this is a strength spell/hair wash, inspired by the incredible mental toughness of teyla emmagan (stargate atlantis). teyla, besides being a natural leader, remains strong through multiple traumatic and difficult events, and has telepathic abilities that require extreme psychological solidarity to use.
“from strength comes hope.” – teyla emmagan
✩ gather: rosemary (mental clarity); thyme (strength, courage); water/moon water; and any or all of the following: red jasper (courage, willpower), citrine (mental & emotional clarity, willpower, self-discipline), smoky quartz (alleviates fear, grounds), aquamarine (banishes fear, calms nerves, imparts strength and control), or any other crystal associated with strength.
✩ put the water, rosemary and thyme in a saucepan, stating each herb’s purpose as you place it in.
✩ bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the water has been strongly infused.
✩ pour the infused water into a glass jar, and arrange the crystal/s around it. leave to charge overnight, or for as long as you feel is necessary.
✩ before using the hair wash, say the following: “from flesh through to bone, my mind holds the strength of stone.”
✩ the enchantment should last until the next time you wash your hair.
A great way of connecting with the element of earth, or even another form of grounding or meditation, is to connect to a tree. Here’s how:
Find a large tree and sit down with your back against its spine. (You can also climb the tree and sit with your back against it in it’s branches)
Close your eyes and feel the tree’s solid strength as you rest against it.
Breathe in and out in a relaxed manner. As you do, visualise the energy of the tree being absorbed into your body. Breathe in and out thirteen times, each time taking in some of the tree’s energy until your whole body is enveloped. Feel yourself becoming part of the tree.
Call to the tree’s spirit, commune with it, and settle into the feeling of being a tree. Rest in this state for as long as desired.
When you wish to return to normal, bid farewell to the tree’s spirit and breathe in and out thirteen times, this time releasing the energy of the tree. Open your eyes.
Notes:
If for any reason, you feel uncomfortable or “rejected” by the tree, simply disconnect from its energy, apologise for intruding, and leave the area. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s possible.
For more advanced witches, this exercise could be evolved to include transplanting your consciousness into the tree.
If you’re going to do a magical working that conducts energy through a tree (e.g. drawing energy down through a tree, using a tree to symbolise the element of earth in a circle, etc.), it’s polite to use the exercise here with the tree, and when you feel a connection, ask the tree’s permission to participate in the magical working. Aside from being polite, this also help’s align the tree’s energy flow with the rite’s, starting things off in the correct manner.
This information was collected from the book ‘Spellcasting: Beyond the Basics’ by Michael Furie.
to celebrate the spooky season, i bring you these sweet treats charged with love – be it for yourself or for another. devour with yourself in mind to promote self-love, or gift to another to help kindle any sparks between you into something more. these could even be shared between two lovers to strengthen an existing relationship.
ingredients
♡ 2 cups white sugar (to sweeten the relationship)
♡
½
cup light corn syrup (luck, prosperity, abundance)
♡
¾
cup water
♡
½
tsp vanilla extract (love)
♡ food colouring (if you like, use red or pink colouring to correspond with love)
♡ candy thermometer
♡ 9 small granny smith and/or gala apples (love, marriage, beauty, the soul)
♡ 9 sturdy paddlesticks
♡ freeze dried raspberry powder (love)
method
♡ prepare a baking sheet by lining it with tinfoil (this is where you will set your coated toffee apples)
♡ wash apples in warm water to get rid of any wax coating that could be on the apples. wipe them dry and remove the stalks.
♡ skewer the paddlesticks where the stalk of each apple used to be. ensure that the apple can still sit upright on its own without wobbling, and that the paddlestick is sticking straight up.
♡ place the sugar, corn syrup, water, vanilla extract and food colouring into a medium saucepan with a candy thermometer. place on stove and turn heat on medium-high.
♡ stir to dissolve the sugar, making sure the sugar is dissolved before the mixture starts bubbling.
♡ bring the toffee mixture to a boil. and once the mixture boils, don’t stir it! if you get sugar crystal formations on the side of the saucepan, dab a pastry brush in water and brush it away.
♡ turn the heat down to a medium simmer, and let it simmer away until the temperature on the candy thermometer reaches 150oC or
300oF for a brittle crunch. turn off the heat. this is the max temperature you should reach, otherwise the toffee will either start burning, or you will get a tooth cracking crunch!
♡ once heat has been turned off, work quickly to coat your apples before the toffee starts to thicken and go hard. dip each apple holding the wooden stick, and submerge completely in toffee. tilt the saucepan and swirl the apple around to get a full coating. spin your toffee apple around on it side to get rid of any bubbles.
♡ quickly sprinkle your raspberry powder on top of each toffee apple as you go, before setting the apple down onto your prepared tinfoil baking sheet.
♡ the toffee apples should be good to go when the toffee has hardened in ten minutes.
notes
♡ this is better made in dry cooler weather. your caramel will only sweat and not harden if you do it in the heat!
♡ these are best eaten on the day of toffee dipping, or at maximum, the next day.
♡ tip: if you look at the original recipe, an edible gold paint is also used to decorate the apples. if you wish, you could use this to add sigils for extra potency.
this recipe is for caramelised banana french toast bake, the ingredients for which have strong magical correspondences with wealth, good luck and prosperity.
cup caster sugar (attracting money, increasing the likelihood of promotion) * 1 tsp vanilla extract (happiness, self-love) * 1 tsp ground cinnamon (attracting money, good luck) * 1 ⅓
cups milk * 300ml pure cream * 6 small bananas (attracting money, resilience) * 60g butter * ½
cup brown sugar, firmly packed * ¼
cup pecans (attracting money, happiness & prosperity in the workplace)
method:
preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). grease a 5cm-deep, 20cm x 28cm (base) 25cm x 32cm (top) roasting pan.
layer bread in prepared pan, trimming to fit if necessary. place eggs, caster sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, 2/3 cup cream and 2 bananas in a food processor. process until smooth.
pour banana mixture over bread in pan. stand for 15 min.
bake for 30 to 35 min or until golden and set.
meanwhile, slice remaining bananas lengthways. melt butter and brown sugar in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. cook for 2 minutes or until melted and smooth.
add remaining cream. stir to combine. bring to a simmer. reduce heat to medium. add banana and pecans. simmer for 2-3 min or until sauce is slightly thickened and banana is tender.
spoon banana mixture over french toast bake. enjoy!
tips for extra magick:
* carve these sigils in the bananas before cooking. the heat of the frying pan will charge them. * write a short, rhyming incantation to attract luck and happiness in the day ahead, and say it while you prepare this dish. * keep the eggshells. remove the membrane inside, and grind them up into a powder using a mortar and pestle, or food processor, meat hammer, etc. you can use the powder instead of salt when casting circles outside (salt is really bad for grass/dirt), sprinkle some on your plants (the nutrients in the eggshells are really good for them), or use the powder in a jar spell for protection. * this is a great breakfast for lammas/lughnasadh, as it incorporates bread and themes of prosperity!
Heatherwitch 