New Moon Old Magick

Greetings my dears!  Yesterday, I posted a High Ritual Magick love spell.  Tonight, I’d like to offer a simple folk magick spell for a bit of variety.

Folk magick can be involved or very simple.  Whereas ritual magick most often uses god forms or angelics in the work, folk magick can use elementals, the fey, or simply the energy of the practitioner and a symbolic object to obtain results.  This is often called sympathetic magick.  The popular examples of this would be the use of a dolly in HooDoo to work on the body of a person, most often for Healing purposes, or the placing of small charms or clay figures in the shape of body parts at religious shrines to work magick with the help of the saints for the healing of the body parts represented.

Tonight, I’d like to give you a planting Spell.

Although Valentine’s day was last night on the 14th, this was not a good night for this particular spell because the moon is waning and in the last quarter.  If you are seeking new or improved love, the time to do this work is when the moon is at least three days past the new, at the time of Diana’s bow, or anytime in the first quarter when the moon is in a fertile sign.  Currently, the moon is in Sagittarius, and this is a fiery sign, not at all good for planting!

The following ritual will work for you if you can get outside, or if you are in an apartment with at least one sunny window.  If you are lucky enough to have a garden to plant your rose in, then follow along and simply discard the information about pots and potting soil.

So for your folk magick, gather the following:
▪    pen and piece of paper.
▪    red candle, or white candle in red holder.
▪    small planter pot filled with some good potting soil, compost, peat mix in a bag
▪    some form of divination with which you are comfortable: tarot, tea, pendulum etc.
▪    Rose scented bath salts.

TO BEGIN!

• On February 21, 2012, at about a quarter of 6 pm ET, or just before 11 pm UT, the new moon will be at it’s peak.  Step into your rose scented bath and allow the fragrance to begin to fill you.  Linger in the water as long as you need.  When you are ready, step out and dry off, and put on clean cotton or wool clothing.
• Find a comfortable place to perform your working.  I like to work at the kitchen table if I can because of the associations with the Hearth – a sacred place in the household.  Light your candle. Take up your cards, pendulum, or other divination tool, and ask if the spell you are about to perform is a good idea, or will be beneficial to you.  Please listen to the answer!
• If all seems well, you may proceed.  On paper draw a large heart.  You can make it as elaborate or simple as you wish.  You can add vines, flowers, small animals and birds, stars.  Make it as beautiful as you can, and just make sure the heart is the main central symbol.  Color it as you wish.  Put your name on this drawing, along with your sign or another sigil that symbolizes you.  If you have an intended, put their name and sign on the paper as well.

STUDENTS PLEASE NOTE:  Although this is rarely done in Ritual Magick, in folk magick it is fairly common to perform a love ritual involving someone without their knowledge or consent.  As  ritualist, I strongly recommend against doing so unless the individual has already shown themselves to be interested in you.  It’s simply not worth the results to try to manipulate someone’s affections.  If they already want you, magick can help to clear the path of obstacles.  If not, you really never know what you will get.  The magick will work much more to your advantage, if you allow it to bring to you someone who will also bring you great joy, rather than the great pain of being attached to someone who really doesn’t want to be there.  This is why it is a good idea to perform the divination before you even proceed.

• To continue, when you are done with your drawing, put it aside and fill the planter pot a few inches with the soil mix.  Wet the mix down and let it drain.  With your finger, wipe some of the water on the side of the pot.  Fold your drawing and stick it to the side of the pot.  Then pour in another few inches of soil until the pot is about half full, and the drawing partially or mostly covered.  Wet down this layer as well and let it drain.  Place your pot in a sunny window.  Pinch the candle.  PLEASE NOTE: If you are digging your planting hole in your garden, you can bury this paper deep beneath the roots of your new rose.  The paper will dissolve and become part of your compost.

Now we wait.  In the next few days, try to get to a garden store or somewhere you can purchase seeds or seedlings.

Why did we not plant right away?  Well for one, we did our divination a few moments after the peak of the new moon, which is the appropriate time for it.  The energies are great for potency, but not yet developed enough for planting.  We prepared the setting as a function of that energy of potency.   We will wait until after Diana’s Bow, if we can, for the actual seeding of the soil.

For the purposes of this spell, almost any flower that you prefer will do.  I prefer the Rose.  You can also use seeds of Moss Rose, which symbolizes devotion.  If you are not an experienced gardener, get something easy like daisy or calendula, or another flowering plant that you like.  Ask questions of the nursery staff, and they’ll be happy to direct you to the easy stuff!  You will not get karmic points for doing things the hard way and buying plants you cannot grow.  Also you should be sensitized because of the magickal work you are doing, and this will help bring the right plant or flower seeds your way.

Once you have your seedling or seeds, wait for the right time to continue.  A good day would be the 23rd, when the Moon will still be in Pisces, and very fertile!  The best fertile day would be the 26th and 27th when the Moon will be past Diana’s Bow, and moving into Taurus, yet another fertile Earth sign.

• Begin this time by preparing soil and the plant or seeds.  Make sure your garden soil, or potted soil, is well watered and damp, ready to receive the planting.  If you have purchased a seedling, take it out of it’s pot and allow it to soak in a container of water, so as to completely hydrate the roots.  Trim off any buds or blooms.  Soak this only as long as it takes to get yourself ready.  If you are planting seeds, allow them to soak in a bowl of water for about six hours prior (unless they are large and hard seeds like Morning Glory, that will take an overnight soaking).
• Prepare yourself as before.  Relight your candle if you are working at your Hearth or kitchen table.
• Place your seedling gently in the waiting pot and cover the roots with your potting mix, soaking the whole thing afterward so that the soil will settle in around the roots.  Use a bit more mix if you need to after that.  If you are planting seeds, fill the pot to within an inch of the top with soil, and water it down.  Take your soaked seeds and place them just under the top layer of soil  Read the recommendations on the seed packet to see how deep to plant, or ask your friendly nursery staff.
• Now place the newly planted Love Spell in your window and keep the soil damp, not wet, until you begin to see results!  As your plant grows, so will your love.  Tend your plant daily, talk to it, make sure it is healthy and happy.  After all, relationships take work!  You will get out of your magick what you put into it.

Good work!  Make sure you pinch your candle, and go fix yourself a cup of tea and something to nosh.  This will help ground you and bring you back into the mundane world.

That is all for now, lovies.  Enjoy the spell and may your love blossom with the coming spring.

Blessed Be,
Marie Angeli