During the summer I do many rituals outside, though I don’t usually have a fire in the firepit because it gets too hot. I do like to be out in  the backyard though on the patio at night and will usually do some candle magick and other less heated rituals out there in the summer months.

It rains quite a bit here in central Florida in the summer so I have to time my rituals with the moon of course but between rainy days too. I mention this now because I like to use the rain to my advantage when I can.

This includes collecting rainwater to use in rituals (a good downpour can fill up a few bottles for me) and then taking time when the rain prevents me for spending time outside to deal with the business and practice of my craft.

This can mean working on the websites, updating my blog, answering email or more traditional witchy pursuits like drying herbs. making oils, going through my spellbooks, cataloging supplies, making candles, etc. The rain reminds me to slow down a bit, to deal with what I need to to keep my craft flowing freely.

I just finished casting for the Full Moon and it was a good casting (though someone delayed by the rain) and now I need to get things together to package up and send out my results. I’ve been working on some new things for magickrituals.com, as well as some other projects (non-witch related) so I haven’t sent out a newsletter in a while. Since today is another rainy day I think that will be next on the agenda.

I don’t think I’ve ever discussed the importance that music plays in my casting. It’s so indelibly organic to my process at this point that I guess I’ve always looked upon it like I do candles, absolutely essential, so much that you really don’t notice them.

I play different music for specific situations, sometimes even make my own music or chant a Buddhist mantra but there is always music of some kind for every ritual occasion. Lately I’ve been playing Ocean waves with a Tibetan singing bowl while casting my spells. It puts me deeply into a meditative state - I go right into Alpha, it’s instant. As the music progresses it segues into wonderful Sanskrit chants which literally take me outside the physical plane of this world. That’s why when witches cast a circle we call it being between the worlds.

Music helps to bring me there. When I’m finished casting spells I like very gentle harp or flute music to help bring me back and ground me again. It’s like waking up to increasing sunlight, immensely peaceful.

It’s always a bit of a letdown when I’m out of the circle. I’m usually powerfully thirsty and need a little something to eat. Not to be uber-Disney witchy or anything but often what I totally crave is an apple! Sorry Snow White! Water is perfect too but on rare occasions I’ve been known to enjoy an ale or mead.

Last night it was just me and the crickets in the circle and Leonard Cohen (in spirit only through his music, though I am sure he would have enjoyed the casting) and I found myself making magick at a leisurely pace since I was enjoying my companion of night, moon and a little night music.

It’s no secret to my longtime readers and clients that the Summer Solstice is my favorite witchy sabbat. It’s the only sabbat dedicated to the fae and I have been enjoying the faerie walk on this particular evening for many years.

I usually want to do something different on the solstice but I always end up repeating the same thing year after year. I guess it’s just the right thing after all to craft wonderful flower chaplets, create bundles of herbs (that attract faeries) wear filmy white dresses, take an offering of milk and honey (to leave beneath trees for the faeries) and take the walk through the woods (or gardens nearby) to commune with the faeries.

I have learned over the years to use copious amounts of insect repellant and to bring biodegradable vessels for leaving offerings. I’ve also learned to go a little earlier than later for the best faerie viewing possible. The darker it gets the less visible they are.

It’s not easy to see faeries once you’re older than about 7, so you’ve really got to get into the proper headspace to commune with them. They are all around us but can only be seen by adults by looking out of the corner of your eyes. True! You’ll never see them dead on and they may take the form of butterflies, dragonflies and other larger insects that fly. You may actually hear them before you see them. Their laughter sounds like that of children.

It was unbearably hot of course here in Florida and very humid when we went on the faerie walk. This time I also took a bottle of cold water in my tote, so I didn’t die on the way!

There is a great trail near where I live and we drove down there, parked the car and hit the trail just before dusk. There are tons of oak trees on the path and we found a huge one to leave our offering, say a short ritual and then spy on any nearby faeries.

I definitely saw some out of the corner of my eyes peeking around the trees along the path. These were woodland faeries, a little bit rustic compared to garden fae. I could hear their laughter on the slight breeze. It was wonderful.

What if the spell doesn’t work?

I don’t like to think in those terms because most of the spells I use are deeply practiced and have worked many times so the chances are excellent that they will continue working as long as they are applied to the right situations. However even the best, most well-crafted and ancient spells can run into insurmountable obstacles because there is always an unknown factor, especially when dealing with the variable of another person, which many spells do.

When do you know that you’ve done enough?

There are no rules for this because everyone is different and every situation is unique. I had a client just recently who had done a number of spells for help her boyfriend to return and while she was getting movement in the relationship and things were progressing it seemed like that final manifestation kept just out of her reach. He would return but not stay. He would return but stay only a little longer than the last time.

This went on for several months and then one day my client wrote to me and told me she was just going to let it go and not put anymore energy on it. She’d done the work I asked of her (in conjunction with the spells I cast) and there was nothing more she could do. She wanted to get on with her life whether he was a part of it or not.

Within six months she wrote to me to tell me that her boyfriend had returned to stay, the spells finally had manifested and it ultimately was her letting it go that was the best energy she could have put toward the working.

I give a three-month time frame for spells to manifest but most spells manifest much earlier than that but some complex spells for difficult situations can take quite a bit longer.

I had a client with a particular interest in meeting a famous starlet. He didn’t want to be in a relationship with her or anything, but wanted to meet her and was willing to put his energy toward that. I cast a spell for him and he waited patiently for it to manifest.

He was a great client and kept in contact with me (which I LOVE by the way!) but it was almost a year and he still hadn’t met this favorite starlet of his. He was practical though and said that he knew something that might have more obstacles (such as meeting a famous person) would take longer to come to fruition.

His patience paid off. He met her within a year of the spell being cast, in a situation that was perfect for him.

Now a year is a long manifestation for a spell and not one that is usual or common (unless it is a spell that is cast according to a different time frame - such as my Blue Moon Wish Spells, they have three years to fully manifest between Blue Moons and considering that they are more complex spells with a number of variables, you want time on your side for spell workings like that) but it is important to give time, time.

Letting go is almost a spell in itself, you’ve got to take your focus from the situation, from the working, you’ve got to pull it away completely and leave no attachment to it or to the outcome. It isn’t easy but it is a form of liberation and very helpful to get you out of your own way if you are having difficulty with a situation in your life.

Focused will and intention is the core of magick. By that same token removing your focused will and intention can help you to move on and allow you to find something else that will be more conducive to your attention and focus.

Always be open to the outcome, whatever it is. Magick may not work exactly as you would like it to but you’ll find that in its mysteries it will never lead you astray.

Occasionally it happens that I have some difficulties (just like non-witches) and I have been dealing with something that I never thought I’d have to cope with - deadbeat clients.

I’m not sure how this happened. Previously I have always offered financial accommodations to my long-term clients so they could purchase their spells on monthly payment plans to make it easier for them to get the spells they desired. That coupled with a reduction in prices for my spells is something that I was happy to offer to all my clients, new and old to make magick affordable for everyone.

I don’t get rich as a working witch. I do this because I love being a witch and using magick to help people. It is very rewarding in many ways and it allows me to use a great deal of creativity in my work, from keeping up websites to the spells themselves, crafting rituals, communicating with clients, working at crafting oils and herbs etc.

Still, I have bills to pay like everyone else and I am the sole support of my household which consists of my mother and me. When I offer a payment plan to a client and they don’t come through at the agreed upon time that sends my finances into a tailspin because that is money I am counting on to live.

I pride myself on completing the spell work and sending it out before all the payments are complete because I offer my trust to the client. I have fulfilled my part of the arrangement by casting and completing their spell and ask that they in turn will pay me according to their plan.

When this does not happen as it has for the first time since I offered this option, it forces me to reconsider how I can work with my clients in such an arrangement. I am thinking that in the future on payment plans I will not be able to offer the spell results  until the payments are complete. I don’t want to do this and truthfully it is only a handful of clients that have ruined it for everyone but I can’t see that I have another choice.

To those clients who have not paid for their spells at the agreed upon time, ultimately you will only hamstring yourself. Casting spells requires energetic commitment from both caster and client. If you do not fulfill your end of the agreement your spell will not manifest because you have not completed the energetic exchange. This is a caveat I include in all my spells. Spells are mutual from witch to client.

In other words if you cheat the witch - you will only cheat yourself.

 I love Beltane, it is one of my favorite sabbats because it is dedicated to PASSION! It’s the quintessential Spring sabbat that celebrate flowers in bloom, lovemaking and the promise of renewal.

This year I’m casting a special Beltane ritual that I will offer to my clients. It’s a passion spell that will ignite sparks in any love relationship as well as get sparks flying for new relationships. There will actually be two versions - one for an established relationship and one for a new relationship.

On Beltane I craft flower chaplets and make sure the altars are brimming with fresh cut flowers. The colors are black, white and red. Above is a photo of my Beltane altar. I also decorate my staff and ritual sword with ribbons and flowers.

This Beltane will mark a special time for me personally; a new beginning in my life after a long winter. I plan on dedicating this Beltane to such energies and incorporating them into my life. It is interesting to see that life is never dull; things change and just when you least expect something will happen that will blow your mind. I welcome these experiences with open arms.

To check out my new spell click here: BELTANE PASSION FIRE SPELL.

This is borrowed from Jame’s Lipton on “Inside the Actors Studio” but someone sent them to me so I thought I’d post them.

1. What is your favorite word?
It’s difficult to pick a favorite for me because I like so many words. Right now it is “torpor”.

2. What is your least favorite word?
caterpillar

3. What turns you on?
It is more whom and his initials are M.C.

4. What turns you off?
Greed.

5. What sound do you love?
My mother calling, hell-ooo to me.

6. What sound do you hate?
Angry voices.

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Freakin’. And the four letter version of it.

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Teacher.

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Retail.

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (Goddess, thank you) say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
I’m glad you’re here now we can really get this place into shape.

I apologize dear clients for the delay in getting your results to you. I had felt for a couple of days that I was coming down with something (rare for me) and then it hit me finally in full force and it is official, I have the flu.

I use homeopathic methods to heal (and when it gets really bad a little brandy in my tea!), so I am definitely not feeling as horrible as I thought I would which is good. I hope to be fully over this by the full moon.

I know some of you have been waiting for a few weeks and I will do everything I can to get your results mailed tomorrow. I just haven’t been able to go out. My heads been a bit woozy.

Thanks again for your patience. It’s been about two years or longer since this has happened - actually three years since my poor Lucy has never seen me this sick! She is quite confused by it because I don’t want her to catch it so I have been avoiding her.

I’ll update more when I am on the mend.

I love all the sabbats but some are a bit more low-key than others. Ostara has always been like this for me though I usually do a nice Ostara/Easter altar. For a few years we weren’t sure whether to celebrate Ostara or Easter but now we kind have rolled them into one. I still do my ritual on ostara but we have our feast on Easter. It seems to make the non-pagans in the family pretty happy.

For Ostara (which was March 21st, this past Sunday) I had lunch with my brother and his wife here at the house while I burned some pretty candles he had made for me specifically for the holiday. They were blue and pink pillars that I anointed with Ostara oil (that I made myself last Ostara) and I did a small ritual that made use of seeds which we then cast to the winds. Almost as if on cue we had a rainstorm. It was lovely.

Since the altar was somewhat dismantled I don’t have a photo but wanted to show you one I found that I thought fit the spirit perfectly as well as some suggestions for celebrating Ostara and the Spring (which is finally here!).

Setting Up an Altar for Ostara

I love this simple sweet little altar I grabbed from Flickr. 

To get an idea of what colors are appropriate for spring, all you really have to do is look outside. Notice the yellows of the forsythia blooming behind your house, the pale purples of lilacs, the green of new leaves appearing in the melting snow. Pastels are often considered spring colors as well, so feel free to add some pinks and blues into the mix if the idea strikes you. Decorate your altar in any of these colors - try a pale green altar cloth with some purples and blues draped across it, and add some yellow or pink candles to carry the color up. Altar decor should reflect the theme of the Sabbat. Ostara is a time of balance between light and dark, so symbols of this polarity can be used. Use a god and goddess statue, a white candle and a black one, a sun and moon, even a yin/yang symbol.

Ostara is also a time of new growth and life - add potted plants such as new crocuses, daffodils, lilies, and other magical spring flowers. This is the time of year when animals are bringing forth new life too - put a basket of eggs on your altar, or figures of new lambs, rabbits, calves, etc. Add a chalice of milk or honey - milk represents the lactating animals who have just given birth, and honey is long known as a symbol of abundance.

Symbols of the Season

•Seeds and bulbs

•Caterpillars, ladybugs, bumblebees, ducks, eggs, obviously BUNNIES! 

•Symbols of nature deities - Herne, Flora, Gaia, Attis, etc.

•Gemstones and crystals such as aquamarine, rose quartz, and moonstone (I use lots of rose quartz) 

•Ritual fires in a cauldron or brazier (we used candles only since it rained)

some notes above from about.com 

I often hear from people who want to know why I offer black magick spells. I may have discussed this before but it bears repeating - there is really no such thing a black magick, white magick or gray magick. What matters most is intention. Because we live in a world that applies relative terms to things it is much easier to group things accordingly - thus we name spells of degrees and “colors” to discern the qualities they represent. However for me, the witch, it is quite different. Especially being Buddhist as I try to steer clear of duality whenever possible.

Certainly there are spells that can be used for darker workings and some that are just dreadful if the intention behind it is worked in shadow. It is also unlikely that a “white” spell can be used for darker means since it will not be created to support it. Yet in truth all spells are neutral. You can desire manipulation from a white magick spell as easily as a gray or black magick spell but perhaps it might be more difficult to own up to.

I like the directness involved with black magick. I like that the spells don’t care whether you are self-centered or a beacon of hope. You can be the best person on Earth and use a black magick spell or you can be rotten to the core, it makes no difference. Black magick is straight-forward, no holds-barred and honest about what you desire. If you want control then there is a black magick spell for it. If you want to manipulate others then there is a black magick spell for it. If you want to cause harm - well, you get the idea.

I prepare the black magick spells but I will not cast them for clients. I put it all together so the client can finish it on their end because I don’t particularly want to know what their intentions are. What I prepare is in truth completely neutral until the client adds their intention.

Black magick spells can be used neutrally too - often they are best used for hard-luck cases or for very stubborn situations and people that don’t respond to anything else. Because black magick is totally forthright, clients can get speedy results in situations that might have taken much longer if less stringent methods were applied.

For many situations though, black magick is NOT appropriate. If you want to marry someone or have a life-long commitment it is best to stay away from black magick unless you have tried everything else first. Black Magick should be the last resort as there are so many wonderful gray magick spells and white magick spells that get great results.

There can be karmic consequences with using black magick. This of course depends upon what you are using it for and what kind of person you are. You may not even believe in karma and if you don’t then it won’t matter to you what the consequences are. I believe in karma so I am careful about this, but those are my beliefs, not yours.

I will be adding a few new black magick spells over the next couple of months and I hope you are willing to give black magick a chance for those especially complicated and difficult situations. You’ll be surprised at how the true neutrality of magick can benefit you (as long as your intentions support it!).

The two new spells are LUCKY 13, a powerful prosperity and luck spell specifically made for making money any way you can and for gambling and other less than…well, I’ll leave that up to your imaginations as to what this spell can be used for.

The next is DARK ARTS LOVE SPELL, the first spell of its kind that I have offered that is based on hoodoo rootwork of a darker nature. This is for the most desperate love cases - you will need to email me first as I will only take certain cases that meet the criteria.

Look for these spells in February and March!