I finally took a break today after two full days of casting. I was obliterated. I had so many candles going at one point I was starting to sweat, even with the coolness of the A/C. The altar was ablaze and there was a heady scent of pine and bayberry for a special success candle ritual I was doing. It was so strong it was like being in a pine grove. Ah, Christmas in July!

I love that in the Fall and Winter when it is cooler I can do so much of my work outside at the fire-pit but during the summer months I mostly stay inside for castings. Just too hot out there and the mosquitoes love to dine on me.

I was reading several new witchy books, one of them I mentioned on Twitter, a great Herbal, as we witches call them (essentially a guide to magickal herbs) and even though I have many books like these I still like to keep my hand in.

I opened the window in my room and little Lucy (my darling girl kitty) picked her nose up to inhale the balmy summer scent. Then in a flash of quick cloud-cover there was a low rumble of thunder and gorgeous summer rain fell in glittery sheets in the backyard.

Lucy hopped up into the window to get a better look and I put aside the book and listened to my favorite sound.

There was a little more thunder but it wasn’t very close and it rained for a good half hour until I saw a sliver of sunlight illuminate the dark wetness of the grass.

Lucy got bored and went off to do more important cat things and I curled up again with my book feeling such a sense of gentle peace with the earth.

Thank you Goddess for the summer rain.

I admit to not being as interested in the sabbats this past year but it has been a somewhat stressful time. Normally we witches will take any situation as an excuse to celebrate (which is why we have eight sabbats every year) and I was always on the front lines planning, cooking, decorating and then feasting and having a good old fashioned witchy ritual to cap it off. I am well-known for my Samhain (Halloween) celebrations as well as Yule, Beltane and Midsummer. But alas my usual excitement for the sabbats has been supplanted lately by so many other concerns that it seemed almost vulgar to celebrate.

We did have a nice family Father’s Day celebration and Midsummer Eve Faerie walk on June 21st which was the first time in a long time that my family was together to do so. Usually it’s a much simpler affair. Sometimes there isn’t even a feast, just a quiet ritual bonfire and some lovely tea enjoyed by the herbacious smoke of the fire.

Years ago I celebrated every sabbat like clockwork, decorated my altars like mad, wove flower wreaths, made special wands, dried herbs and gathered flowers and cooked up a storm. Often you’d find me baking bread and oatcakes in the wee hours. I think it may have been the mead that always helped! (Ah, a witch and her mead - we shall never be parted!)

I resolve to finish this year (the witches new year begins at Samhain) with a renewed vigor in my celebratory creativity. Since there is only one more sabbat before Samhain, I will have to make it Lammas (also called Lughnassad) which is August 1st. Let me tell you more about it: (notes cribbed from themagiccalblend.com one of my favorite pagan goodies shops)

In the Wheel of the Year, Lughnassadh is the first of three harvest festivals, and although the days are still hot and sunny, they are growing ever shorter, marking the rapidly approaching winter season (which for the ancient Celts began at Samhain, our modern Halloween). Like Imbolc, its partner across the Wheel, Lughnassadh is a cross-quarter day, and as other cross-quarter holidays is celebrated from sunset the night before, as the Celts believed the days began with the vanishing of the sun as opposed to its rise.

( I must be honest here and say that only rarely do I do the night before thing. My family always celebrated the sabbat on the actual day except for Midsummer which was usually the night before and Samhain which is technically November 1st but we celebrate it obviously on All Hallows Eve.)

(This is my BIG BREAD BAKING HOLIDAY - I go nuts with bread on the sabbat. I bake bread, buy bread, butter it, toast it, make little loaves, big loaves, quick-breads, soda breads - sweet Goddess if you like bread - this is the holiday for you! Did I mention my favorite - GINGERBREAD? That’s a bread, sort of, right?)

Colors: Golden Yellow, Orange, Green, and Light Brown. (very harvesty)

Gemstones: Aventurine, Citrine, Peridot, Sardonyx, Cat’s Eye, Golden Topaz, Obsidian, Moss Agate, Rhodochrosite, Carnelian. (These stones would go on the altar.)

Decorations:  corn, sunflowers, orange & yellow flowers, sheaves of grain, first fruits & vegetables,  sickles, scythes, sacred loaf of bread, harvested herbs,  gold figures made of bread or dough, phalslic ymbols, Green Man images. (Usually I would dispense with the farm tools and phallic stuff - I like to think less of Lugh and more of the Goddess Ceres. I also never had a Green Man as part of the decorations because he didn’t seem harvest-like to me.)

Deities: Lugh (Celtic solar diety worshipped by ancient Druids), John Barleycorn (personification of malt liquor), Demeter, Ceres, Corn Mother, and all deities presiding over agriculture.

Foods & Offerings: Homemade breads, Barley Cakes, Crab Apples, Rice, Elderberry Wine, Ale, Beer, Meadowsweet Tea, Grains, Berry Foods and any locally ripe produce. (Bread, bread and more bread! I would make oatcakes too and we’d have this incredible brown rice casserole and drink ale and mead.)

Herbs: Cornstalks, Frankincense, Heather, Hollyhock, Oak Leaves, Heather, Blackberries, Sloe, Crab Apples, Pears, Goldenrod, Peony, Nasturtium, Clover Blossom, Yarrow, Heliotrope, Boneset, Vervain, Queen Anne’s Lace, Myrtle, Rose, Sunflower, Poppy, Milkweek, Irish Moss, Wheat, Rye, Oat, Barley, Rice, Garlic, Onion, Basil, Mint, Aloe, Acacia, Meadowsweet, Apple Leaf, Raspberry Leaf, Strawberry Leaf, Blueberry Leaf, Mugwort, Hops, Holly, Comfrey, Marigold, Ivy, Hazelnut, Blackthorn, Elder, Bee Pollen. (Many of these would be gathered and dried for the sabbat. In fact this year I will have a nice supply of vervain, myrtle, mugwort, comfrey and marigold.)

Scents: Wood Aloes, Rose, Rosehip, Rosemary, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Safflower, Passion Flower, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Heliotrope, Elder. (My traditional Lammas incense blend is the following - sandalwood, rosewood, frankincense and aloeswood.)

Lammas Spells: At this time, witches cast spells for connectedness, career, health, and financial gain. Spells for abundance are completely appropriate now. (The main ritual is usually for health, harmony and prosperity.)

Concepts: harvest; family;  the bounty of the Earth; the diminishing power of the Sun God and the approach of the end of the witches year.

All the spells for this time-frame (the past three weeks) are complete and the results have been mailed. In the US you should have them in 3-5 days. Internationally it takes anywhere from 7-21 days. Thank you my dear clients and Blessings to you all!

Midsummer is my favorite sabbat. It is special to us because we celebrate the faeries during Midsummer and take a Faerie Walk on Midsummer Eve. Here is more information on my favorite witchy holiday!

Midsummer (called Litha) is a celebration that has been observed for centuries, in one form or another. It is no surprise, then, that there are plenty of myths and legends associated with this time of year! (information from about.com)

• In England, rural villagers built a big bonfire on Midsummer’s Eve. This was called “setting the watch,” and it was known that the fire would keep evil spirits out of the town. Some farmers would light a fire on their land, and people would wander about, holding torches and lanterns, from one bonfire to another. If you jumped over a bonfire — presumably without lighting your pants on fire — you were guaranteed to have good luck for the coming year.
• It is believed in parts of England that if you stay up all night on Midsummer’s Eve, sitting in the middle of a garden, you will faeries.
• Residents of some areas of Ireland say that if you have something you wish to happen, you “give it to the pebble.” Carry a stone in your hand as you circle the Litha bonfire, and whisper your request to the stone — “heal my mother” or “help me be more courageous”, for example. After your third turn around the fire, toss the stone into the flames.
• Astrologically, the sun is entering Cancer, which is a water sign. Midsummer is not only a time of fire magic, but of water as well. Now is a good time to work magic involving sacred streams and holy wells. If you visit one, be sure to go just before sunrise on Litha, and approach the water from the east, with the rising sun. Circle the well or spring three times, walking deosil, and then make an offering of silver coins or pins.
• Sunwheels were used to celebrate Midsummer in some early Pagan cultures. A wheel — or sometimes a really big ball of straw — was lit on fire and rolled down a hill into a river. The burned remnants were taken to the local temple and put on display. In Wales, it was believed that if the fire went out before the wheel hit the water, a good crop was guaranteed for the season.
• In Egypt, the Midsummer season was associated with the flooding of the Nile River delta. In South America, paper boats are filled with flowers, and then set on fire. They are then sailed down the river, carrying prayers to the gods. In some traditions of modern Paganism, you can get rid of problems by writing them on a piece of paper and dropping them into a moving body of water on Litha.
• William Shakespeare associated Midsummer with witchcraft in at least three of his plays. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest all contain references to magic on the night of the summer solstice.

I really do have terrific clients and I am fortunate to have worked with many of them for a number of years. I’ve been lucky to establish many ongoing magickal relationships with these clients for several reasons.

With some clients, unfortunately these relationships are not always as successful. I know part  is due to the nature of magick itself - not exacting (it isn’t science) and often people are in quite a desperate situation by the time they come to me, either being frustrated or having been scammed by online fakes or having dealt with real casters who might not have been able to provide the right spell for them. Because of this I know that emotions are usually high and I try to tread softly in my dealings with new clients.

However a client has responsiblities too and sometimes they are not aware that they can be their own worst enemies when it comes to getting the most from spellwork.

Here is how you can assure that you will always get the MOST from whatever work I do with you.

Make sure you read my blog and my FAQ. This is the best way to get the low-down on how I work and what I am like. If you don’t read anything on my blog, then you are not taking time to find out what I am like as a person and a witch and this will be to your detriment. Likewise, the FAQ is chock-full of answers to questions you will likely have and is the best way to find out how the process works.

Keep the lines of communication open without inundating me with your every concern through email. I am here for you but not on a daily basis and not to the exclusion of my other clients. If you do have a concern that you deem important please DO let me know because I cannot help you with something unless you tell me about. The time to do this is long before  a year or two later and you email and say the spell didn’t work the way you had hoped (yes, this has actually happened!).

Stay focused on your intention WITHOUT obsessing. This is paramount to the success of your spell. Obsessing about a spell will only derail it. I know people might think - but if I am focused isn’t that obsessing? There is a distinct difference. Focus is general, non-specific - it is a direction, a journey rather than a destination. Think of it that way. Obsession is always and only about the end result. I really mean it when I say to let the spell go once it is cast. You just walk away and not think on it again. I have done this myself for over 25 years of casting spells and believe me I know what I’m talking about. When I cast a spell for myself I never consider it again once it is complete. I just go about my daily life and do what I must. The spell works in its own way, on its own timetable and I don’t have to do anything more once it is cast.

I cannot tell you “how your spell is going” because your spell has already gone. Many people confuse witches with psychics and they think I have a little crystal ball that I look into and can tell them - oh, well , the spell would be manifesting but there is a blockage etc. Perhaps they think this because they have been to one of those con-artists who happen to call themselves a psychic who casts spells. I say this in my FAQ and I will say it here: once a spell is cast and is complete my part is done. You will know how the spell is going before I ever would.

Always be open. This is the best tip I can give on how to be a magickal client. My clients who get extraoridinary results from magick are the ones who are open to it. They embrace magick in many different ways. Part of this is to not be attached to a specific outcome. Be interested in the best possible outcome for all involved. That way you will always be happy because you will know that whatever happens it is for the best. Spells can work in unexpected ways too: I have a client who desperately wanted to get back with a man she thought was the love of her life. We did spellwork for this in a variety of areas like self-esteem and love returning. What ended up happening was she felt so good from the self-esteem spell that had been cast and the Magnetic Attraction spell that she ended up meeting another man whom she promptly fell in love with (and he with her) and all because she had thought she wanted to get back together with her ex. Ultimately she found the right love and the right happiness but in a roundabout way. If you are always open and not attached to a specific outcome - you invite new possibilities and opportunities into your life.

On that same note I have had others who have used a Prosperity spell  end up bringing them love and a Love spell end up bringing them prosperity! You never know what the Universe has in store for you and as long as you keep magick in your life and BELIEVE BELIEVE BELIEVE there is no telling what can be accomplished!

Use magick for you. Like the example of the client who purchased a self-esteem and confidence spell, I have a number of spells that are cast directly on you that will help the quality of your life. Often we get all up in our heads about our relationships when we need to really be focusing on our relationship with ourselves. You are the greatest gift you will ever have in your life - not anyone else! You owe it to yourself to use magick to make your life better.

Ask questions - I love answering them. After you’ve read my FAQ and been through my blog if you have a question that isn’t answered just shoot me off an email and ask me. You can ask me anything though there are some things I will not answer (like how my spells work and what I do during my spells etc).

The more proactive you are as a client, the better your experience will be. You are part of the magick too, always remember that!

In these wild and scary times I have more requests for Protection Spells than ever in my life as a witch. I wanted to give you some ideas on simple things you can do to help yourself have a sense of well-being and to protect yourself and your family from the kind of calamities we have been dealing with in this modern age.

How to protect your finances: this one has always worked really well for me. All you need is a representation of your money  - a bank statement, a coin, dollar bill - whatever you feel pulled toward. It is best if it is paper to fold it very small into a little package and tie it with string or a ribbon. Then you will take a small gladware container (or any plastic container - even a freezer baggie could be used) put the item in it add water and tuck into the back of your freezer. Just leave it there until you feel you don’t need it anymore. It is not a long-term solution but should keep things going for about six months without any enormous changes. This is a spell of sorts - a hoodoo inspired spell but please keep it in the spirit it is intended it is not a solution for serious money issues. This is just a “freeze” where you are (especially helpful if you have stocks etc.). It doesn’t mean that you will not be able to make MORE, you will but you should be frozen for a little while at the same level.

Protection from illness: be smart first and foremost and don’t rely solely on the metaphysical to take care of you. Always wash your hands after being in public and avoid anyone with signs of a contagious condition (as in how many times have you been in the grocery store and had someone walk by you hacking up a lung in your direction?). Keep yourself healthy as possible - don’t eat crap, junk food, fast food, avoid eating too much meat (or better yet become a vegetarian), make sure you take health-giving supplments (like Vitamin C and Vitamin B-12), drink tons of green tea (you get it de-caffienated) and get plenty of sleep. I know that these suggestions may sound even more daunting then casting a spell to many poeple - as in - how can I sleep when I am so stressed out about money and the world and a possible pandemic? To do this my adivce is simple: MEDITATE.

Quieting your mind is the key to well-being - even if you only do it for five minutes each day. There are many superb resources online about meditation - here are a few of my favorites:

http://kadampa.org/en/books

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/qanda06.htm

http://www.meditationcenter.com/

There will be a slight delay in my getting results shipped this week since last night I was involved in a car accident. My car was severely damaged. Fortunately no one involved was hurt, though my mother and I were quite shaken up. My brother and sister-in-law came to help and were so kind and helpful to us we were most grateful that my brother was home as he had not planned to be home until later this month.

I have to go today to the body shop to meet the insurance guy and then hopefully we will have a rental car (provided by my insurance company) so I will have to see how everything proceeds before I can do my mailing. I know you are all waiting but it will probably be after the weekend once I get everything sorted out.

This is my second accident in Ocala since I’ve lived here (3 years now) and both involved 16 year old drivers. This place is the worst place for auto accidents of anywhere I have ever lived including San Francisco. I have never seen as many accidents as I have here. It’s terrifying. You know they even have a Highway Fatality board (sign) for the county – it tells how many deaths from last year, how many so far this year, how many were alcohol related and how many people were not wearing their seatbelts. In this area MOST people who are involved in fatal car crashes are NOT wearing their seatbelts. It defies logic really. The paramedics who came to the scene were so nice and very happy when we told them we of course had been wearing our seatbelts.

I will post here once everything has been mailed.

UPDATE: Everything has been mailed!

Many of you are quite desperate when you write to me and you all have my compassionate ear - however there are a few things that you might want to consider before you shoot your email off to me.

For instance: telling me how much you have already spent on spells cast by some con-artist will not get you a reduced rate on my spells. You wouldn’t believe how many people start out their emails to me like this!

When you write to me and say that you’ve already spent thousands of dollars with some Internet Scamcaster and don’t have a lot of money, it’s like a slap in the face. I am a legitimate witch. Why you didn’t do your homework and come to me first is not my fault certainly so why would you expect me to give you a discount based on the fact that you went to someone else and gave them a whole pile of money when you could have just come to me and gotten a good value - plus not have been scammed? It is a very negative way to start your communication with me. Unless you think it is pertinent for me to know that you have worked with another spellcaster, I don’t need to know about this to cast a spell for you.

Telling me you’ve been scammed by some psychic spellcaster or a ridiculous site set-up by con-artists in your first communication with me is just plain rude. I am completely sympathetic to you if this has happened to you but consider that I would not go to your place of business and inquire about services by telling you how terrible another service has been. If you feel you must tell me this, tell me later after we have a dialogue going.

Telling me that you don’t have any money isn’t going to get us very far in communication. I know money is tight - right now in this economy especially which is why I currently have several major sales going on my site. But I cannot cast free spells. I don’t have the time or resources to cast spells for people who cannot pay me for my work. When you pay for a spell with me you are paying for the WORK that I do and my years (25 years) of experience as a witch. It would be like going to the Doctor and saying, I know something is wrong with me but I cannot pay you to heal me. There may be some situations where you could get free medical care if you qualify but for most people that is not feasible. At my Doctor’s office you have to actually PAY before he will even see you!

Another important point: you don’t need to EVER email me to check on “how your spell is going”. I am not a psychic. I am a witch. I cast a spell and it is done - then YOU will know it has manifested long before I ever would. Every email I get checking on spellwork just takes time for me to explain that there is nothing I can tell you about your spell.

On that same note, I cannot tell you how my spells work or what I do when casting my spells. Please don’t ask. It is part of being a witch - to be silent.

If you have dark desires it is best that you keep them to yourself. I can certainly cast a spell for you but I don’t want to know what you are going to do with it if it is something dark. Use that energy when you complete the spell on your end and keep it very secret. Secret is best with dark magick - always.

Spells don’t work according to your time-frame, they work according to the the will of the Goddess and the Universe. I have no control over this, so coming to me with time constraints is meaningless. I have no control over when a spell manifests. I can give you a ballpark estimate but that is all. It is different for everyone, since every spell I cast for a person is a unique situation.

I cannot handle multiple ongoing inquiries. If after a few communications back and forth, you still don’t know what you want, please take some time to reflect before getting back to me rather than emailing me a dozen times and not making a decision. I am here to help you make a decision as best I can but consider that you are not my only potential client, that every email you send in inquiry is multiplied by other people sending inquiries. Imagine how quickly it can get out of hand!

Always be honest. You need to tell the truth. Often when a relationship has gone awry there has been infidelity involved on the clients part and they don’t always tell me this initially.  I need to know all the pertinent details BEFORE I cast your spell. I am not going to judge you - just be truthful - it will help me cast the best spell possible.

Please read my  FAQ!

I hope this helps you to understand the best way to communicate with me. My next post will give you tips on how to get the most from our communication.

Since you are relaxed, focused and ready to turn your intention toward making money (energetically) let’s get your supplies together.

You will need the following:

a red candle (a taper works fine)
a dollar bill
a red pen
fennel seeds
tape

First light your red candle. You can also light some incense if you’d like (try sandalwood or frankincense and myrrh) and put on some relaxing music.

Take the dollar bill and write in the red pen right across the face of it: $$$OBEAH DAMBALLAH WEDO$$$

Write your full name underneath it.

Now fold the dollar (with the words on the inside) into a pouch, leaving a flap to close it. Use the tape on the sides so it will be able to securely hold the fennel seeds. Add one teaspoon of fennel seeds to the dollar bill pouch. Fold over the flap the you left and tape it shut. Make sure it is completely secure and no seeds can fall out.

Put the pouch in front of the candle and leave the candle to burn all the way down to a stub.

You will take the candle stub and pouch and put it in the place where you pay your bills.

This charm is good for three months. You can redo it again and again. When the three months is up you must burn the dollar bill and scatter the seeds outside your front door. Do not skip this step. Do not spend the dollar. The seeds and the dollar are a voodoo offering.

When you complete any working no matter how simple it is polite to thank the Goddess by saying blessed be.

Now that you are relaxed and groovy about your money and saying your manta we need to help focus your energy toward prosperity.

Here is a method to do that:

The Alpha State

There are several exercises that you can do to help develop your Alpha State which will ultimately help you to focus  as well as increase your state of calm.

Before beginning any focus exercise, such as lighting a candle and focusing on the flame make sure you ground yourself, center yourself and count yourself into an Alpha State (a highly meditative state).

Grounding: to ground yourself there are two methods, the standing method which requires you to feel your feet connected directly to the floor or ground. Then feel your energy pour through your feet into the floor or ground. This may take several tries before you feel it happening but you will feel the dispersion of your energy to the ground, which will connect you to the material plane.

The other method is the sitting method, if you are seated on the floor or ground you simply need to put your hand or hands on the floor or ground and radiate your energy into the earth. This will ground you.

Centering: to center yourself you need to feel a ball of energy in the region of your solar plexus. This energy will feel calming. Feel this energy coalesce and then you will be ready to take yourself into an Alpha State.

Alpha State: to move yourself into an Alpha State you will count back from 10 to 1. When you do this, close your eyes and see each number in your mind. Do not do this quickly; you must take time to fully relax into the Alpha State. Once you reach the number 1 you will be in an Alpha State. This is just beyond a normal waking state. You will have all your faculties and are not in a Delta State which is a sleep or deep trance state. Now you can begin your focus work.