The first love spell I ever tried involved my first love – Michael James. At age 16, we were star-crossed lovers and when we were forced apart by our families, I thought I would die!

I don’t know, does anyone ever get over their first love? All that gentle tenderness. Your heart chakra is blown open for the first time and you feel as if it will burst from such intense emotion – such pure joy. When M.J. left, I was so depressed (actually suicidal) and desperate. My young Witchy friend, Mary told me to try an old gypsy Onion Love Spell. “This will bring him back to you, I know it will,” she said.

You take an onion and with a sharp knife, you inscribe the name of your true love into the skin of the onion. You plant it in a red clay pot with a drop of your blood, saying the name of your love three times. Each day at sunrise and sunset you say these words aloud over the onion (watering it as needed): “As this root does grow, so shall the love of (say the full name of person) grow for me.”

However, after 3 months the onion looked just horrible – it was turning yellow, slimy and mushy. I decided to dig it up, intending to replant it. Well, there at the base of the root was a giant, ugly, white worm-like grub contently munching away. It had eaten the bottom half of the onion, so out to the compost pile everything went. Interestingly, even though our love was hopelessly doomed, M.J. continued to resurface in my life on and off through my early college years.

After that, I was into baking chocolate birthday cakes from scratch for whoever happened to be my boyfriend at the time. Sounds yummy and sweet, just like young love, right?

Well, yeah – except that my cakes had that little, extra special ingredient. I liked to cut my finger with a sharp kitchen knife and let the blood drip into the cake batter. Then, I’d give it a good stir, while reciting a long-ago-forgotten incantation. Into the cake pans the batter went and I popped them in the oven. I don’t know where I got the idea or what possessed me. In my burgeoning young adult mind, I thought this would bind my boyfriend to me for eternity. Oh how romantic!

The problem is that it worked a little too well! Once the infatuation wore off, I found that these ex-boyfriends never really disappeared. Sometimes an ex would show up at my parents’ house uninvited, explaining that although we’d broken up – certainly I must understand how much he loved my parents and that now he was just a friend of the family. Ick!

Then, there was the ex that I kept running into everywhere – grocery stores, at my new boyfriend’s boss’s Xmas party, driving by when I was jogging with my dogs, etc. Oh, did I mention that each weekend, he’d drop in where I was working as a waitress, wanting me to wait on him and his various dates? Then, when the date of the week went to use the restroom, he’d hunt me down at the waitress station and insist that I give him another chance. He was obnoxious and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I had to get the big, burly bartender to ask him to leave.

Well, so much for the love spells of my early years as a witch. But, I was learning a valuable lesson: be very careful what you wish for. Also, be careful with binding spells – they can be tricky and the results might not be what you truly desire.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with this Love Spell, which is quite ancient and a bit more practical than slicing your finger so that blood can drip into the cake batter.

This spell is from an interesting little book called Natural Magic, by Doreen Valiente, first published in 1975. My sister bought this book when we were in high school. I believe that the book may still be found online.

The spell is translated from the famous French Grimoires entitled Les Secrets Admirables du Grand et du Petit Albert (these two volumes are usually bound together). Some scholars attribute the work to Albertus Magnus, a famous 13th-century churchman and scholar. However, Doreen points out that is unlikely that he wrote them and she says they are reputed to be compiled from the grimoires of Witches from the channels of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. The illustrations are quite primitive looking, which may be a further clue as to the antiquity of these books.

This love spell utilizes the herb, Elecampane (Inula helenium), of which I am quite familiar. I have grown it in my garden for over as long as I can remember. It is a strange, other-worldly looking plant, growing well over 5 ft. in my garden, with dandelion-like yellow blossoms. It has an unusual vibration.

Elecampane is probably best known for its ability to cure lung complaints. I dig up the roots in the fall, clean them thoroughly, coarsely chop and place them in a quart mason jar. I cover the jar with 100 proof vodka and let it steep for 2-3 months. Once the plant matter is strained out, you have a marvelous tincture which will keep indefinitely. This is a remedy par excellence for lung congestion. It is useful for those suffering from chest colds, coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia and even bouts of asthma*.

*This is not intended to be medical advice, consult your healthcare practitioner for advice on this herb.

Ah, but the lovely Elecampane has a long history of folklore. In an old European recipe, it is blended along with Verbena and Mistletoe to make True Love Powder. Often times it is blended with other herbs into a tea, which is added to the bath for personal protection. As the folk names Elfwort and Elf Dock suggest, Elecampane is associated with the elves and fairy folk. It is believed that these “wee folk” inhabit the plant, which may be powdered and scatter about the home or wherever you wish to attract the aid of good fairies. The term “elfshot” was once used to describe shooting pains in the body, as if one was being shot by elves’ tiny arrows. Moreover, the herb has been traditionally used in divination/to increase psychic abilities and may be made into a tea or burned as an incense for that purpose.

The original spell from Doreen Valiente’s book calls for Elecampane and Ambergris, the latter being quite expensive and somewhat difficult to find. I’ve substituted Labdanum essential oil, along with Benzoin and Vanilla for the ingredient Ambergris. These are more affordable and make an effective magickal substitution. The original spell calls for sprinkling the powder in the food of the person you desire. I think sprinkling it over your heart chakra at the concluding of the spell does the trick. Here’s the spell:

The herb called elecampane has great virtues in affairs of love. It has to be gathered while fasting before sunrise on the eve of Summer Solstice (before dawn on midsummer morning). It must be dried and reduced to powder, with a little ambergris (several drops each: essential oil of Labdanum, Benzoin and Vanilla). Then, having carried it for nine days next to your heart (the powder can be carried in a small drawstring bag), sprinkle the powder over your heart and the effect will follow.

This Elecampane spell must have been one of my most powerful, for fate led me to meet my husband Marty and we have been married for 36 years!

Elecampane (Inula helenium)

Common and Folk Names: Elfwort, Elf Dock, scabwort, horseheal, horse elder, velvet dock, marchalan, wild sunflower, raiz del moro, helopia

Planet: Mercury, Sun, Uranus

Parts used: Roots (predominantly)

Growing conditions: Prefers poorly drained sites such as damp pastures, roadside ditches, and waste spaces.

Constituents: Calcium, magnesium, inulin, mucilage, azulene, camphor, helenin, lactones, sterols, sesquiterpenes.

Actions: analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiscorbutic, aperient, aphrodisiac, aromatic, astringent, bitter, bronchial dilator, cardiotonic, carminative, cholagogue, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emollient, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hemostatic, hepatic, immune stimulant, pectoral, restorative, stimulant, stomachic

The best scones are homemade and served hot from the oven, with fruit jam and vegan butter. These melt in your mouth pastries are a far cry from those cold, hard lumps of baked dough we find at coffee shops and food markets.

It must be something in my English DNA, because I’ve been making scones since I was 14 years old and no one ever really showed me how to do it. I believe it’s probably an ancestral memory.

In any event, here’s the recipe, which incidentally you can change up with whatever ingredients you have on hand:

use any type of fresh, dried or frozen fruit you like- (chopped apples, pears, cherries, raisins, etc.; use any type of nuts or seeds- (almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, chia seeds, etc.); create your own favorite combinations- (chocolate chips and almonds are one of our favorites).

A basket of warm scones are welcome anytime, whether for breakfast, lunch, teatime or dinner. With 9 inches of snow forecast for today, we’re going to curl up with a basket of Blueberry Walnut Scones, some hot tea and a good movie!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups organic, unbleached flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup vegan butter (we like Earth Balance)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup molasses or your favorite liquid sweetener
1 cup frozen or fresh organic Blueberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup non-dairy milk (use more or less as needed)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and flax seed. Work the butter into the flour with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Stir in the baking powder, mixing well.

Add the molasses, blueberries and walnuts.

Stir in the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract until you have a stiff, yet soft dough which holds together well. Do not over-mix the dough. If the dough is too dry, add a bit more non-dairy milk. Alternately, if the dough is too soft, add a bit more flour. The dough is the right consistency, when with floured hands, you can easily shape it into a ball.

After shaping into a ball, place on oiled baking sheet and pat to flatten slightly. Cut the dough into quarters.

Next, cut the dough again, so that you have 8 wedges. Using a spatula, gently slide the the wedges apart so that they will bake evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Serve in a napkin-lined basket, straight from the oven with your favorite spreads.

Makes 8 Scones

Here’s an easy recipe that is perfect for any ritual celebration, be it a Fall or Winter Sabbat, Esbat, Birthday or just an afternoon tea with loved ones. Winter squash and apples complement each other in a most delicious way!

You can use Acorn Squash or Butternut Squash, which can be roasted a day or so in advance, then refrigerated. The actual loaf batter can be mixed up in a matter of minutes.

​ It’s so delicious warm from the oven with melted vegan butter, your favorite apple butter or jam (or Marty’s favorite) slather on some peanut butter. Serve with a pot of your favorite tea.

​
Before making the loaf, roast the Acorn or Butternut Squash:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and fibers (save seeds for birds and/or squirrels at the winter feeder).
3. Put Squash halves in a baking dish and pour in 1 cup of boiling water.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool before scraping the squash from the shell.

Roasted squash keeps very well for several days covered in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Oil a Pyrex loaf pan and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Ingredients:

Blend the following ingredients in a food processor, blender or with a submersible hand blender:

3/4 cup roasted Acorn or Butternut squash scraped out of the squash shell
3/4 cup organic applesauce
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup coconut sugar, sucanat or your favorite sweetener
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon almond, cashew or peanut butter

Pour blended ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Add:

2 cups organic flour
1/4 cup organic cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup chocolate chips (or use raisins or currents)

Stir the dry and wet ingredients together until you have a well mixed batter. The batter should be thick.

​ Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes, before using a spatula to turn it out onto a decorative plate for slicing. Enjoy!

Makes 1 loaf

 

Candlemas (or Imbolc, also known as Oimelc) is dedicated to Saint Brigit, whom Robert Graves believes was formerly Brigid, the White Goddess. Thus, this day is dedicated to the quickening of the Triple Muse or the Threefold Muse (Brigid of Poetry, Brigid of Healing and Brigid of Smithcraft). She is also known by the names of Brigid and Bridgit and by Brigantia in England, Bride in Scotland, Caridwen in Wales and Brigandu in Celtic France. In Scotland her symbol was the white swan and she was known as the Bride of the Golden Hair, Bride of the White Hills, mother of the King of Glory.

A Cornish invocation (to eliminate scald) offered to the local Brigid Triad reads:

Three Ladies came from the East,
One with fire, two with frost,
Out with thee, fire, and with thee, frost.

She is a clear example of the survival of an early Goddess into Christian times. She was called the daughter of a Druid by her followers. She ruled metal-smithing, poetry, inspiration, healing, fertility, childbirth and medicine. Moreover, she ruled over the ‘fire of the hearth and the ‘fire of the forge’. She was associated with her famous cauldron of knowledge and inspiration, where she could be invoked as both a muse and healer. She was worshiped by poets, granting them great protection. Often a golden branch with tinkling bells was carried in her honor.

Sheep, cattle and other livestock are sacred to her, as well as snakes (in Scotland). It was believed that Brigid’s snakes emerged from mounds in the Earth on Candlemas to test the weather and possibly determine if there was to be an early spring. This belief has morphed into Groundhog Day in the U.S. and Canada.

She is associated with the rivers Brent and Braint. Ancient, sacred underground springs and wells were attributed to her and there is a famous one in Kildare, Ireland. Offerings could be made to the Goddess in the forms of coins or brass/gold rings which were cast into her sacred wells or springs. Other sacred sites dedicated to her were where three streams came together.

Her triple aspect is not considered to be separate Goddesses, but rather aspects of one deity, unified by fire. Her name indicates “bright one”, “bright arrow” or “the High One”. The worship of this ancient pagan Fire-Goddess continued into Christian times where fires were kept burning in shrines for 20 day cycles. Into the 18th century, a version of her ancient song was sung: “Brigid, excellent woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery sun take us to the lasting kingdom.” (The Book of Goddesses and Heroines, Monaghan)

Both fire and water were sacred to her, evident by her powers over the forge (heat forms the iron and water tempers it) and cauldron (heat and water to make teas and medicine).

Another of symbols was the Brigid’s cross, resembling a swastika, often woven from rushes and dating back to Celtic times. It is traditionally used as a talisman for protection.

In Irish legend Breo Saighead, or the “Fiery Arrow or Power,” is a Celtic three-fold goddess, the daughter of The Dagda, and the wife of Bres (King of Tuatha De Danann). She is mother to the craftsmen ‘Sons of Tuireann’: Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu. It is believed that she was born at sunrise (thus a Sun or Fire Goddess) and a tower of flame burst from her forehead, as the goddess descended from Heaven to Earth. She is more than likely referenced in a line from the famous Song of Amergin ( or Amairgin, which was an orally transmitted poem thought by some scholars to date back to before the Roman invasion of the British Isles). Robert Graves translates this line as “I am a God who forms fire for a head.” Incidentally the Song of Amergin is an excellent poem to recite during a Sabbat Ritual.

Some equate Brigid with The Lady of the Lake from the Legend of King Arthur and possibly it was she who forged his sword Excalibur. Like Arthur, she is associated with Avalon, or the Isle of Apples, as it is believed she has an apple orchard in the Celtic Otherworld.

The White Goddess/Lady aspect of her is known as Cailleach, who rules the season of Winter. At Candlemas or Imbolc, also known as Oimelc (translated as “in the belly” and possibly related to the pregnancy of ewes), Brigid transforms into her maiden aspect and she calls back the light, which leads to spring.

Imbolc has long been associated with the beginning of the lambing season, which could begin as early as two weeks before the first of February.

Some scholars believe that the date of Imbolc is associated with the Neolithic period. This is based on the alignment of some Megalithic monuments. For example, at the Mound of the Hostages on the Hill of Tara the inner chamber is in alignment with the rising sun on the dates of Imbolc and Samhain.

If indeed, this festival dates back to the Neolithic period, one can imagine the struggle by ancient people to survive through the winter. By February, food was scarce; the land frozen and barren.

During the times of early agriculture, the ewes giving birth to the first lambs of the year, could provide the people with warm milk and other rudimentary milk products such as curds and whey.

Candlemas is a time of hope, purification and divination.

Below is my daily altar, with a red Archangel Michael candle. I always have an assortment of these candles on hand, in a variety of colors. They are inexpensive and burn for several days. Best of all, they have never failed me! Whether, I burn blue for a healing, white for help with a spiritual matter or green for a money spell, etc. I find these candles perfect for candle Magick.

The Archangel Michael is known as the Angel of nature, who gives us both food and knowledge. Red candles are used in ritual to ‘change ones luck for the better’, also to impart courage, determination, self-confidence, action, activation, achievement, ambition and motivation. Orange candles are used in ritual to impart optimism, expansion, success, happiness, encouragement, motivation and stimulation.

Here we are before Candlemas 2018 and now is a great time for an “Increase your Luck’ Spell”. You need a waxing or full moon and a red or orange candle. You can anoint the candle with the appropriate herb-infused oil if you wish. You can burn a good quality Frankincense and Myrrh incense (or your favorite attraction incense) while you do this. Write your prayer or request on a piece of paper. Read it out-loud, while petitioning your patron God or Goddess to hear and answer your request.

End your prayer with:

“Up to Heaven I fly, for favors pray I;
Up to Heaven most high, and down to Earth I call Thee!
O most ancient (name of deity) hear my prayer addressed to thee and As My Will, So Mote It Be!”

Place the written prayer under or near the candle. Before the candle flame goes out, burn some additional incense.

Read your prayer out-loud again, then say:

“Up to Heaven I fly, for favors pray I;
Up to Heaven most high, and down to Earth I call Thee! Oh mighty and benevolent (name of deity),
I thank thee for listening to my prayer and I humbly ask thee to grant my request.
​Oh ancient, Blessed One, hear my prayer addressed to thee and As My Will, So Mote It Be”

Now burn your written prayer by lighting it with the candle’s flame and setting it in your thurible to burn itself out. If paper ignites rapidly, with a large flame and burns quickly, it is considered a sign that your prayer has ascended up to spirit and that the outcome will be favorable.

​Blessed Be, L.D.

January has started with unbelievably frigid air which originated as part of the polar vortex from Siberia, descending down into N. America. We’ve had sub-zero temps (-10 below at night and 5 degrees for highs during the day) since Xmas. We are breaking weather records that are 4 and 5 decades old. It has been a struggle to keep all of our animals warm and healthy. We have triumphed! The Siberian weather is going to break tomorrow. We’ve had heat lamps in the bird house to keep them warm (Below: one year old peacock, Ollie decided to venture out into arctic-like weather and display his feathers, as if to say, “old man weather can’t stop me!”). Also, heat lamps in the insulated cat room in the barn and the propane heater in there has ran for almost 10 days non-stop. Please light a candle and say a prayer for the homeless, the wild creatures and neglected pets who have had to endure this deadly weather. Blessed Be, L. Demeter