It is no secret that in the witchy world Samhain is the mack-daddy, grand celebration to end all celebrations. This is the Witches New Year and we take it very seriously (and also like to have fun too!).

I actually started thinking about Samhain at the beginning of the year. I knew I wanted to offer some special spells on that night (two new ones this year! check out mysticspells.com) and also wanted to craft an exciting feast and ritual night as well.

I have all kinds of neat things for the house. I usually do the dining room table up and the snack bar in the kitchen (which I use as the buffet) with candles and vintage inspired decorations. (Check out the Victorian Trading Company to see some of the cool stuff that I use to decorate.)

I also decorate the altar and get all my spells supplies together for the bonfire. One of the great things about living in Central Florida is that the weather is perfect for casting outside at this time of the year and I can get a great fire going in the fire-pit. This is where I do the ritual to mark the holiday and cast the spells for the night. It’s funny because everywhere people are dressing as witches on this night and there I am with my family in the backyard - real witches casting spells!

I usually wear my purple gown, all my most sacred ritual jewelry and my High Priestess torque. I do have a lovely cloak I like to wear sometimes but it is usually too heavy once I get the fire going. Zaliha (my best friend) knows this cape well since she taught me how to wear it during a special festival that was as muddy as the original Woodstock! With her help I never got a spot of mud on my cloak, though my boots were history.

During the year (except at other important sabbats) I rarely dress in my witch finery. I usually have a scaled down version of sacred objects and a special robe I wear for casting but often during the summer months it’s too hot and I just wear regular clothes. Putting on my jewelry always puts me in the right mood though. I have some items I wear that have been with me since my initiation and I have worn them for over 25 years.

The feast is probably the most exciting part of Samhain for the whole family. We drink mead, punch, and go all out with dinner, desserts and tons of candy!

A traditional feast we often have is Pub Pie (we do ours with root vegetables and onions since we don’t eat meat) which is based on the original Scottish pasty, Colcannon (delicious Irish dish made with cabbage and mashed potatoes), Irish soda bread,  mushy peas and Scotch Eggs (done with vegetarian sausage). I usually bake an apple pie and my sister-in-law will bring her famous peanut butter cookies (the best ever) and sometimes I might do a pumpkin cheesecake if I get really inspired.

One year we decided to have the feast catered and had wonderful platter of fruit, vegetables and dip, spinach dip in a rye bowl (another of my sister-in-laws best) and a huge platter of cold shrimp for those in the family who eat seafood. That was a really nice event since I didn’t have to spend hours in the kitchen before I had to do the rituals.

This year it will be a combination of catered and home-cooking as I am dying to have Pub Pie and we will have a full family gathering (though without my brother who will be at sea).  We’ll start the party around nine in the evening, do the spells and ritual at ten and then have our feast until the wee hours.

I’m really looking forward to it!

I had an email from a client recently who wanted to investigate witchcraft further. He asked some excellent questions and for some recommendations from me on books that would give him solid information. Here are the questions I answered plus my short reading list (for beginners).

How did you know you were a witch?

I was born a witch. I have witchcraft from both sides of my family and my mother has always been a quiet daughter of Isis (Egyptian witchcraft). I was raised without any religious affiliation and told from a very early age (four, I think) that I was welcome to make my own decision regarding religion but that my parents were not especially enamored with Christianity, specifically Catholicism, which had excommunicated my father for marrying my mother (yes they used to do that in the early sixties!). I was offered information on just about everything (my mother kept the paganism light but she always stressed a connection with nature and animals) and when I was a teenager I decided I wanted to practice an earth-based religion so I joined a coven of witches in the Gardnerian tradition (through a family friend) and I became an initiate.

It took three years (not in a row) to become a High Priestess but I no longer practice Wicca in the religious aspect because I became Buddhist. This actually had an even more positive reflection upon my witchcraft since becoming an eclectic allowed me to practice all the mysteries I had always been attracted to like Faerie, Hoodoo, Voudon, Romany and Sino-Nipponese.

It took me years to accept that I was a witch. It isn’t instant. It takes years of study and discovery. I really never felt my power until I was in my late twenties. Being a witch follows very closely the Triple Aspect of the Goddess - Maiden, Mother and Crone. At least it has for me!

How did you learn to cast spells?

I learnt from the coven’s Book of Shadows and then the family notes my mother kept as well. For over 20 years I have kept my own books too. Study, trial and error, friends and mysteries that are handed down in the oral tradition all become part of my Book of Shadows.

Casting spells takes nothing but practice and you definitely need a predilection for it. You must have a natural ability (like with any craft - some people just have a knack for certain things) for spells to work.

You can’t learn spells from books, don’t make that mistake. They can teach you how to craft spells but spells need to come from you and need to be honed and developed over time. Most books on witchcraft have tons of spells in them but until you are crafting your own spells, using your own knowledge and words, they will lack power, imagination, focused will and intention.

What books do you recommend for a beginner?

1.  To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft  by Silver RavenWolf

2.  To Stir a Magick Cauldron: A Witch’s Guide to Casting and Conjuring  by Silver RavenWolf

3.  To Light A Sacred Flame: Practical Witchcraft for the Millennium  by Silver RavenWolf

Many witches would disagree with me regarding Silver’s books, they’d say she practices “fluffy bunny witchcraft”. I disagree. These books are a full-course in Witchcraft 101 that are light on the dogma and give a terrific overview of the craft. Don’t take everything Silver says as gospel but she gives a great foundation.

4.  Solitary Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation  by Silver RavenWolf

This book is a compendium of further study into witchcraft and is practical for novices and even advanced students. It’s a huge heavy tome but has everything you need to go through the first degree of witchcraft (avoid books that go through the “year and a day” approach - it is better to get your information culled from other sources unless you have joined a coven).

I don’t recommend a coven however until you’ve done some study first. For instance I never would have put three years into the Gardnerian tradition if I had studied first to find where I really felt comfortable.

I hope these answers give some guidance. Feel free to comment below or visit me at mysticspells.com and try my Ask Amita feature!

It’s taken several months to get my head around what I needed to do to take my witch-business to the next level. Magick Rituals has been long over-due for cosmetic and programming changes as well as I have been trying to find the right domain name to increase my site visibility. Although I love Magick Rituals the site name doesn’t really describe what I do and actually could be somewhat confusing - thus I have a new site and new site name.

Welcome MYSTIC SPELLS to the world!

For now the content will remain the same from Magick Rituals but eventually Mystic Spells will veer off on its own and I will no longer keep Magick Rituals up to date. This change is essential for growth and will allow me greater accessibility to my clients and many more interactive options. I am proud to say that I am the first witch on the web to publish with a blog format as well as the first to use Twitter and was the first to have a personal blog and will be the first to have a Facebook page too (coming soon!). All my work in technology is finally paying off - as a witch! Somewhat ironic, the marriage of the ancient and the new.

This was not easy by any stretch of the imagination (I had to learn so much new stuff to re-design my templates etc and I had been out of this kind of experience for a number of years) but I am happy with the results. The site is much more user-friendly, easy to navigate and will be interactive once it is complete.

I still have to add money spells, tarot readings and the rest of my voodoo spells but once that is done the new site will ready to take over for the old Magick Rituals.

A few of my plans for the future include: more photos, videos, interactive comments and consultation areas and perhaps at some point even a members-only area and forum.

Don’t worry I still cast all my spells the old school way but now I will be able to keep in better contact with you and show you more of my world (wouldn’t it be interesting to see my altar room, my fire pit where I conduct spells, my herbs and potions and other witchy wonderfulness?)

Let me know in the comments below what you’d like to see developed on the new site!

Also once it is complete I will be offering some terrific new spells and a BIG SALE!

It’s not because it is my 41st birthday tomorrow (the 29th) but this September has been very off-beat energetically.

Usually when I work with long-time clients I have the best possible relationship with them. I have clients I have worked with for nearly six years now, really stunning in this business and wonderful to see  people using magick in extraordinary ways. It is truly inspiring.

As I am sure you can imagine after a number of years working with a client you establish a close working relationship - no, better than that, I consider my clients a part of my life. They were remarkably kind to me when my husband passed away, sending flowers and cards and heartfelt condolences. Many of my clients have become close friends (from all corners of the world - in Shanghai, Dubai, Glasgow, Melbourne, Tokyo and Wales) and I value them like my friends in real life.

Thus it was somewhat shocking this month to have  two long-time clients absolutely give me the brush-off. Both had placed orders for the wonderful 09-09-09 Wish Spell which was very limited. I had also worked out payment plans with them since they were so eager to purchase the spells and I always work with my long-time clients to make sure whatever they are purchasing will work for them financially.

And then…nothing. Not a word. The invoices were ignored, emails were not responded to and frankly I became worried that something terrible may have happened. I still don’t know and I sent emails of concern asking them to please contact me.

Sometimes this might happen with a new client but clients that I have had for years? Never before, so I was quite stumped by it. Perhaps it was a lingering effect from Mercury Retrograde - I don’t know. I had all kinds of issues with clients earlier in the month that I have not ever had to deal with in all my many years of doing this work on the web.

As a client of mine please make sure to stay in communication with me if you request a limited space in a special casting and request an invoice. If you aren’t sure you want it, then please don’t reserve a space. Unfortunately I had to turn away two other clients because it was too late to add them to the casting.

When I have a limited casting it is for a reason, either I can only get a certain number of special correspondences or that the spells will take a considerable length of time and energy. It is only rare very special spells that I have to do in this fashion. For instance the Total Eclipse of the Heart Spell for the last full eclipse was limited because I was sending my results to Shanghai for my sister-witch to consecrate in view of the eclipse. I didn’t want to send her a huge package of results for my clients since she had kindly offered to do this for me (I exchanged some witchy supplies I made specifically for a Chinese spell we were working on together) and I didn’t want to take up too much of her time so she could enjoy the eclipse.

I hope nothing like this happens again. I have recently changed several of my policies regarding communicating with my clients - I am here for my clients to discuss their needs with much more so than I have been in the past. The communication between us is such an important part of the spell casting process that I am devoting more of my time to it. I want to discuss client issues and give in depth consultation so I can give the best possible advice and spell workings.

I am here for my clients, all of them, new, long-time - all. Talk to me.

Today is the Autumn Equinox which I will celebrate with  - a day off!

The altar is already decorated with corn dollies, acorns, leaves and a mini cornucopia (the fruits are little and fake because I don’t want the kitties getting into it!) and three special candles that were made for me on the last Mabon by my dear friend Joanna Rowantree. They are special candles for this day, timed with the Equinox and crafted using the appropriate colors and herbs.I will light the candles tonight during the short Mabon ritual I do every year.

I don’t usually have a big feast on Mabon, since it often comes at a time when I have been very busy and need a break. It is not a “Greater” sabbat, but a lesser, so it is acceptable not to have a big hoopla. Plus I enjoy the quiet reflection that comes with  the gentle spirit of the day.

That’s not to say there will not be a nice dinner involved! I plan on making a harvest vegetable pie, chock full of fall flavors that I’ll serve with fresh bread and a wild rice pilaf. I do have my favorites for the holidays!

Here is more information about Mabon (I didn’t write this and would give credit to whomever did but could not find it!):

Mabon marks the Second Harvest, the end of the grain harvest (which begun at Lughnasadh), and rests on the Autumn Equinox. The Equinox mirrors dwindling of life (and eventual progression to rebirth), as well as the struggle for balance; day and night are equal for a single day.  This Sabbat can also be known as: the Second Harvest Festival, Feast of Avalon, Cornucopia, Wine Harvest, the Fall Equinox, Harvest Home, the Autumnal (or Autumn) Equinox, Festival of Dionysus, Alban Elfed (Caledonii, Druidic), Winter Finding (Teutonic), or Equinozio di Autunno (Strega). The full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox is called the Harvest Moon, and farmers would harvest their corps by this moonlight as part of the Second Harvest celebration.

Mabon is very much like Thanksgiving. Most of the crops have been reaped and abundance is more noticeable than ever. Mabon is the time when we reap the fruits of our labor and lessons, both crops and experiences. It is a time of joy, to celebrate that which is passing and it is a time to gaze into the bright future. We are reminded once again of the cyclic universe; endings are merely new beginnings. Natural energies are aligned towards protection, wealth, prosperity, security, and boosting self-confidence. Any spells or rituals centered around balance and harmony are appropriate.

In Greek mythology, Autumn begins as Persephone returns to the Underworld to live with Hades, her husband. The myth says that Demeter’s daughter, Kore, had taken a day to pick flowers in a meadow when the Earth opened up, and Hades pulled the girl into the Underworld to become his bride. Kore’s name became Persephone when she married Hades. For nine straight days, Demeter searched for Kore, with no success. In misery and despiration, Demeter questioned Helios, the Sun God, who informed her that her brother, Zeus, had given the girl to Hades. Furious, Demeter left Olympus to roam the Earth disguised as an old woman, ending up settled in her temple at Eleusis. Soon after, she cursed the Earth so it would yield no crops. Zues sent her a frantic message inquiring as to why she had prevented growth on the planet. She replied that there would be no regeneration of vegetation on the Earth until her daughter, Kore, was safely returned.

Zeus immediately dispatched Hermes into the Underworld to retrieve the girl. Hades, not wanting to relinquish his bride permanently, convinced Persephone to eat some pomegranate seeds before she returned to her mother, Demeter. Demeter was yet again distraught when she learned of this trickery! Finally, Zeus declared that Kore-Persephone would live with her mother during one half of the year and return to her husband, Hades, during the other half. In thanks, Demeter lifted the curse on the Earth, creating Spring. Every year hence, during her time of greatest sorrow, Demeter renews the curse, as her daughter returns to Hades and the Underworld.

Simple altar decorations can be obtained by taking a calm “pilgrimage” through your local woods and collecting leaves, acorns, berries, and other things symbolic of nature’s bounty. Going through your personal gardens with thanks and lovingly harvesting what is ready is also appropriate. Breads may be baked in the shape of the Sun, combining fruits or vegetables and grains, incorporating both of the major aspects of this Harvest. The seeds of various plants are stored through winter for replanting, and therefore, the plant’s rebirth in the Spring. A feast for friends and family always provides a cheerful abundance of energy and thanks.

• Foodstuffs: Grapes, Acorns, Wheat Bread, Goat, Indian Corn, Horn of Plenty, Cornbread, Corn, Root Crops (ie Onions, Carrots, Potatoes, etc.), Nuts, Dried Fruits, Apples, Beans, and Squash.

• Drinks: Wine, Ale, and Cider.

• Colors (for those who work with Candle Magick): Red, Deep Gold, Orange, Brown, Maroon, Violet, Russet, Yellow, and Indigo.

• Animals: Dogs, Wolves, Stag, Birds of Prey (especially the Blackbird, Owl, and Eagle), Salmon, and Goat.

• Mythical Creatures: Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaurs, Cyclops, Andamans, and Gulons.

• Stones: Yellow Topaz, Carnelian, Sapphire, Yellow Agate, Lapis Lazuli, and Amethyst. Also, river or stream stones which have been submerged for the Summer may be used.

• Plants: Vines, Garlands (made of these various plants), Gourds, Pine Cones, Acorns, Wheat, Dried Leaves, Corn, Pomegranate, Ivy, Hazel, Hops, Cedar, and Tobacco.

• Herbs: Myrhh, Thistles, Tobacco, Oak Leaves, Hazel, Mums, Hops, Acorns, Marigold, Roses, Sage, Milkweed, Solomon’s Seal, Asters, Ferns, Honeysuckle, Benzoin, Passionflower, Pine, and Cedar.

• Incense would include: Aloes Wood, Cinnamon, Cloves, Benzoin, Jasmine, Frankincense, Myrrh, and Sage.

• Dieties: All wine Deities (especially Dionysus and Bacchus), the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess, Persephone, Thor, Modron, Morgan, Snake Woman, Epona, Pamona, Muses, Mabon, Thoth, Hermes, Hotei, Harvest Deities, and Aging Deities.
  

Since everything has been mailed (all spell results) I am now taking orders for the New Moon casting. Here is a little bit about the significance of the New Moon.

Essential New Moon information: The New Moon is used for personal growth, healing, the blessing of a new project or venture and the start of new relationships and is also excellent for attraction spells. This is the time when the Crone is transformed into the Maiden. It is a time of renewal and new beginnings. The Maiden is essential to the continuation of all life; her color is white, denoting innocence and newness. She is the springtime, the dawn, eternal youth and vigor, enchantment and seduction, the new and waxing moon.

Casting: The casting period for each moon phase (that I follow) is two to three days.

Interesting note: It makes sense for instance that author Stephenie Meyer called her second book in the Twilight series New Moon because it is all about Bella’s growth and transformation( without Edward), as well as the growth of Jacob’s feelings for her and her feelings for him (a new relationship). I find it interesting when laypeople incorporate moon lore as symbols.

As you know I don’t often cast spells for myself (it drains a great deal of energy that I need to give to the spellwork I do for others) but I often cast spells for friends and family. I want to tell you about a spell I cast specifically for my brother that worked immensely well.

My brother was in need of a job change and it was getting very frustrating for him in the position he was in. We had discussed it at length and I used a spell that would focus on job change and abundance. I didn’t want to be too specific or limiting in my language because I wanted the best for him and sometimes that will just arise without much help from us.

I did a spell, lit a 7 day candle and kept it burning like a beacon. Within the time-frame (only several days in fact) he had a solid job offer and the potential for advancement that he was looking for. This was incredible news because of the trying job market out there and also that my brother has a niche-oriented job which can be even more complicated to find in a job search.

Once he was squared away I kept an abundance candle burning for several days to continue petitioning for positive energy surrounding this new job.

Now that he has been at the new job two weeks he has reported back in that it differs somewhat from what he had been doing previously (he’s a ship’s captain) yet the people he works with are terrific and there is a lot of potential there. He is quite content and this is good news for the entire family.

My brother is out-numbered by the women in our family - we have five to his one (well we often count the dog on his side since he is male too!) yet he takes care of us in a non-threatening, compassionate patriarchal sense. I would do anything to help him because he is my brother and a very generous person with a good heart, so I was thrilled to see this spell work its magick.

There is nothing quite like it when you tell your brother, not to worry, I’ve got your back and he turns to you and says with a heartfelt smile, “Hey, thanks.”

My pleasure.

Many people who meet me in person are shocked to find out what I do for a living. What I get mostly is - uh, wow, you don’t look like a witch! I often wonder if people think I should look like the Wicked Witch of the West. Since the Goth look is very popular among pagans perhaps that is how they envision a witch- black nail-polish, lots of pentacle jewelry, dyed red hair and eccentric outfits. In that case I look nothing like a witch, I look like your average Suburban Housewitch.

It is not that I don’t like the goth look. Well not to wear certainly in my daily life. At 40 I am little past the age for costume dressing. However I do like many goth things: books, dolls, jewelry, films etc. It is a wonderful expression of the darker side of life but in a fantastical way and I appreciate that.

For me personally though witchcraft is not a look but a life. Not lifestyle because there is really no style that accompanies how witchcraft fits into my life. It is similar to how Buddhism is part of my life - it just is. It guides everything I do, think, feel. I am aware of it always. Yet to the outside eye no one would take a look at me and think, oh, she’s a Buddhist nor would they think, oh, she’s a witch. I prefer that, especially in a town where most people are practicing Christians who might not have the level of tolerance needed to welcome a pagan believer.

At Samhain however, I do go all out with dressing Goth; we all do in my family!  It’s fun to celebrate the dark side of witchcraft on All Hallows Eve. One year my sister-in-law had deep purple hair! This year I am eager to see what my niece comes up with. I think I might use a really red hair dye myself just to shake things up. I do have beautiful pagan jewelry that I love to wear and very witchy outfits reserved just for the sabbat.

Many of my sister and brother witches across the world are low-key like me. You’d never know to look at them that they go home from their corporate and professional jobs to light candles on an altar and practice witchcraft.  We are kind of sneaky witches. But we are out here, oh yes. And we are making magick. We just don’t look like it.

I just finished tonight’s casting and will have to complete everything else tomorrow. I am too tired to continue. I started about 10pm (took a nap first) then went out to do the “Drawing Down the Moon” ritual. I love that ritual. It used to be nice where I lived previously (Fort Myers) because we had a lake behind the house and I would toss a bouquet of white flowers as an offering to the Goddess. It did get a little dicey though because the houses were close and there I would be completely naked praying to the Goddess. I am so kidding about that! I do not do rituals outside sky-clad - not even if it was just the Goddess & me! I don’t particularly want to be eaten by mosquitoes and that is why witches have robes for heaven’s sake!

I may be a little punchy right now. I came in and had a nice salad and some pizza (important always to nourish after a casting - such an energy drain) and then finished up the packaging in the altar room. I’ll be sending things out on Monday I expect. I really want to spend the weekend taking it easy since I helped in moving this week and started some organization projects in my home office as well as creating the layout for the new magickrituals.com update. It has been a busy last couple of weeks.

We’ve got another woman for my brother’s harem (as we joke) in the form of his mother-in-law and this is a lovely addition to the bunch. I adore my extended family and am happy to have them close-by.

I’m absolutely besotted with my niece! She is 21, smart, savvy, sexy and so much fun. We like many of the same things -  books, music, movies. It is wonderful to have someone young but also wise beyond her years around to talk with. It reminds me of when I started my own journey with witchcraft, I was like a sponge! I wanted to know everything. My niece is like this, she has many varied interests; art, theatrical make-up, architecture, cooking and the world is her oyster.

Female energy (Goddess energy) is very powerful and it draws others to a circle of its own volition. It is no wonder that we are all here together because once it begins as a collective it shines a beacon to draw others in. It increases the power of all spells and rituals. Imagine how much I am looking forward to Samhain! This will be a truly awe-inspiring event this year, five women and the thinnest veil between the worlds - talk about magick!

Now is the time for rest and relaxation though. Time to recharge.While I do that make sure you check out the August update at magickrituals.com.

Kickin’ back today - no work - all play. And baking! Bread, cookies. Tomorrow I will make soup to go with the leftover bread. It was a nice little celebration, sad that my brother and his wife (and my niece) had to miss it but they are picking up my brother’s mother-in-law to come live here with the whole family.

My brother Ray is the kind of guy who will drive 12 hours, move you out entirely on his own, drive 12 hours back and then move you in on his own too! Can you imagine what a slacker I feel like? Where does he get the energy? I hope everything goes smoothly and we cannot wait to have more family here!

I will be updating the site soon (the new design is still not ready) and I have a super special September spell (lots of alliteration there) that will be for sale this month. It is a once in a lifetime AND once in a millennium event. You will not want to miss it. A little sneak will tell you this: it makes wishes come true! Three of them no less! Like having a genie for your very own!