During the Middle Ages, herbs and ointments were often mixed with holy water or oil. Popular manuals for healing (called “leech books” or “doctor books”) encouraged their readers to say prayers over a compendium of recipes specifically designed for the treatment of various maladies. In fact, it is through these books (and others like them) that we can follow the pre-Christian culture of northern Europe and its folk magick practices as the area and its people were slowly overtaken by the domination of the Christian political machine.
By the tenth century, folk charms and spells, classical correspondences (from the Greeks and Romans) mixed with local herbal lore, and astrology (from Greek, Roman, and Arabic) and prayers (often rehashed versions of the original magickal incantations) were bound together in these books in an effort to promote health and healing for everyone in the community. The clergy, royalty, and even some regular people like you and I had these doctor books that listed formal prescriptions mixed with magick.
For example, if you wanted to cure a skin disease, you might mix the specific parts of four herbs together, then squeeze the juice into a bowl, to which a small amount of soap would be added. This was the medical part. Yet, the prescription goes on to instruct the healer to take a small amount of blood from the patient at sunset and pour it into running water. The healer is then to spit three times, and say, “Take this disease and depart with it.” The healer is also instructed to walk back to the house by an open road, and to walk each way in silence. The timing and the procedure for transferring illness to running water, spitting, uttering words of banishment, and walking to and from the water in silence (its attendant rituals and taboos) is clearly magickal.43
Even then it appears that people somehow knew that, no matter what dread disease a person might have, no matter how bad it looked, that 90 percent of the human body is water. Not cancer, not AIDS, not infection: It is water. That means that 90 percent of the physical body is already healthy, we then only have to work with the 10 percent of that body that is not at ease, or rather is dis-eased. Looking at it in that way makes the task a little less daunting and helps you believe that you can really make a difference. In healing, the boundaries between acceptable magickal practices and those techniques that were considered inherently evil by the church were blurred simply due to the lack of knowledge on health care issues; meaning if there was no tried and true cure (no distinctive method to relieve suffering), then magick was an okay thing (within limits, of course). Thus such remedies as that listed above—the conjuring of herbs, adding holy water or holy oil and the utterance of magickal prayers—was acceptable. There was, however, a limit to the patience of the church, and in its anxiety to repress popular magick the early sixteenth-century church took control of the licensing of doctors and midwives during the reign of Henry VIII.44
At this point you’re probably saying, “Thank goodness for modern medicine! Weren’t those people stupid? Everyone knows that disease is caused by germs!”
Um . . . not so fast.
Anthropologists believe that magick is dominant in a society when the control of the environment of that society is weak. In healing matters in the ancient world, in the Middle Ages, and even today, sickness is often beyond the realm of our control; therefore, mixing medicine with magick was not and is not an illogical outpouring of our behavior. Although these same anthropologists believe that the magickal rites themselves are illusionary, that the charms cannot make crops grow or wounds heal, the magick itself is not in vain, and this has everything to do with the side effects—that of human psychology. As Keith Thomas postulates,
The act of ritual lessens anxiety, relieves pent-up frustration, and makes the practitioner feel that he or she is doing something positive toward the solution to his or her problem. By its practice, the person is converted from a helpless bystander into an active agent.45
The magick, therefore, is in the science of the mind, for which we still do not have all the answers. And whether it is the power of the mind, the power of Spirit, or both, there’s one thing I have learned: Healing magick works!
Before we go any further, let me be the first to say that magickal remedies should never be used in place of modern medicine. If you had five dollars, would you throw away the other four because you already had one? No, you wouldn’t. When it comes to healing, we can use all the information we can get! When you are sick, you should immediately go to a doctor. This said, let’s talk about healing magick in the life of the modern Witch.
Most Witches today practice two separate types of activities when dealing with health and healing, preventative care and active care. Preventative care of body, mind, and spirit includes regular check-ups with the doctor and dentist; checking for symptoms of disease; practicing meditation and self-talk techniques to relieve stress and maintain a daily, positive frame of mind; and practicing spells, prayers, and rituals during seasonal celebrations (and other times) to welcome good health and positive abundance into their lives. Active care, on the other magickal hand, begins as soon as a symptom rears its ugly head. First, a trip to the doctor for adequate diagnosis (as your magick works better if you know what the heck you’re dealing with, though don’t allow any finite, scary, medical mumbo-jumbo to take all the oomph out of your magick—after all, physicians don’t know everything. If they did, we’d never get sick). Even though you may be only sixteen, you’re certainly smart enough to be an informed patient. If the problem is small, no biggie—but if it is something else, start researching. Many times those Witches who become immersed in the healing arts later in life began at a young age because they were forced to study a particular malady. Perhaps Grandpa has shingles, or Grandma has a heart condition. Maybe your brother has seizures. You would be surprised how much good you can do just by “being informed” and studying everything you can get your little magickal hands on. Just because you’re a teen does not mean you don’t have a brain. Once you have the diagnosis and the suggested medical treatment, you’re ready to go on the magickal end, and there are a compendium of chants, spells, and rituals that can be done from the time you know you are sick on through the healing process. Just remember this: You didn’t get sick in a day, and you won’t get well in a day. Healing magick, above all other magickal applications, requires patience and faith.
So what is disease other than a bunch of nasty germs? People in the holistic end of medicine and modern alternative medical practices say that disease means dis-ease of the body. Stress seems to be a prime flag waver for the sick-bug to come a runnin’ in your (or anyone’s) direction. They also believe that you can think yourself sick when you engage in negative self-talk. There are thousands of cases that prove a qualified hypnotherapist can help a patient get well by helping the people to use their minds (along with standard medical treatment) to get better. We also know that prayer has brought miracles. The realm of medical astrology can actually help us pinpoint hot spots in our natal charts wherein during those cycles, we can practice good health care to prevent major difficulties. All this information tells us that if we use proper medical treatment, our minds, our belief, and our magick, amazing things in the realm of health and healing can occur.
Okay, so what’s the first magickal step? Always a banishment of some kind. In medieval times, this was called an adjuration or an exorcism. This is you telling negative energy that you mean business and you won’t take no for an answer. I was taught that “a Witch who cannot hex cannot heal.” One meaning for this statement is obvious. If you can’t banish the boogyman, then you haven’t opened a pathway for positive energy to move and do its job. In fact, if you throw lots of positive energy at some diseases (like cancer) without first doing the banishment, they will grow! The banishment is followed by the spell you’ve selected for healing and an act of blessing for the afflicted person. If you are the one who is ill, positive self-talk throughout your illness is also very important. Many healing spells combine the adjuration, the magick, and the blessing all in one activity, which works well for smaller ills; however, if you are squaring your shoulders and facing something bigger, I’ve found that separating the three (working three distinct rituals or spells) seems to work better.
Once you have practiced a number of healing techniques, you will begin to select which spells, charms, rituals, and practices seem to work better for you than others. You’ll also find that the more you work healing magick, the better and more confident you will become. Another interesting side-effect is the energy that gathers in your hands, especially if you use Reiki, Pow Wow, or touch healing. Like a muscle, the more you practice healing magicks, the better you get.
As with all things in life, you will, at some point in time, fail. Is it your fault?
If you tried the best you could, then the answer is no. By trying, you have fulfilled your duty. There are any number of factors in a healing that are beyond your control. If Spirit says that it is time for Aunt Jane to go to the Summerland, then you aren’t going to be able to stop it, though you can make her passing easier because you have worked the healing magick. Just because it didn’t work on her physical body does not mean that it failed in regard to her spiritual self. Another problem you’ll find in healing magick is the cantankerousness of the patient. Some people like to be sick. For them, illness is a crutch, a way to not deal with the daily problems of life—they can mentally check out (hopefully only for awhile) while their difficulties supposedly slip away. Their problems, they will discover somewhere down the road, do not go away. Indeed, now they have more troubles because they are sick. Finally, some people like to be sick because they enjoy the attention they receive. In these cases, unlike magick that you do for yourself, you are not totally in control of the situation. This lack of control (for good or ill) is a magickal wild card. Once you understand this particular kink in the world of healing, the better prepared you will be should you appear to have been defeated.
There is one more thing I would like to add on this subject. There will come a time when you fully realize that you are too late to do any good (this will come through a personal analysis of your skills and what is going on around the patient). Should you throw up your hands and back away? No. In this case, god/dess is telling you to concentrate on the spiritual side of the person. It is never too late to banish negativity or bestow a blessing. Never.
So what about permission? Ah! A sticky subject in the occult world, so sayeth the experts. They claim that you must ask the sick person if it is okay to do magick for them, and if they refuse, your magickal hands are tied. How convenient. You cannot impose on another’s free will, they chant. You cannot interfere with their spiritual plan, they rave. Send loving energy, some say, and be done with it—where others forbid even that modicum of thought. In my early years in the Craft, I listened to this blather. I even recommended to my students that they could re-word their request in a way that would be pleasing to the recipient. Not anymore.
Sigh. Why do people have to make the world such a complicated place?
If Uncle George is sick, and you know that he would never ask anyone for help (let alone you), are you going to let him lie there and rot? I heard that. So, you’ve forgotten your oath of service already, have you? For shame. When you said you were going to be a Witch, you indicated somewhere along that path that you would be of service to others (which is what being a Witch is all about). If you doubt this, you might be in the wrong religion.
In most cases I do ask the individual if they would like to have my assistance (or that of the Black Forest, my clan). On occasion, however, circumstances will prevent you from taking the easy way out, so you have to be creative instead. Do the magick anyway, and give it up to Spirit. Let Spirit (god/dess) decide who is to be healed and who is not. Ask also that, should the healing energy not be accepted for this person, it goes to someone who does need it. In this way, you have not made excuses and turned away from someone in need through conscious choice.
By choice, by design of Spirit’s mind
I render this healing unto (person’s name).
And should my spell be unwelcome there,
Spirit take it, work it, make it, give it
to the soul that is worthy to keep it.
How Disease Occurs
When working to banish any disease, from a minor cold to something more serious, the very first step is to consider the surrounding circumstances in that individual’s life. A cold isn’t just a cold—it is the end process of disharmony. Therefore, we have to figure out what the stressors are or were around the individual before we can work for total healing. If you practice a great deal of healing magicks, you will soon see patterns—stresses that are related to specific illnesses. For example, people who have suffered any type of back injury usually indicate that they have felt like they were carrying the world on their shoulders right before the injury occurred. In many cases, this person was the sole bread-winner for the family and experienced one of the following life events right before the injury:
• The threat of job loss or downsizing in their company.
• Actual loss of their job.
• Loss of additional income coming into the home (part-time job went down the drain, wife or husband lost a job, etc.).
• An additional expense in the home (such as a new baby, problems with taxes, a relative coming to live with them).
Women who suffer from breast cancer have often experienced a life-threatening circumstance (or major stress) involving a relationship with the opposite sex. People prone to colds have difficulty communicating with others—they may feel that others on the job or in the home are not listening to them, and they also appear to have been inundated by mental work (such as a big project that requires a lot of thinking or writing that may not be going smoothly) and the fear of failure. In all cases, the body is telling the mind that it is time to take a breather, to relax, step back, and review the current life situation. All this information leads us to the conclusion that when we work healing for another person (or ourselves), we need to investigate the surrounding life circumstances so that we can heal the whole person, not just target the symptom.
As an example, let’s say that Jennifer, who is a senior in high school, has come down with a nasty cold right after New Year’s. Granted, just about everyone in the school has been hit by such cold/flu symptoms, and we’ve taken that into account. Regardless, we want to review Jennifer’s life to see what may be going on (stress-wise) that can be alleviated.
The first pattern we noticed is that Jennifer isn’t the only person who is ill. Half the school is down with the flu. Scientifically we know how the germs were spread and why so many are sick, but should we look for something else—something not on the surface? We know that there are individual stressors, but what about stressors to the group mind? If we look hard enough, we’ll probably find them. In Jennifer’s case there is a major battle going on between the administrator and the teaching staff. Although there hasn’t been much said about it in the newspapers, these stressors are bleeding into the group mind of the student body. We also know that the school has decided to change some of its policies, both learning curriculum and disciplinary. To double-check just how messed up the group mind might be, we would ask Jennifer a few questions and check our divination tool. Whether school, work, coven, or family environment, mass sickness is usually a red flag that there is disharmony in the group mind.
Next we ask Jennifer about how things are going for her in her personal life. If Jennifer says, “Just like usual,” don’t take that answer. Dig deeper. We already know that Jennifer is a senior—that alone tells us that there are stressors present, those that revolve around the upcoming major change in her lifestyle from the environment of a high school to that of full-time work or college. We also discover that she is worried about some of the disciplinary changes incorporated by the school, and how some teachers seem to be using these new policies in an abusive way. Although Jennifer has not gone through these disciplinary measures, she sees what is happening to others and she subconsciously (or consciously) fears for herself. Jennifer has been looking at pre-admission for college and one wrong move, she believes, will ruin her chances of a good future. There are also minor problems at home. Her mother is working two jobs to cover the expense of roof damage after a nasty storm, and has asked Jennifer to care for her two younger siblings between three and six in the afternoon for the next month. Although Jennifer is a loving person and the care of her brother and sister is only temporary, deep down she feels that her siblings are her mother’s responsibility and that she should not be made to care for them, especially right now—her senior year! On top of this, she has a major term paper due that encompasses three of her classes and the librarian is being a total jerk on helping her find the information she needs. She is sure she will fail. Now, on top of everything, she’s sick. From all this we know that Jennifer is battling with three major stressors: fear, change, and anger. Therefore, when we work a healing spell for her, we need to help her find a positive way to reduce those stressors. Just getting Jennifer to calmly talk about how she feels is the first step to recovery.
Blessing Medicine
Before you take any medicine, check with your pharmacist about the effects of that drug and how it may interact with drugs you are already taking. Because there are so many specialists today who may prescribe various drugs, it is your job to make sure that what goes into your body is the right medicine for you. Once they bring the medicine home (and have double-checked with the pharmacist), many Witches bless the drugs as a further precaution. To do this, cast a magick circle. Cleanse the bottle with the four elements. Hold your hands over the bottle, and say:
Gracious Lord and Lady, You who were at the beginning of the world, You who command the energies of love, peace, and healing, please bless and consecrate, in your names, this medicine, given to me to bring good health and heal my body. I believe that I deserve the health, happiness, and joy that You can bestow upon me. May this medicine work for me the way it was intended and may it work with my body in a healthy way. So mote it be!
Release the circle.
Banishing Illness
Magickal banishments of illness should include:
• Seeking expert medical care.
• Discussing stressors/events that took place at the inception of the illness.
• Encouraging the patient to make lifestyle changes, including more rest, exercise, letting go of projects or situations that are no longer serving them well, and helping them find solutions to problems that might be worrying them.
• Thoroughly cleansing the area with burning sage, bells, musical bowls, rattles, or incense and holy water on a repeated basis until the sickness is gone.
• Encouraging the patient to take a spiritual bath or daily spiritual shower.
• Writing a daily devotion or prayer that concentrates on wellness, for the patient to use each morning and evening.
• Banishing negativity and sickness in spellwork and ritual.
• Working for continued healing in spellwork and ritual once the banishment is done.
At this point some of you will be saying, “Gee, is that all there is to healing magicks?” and others will be exclaiming, “This is too much work, isn’t there something simpler?” In all honesty, magick in general, and specifically healing magick, is a lot of hard work. The Witch must combine knowledge, magick, patience, faith, and general activity on a consistent basis to receive results. What often overrides one’s worry about the effort is one’s love and compassion for another person or animal. If your grandmother is sick, you’d probably move mountains to help her get better. That love thing is a mighty motivator. I watched my son chant his heart out over a dying rat. It lived.
When a Witch works healing magick for people, you will hear the following exclamations from doctors, which come back to you through the patient, who is normally grinning with glee. Doctors have said, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but something is working. You are healing much faster than expected!” or “I can’t believe the progress you’ve made in such a short time!” Even better: “We’ve made a mistake. That’s not a tumor,” or “That’s not cancer, it’s a shadow on the X-ray. I don’t know how we could have made that kind of error. The second set of X-rays we took yesterday shows no anomaly. I don’t know how this could have happened.”
Oh, yeah?
We know how.
And know this: When magick is afoot, a terminal illness is not always terminal.
Banishment Chants46
nine sisters chant
To be recited nine times over a wound, tumor, or infection three times a day for twenty-one days (or less, should the wound close quickly). This Anglo-Saxon leechbook chant can also be used repetitively to remove evil from the home as the household is sprinkled with holy water and censed with a burning banishment herb, such as sage.
Nine were Noththe’s sisters.
Then the nine became eight
and the eight became seven
and the seven became six
and the six became five
and the five became four
and the four became three
and the three became two
and the two became one
and the one became none.
Follow by drawing the equal-armed cross in the air and saying “It is so.”
all-purpose call to
the earth goddess
To be sung over any wound or malady. Works especially well in an emergency situation where you must deal with several stressors at once.
May the Earth destroy you
with all her might and main.
Follow by drawing the equal-armed cross in the air and saying “It is so.”
the spider healing chant
For fevers, colds, flus, and other assorted nasties. In this chant, the spider is a benevolent spirit that is called by you to assist the patient. Her job is to drive out the sickness by using her web to entangle the spirit of the illness. In the chant, the diseased spirit is told that it will be used as the spider’s steed, and therefore will be harnessed and eventually driven out of the body. The “sister” is another spider who comes to aid the first and finishes out the cure.
The explanations in parentheses should not be spoken aloud. The chant should be said three times every half hour until the fever breaks, and then thrice a day for nine days, or longer should the disease be a more difficult one. You may also wish to hang a rubber or stuffed spider in the sick room until the patient recovers, empowered to “take off” the illness from the individual. If cleansed properly, the spider can be used on a repetitive basis.
In the eleventh century, the magickal person sang the chant/charm first in the patient’s right ear, then in the left, and then over the crown of the head. Names of divinity or of famous personages like Maximianus, Malchus, Johannes, Martimianus, Dionisius, Constantinus, and Serafion were written on small wafers, which were strung on a red thread and hung about the patient’s neck until the illness totally left the body.
Here a spider-wight (spirit) came in.
She had her web (to trap you) in her hand.
She said that you were her steed,
she laid her cords on your neck.
They began to set off from the land
(leave the body).
As soon as they came from the land,
then they began to cool (fever reduction).
Then the sister of the beast came in.
She put an end to it (sealed the healing so that disease could not return)
and she swore oaths
(created a warding effect)
that this should never hurt the sick person
nor him or her who could obtain this charm
or knew how to sing this charm.
So mote it be.
Follow by drawing the equal-armed cross in the air and saying “It is so.”
Healing Animals
Animals, like people, respond well to your healing efforts, and even though they may not understand your spoken word, they do respond to your feelings and emotions. They can sense your intentions, and they especially feel your love. Animals are always in the alpha state, a brain-wave pattern that allows them to connect to you (and each other) without the necessity for speech. This is why pets of magickal people are often more alert and healthier than those of individuals who are not working on their spirituality in the home environment. Pets like the energy created by magick, meditation, and energy work. Magickal people have discovered that their pets gravitate to their altars, shrines, and magick circles like dust to a television screen (which is not always safe for the animal if you have burning candles or oil lamps). Pets love to soak up the harmonious energy you raise!
All of the healing techniques given in this book in relation to people will work for animals too, though there are a few special guidelines for animals that you might wish to use.
• Just like people, each animal is different, and just like people, remember to concentrate on all of the animal—body, mind, and spirit.
• Don’t rush an animal into a healing. Let them know by speaking aloud and thinking about your healing intent while you hold them (or are near them, in the case of wild animals).
• If you are working with your hands, allow the animal to determine when he or she has had enough. In most cases, your pet will get up and walk away. Let them go.
• Cast a magick circle around the animal and yourself before you work any hands-on healing.
• If the animal does not want to be touched, you can place your hands a short distance away.
• Never touch a strange animal unless the owner is holding that animal. Never touch a wild animal.
• When using color in healing, work with orange for general healing and shock, indigo for tumors, blue for fevers and stress, and red for malaise.47
• My family has discovered that giving your pet bottled spring water charged with a clear, quartz crystal rather than water from the tap helps to promote healing. To charge, hold the crystal over the water bowl for about thirty seconds.
• Remember to call the totem spirit of your pet and ask that energy to aid in the healing process. You can also put a statue of the totem on your altar, on top of a picture of your ailing pet, to add extra healing energy.
Note: Some animals (like dogs and rats) can get people diseases like strep throat (dogs) and colds (rats). If your family seems to be going bout after bout with a particular medical problem, make sure that your pet visits a vet for a wellness check-up too.
Healing Blessing for Animals
Supplies: Find a photo of your animal taken when you know for certain that the animal was healthy. One candle matching the curative properties for the dysfunction (optional; see page 137 for candles and purposes).
technique: Hold the photo in your hand. Sit quietly and try for no interruptions, if possible. Close your eyes and ground and center. At this point you can hold the animal while saying or singing the chant, or if the animal isn’t of the cuddly type, repeat the words from afar holding the picture. If you are holding the animal, place the picture under a cleansed, consecrated, and empowered candle. As you hold the animal or picture, try to reach that still point where you feel connected with all things. Remember deep breathing and calming techniques and use them if necessary. In your mind, reach out and encompass your pet in white light. Allow the light to grow until it feels strong and pure. Begin chanting “I am,” finding your magickal voice (see page 312) and allowing the sound to resonate throughout your entire body. Practice three times daily until your pet is healed.
Doing Your Part for World Health
It is my firm belief that for every illness on this planet there is a cure, we just have to get our heads out of the sand and find it. If we all work together, we can open the pathways to discover those cures. Sure, it may take awhile, but every bit of magickal energy we expend toward helping physicians and scientists ascertain and implement these desperately needed cures, the faster they will be found. At every healing circle I conduct when I’m on the road, I ask the participants to send positive energy toward finding and implementing the right cure for AIDS. Maybe you’d like to work toward that goal, or perhaps work on a malady that has afflicted your family. Here is a prayer you can say at every full moon (or even each day, should you be inclined to do so). Although you may think that the first four lines belong to the Christian church, they indeed do not. They were sung over 4,000 years ago in celebration of the Sumerian goddess Ishtar.48
Hail, Queen of Heaven.
Hail, Lady of the Angels.
Salutation to thee, root and portal
whence the light of the world has arisen.
I ask for thy blessings in the form
of healing for the world.
Please heal the sick and the wounded
and may the passing of the dying
be eased in your loving arms.
Call forth the power of curative forces
that they be discovered and implemented, specifically in the realm of
(name the disease).
I affirm your love.
Blessings upon you.
So mote it be.
Medicine and Moon Magick
In magick and astrology all parts of the body have been assigned a sign of the zodiac, and if we dip into history we discover that medical diagnosis and treatment, magick, and astrology have been linked together for a very long time. Sybil Leek, famous Witch and astrologer, taught her students that “one of the effects of the moon is in the realm of health, and it is never wise to have surgery when the moon is transiting in the sign known to affect that specific part of the body.”49 Socrates left us an important rule that has been forgotten over the lost centuries. He said, “Do not let iron touch the part of the body ruled by the present moon sign.”50 What he meant was don’t undergo surgery if the moon rules the part of the body that’s going under the knife. The following list indicates what part of the body is associated with each sign of the zodiac. If the moon is in Aries, for example, moon lore has it that you should not schedule surgery for the head, face (except nose), brain, or eyes. You should choose a day when the moon is not in Aries for those related body parts, and some astrologers feel that you should also avoid surgery when the sun is in the same sign as the ailment that sign rules. You will find this same information in many astrology books, including William Lilly’s Christian Astrology, written in the 1600s. Another example would be to avoid having your ears pierced when the moon is in Taurus. Medical astrologers believe that if you don’t follow this rule, complications can arise, such as infections, slow healing, increased pain, mistakes in anesthesia, as well as limited healing or more serious difficulties. They also believe that surgeries performed at the exact changing point from one quarter to another, especially when the moon moves from the second quarter (full moon) to the third (waning moon), are rarely successful. Use an almanac to avoid these times.
In magick it is okay to work when the moon is in the ruling sign of the ailment, as you are working to promote healing rather than disturbing the physical body with invasive surgery, which is always a shock to the system. Likewise, working to promote preventative health care can also be done when the moon is in the ruling sign.
aries
Rules: Head, face (except nose), brain, and eyes.51
taurus
Rules: Neck, throat, tonsils, ears, teeth, and jaw.
gemini
Rules: Shoulders, arms, fingers, lungs, thymus gland, upper ribs.
cancer
Rules: Stomach, diaphragm, chest, lymph system, liver, and gall bladder.
leo
Rules: Heart, aorta, back, and spine.
virgo
Rules: Colon, small intestine, pancreas, nerves, spleen.
libra
Rules: Kidneys, bladder, inner ear, and skin.
scorpio
Rules: Nose, genitals, rectum, colon, blood, urethra, and, on occasion, the back.
sagittarius
Rules: Hips, thighs, liver, and veins.
capricorn
Rules: Teeth, bones, joints, and skin.
aquarius
Rules: Calves, ankles, varicose veins, and circulatory system.
pisces
Rules: Feet, toes, lungs, and bodily fluids.
Other Bits of Magickal
Medical Knowledge
Medical astrologers have found that they can follow the progression of a disease by the lunar phases, and can predict which days will be critical. These are the days in which to work magick to help the patient over the medical crises. Critical days are multiples of seven (7, 14, 21, and 28), calculated from the first day of the onset of the disease.52 In critical illnesses, such as a stroke or heart attack, if the patient survives until the moon returns to its beginning phase (the same day 28 days after the onset of the disease), he or she will most likely overcome the onslaught of the illness. The fourteenth day is usually seen as the most critical of all. Therefore, in magick done for healing purposes, always ask for the date that the patient recognized there was a problem. If that is not available or if they can’t remember, ask for the date that they first visited their physician for their ailment and received a diagnosis. When and if you study astrology, you will be able to tailor your magick to combat the disease more effectively and look ahead to see if there are any possible problems looming by checking not only the transits to an individual’s natal chart, but also the celestial activities for the date and time they first felt ill. For now, with the knowledge of the date, you can work magick in multiples of seven, giving extra energy on those critical days. Use the symbols for the moon, conjunction, and Mars (
) on candles burned for the sick, as when the moon is conjunct Mars, the healer has a better chance of success.
Dental work also has its own lunar associations. Fillings seem to last longer if the waning moon is in Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius (three of the four fixed signs), and procedures that cause a great deal of bleeding, such as periodontal treatment or pulling wisdom teeth, should always be performed during a waning moon, and definitely not in the sign of Taurus.53 Sybil Leek felt that one should also avoid the Aries moon for dental surgery because your fleeting bit of bravery may totally escape by the time you get into the dental chair.54
We’ve only skimmed the surface in discussing healing techniques, and you will find other spells, information, and recommendations for health and healing throughout this book, but don’t stop there. Widen your healing horizons with research, study, and additional practice. In doing this, not only will you learn to help yourself, but you will be of invaluable service to others. You can find more information on magickal healing in my book American Magick.
When You Are Ill
There is nothing more irritating than being a sick Witch. Here you are, lying on the sofa, snotty tissues at hand, half-eaten chicken soup congealing in the bowl on the coffee table, coughing and hacking right at the good parts of Buffy. The last thing on your mind is doing magick, and the idea of dragging your sorry Witch carcass around to do a full ritual carries more laughs than the Comedy Channel. Or maybe you’ve had dental surgery—that always puts the body in a go-getting mood. Not.
Here is where the mental magicks and meditation you’ve been doing come in really handy. Even though it takes a little effort, try to get through at least one meditation sequence or visualization exercise that surrounds your body with white, healing light. I’ve been so sick that I’ve drawn magickal symbols on my body with makeup because I knew there was no way I could get up and do a full healing ritual. My family thought I was nuts, but I did get better faster than anticipated. I’ve also learned to make gris-gris bags and empower candles when I’m well, then store them in my magickal cabinet for those few sick days. The key is to put the whole ritual into the candle or bag, then activate it by words of power or touch. Here is a checklist to cover when you are ill:
1. See a physician.
2. Get plenty of rest and follow the doctor’s orders. Don’t fudge on the recuperation time, that’s how people dropped dead from the influenza epidemics in the early 1900s. Just because you are starting to feel better doesn’t mean you’re ready for the New York Marathon.
3. Cleanse. Cleanse. Cleanse. Use spiritual baths or showers, sage the house (especially the sick bed area), use bells to break up pockets of negativity, etc.
4. Do mental cleansings through meditation and visualization.
5. Activate any simple magicks you’ve stored for sick times.
6. If you are lucky enough to have a magickal friend, ask them to work a healing spell for you. This does not leave you off the hook on items one through five, but a little extra help is always welcome.
7. Use this downtime to your best advantage. Yes, I know that sounds stupid—you should be concentrating on getting well and all that; however, when we are off our feet and not out cold, there are a variety of things that we can do, like consider what stressors may have led to the sickness in the first place, and think of solutions on how to best handle or remove those issues from our lives.
Apples and Oranges Healing
Garland Spell
ingredients: Five apples; lemon juice (enough to cover the apples); 2 teaspoons salt; 6 teaspoons cinnamon; 2 teaspoons allspice; 2 teaspoons cloves; 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder; one teaspoon nutmeg; 5 oranges. Note: You can also use cookie cutters for interesting apple and orange shapes that may apply to your spellwork, such as stars and moons.
Instructions: Hold your hands over all ingredients. Cleanse, consecrate, and empower for healing. Core and slice apples about 1/4-inch thick. Soak slices in lemon juice for 5 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel. Mix remaining ingredients in a large plastic bag. Add apples and shake to coat. Slice oranges 1/4-inch thick. Heat oven no hotter than 160 degrees. Lay apples and oranges flat on cookie sheet. Bake oranges for 4 hours, apples for 6 hours. Lay slices on wax paper to dry.
supplies for garland: Cord or yarn; silver bells (optional); dried orange and apple slices.
instructions for garland: Braid or tie bells with apples and oranges onto cord or yarn. Empower completed project for healing.
supplies for ritual: One green taper candle; a small amount of tinfoil; one apple that sets well on a flat surface; the garland; a picture of your sick friend or family member. (If you can’t get a picture, write their name on a piece of paper instead.) Choose a ritual format.
instructions for ritual: Core apple and fill with tinfoil to support the green taper candle. Follow ritual format. Place all supplies on your altar. Put the picture of the sick person under the apple. Encircle the apple candle holder with the garland. Light the candle and repeat the Thirteen Powers verse on page 4. Finish with:
May all astrological correspondences be correct
for this working and may this spell not reverse
or place upon me any curse. I know you will
do this for me. So mote it be!
Finish the ritual. Allow the candle to completely burn. Dispose of candle end and apple off of your property, saying: “As this apple rots, so will sickness be taken from (say the person’s name).” Place the garland and the picture (or name) in a safe place until the person has been completely healed. Use the garland again for the same person if this is a long-term illness that requires repeated work. Dispose of garland when the individual is well or has reached the level of healing asked for.