Beauty is all about taking care of your health and the image you would like to project to the world. In the Craft, some Witches use an image projection called a glamoury. The glamoury has two important facets:
• It is temporary.
• It enhances what you already have.
Lots of nonmagickal people use glamouries out of habit and, somewhere along the way, the habit gets stuck for good and it’s terribly hard to peel it off (if you dare) because pieces of you will come off with it. For example, Richard may seem like a great guy to your face, but when you’re not around, he’s constantly talking trash about you and everyone else. Richard is suffering from low self-esteem, and he’s using a glamoury to your face every time he speaks to you. Denise acts tough. She brags about how many kids she can “take down.” Her glamoury includes strutting, carrying her shoulders a certain way, and giving people her special “tough” look. Denise is also suffering from low self-esteem. If neither changes their behavior, although it may not seem that way right now (because they are making your life miserable), Richard and Denise are heading down the “Loser” path, and they are actively creating a rotten future life.
Being beautiful, for all of us, is a learned behavior. I’m not kidding. Beauty is not the model on the cover of your favorite magazine, it is not having the most expensive clothes, buying the “best” makeup, or going to the most popular hair salon, or having the hottest car—all those things are glamouries used by normal people because their insides may not be so great. With these people, what you see is all you get.
In the world of the Craft, we know that beauty is really your astral energy shining through, and that outer beauty, as well as mental and physical health, are all part of the same package. Think of it this way: If you are wearing fifty pounds of makeup, what are you saying to the world? If you don’t take a bath, don’t wear deodorant, and never brush your teeth, what are you telling people? What you wear, how you speak, who you hang out with, and how you behave (gossip, moocher, slacker, friendly, kind, loyal) are aspects of beauty (or not). All of us, from time to time, play roles—Prep, Skater, Drama Queen, Jock, Tease, Teacher’s Pet, Greaser, Goth, Nerd, Loser, Perpetual Grump (whew! lots of labels, huh?)—but when we do, we’re not allowing our true selves to shine through and, after a while, whether we are aware of it or not, we become the role we are playing.
Of all the situations that my children dealt with through their school years (college, too), I think the idea of role playing was the hardest for them to understand. They believed the roles they saw in others, and didn’t understand the roles they played within themselves, or that you can change your role in life to bring toward you what you most desire. The hardest thing to do is to get the outer you in sync with the inner you because you are growing so fast, and life is changing so quickly, you’re not exactly sure what you want. If you desire to be beautiful, then remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”
Spell for Beauty
Supplies: A mirror; your favorite incense; a picture of Hathor (the Egyptian goddess of beauty); a list that includes what you would like to change (for example, “I wish to walk with grace,” “I would like to be kind to others,” “I would like to be able to use my musical talent to help people”); a pen; a blank sheet of paper. (Yes, the list represents all “inner beauty” stuff, and when the inner beauty comes out, you’ll knock ’em dead.)
Instructions: Light the incense and look into the mirror. Ask yourself, “What message am I sending to the world?” Write down on the blank paper the outer things you would like to change (clothing style, haircut, posture, makeup). Now think about how you act with your parents (you can make faces, look mad, sincere, whatever). Is there anything there you would like to change? If so, write it down. Finally, think about how you act around your friends. If there is something you would like to be different, write that down, too.
Take three deep breaths and think about Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of beauty. She’s not a vacant-headed beauty, either. She’s smart, wise, and graceful. Close your eyes and talk to her (in your mind, if you think someone will hear and make fun of you). Tell her the inner beauty things you wrote down on the first list—what you would like to be: kind, loyal, not so critical of others, and so on. Open your eyes and draw her symbol over your list with the pen. Say:
Heaven and earth, liquid and plain
the moon’s bright glow and stars maintain
that goodness grows within my soul
and spreads throughout my body whole
and with the blessing of Hathor’s kiss
I become the beauty that none shall miss.
Fold the paper and hold it in both hands. Repeat the words while thinking of yourself the way you wish to be. Blow on the paper three times, then make the symbol of the equal-armed cross over your reflection in the mirror. Say: “This spell is sealed from skin to soul. So mote it be.”
Beauty and the Moon
Is there any cool stuff happening where beauty and the astrological sign the moon is in is concerned? Absolutely!5
when the moon is in . . .
taurus, cancer, leo, libra, or aquarius
Practice the following: Beauty treatments, skin care, massage, general beauty magick and ritual.
aries, taurus, cancer, or leo
Practice the following: Cut fingernails.
any sign BUT gemini or pisces
Practice the following: Cut toenails.
the third or fourth quarter
Practice the following: Remove corns.
third or fourth quarter in aries, leo, virgo, sagittarius,
or aquarius
Practice the following: Begin healthy eating practices.
first or second quarter
of cancer or pisces
Practice the following: To grow out that bad hairdo—pronto! Cut during this moon cycle. Best time to cut for thicker hair (one day before the full moon, especially in the sign of Leo).
first quarter of taurus or leo
Practice the following: Permanents, straightening, and hair coloring.
the first and second quarter of gemini, virgo, sagittarius, capricorn, or pisces
(avoid the full moon)
Practice the following: Tooth removal.
first and second quarter of taurus, cancer, leo, or libra
Practice the following: Spells for romance.
Temporary Glamoury
A temporary glamoury is just that—it doesn’t last. The difference between what nonmagickal people do and what you’ll be doing is that the temporary glamoury in the Craft brings forth something that is already a part of you—you just want to show it off a little more than usual. Think about how you want to appear for a short period of time. Let’s say you are going for your first job interview. You want to look smart, efficient, and responsible. Check your clothing and your hair before you go. Are you neat and clean? Do you look like a dependable person? Now say the following spell nine times, visualizing what you should look like:
The chameleon dances in the glade
he blends, he shifts, and now he’s shade.
I change myself to meet the need
I am the change they need to see.
As I will, so mote it be.
This spell also works very well for a part in the school play, giving a speech in public (especially if you have the jitters), or giving a report before your class. It also works well in karate and other sports-related tournaments; however, there you pick up some of the dirt on the ground while you say the charm.
You can also change one of the lines for an invisibility spell. In invisibility work, you are actually pulling your aura in as far as it can go, which is why you seem to blend in with the environment. You won’t go “poof” and not be there, but you can move without undue attention; however, this does not work for illegal activities.
The chameleon dances in the glade
he blends, he shifts, and now he’s shade.
I change myself to meet the need
my essence now they cannot see.
As I will, so mote it be.