Binding Spells

A CANDLE BINDING




Get a large white candle, the kind that drips wax, and set it up on a tray.

Affix to it a photograph or other image of the person you wish to bind.

Make a ring of salt around it. Make a second ring with protective herbs.

Some dried rosemary from the kitchen will not break your bank. Or use sage if you like.

Fill the rest of the tray with images that represent what you are binding the person from: pictures of your family, keys to your house, legal documents, whatever.

If the problem is too complex for images, write what the person is bound from on slips of paper and place them around the candle. Maybe they are gossiping and making your life a misery. Write it down and explain what you want stopped.

Papyrus, or good thick paper made from cotton or linen work best for this.

Use red ink if you are angry, purple ink if you are sad.

Wrap the candle and the image with black thread (use cotton tread or linen or even wool, if possible).

Invoke Hecate.

Say out loud what you are Binding the person from.

Light the candle and leave it to burn until the wax begins to drip over the thread and image.

Burn it every day for a week, until the image is thick with wax.

Use this as a meditation device to direct your will to Binding the person.

You will have direct results if you have a just reason for this spell.

You can also Bind a person from harming themselves.

(in your case, bind him from hurting you or your children by his lies and deceit)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



BINDING SOMEONE DANGEROUS



Best performed on Saturday (Saturn's Day), To bind a

criminal/one who intends to do harm, To bring someone

to justice.



Collect your materials, including a poppet you made to

represent the person in question. Cast a circle. Light

a black candle and burn myrrh incense. Sprinkle the

poppet with salt water, saying:



"Blessed be, thou creature made of art. By art made,

by art changed. Thou art not clothe (or wax, whatever)

But flesh and blood I name thee ___________ (person

being bound). Thou art s/he, between the worlds, in

all the worlds, So mote it be."



Hold the poppet and imagine it enmeshed in silver net,

binding the person in question. Tie the poppet up

firmly with red ribbon, binding all parts of it that

could possibly do harm.



Charge it, saying,

"By air and earth, By water and fire, So be you

bound, As I desire. By three and nine, Your power I

bind. By moon and sun, My will be done. Sky and sea

Keep harm from me. Cord go round, Power be bound,

Light revealed, Now be sealed. "



Release the powers and open the circle. Bury the

poppet at the time of the waning moon, far from your

home, under a heavy rock. Go home and have some juice

and do grounding and a clearing meditation.

Stress Management Spell

Do you have too much to do, and too little time? This is the catch-cry of our contemporary, time-poor lifestyle. Tonight, with a waning Moon, set aside some time to reduce some of that stress. Of course, we can’t completely remove all the stress from our lives, but we can ease some of the pressure and minimize its impact. On a sheet of black or dark paper, with a dark-colored pen, write the things in your life that are currently causing you stress. Imagine the dark pigmentation of the paper absorbing the ink, drinking in your challenges, easing your anguish. Fold the paper three times, and burn it in the flame of a black candle, as you say:

I will forgive
I will let go
Of those things
That trouble me so!

As you breathe out, visualize your worries diminishing and floating away.

GrannyMoon's Morning Feast Archives

Bringing Autumn Magic In

Adapted from Witch in the Kitchen, by Cait Johnson (Inner

Traditions, 2001).



There's nothing more luscious than inviting nature indoors in the
Fall: the brilliant colors of Autumn make our homes feel deliciously
warm and cozy as the weather turns cooler. Changing leaves, swags of grapevine, and vibrantly-colored apples and squashes make gorgeous, inexpensive decorations. Find out how to connect with the abundant bounty and beauty of this harvest season with these fun, easy tips for decorating with nature:



1. Preserve some colorful leaves. You can iron them between sheets
of waxed paper, microwave them for a few seconds, put them in a
solution of glycerin, or press them between the pages of a heavy
book. Then you can apply them to backsplashes, place them artfully
in a vase, mound them around a pile of gourds or squashes, or even
use them as coasters for your favorite beverages.



2. Food is art. Find a local Farmer's Market or roadside stand and
load up on apples, pears, pumpkins, decorative squashes, nuts,
gourds, and Native American corn. A simple wooden bowl loaded with these treasures makes an abundant centerpiece. You can parade them in a line on a mantel-piece or pile them in a basket. What you don't eat, you can enjoy looking at.



3. Other treasures. Bring in grapevines to twine along the
countertops, or make wreaths for doors or cabinets (see our article
on making your own Inner Harvest Wreath). If you live in an area
where bittersweet is not a protected plant, harvest some to put in
an earthen vase. Corn shocks are traditional to stand beside a door,but broom corn makes a beautiful and less usual alternative with its
graceful russet fronds.



4. Beeswax candles. The amber color and honey-sweet aroma of these safe, all-natural candles just evoke the golden glow of autumn. As the days get shorter, it can be a soothing ritual to burn a beeswax
candle at dusk.



5. Echo Fall colors. Bring in the Autumn hues of russet-red, vibrant
shades of orange, deep greens, mellow golds, wine-reds, and vivid
scarlet with cushions, towels, scatter-rugs, or other decorative
accents. My family has a brightly-colored autumn leaf potholder and a set of pumpkin-shaped mugs that we use with pleasure year after year. Find the simple treasures your family will enjoy.



6. Try this creative and relaxing Leaf Meditation. Find a perfect
autumn leaf and spend some time really looking at it, noticing the
variations in color and shape. Trace its outline on a piece of
paper, then try your hand at coloring it in with colored pencils,
markers, or paints. Slowing down and taking time to savor the beauty of something as simple and commonplace as a leaf opens our eyes and hearts to nature's magical variety. You may want to cut your colored leaf out and glue it on the cover of a journal to keep you company throughout the autumn months. Or do several leaves to decorate your cabinets or walls!



7. Think water. Western European traditions often associate Autumn
with the element of water, since it is a time of deep feeling and
flowing away: birds migrate, trees shed their leaves. Honor this
ancient idea with a bowl of water in a special place. Notice how
water evaporates. As you refill your bowl throughout the autumn
months, give a little thought to your own feelings, and the things
that you are in the process of releasing from your life.

The Art Of Casting Spells

"A spell is a symbolic act done in an altered state of consciousness

in order to cause a desired change."



To cast a spell is to project energy through a symbol. It is

important to note that the energy is what is key, not the symbol; too often,

the symbols are mistaken for the agent that casts the spell. While props are

useful at times, it is the mind that works the magic. Correspondences between

colors, planets, metals, numbers, plants and minerals, and musical notes make

up a great deal of magical lore, and particular objects, shapes, colors,

scents, and images do work better than others to embody certain ideas. The

most powerful spells are often improvised from materials that feel right

or that simply happen to come to hand, however.



Theory of Spellcasting



Spells are an important aspect of magical training. They require the

use of the combined faculties of relaxation, visualization, concentration and

projection. The casting of spells provides practice in coordinating

these skills and developing them further. Spells are extremely sophisticated

psychological tools that have subtle, but important, effects on a

person's inner growth. Spells may highlight otherwise hidden complexes of the

person casting the spell.



A person who has conflicts about success will find great difficulty in

concentrating on a money spell, for example. Many times the practical

results of a spell are far less important than the psychological

insights that arise during the magical work, for discovering our inner blocks

and fears is the first step in overcoming them. Spells also go one step

further than most forms of psychotherapy, in that they allow us not only to

listen to and interpret the unconscious, but also to speak to it in the

language it understands.



Symbols, images, and objects used in spells communicate directly with

Younger Self, who is the guardian of our emotions and who is barely

affected by the intellect. We often understand our feelings and behavior but

find ourselves unable to change them, but through spells, we can attain

the most important power - the power to change our lives.



Spellcasting also forces us to come to terms with the material world.

Many people attracted to the spiritual path of the Craft find themselves

uneasy with using magic for practical or material goals. Somehow it seems

wrong to work magic for oneself, to want things and to get things. This is an

attitude that is a holdover of the Judeo-Christian worldview that sees

spirit and matter as separate and that identifies matter with evil and

corruption.





In the Craft, flesh, the material world, none of what is commonly

thought of as matter is separate from spirit. The universe is made up of the

Goddess who is manifest in all things. Union with the Goddess comes through

embracing the material world and all the gifts that She has placed in

it for us. Our major task on this plane of existence is to become masters of

this realm of manifestation. We do not fight self-interest; we follow it,

but with awareness that transmutes it into something sacred.



Mechanics of Spellcasting



Spellcasting is the lesser, not the greater magic; but the greater

magic builds on the lesser. The paradox is that in spellcasting we may

start out working with the personal self, but in order to work the magic we

are forced to expand and recognize the Self that moves through all beings.



Magic involves the deliberate self-identification with other objects

and people. For example, to do a healing, we must become the healer, the

one who is healed, and the energy that is to do the healing. To attract love,

we must be able to love ourselves and to become love its self.



Spells work in two basic ways. The first is through suggestion;

symbols and images implant certain ideas in Younger Self, or the subconscious

mind, and we are then influenced to actualize those ideas. Spells can also

influence the external world.



The theoretical model that witches use to explain the workings of

magic is a clear one and coincides in many ways with the "new" physics. It is

simply an elaborate but extremely useful metaphor. The metaphor is based on a

worldview that sees things not as fixed objects, but as vortexes of energy.

The physical world is formed by the vortexes of energy, and if we

cause a change in the energy patterns they, in turn, cause a change in the

physical world. When our own energy is concentrated and channeled, it can

move the broader energy currents. The images and objects used in spells are the

channels. They are the vessels through which our power is poured, and by

which it is shaped.



As energy is directed into the images we visualize, it gradually

manifests physical form and takes shape in the material world. Directing

energy is not a matter of simply emoting. Emotion can be likened to a strobe light

which provides a very inconstant light, while directed energy is more like

a laser beam. Even concentrated power is a small stream compared with the vast

surges of energy that surround us. The most adept witch cannot be

successful in all her spells, for the opposing currents are often too strong.





The craft teaches to first identify the flow of energy and then to

decide whether or not it is going where we want it to go. If it is not, then

we can try to deflect it, or we may have to change our own course. Sensing

the energy climate is a matter of intuition and experience. Some witches

make a study of Astrology in an effort to plan their magical workings at the

optimal times, while others prefer to work when they feel the time is

right.



Of all the planets, the Moon's influence on subtle energies is the

strongest. Subtle power increases as the Moon waxes, so the time of

the waxing Moon is best for spells involving growth or increase, such as

money spells. The power peaks when the Moon is full and that is the best

time for workings of culmination and love. During the waning Moon, power

subsides and turns inward. The waning Moon's period is used for banishings,

bindings, and discovering hidden secrets. The practical witch soon learns to

adjust her spells to fit the time of the Moon. If, for example, she needs to do

a money spell during the waning Moon, she would put a little 'English' on it

and make it a poverty banishing spell.



Energy pursues the path of least resistance. Material results are more

easily achieved on this plane of existence through physical actions

than through magical workings. For example, it is simpler to lock your

door than suffer the constant drain from maintaining psychic seals on your

doors and windows while you are away from home. Of course, once you have

locked your door, you might feel more reassured by placing seals on it.



No magic spell is going to bring results unless channels are opened

into the material world. For example, a job spell is useless if you are not

willing to go out and interview for jobs or at least let potential employers

know that you are in the market for one. In the same vein, a healing spell

is no substitute for medical care.



Most medicine today can be broken down into two broad categories,

emergency medicine and that which is not needed for immediate life-threatening

situations. Emergency medicine has excelled at stabilizing the body's

condition so that it can repair itself at its own pace. Most other forms of

medicine consist of treatment through surgery or chemotherapy or a

combination of both. The procedures noted above work on the physical

body and do not take the other levels into consideration. Psychic healing

works at healing the higher levels of the person so that the physical heals

itself or allows the person to let go of their physical body if it cannot be

repaired. In either case, the choice rests with the person who is

being healed and not the healer.



Visualization used in creating a spell should focus on the desired

result, not the individual steps leading up to the result. We give the spell

free rein in how it goes about achieving the results with the

understanding that it is not to bring harm to anyone or any being. For this

reason, spells have a habit of working in very unexpected ways.



To assure that the power we have unleashed does not inadvertently

cause harm, we bind the spell. This serves to 'set' the form we have

created so that the energy becomes fixed in the pattern we desire. The energy

we project to others affects us even more strongly than the other person. This

is because we have generated the energy, and thus we have become the

object at which the energy is directed. If healing energy is sent out, then

the health of the person casting the spell is enhanced. By the same

token, any hex or curse that is sent out ALWAYS affects the person who sends

it no matter whether it affected the person it was sent at or not.



MAGIC IS NOT TO BE USED TO GAIN POWER OVER OTHERS. Magic is a

technique used in developing your own 'power from within.' Spells that are

directed at gaining power over others weaken the 'power from within.' Aside from

the damage done to oneself, it is important for another reason. Many

people who do not understand the laws of magic are afraid of being attacked

magically and are given to paranoia. The witch's main stock-in-trade used to

be removing a competitor's hexes and preparing charms to protect their clients.

While true psychic attacks are EXTREMELY RARE, a person's guilt makes

up for any lack, and after using 'forbidden' help, their paranoia leads them

to seek protection from the same person they just turned to in

desperation. Do yourself a favor, and resist the temptation to 'help' these

types. Most magical formularies consist of formulae gathered and tested by

witches as well as many charms to protect the common man from those same

witches who sold them their charms.



Times and Correspondences



I mentioned earlier that timing and the right props are considered

important in spellcasting. Over the years, systems of Correspondences were

developed which assigned certain attributes and aspects to the seven ancient

planets of Astrology. Each planet was assigned a God or Goddess, who embodies

the attributes the ancients wished to invoke. Each of the Gods and

Goddesses were assigned an hour of the day, color, incense, metal, number,

signature, plant, mineral, musical note, and animal or bird.



General Guidelines for Casting Spells



Set aside a room for your magical work. Decorate it with things that

put you in a magical mood. Remember to use things that stimulate all five of

your physical senses. Some obvious things would be the use of appropriate

colors for sight, incense for scent, music for hearing, wines for taste, and

textures for feel.



If you do not have a room you can set aside exclusively for your

magical work, then choose a room that can be locked while you do your work.



This will allow you to work undisturbed. In any case, you should clean

your work area periodically with a purifying powder/floor wash to keep away

negative vibrations.



Set up an altar to be used as your worktable. It's size and shape

should be those that appeal to you. Placing candles and other items that

assist you to concentrate on the work at hand is a good practice. Some people like

to cover their altar with a white cloth and place fresh cut flowers on

it every day.



Always use the best candles, oils, and incenses that you can afford,

or make your own, for scrimping on materials has a negative effect on the

subconscious. Don't forget that the subconscious is very good at

making do with raw materials that it can shape to its own use.



Never cast a spell until you have a clear and concise picture of what

it is you wish to accomplish. This ties in with the saying "Be careful what

you wish for, you just might get it."



Always ground out any extra energy you raise for the spell, and bind

the spell so that it expires within the predetermined amount of time.

Once you have cast the spell, do not discuss it with any one until after it

has worked. Most spells peter out because the person who cast it boasts

about it to so many people, that the spell is robbed of power before it has a

chance to work. The ancient bond placed on the magician was to dare, to know

and to keep silent.



Above all, at all times, remember the Rede: "An ye harm none, do what

you will." You do not know all the effects of your spell; therefore use

magick sparingly, if at all.



The above is an edited version of material that is, to the best of

this editor's knowledge, part of a public domain file that has been in

circulation for years.

Copyright 1999 Psychic Journal and Sabrina Scott Co., Inc