If this is where you find yourself, you are not a lost cause, but you do have more work ahead of you than others your age. Although many youth facilities will allow you to have this book (and others like it on the Craft), others will not, and it is a fair assumption that you won’t be able to work with what modern Craft considers the standard tools of the trade; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t change your life, work magick, or do ritual. The Witch is the magick, after all, and the work takes place in the mind and culminates in your actions. Thoughts and choices require only your mind.
The most difficult hurtle to overcome at this point is the question: Where is your head at? Although considering what choices put you in this predicament are important, despairing over your fate is not the way to go, and there is one glaring fact: For things to get better, it is absolutely necessary that you want them to get better, and that anything you do from this point on supports that desire! If you plan to work with this book, you’ve already put positive energy in motion, but you will have to follow up in thought, word, and deed. Here are some suggestions:
• Practice some sort of mental morning devotion. Try the four adorations (page 500) or make up your own.
• Work with your chakra system, mentally opening and closing them (page 243).
• Practice nightly meditation using the Body of Light Meditation (page 293). Tailor to your own needs.
• Remove negative self-talk from your mind and replace with positive affirmations.
• Make positive goals for your future. Visualize yourself attaining those goals.
• Sprinkle holy water around your area nightly. Don’t make a big deal out of it.
• Practice grounding and centering daily (page 238).
• Practice shielding (see Protection).
• Try your best to be positive in word and deed.
• If you are permitted, put your mind and hands to work with something artistic—painting, sewing, composing music, drawing, poetry, journaling, writing stories, etc.
• Read—not just this book, but books on all subjects. Ignorance is not bliss.
• Practice penmanship. You think I jest? Nope. The clearer your writing, the clearer your mind and the easier it will be to express yourself.
• Connect with Spirit daily in your own way.
• Pray with positive words. No whining or being mad at the universe. No groveling.
• If your counselor tells you that you are in denial, he or she is probably right. At least give them the courtesy of thinking about it, and ask them for what their definition of denial is (in a nice way, please).
As you can see, none of the above require magickal tools, and all of the above require the exercise of your mind, yet these are the basics that all Wiccan students must learn if they wish to reach their goals.
Magick for the Incarcerated
The first thing you must remember is that all magick balances and seeks to bring harmony. This means that if the situation is truly in the toilet, Spirit may hit the flush button, which appears to cause chaos (at first) and makes things look worse than they are. The old adage This, too, shall pass is important here. Psychologically, most mental crises take six weeks to bounce around in the mind like a red rubber ball. After that, mentally, emotionally, and physically, the journey will begin to smooth out. During those six weeks, keep your head up and your brain working in a positive direction. This is not the time to cop out. Yes, I know this takes courage, but I also know that you can do it!
Incarceration magick requires that you acknowledge and understand that every action you do has an equal reaction. There is no way around this, yet not all “crimes” committed are morally wrong and what one culture may deem a criminal act (based on its social model), another culture may find acceptable. When talking about karma, then, we can’t always rely on the cultural model to tell us what is right and what is wrong. In karma, however, all nasty acts must be paid for and all acts of good will must be returned in kind. No matter how hard our social model tries to get it right, there are people who are jailed unjustly, or those whom we feel the punishment may not fit the crime. When working magick in these situations, it is not our place to judge. Our mission is to ask for balance and allow the universe to work for the good of all. Now, as an aside, the “good of all” may not be so hot for the criminal. It doesn’t mean he or she is going to skate out of the mess he or she created. It does mean, however, that the checks and balances of the universe will be put into motion without hindrance of our pushing something where, karmically, it should not be going. It also means that if someone is not guilty, energy will be released to rectify the problem, if it is within that individual’s spiritual plan. The following spells, then, are designed for both sides of this sticky karmic coin. The first is to find favor when faced with unjust incarceration and the second is to catch a criminal.
Unjust Incarceration Spell
Supplies: A handful of white feathers (or if it is summertime, you can use dandelion heads that have gone to seed); a short, brittle stick; clay; a pencil or stylus.
Instructions: When the moon is in Aquarius, fashion the clay into a thin tablet. Write the incarcerated individual’s name on the tablet with the stylus, along with his or her birth date, current age, and the place where he or she is jailed. Allow to dry. Note: If you have purchased slow-drying clay, you may wish to fashion the clay tablet a few days before.
Find a place outside where you will not be disturbed. Cast the magick circle and call the quarters. Invoke Spirit. Stand in the center of the circle, and say: “In the name of (say deity name), I break the bonds of (name of jailed individual).”
Snap the stick in two. Hold up the clay tablet, and say: “I release him/her from unjust confinement.” Break the clay tablet over your knee, and allow the pieces to drop freely to the ground.
Hold up the feathers and say, “May the winds of change bring you your freedom!” Release the feathers.
Very loudly proclaim, “As I will, so mote it be. This spell is sealed!” Thank deity, close the quarters, and release the circle. Leave the stick, clay shards, and feathers to the forces of nature.
Note: This spell will not work if the person is guilty, or if the punishment karmically fits the crime.
Spell to Catch a Criminal
Supplies: Bird cage or small animal cage; small, red clay flower pot; dirt; water; marigold seeds; white parchment paper; a black marker.
Instructions: When the moon is in Scorpio, cast a magick circle and call the quarters. Invoke Spirit. Cleanse, consecrate, and empower all supplies. With the black marker, write down your intention; for example, To catch and bring to justice the person who slashed the tires of my car. Place the dirt in the pot, then plant the marigold seeds, and say:
As these flowers grow, so I will the universe
to spread its blanket of justice upon you.
Pour a little water over the ground, and say:
As Spirit cleanses my Spirit,
so will my life be cleansed of your evil.
Place the pot in the cage. As you shut the door to the cage, say:
As I have caged these seeds,
so you shall be caged by your own actions.
Tap each side of the cage, and then the top and bottom, and say:
Justice from the east, justice from the south,
justice from the west, justice from the north,
as above and so below, you have sealed your own fate. The gods sit in judgment of you now.
Place the cage in sunlight, saying:
Thou who art in the heavens, smile upon my request. Bring light to this mystery so that
harmony may come to pass. So mote it be.
Thank deity, close the quarters, and release the circle. Be sure to care for the plant. When the criminal has been caught, and the season and time are right, transplant the marigold to the out-of-doors. Sometimes you will not know that justice has been rendered; for example, the person who sliced your tires may be jailed for an entirely different reason and you didn’t hear about it. When doing criminal magick you must learn to let go of what you feel is justice and allow Spirit to balance the scales. You won’t always get a front-row seat.