CONNECT WITH YOUR ANCESTORS

Traditions to honor one’s ancestors are found all over the world. It’s important to honor and remember our beloved dead simply because we love them. In many traditions, ancestors are also present in our lives as spirits, able to protect us and help us.

Timing:

Any time

You will need:

Photos of your recent ancestors (you can also write their names on nice paper)

Small items that represent them, such as the feather of a favorite bird or a beloved mug

Fresh flowers

A white candle

A small dish or bowl to hold an offering

Set up an ancestor altar using the memorabilia you’ve collected. Place your photos, commemorative objects, and fresh flowers on a clean shelf, table, or cabinet where you can keep it intact for a long period of time. A wall of family photos over a side table is a perfectly good ancestor altar hiding in plain sight. Just make sure to keep photos of the living separate from photos of the dead.

Light the candle and offer some food or drink that your ancestors liked; fresh spring water and coffee are popular choices. Think of this experience as having your family members over to your house. When they were living, you would offer them something to eat or drink. You can do the same for them even after they have passed.

Gaze at the candle flame and wait for any messages. Look for signs and synchronicity over the next few days. Start talking to your ancestors regularly, through journaling or prayer. Offer them a little something now and then and ask them to watch over you and your family.

Feel free to leave photos or names off the altar if you have ancestors who were not kind people in life. Readers whose families are healing from a generational cycle of abuse, especially, may choose not to include some ancestors. You can also include photos of good friends and respected mentors or elders who have passed away.

REMEMBER DREAMS

Your dreams are a key to your unconscious thoughts, and when you work with them often, they can even contain answers to questions or information about the future. If you keep a dream journal regularly, you will remember your dreams with more clarity and you will start to see patterns. Use this spell to enhance your dream life.

Timing:

Any time

You will need:

Dried lavender buds

Dried jasmine flowers

Dried rose petals

Dried orange peel

A white or silver pouch

A journal and a pen

Put a little bit of each ingredient into the pouch and shut it tightly. Place this under your pillow. Before you go to sleep each night, say:

Please guide me through the realm of dreams.

Show me what I need to see

And help me remember when I wake.

Record your dreams in your journal each morning when you wake up.

CONNECT WITH THE DIVINE FEMININE

The divine feminine deserves a special place in this book because, as witchy womxn, we are recovering lost arts of healing and magic. Part of self-care for anyone is honoring the feminine within you—that which has been forgotten, degraded, and vilified. There are many pantheons and goddesses whom you might get to know, so this is a ritual for opening the door to connection.

Timing:

Lunar Phase: Full Moon

Day: Any

You will need:

A natural beeswax candle

A purple cord or ribbon, 9 inches long

Honey

Books and resources on pantheons or goddesses that interest you

Light the candle. Take the cord between your hands, hold it up to the sky, and say:

I call on the wisdom of the divine feminine

Seeking connection and spiritual growth.

Tie nine knots in the cord and wind it around the base of the candle. Pour a bit of honey on the skin between your left thumb and index finger and taste it. Say:

I taste the sweet honey of the goddess.

She who is within me,

She who is all around me,

Let yourself be known to me.

So mote it be.

As the candle burns, read about goddesses from different cultures. See if you connect with any one in particular. Watch for signs from her over the next few days. Getting to know a goddess is similar to making friends with a person: you start out slowly, and you may end up being close friends for a long time, or just friendly acquaintances, or you may find that the relationship doesn’t go anywhere. You may develop a relationship with a goddess that ends once your work together is done. Continue seeking patiently until you forge a connection.

SEEK WISDOM

Bay leaves have long been associated with wisdom, and cauldrons with knowledge. You can go all out for this spell and use an iron cauldron for your brew, but it works just as well with a modern pot on the stove. Use this one when you seek deeper spiritual wisdom.

Timing:

Lunar Phase: New Moon

Day: Any

You will need:

A handful of dried bay leaves

A mortar and pestle

1 to 2 cups of water in a pot on the stove

Milk and sugar to taste

Crush the bay leaves into smaller tea leaves using the mortar and pestle. Bring the water to a boil and add the bay leaves. Boil for three minutes, stirring and inhaling the scent of the steam. Say:

Bay leaf, bay leaf, make me wise.

Bring me knowledge that I may rise.

Take the brew off the heat and pour it into a mug. Add plenty of milk and sugar to taste, since bay leaf tea is fairly bitter. Drink it, and when you are done, interpret the images in the tea leaves for signs from your working.

Look for signs and synchronicities over the next three days. You may meet someone or find out about an opportunity that could lead you further down your path.

DECLARE PERSONAL SOVEREIGNTY

Using spellwork for self-care is good for your physical and mental health, your relationships, and the wellbeing of your spirit, but most of all, it’s about stepping into your own authority. When you do spellwork, you are the author of your own life. Sovereignty, your personal authority and self-governance, comes from the old French soverain, or “monarch.” Empower yourself to rule your own life as the monarch of your domain.

Timing:

Lunar Phase: Full Moon

Day: Any

You will need:

A crown, tiara, or headdress that makes you feel regal

Dragon’s blood incense

For this ritual, you will need a crown of some type. This can be a flower crown, a simple garland of ivy, a braid of ribbons, or an elaborate crown of crystals. You can make one yourself or purchase a piece that feels right. Aim for natural materials over synthetic. Dress in clothing that makes you feel powerful. Set your crown beside you, light the incense, and waft it around yourself as you say the following:

I hereby declare myself

A sovereign individual

Bound to no one but myself

And powerful beyond measure.

Place the crown on your head and feel your power flow into it. Surround yourself with protective light from the crown of your head, knowing that all of your magic comes from within you. You can wear this crown again when you need a reminder of your own sovereignty.

PLEDGE TO A MORAL CODE

At times in your life, you will have to make decisions based on your personal moral code. This is a ritual for creating and sealing that code for yourself.

Timing:

Any time

You will need:

A journal and a pen

Draw a vertical line down the center of a page in your journal. On the left-hand side, write “I will” and on the right-hand side write “I will not.”

Under the first column, list things you will do with magic. The list of things you will do might include “empower myself,” “help others,” “create positive energy,” or “heal.”

The list of things you will not do might include “control others” and “hurt others.” Think about circumstances in which you might override things on your “will not” list. Would you put a freezing spell on someone if you were in danger? That falls under the category of controlling others, but you would be doing it to protect yourself. Is it ethical for you? Be specific with your language.

Once you are satisfied with your list, write a moral code for yourself. Sign and date your pledge to this code and refer back to it when you need moral guidance.

Magical practitioners and pagans have different moral codes, depending on the traditions they practice. The moral code of the well-known Wiccan Rede is “An ye harm none, do what ye will.” There are many ethical people who use magic for good, but witchcraft cannot be easily divided into “white magic” or “black magic.” The ethics of magic are just like all other ethics: complex and sometimes murky.

INTEGRATE YOUR SHADOW SIDE

Your shadow side is a part of you that represents the aspects of yourself that you fear, dislike, and would sometimes rather not acknowledge. Your shadow might include jealousy, anger, egotism, or greed. We are all human, and we all have some darkness within us. That shadow of yours has something to teach you. By acknowledging your shadow and learning from it, you are taking care of your whole self.

Timing:

Lunar Phase: Waning Moon or New Moon

Day: Any

You will need:

A journal and a pen

A white candle

A black candle

Find a comfortable seated position and close your eyes. Visualize yourself walking along a path in the woods. You come to a clearing, a circle of seven trees. In the middle of these trees is your shadow self. Notice what your shadow looks like. Walk up to your shadow and meet it face-to-face. Ask it what it has to teach you. Listen for the answer. When you are ready to leave, hug your shadow, thank yourself, and walk back down the path.

Open your eyes. Journal about what you have learned.

Put the white and black candles next to each other on your altar, so close that they touch each other, and light them, knowing that they are both a part of you, light and shadow. As they burn, the wax will melt together, symbolizing the integration of your whole self.

DEVELOP YOUR INNER WARRIOR

We all have Mars somewhere in our astrological chart, but womxn are discouraged from accessing the fiery, assertive, warrior strength of this planet. This is a ritual for developing your inner warrior so that you can draw on your courage to fight for what is important to you.

Timing:

Lunar Phase: Waxing Moon or Full Moon

Day: Tuesday

You will need:

One red article of clothing or accessory that can be worn while active

At least 4 red candles

Wearing your red piece of clothing or accessory, place the candles in a circle around you. Once you have prepared yourself and your space, light the candles. Say:

I call on the energy of Mars,

Courage, strength, will, and passion,

To awaken within me the wise warrior,

She who fights for what is right.

Envision yourself embodying assertiveness, passion, and strength.

Once this ritual is done, use your energy to do something physically active. Choose an activity that seems to activate your wise warrior energy. Developing your physical strength will help you to develop your inner strength.