correspondences Are Important
When you add complementary natural items such as coordinating crystals, candles, herbs, flowers, and colors to your daily spells and charms, you can increase the effectiveness of your witchery. How, you may ask? Well, these items will help link your Witchcraft together with that day’s magickal energies. A good example of this is the power of color.
Every day of the week has its own specific magickal colors. This practical type of magick should never be underestimated, even by the more experienced Witch. If you select a color that harmonizes with your personal energies or goals for the day, then you will flourish.
As you begin to focus on daily magickal correspondences, you will realize that the simple use of crystals, oils, flowers, and colors can not only positively influence your personality but your thoughts and life as well. These daily correspondences and coordinating natural items can actually strengthen the punch of a charm. They will allow you more creative ways to personalize your Witchcraft, and they will help to unify your spellwork.
A Word on the Daily Deities
As to the deity listings in this book, these will be an eclectic mix of gods and goddesses from all over the world and from many magickal cultures. Now, I am aware that this idea will cause some traditionalists to clutch their chests in horror . . . hence the term eclectic. So what if you’re calling on a Greek sun god and a Celtic goddess of light? If they are both solar deities, then they wouldn’t really be incompatible. They are merely different representations of the same type of solar energy from separate magickal cultures.
Come on, folks . . . relax. The best way to learn something new is to experiment and have a little fun. The planet will not stop revolving just because you mixed pantheons. Follow your instincts; see who speaks to you. Build a relationship with a deity, and see what they can teach you about yourself and magick. You will never know what possibilities are out there unless you try. The world is wide, and the sky’s the limit when it comes to finding a friendly deity. The gods and goddesses are many; mix and match as you like.
Advancing Your Magickal Skills
Magic is made in the mind. It is first and foremost an act of will.
Marina Medici
The trick to advancing your magickal expertise is to create your own personal style of witchery. Many experienced practitioners loudly complain about a lack of advanced techniques or materials, which always makes me wonder if they have ever considered studying, experimenting, and creating their own advanced magick. So let’s consider this for a moment. What is your specialty? What type of magick do you feel you excel in? Maybe your specialty is creating oils and potions or making handmade magickal items and tools. Possibly your gift is working with the crystals and the stones, or you really have a knack for herbal spells and charms. Perhaps you’re an adept at the tarot, or you’re skilled at working the candles; well, now is the time to find out where your talents lie!
Listen to your instincts. Use your imagination, and follow your heart. No one knows your tastes and preferences better than you do. So take a look at the magickal information and correspondences presented here, and use them as a starting point. Open up that magickal toolbox in your brain, and develop the magick of your mind. Learn something new; stretch the boundaries of your knowledge and experience in the Craft. Add some new information to your current repertoire, and begin exploring all the possibilities for advancing your witchery.
Are You Psyched? Great, Let’s Go!
So now that you are intrigued and enthusiastic, wouldn’t it be handy to have a Book of Shadows that you could just flip open on any day of the week? A book where you will find all sorts of enchanting things—meditations, inspiring ideas, witchy arts and crafts, potion and philter recipes, herbal information, magickal correspondences, deity information, quick practical charms, natural magick, and rituals and spells that would coordinate for that specific day of the week?
Well, my friend, look no further. Let’s start working and learning about all of the days of witchery. The seven days of the bewitching week are filled with all kinds of earthy enchantments, practical magick, and witchy wisdom. Let’s get your creative juices flowing! The motivation you need to craft your own more advanced and personalized magick might be only a page or two away. So pick a day, any day, and let’s get started!
Seven are the days of the magickal week,
Look inside this book for the secrets they keep.
Success, prosperity, love, and strength they hold,
To uncover their meanings, one must be bold.
Craft new magickal objects, potions, and embrace herbal lore,
Incorporate this wisdom into what you knew from before.
Let us embark on this journey one day at a time,
May your witchery be strong and true, come rain or shine.