Nature Magick
ature magick involves working closely with the other living things and spirit beings that share the planet with us, both plants and wildlife, and with the elements in their most primal forms: the rocks and soil of Earth, winds of the Air, the Fire of the sun or burning sticks, and the Water of rainfall, streams, lakes, and seas.
Many of us are drawn to the outdoors from our earliest memories. It is there that we find the sacred, and feelings more exalted than we have felt in any church building. It is there we find power, more pure and clean than in bank accounts or boardrooms. It is there we find wisdom that could never be explained in books. And it is there we find healing for the hurts that human civilization has inflicted on our hearts and spirits.
Of course magick is in nature. It was in nature that humankind first discovered magick.
“Nature magick” seems especially powerful for healing and guidance, though it goes beyond these two functions. It takes many forms, and its techniques overlap with intrinsic magick, and even with ceremonial magick. It may involve the use of natural energies to achieve theurgical or thaumaturgical goals, or it may involve the manipulation of natural processes, such as with weatherworking or garden magick. Let’s explore.
Hunting Magick
Hunting magick is a very old branch of the Art, possibly even the first one. Paintings thousands of years old show shamans wearing animal skins and masks, and bow-wielding hunters chasing arrow-shot bison. There are hints that the prey animals were respected as sacred beings, almost gods, because they provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools—that is, life—to humans whose survival was precarious.
The magick of the paintings and dances assured that the hunting went well, but may also have propitiated the spirits of the creatures by honoring and thanking them, in much the same way that some tribal cultures do today.
Modern Pagans who hunt do it primarily for food (though other Pagans are vegetarian). There are many books on hunting from a mundane perspective, but little to be found on modern, generalized hunting magick. Some books on indigenous cultures (the Saami of northern Europe, the Inuit of America and Greenland, other Native American nations) include descriptions of how these cultures intertwine hunting, magick, and spirituality.
Herb and Garden Magick
Long and long ago, some clever early human realized that seeds could be planted and nurtured, and plants helped to grow. By eight or ten thousand years ago, the Agricultural Revolution was in full swing and the human world changed. So did magick.
While many tribes were still busy with hunting magick, others figured that magick could also help with this new source of food, medicine, and wealth. Some began to explore how planting and harvesting at certain phases of the moon might help, others adapted the dances to feed energy to the crops, and others made direct contact with the spirits or devas of the plant world.
Some of those who farm or have gardens are said to have a “green thumb”—everything they plant seems to flourish. Many of these people probably have an unconscious connection with the devas, based on their love and respect for plant beings. The living plants sense the energy of these feelings and thrive on it. Other gardeners and herbalists cultivate the relationship quite consciously; they know exactly what they are doing. For a fascinating account of how this can evolve, read the books about the Findhorn Gardens in Scotland. There, a tiny colony of people on a cold and windswept beach planted a garden that should rationally not have survived—but humans and devas cooperated to make a miracle.
Most people are aware of herbalism, but fewer know that there is a field of herb magick that has nothing to do with making teas, tinctures, and poultices. Herbal magick uses the vibrations of the plants, without ingesting them, for amulets and talismans. We can directly absorb the vibrations of living plants, perhaps by changing the crystalline structure of the water in our bodies (see “Water Magick,” page 163).
Psychotropic plants are eaten or smoked by some indigenous peoples as part of their religious experience or shamanic journeys. This is not recommended for beginners or for any student of magick unless you are apprenticed to a shaman or spiritual teacher who is experienced in their use—and unless it is legal where you reside.
To follow this path further, read:
A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl (Phoenix Publishers, 1998)
Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1993)
Magical Herbalism: The Secret Craft of the Wise, second edition, by Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1983)
Green Magic: Flowers, Plants & Herbs in Lore & Legend by Lesley Gordon (Viking Press, 1977)
The Magical and Ritual Uses of Herbs by Richard Alan Miller (Destiny Books, 1983)
The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird
(Harper & Row, 1973)
Divination with Nature
Divination can be performed in a thousand ways using natural materials and phenomena. You may cast stones, bones, or sticks and find meaning in the patterns they form and their relationships with one another. You can watch the shapes of clouds or their shadows on the land, or the movement of flames, or the flight of birds, or the paths of animals.
The fact is that the human mind can discover meaningful patterns anywhere if the mind is simultaneously open, alert, relaxed, and attuned to its environment. Within the rich and diverse environments of nature, there is an abundance of colors, shapes, textures, sounds, smells, and kinesthetic stimuli, and any of them can be the signal that awakens us to knowledge that we didn’t know we had.
This requires more sensitivity and practice than divination methods like tarot or runestones (which can be approached in a kind of paint-by-numbers way when you are beginning). But one of the benefits of this nature practice is a deeper connection with the beauty and power of the natural world.
Here are a few nature-oriented divination methods listed by their formal names; for more, and slightly more extensive descriptions, see the Gibsons’ book listed below.
Aeromancy: Divination by phenomena in the sky: comets, halos,
apparitions, etc.
Austromancy: Divination by observation of the winds.
Capnomancy: Divination by the behavior of smoke from sacred fires.
Floromancy: Divination through the study of flowers: size, shape, color, location, etc.
Geomancy: Divination by making marks in the sand, or by casting stones and reading the patterns.
Hydromancy: Divination by water, such as observation of images, currents, ripples in pools, or casting offerings or stones with names into them. Pegomancy is a specialized form involving springs and fountains.
Lithomancy: Divination with unusual stones, which change color, inspire visions, or make sounds that can be interpreted.
Nephelopmancy: Divination through the study of clouds.
Onychomancy: Divination by seeing visions or symbols in bright sunlight reflected from one’s fingernails.
Ornithomancy: Divination through the movements, songs, and
behavior of birds.
Pyromancy: Divination by observation of the behavior of flames,
or of objects tossed into a fire.
Selenomancy: Divination by observation of the moon’s appearance.
Theriomancy: Divination by the actions of wild animals.
Xylomancy: Divination by interpreting fallen branches or wood litter in the forest, or by the actions of wood in a fire.
To follow this path further, read:
Nature-Speak: Signs, Omens, and Messages in Nature by Ted Andrews
(Dragonhawk Publishing, 2004)
The Complete Illustrated Book of Divination & Prophecy by Walter and Litzka Gibson (Doubleday, 1973)
Sun, Moon, and Stars
Darkness has its own magick, but people new to magick often find it easier to work with light energies. Indoors we have candlelight and perhaps the glow of the fireplace, but outdoors, we can choose among sunlight, moonlight, and starlight. To make it even better, each of the three has an infinite number of variations.
Sunlight may be the direct and relentless power of noon in the desert, the fresh and vibrant light of the dawn, the gentle mystery of dusk in a garden, or the seemingly sourceless white light inside mist, fog, or clouds.
Moonlight varies from the near-invisible presence of the dark of the moon to the challenging and hopeful shine of the new crescent, to the full moon’s light that illuminates and transforms at the same time. It may be the hard, bright silver dollar of a high winter moon or the heavy, mellow, orange glow of the harvest moon on the horizon.
Starlight changes little, but the stars do shine differently on us in the early evening or the depths of night, and their light shifts from season to season. Starlight is special because it left its sources long ago, and took years to cross the interstellar gulfs and reach our eyes. Some starlight is only five to ten years old, and some starlight is thousands of years old, a window into the ancient past.
Different light for different magick. Natural sunlight keeps us healthy, unless the exposure is too long or too strong, and is great for spells of boldness, reason, and success. Moonlight can help us banish things, grow, fulfill, or divine. And starlight can connect us with the astral and inner planes, the world of Faery, and other worlds barely touched by ours.
Every Witch and many other magicians use light magick, but few specialize in understanding and mastering it.
To follow this path further, read:
Moon Magick: Myth and Magick, Crafts and Recipes, Rituals and Spells by
D. J. Conway (Llewellyn, 1995)
The Book of the Sun by Tom Folley & Iain Zaczek (Courage Books/
Running Press, 1997)
Light: Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman (Bear & Company
Publishing, 1991)
Magick and Rituals of the Moon by Edain McCoy (Llewellyn, 2001)
Everyday Moon Magic: Spells and Rituals for Abundance by Dorothy
Morrison (Llewellyn, 2004)
Everyday Sun Magic: Spells and Rituals for Radiant Living by Dorothy
Morrison (Llewellyn, 2005)
Moon, Moon by Anne Kent Rush (Random House/Moon Books, 1976)
Water Magick
Water is key to life, and we are made up of 70 percent or more water. Our blood is salty, like the ancient seas from which it evolved, and our bloodstreams carry nutrients and wastes just as streams and rivers do on the land.
Some magicians communicate with undines or Water elementals to ask their help in magickal projects. Others use moving water to cleanse negative energies from themselves or their ritual tools, or to block impending evil, which according to tradition cannot cross running water.
The book Hidden Messages in Water, featured in the popular movie What the Bleep, explains that water crystals change their form to reflect the emotional energies projected into them. This knowledge dovetails well with Bach Flower Remedies, which hold the healing vibrations of certain plants, and East Indian Ayurvedic medicine, in which water is steeped with the energies of gemstones. But of course “wild water” comes with its own vibrations, which can be used magickally. (Note: DO NOT drink water straight from an outside source unless you know it is free of contamination; it may look pure but not be safe at all.)
To follow this path further, read:
The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto (Beyond Words
Publishing, 2004)
The True Power of Water by Masaru Emoto (Beyond Words Publishing, 2005)
Water Crystal Oracle by Masaru Emoto (Council Oak Books, 2005)
Tree Magick
The Celtic peoples were well known for their connection with trees; the months of their lunar calendar were named for trees (and a few other plants), and the Druids especially honored the sacredness of oak trees. Balefires were kindled from the woods of nine different sacred trees, and each tree was recognized for its magickal energies.
Certain woods were known to be especially appropriate for magickal wands, especially fruitwoods, nutwoods, ash, and hazel. Of course, live wood could only be taken with the permission of the tree. Some magicians carry a “touchwood,” or piece of wood that fits comfortably in the palm and still carries the energy of the living tree. With this link, they can tap the tree’s energy for healing (willow), strength (oak), imagination (aspen), or whatever quality that species of tree corresponds to.
If you meditate or dream beneath a tree, it may share a message with you to help with some problem or question that besets you. You can ground and center with the help of tree energies, and heal emotional troubles by giving them to the tree, which will transmute the energies into something positive.
You can make difficult decisions using a technique called the Tree Shadow Walk. This works best in winter, because you need to see the shadow of a deciduous tree with large, branching limbs unobscured by leaves. One crisp and sunny autumn day, a tree taught me to use its shadow to make difficult decisions. “Walk along the shadow of my trunk,” it said, “and when you reach a fork, know that the two branch-shadows represent your two major choices in any situation, and that hidden in the shade of one of them is yet a third choice, which you did not see at first. Pick a shadow, walk along it, and meditate on the consequences of that choice. When you come to another branching, your original choice has led you to a second point of decision: choose a way and walk it, and see where it leads. When you wish, go back and try another shadow-fork, and learn where that goes. Keep your heart open and your mind quiet, and I will lead you to the right choice for you.” Then sit at the base of the tree, make your decision, and thank the tree. (Note: You can also do this as a form of inner magick, if conditions are not right to actually do it outdoors.) So spoke the tree, teaching me a magickal technique of great value.
This is but one example from the very complex and diverse field of tree magick. If you are most at home when among trees, this may become your specialty.
To follow this path further, read:
Celtic Tree Mysteries: Practical Druid Magic and Divination by Steve Blamires (Llewellyn, 1997)
Talks with Trees: A Plant Psychic’s Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees by Leslie Cabarga (Iconoclassics Publishing Co., 1997)
Ogham, Tree-Lore, and the Celtic Tree Oracle by Erynn Darkstar (Preppie Biker Press, 1993)
Tree Medicine, Tree Magic by Ellen Evert Hopman (Phoenix, 1991)
The Celtic Tree Oracle by Liz and Colin Murray (St. Martin’s Press, 1988)
Tree Wisdom: The Definitive Guidebook to the Myth, Folklore, and Healing Power of Trees by Jacqueline Memory Paterson (Thorsons, 1996)
Animal Allies
If you receive guidance, protection, and energy from an animal spirit, you are blessed. In most cases, this means the collective spirit of all members of an animal species, such as Tiger Spirit, rather than the spirit of a particular tiger.
An animal ally or personal totem is such a spirit, one that agrees to connect with you personally and that may be called upon in time of need. Such allies are especially good at protecting you and lending you their strengths when you need them: the cleverness of Fox, the vision of Eagle, or the healing energy of Dolphin, for example. Sometimes an animal spirit will come to you and offer an alliance through dreams or signs, or through a messenger—a living representative of that species. It will aid you—not serve you, for it is a partnership of equals—as long as you honor, aid, and protect animals of that species.
A clan totem animal is an ally that has long connections with a clan or family. It supports the people of that bloodline as long as they honor it and observe certain taboos—such as not eating members of that species. Many Native Americans and indigenous peoples of other lands maintain their relationship with a clan totem today. Many Westerners of European and African descent have lost their ties with the clan totem. However, if you have an animal surname such as Fox, Lyon, Wolf, Talbot, or Martin, it may describe what your clan totem was at some point—and possibly you can renew the relationship.
Other animal connections may include familiars, which are living animal companions that assist you with your magick; and Younger-Self animals, which are discussed in chapter 5.
A more advanced magickal technique is that of shapeshifting. A skilled magician can mentally become an animal, share an animal’s mind and see through its eyes, or dance the animal and take on its movements and appearance. These are not beginner subjects, however.
To follow this path further, read:
Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small
by Ted Andrews (Llewellyn, 1993)
Animal Minds by Donald R. Griffin (University of Chicago Press, 1992)
Power Animals: How to Connect with Your Animal Spirit Guide by Steven D. Farmer (Hay House, 2004)
Crossing the Borderlines: Guising, Masking & Ritual Animal Disguises in the
European Tradition by Nigel Pennick (Capall Bann Publishing, 1998)
Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals by Jamie Sams & David Carson (Bear & Company, 1988)
Totems: The Transformative Power of Your Personal Animal Totem by Brad Steiger (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997)
Animal Spirit: Spells, Sorcery, and Symbols from the Wild by Patricia Telesco and Rowan Hall (New Page Books, 2002)
Earth and Stone Magick
You don’t have to be born under the sign of Taurus, Capricorn, or Virgo to love Earth magick. If stones come home with you after every hike, and you can feel their different energies when you hold them; or if you can tell that certain places have a current of energy or special feel to them, never mind what they look like or what’s built there, this is probably your field to master.
On the macro level, study ley lines and the theory that vast webs of energy run beneath the ground, crossing one another and forming nodes where the power is especially strong and accessible. Hundreds if not thousands of ancient sacred sites, temples, landmarks, and holy wells are situated along these lines. People with dowsing skills can easily locate these power lines (as well as underground water, minerals, etc.). And, of course, the energy can be tapped to perform magick.
On the micro level, work with amulets and talismans of stone and metal. Stones have different energies, depending on their crystalline structure and, to a degree, their color. Others, like holey stones or hagstones, Fairy crosses, and lingams, depend on their shape for their magick. Stones are helpful in healing, purification, attracting, banishing, grounding, changing mood, divination (both scrying and casting), and storing energy.
There are a quarryfull of stone magick books available that will tell you exactly what each kind of stone is “good for,” based on various cultural traditions or on the author’s personal experience, or information channeled from some entity or other. Read them with a grain of salt, if you will pardon the phrase, and rely more on your own direct experience . . . because sometimes any given stone will affect individuals differently.
There are other kinds of Earth magick, such as work with soils and compost (an art beloved of many Pagan gardeners) or land-forms such as mounds and artificial hills, and the magick of stone monuments, such as circles, menhirs, and dolmens.
To follow this path further, read:
Crystal Enchantment: A Complete Guide to Stones and Their Magical Properties by D. J. Conway (Crossing Press, 2000)
Ley Lines and Earth Energies: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Earth’s Natural Energy System by Davis Cowan, Chris Arnold, and David Childress
(Adventures Unlimited Press, 2003)
Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic by Scott
Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1987)
The Crystal Bible: A Definitive Guide to Crystals by Judy Hall (Walking Stick Press, 2003)
Sacred Stones, Sacred Places by Marianna Lines (St. Andrews Press, 1992)
The Sun and the Serpent: An Investigation into Earth Energies by Hamish Miller and Paul Broadhurst (Pendragon Press, 1994)
Magical and Mystical Sites: Europe and the British Isles by Elizabeth Pepper and John Wilcock (Phanes Press, 1983)
Ley Lines: The Greatest Landscape Mystery, second edition, by Danny
Sullivan (Green Magic, 2005)
The Old Straight Track: The Classic Book on Ley Lines by Alfred Watkins (Time-Warner Books UK, 1994)
Weatherworking
As with other magick, some people seem to be born with a gift for influencing the weather. Using the power of their mind, they can nudge cloudbanks or high and low pressure systems, bring rain or divert it, conjure up snow or keep the sky clear.
For most of us who can do this work, it requires great concentration and energy—especially if you are working solitary. I believe I managed a snowstorm once (to end a winter drought), but my head was tender for days afterward. On the positive side, an experienced group can do it much more easily: our coven has been successful with rain magick to alleviate drought on several occasions.
This is a skill that must be used wisely and carefully. There is no such thing as working “purely local” weather magick; changing moisture patterns here always affects someplace else. Now, if your “here” is suffering drought and the “there” is flooding, balancing the weather can be a good thing; at least in the short term and as far as we can know. But messing with the skies just so the weather is nice for your coven picnic is a terrible idea. Weatherworking is for emergencies, to avert famine and save lives; it is not for trivial purposes. Whenever you think about doing it, first discuss the need, ethics, and possible effects with a group of wise elders.
Books on weatherworking? There are few to none, unless you count rare treatises on cloud-seeding. However, some general books on nature magick include chapters or short sections on the subject.
The road snakes along the edge of the Valles Caldera of northern New Mexico, the heart of an ancient volcano, now grass-covered and dotted with cattle and elk. I watch clouds within the great bowl, floating across the land, shifting their shapes, sometimes spilling over the road before me . . . wraiths dancing, circling, and spiraling, leaping upward in slow motion or hugging the ground. I know that my watching changes me in subtle ways, and I wonder if it changes them. The mist-dancers teach me that there is power in liminality, the places where the elements touch and change each other: where the Water vapor of clouds meets Earth, and the Air moves the cloud, and the cool Fire of early sunlight illuminates them both. I see a hawk soaring along the edges of the cloud, then skimming the floor of the Valle Grande, enjoying the boundary places. These are places of power and transformation, gateways from one state of being to another. The nature magician knows this and seeks those special places where the elements touch and the world changes . . . and the magician too.
Exercises Toward Mastery
1: Visit Some Herbs
Find an herb garden or plant nursery that you can visit. Spend some quiet time wandering among the plants, feeling their presence. If a plant attracts you or intrigues you, touch it gently and feel its particular energy; greet it, and see whether you receive any impressions, images, or other message in response. When you get home, write your impressions in your journal, and consider how it would feel to plant and care for an herb garden.
2: Explore a New Form of Divination
From the list in the “Divination with Nature” section on page 160, choose one form of divination that you have never tried before. In the appropriate setting or at the proper time of day, experiment with this method: ask an important question, then watch the clouds or stream or bonfire . . . see if any patterns, symbols, or feelings come to you. Be aware that you may get a message that is important but doesn’t respond to the same question you had in your conscious mind.
3: Moonlight Vigil
From an astrological calendar, or on the Internet, learn when the next new moon occurs. On that night, go outdoors and spend some quiet time alone with the moon; she will not be visible, but you can still feel her presence. Gently turn off your internal sound when Middle Self jabbers, and simply sense, feel, and breathe. When you go indoors, write your impressions of the moon energy in your journal. Repeat this exercise seven nights later, during the waxing moon; again at the full moon; and about six days later during the waning moon.
4: Sunlight Meditation
On a sunny day, sit outdoors in the shade and watch the sunlight. Do not take it for granted, but see it as a living, changing presence. Observe it and describe its appearance in detail. Listen to it; if it is silent, then open your mind to its subtle vibrations, and listen to the music that it suggests to you. Reach out your hand into the sunlight, and feel not only its warmth, but its texture and intensity. Explore your present mood and how the light affects your emotions. Let it speak to you as a spiritual entity, either sun god, sun goddess, or pure sun spirit, and absorb its message. Afterwards, thank the sun and record your impressions in your journal.
5: Exploring Water
Get a water bottle filled with clean water and a cup or chalice. Find a place near a stream, pond, river, lake, or ocean. Sit and systematically block out all awareness of land, plants, buildings, creatures, light . . . focus all your attention on the water itself. Sense its life, its power, and the specific energy of that water. Greet it, and listen. After a time, shift your perception to the water within you, and do the same things. Later, pour some water from your bottle into the cup, hold it, and send thoughts of love and gratitude into its essence. Slowly, mindfully, appreciatively drink the water. When you are ready, thank the spirit of Water and go home.
6: Ask a Tree for Healing
Choose a tree in your yard, near your home, or in a forest, and visit it. Ask permission to spend some healing time with it, and listen for the response, which may be simple calmness or a slight, welcoming sense of warmth. (If there is no response, or you feel uneasy, leave and choose another tree.) Once you have an accepting tree, sit near its base and ask if it will share healing energy with you. Describe your need—your illness, injury, or problems. Cry if you feel like it. Give the sadness, hurt, and pain to the tree to take into the earth and transmute into nourishment. Then place your hands on the trunk, and draw in healing energy from the earth and sky. A good session will leave you feeling lighter, heart-eased, more whole, with all your senses keener. Thank the tree and give it a gift of water or a silver coin.
7: Connect with an Animal Ally
Think about all the kinds of animals that you like or admire, including birds, fish, reptiles, and so on. Write a list. Next to each species, write the qualities you associate with that animal: perhaps courage for Lion, loyalty for Wolf, cleverness for Fox, patience for Turtle, etc. Now consider whether there is one species whose help might be really valuable at this point in your life. If so, get a picture of that animal, or a little statue, and place it on your altar. Ground, center, and meditate on the image, then on the spirit beyond the image. Greet the animal spirit, and in your own words, ask it for aid and support. Its response may be a picture, sound, or voice in your mind, or a strong feeling of approval or disapproval. If the answer is positive, thank the animal spirit; obtain a talisman (such as a small carved stone image of the animal, strung as a pendant necklace) and wear it often. Talk to the animal spirit frequently to ask for guidance and protection. Bear in mind that it may be appropriate to change animal allies, with thanks, at some point later on.
8: Stone Companions
Find a stone you like, about the size of a golf ball or smaller. It can be one that you find on a walk, pick up in a parking lot, or purchase at a rock and mineral shop. Carry it with you for a week, and occasionally pause to feel it, speak to it, and listen (preferably in a private place, unless you enjoy spooking the folks in a crowded elevator). After a week, describe the stone’s energy and personality in a journal. Then do it again for a week with a new stone. In time you will have a collection of stones with very different energies and can choose the one that will best balance your energy during the day, and carry it.
Blesséd be.
To follow this path further, read:
The Deva Handbook: How to Work with Nature’s Subtle Energies by Nathaniel Altman (Inner Traditions, 1995)
Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic by Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1983)
Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic by Scott
Cunningham (Llewellyn, 1991)
Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth by J. E. Lovelock (Oxford University Press, 1979)
Gaia’s Hidden Life: The Unseen Intelligence of Nature by Shirley Nicholson and Brenda Rosen, eds. (Quest Books, 1992)