A February Invocation
White cap and bonnet, bowed to the ground,
A carpet of moss in which she is found
Laying with blanket of leaf, twig and bark,
Ivory flower, Spring’s first spark.
Snowdrop, you march between tributary roots
that the witch slips and trips on
as they catch on her boots.
She seems not to mind
For she knows more than most
that farewells are being said to Winter’s cold ghost.
Brighter days are foretold,
we expect them each year,
but there’s something quite magick
in this floral pioneer.
February at last, well… the middle of February.
I’ve been tucked away behind my shop counter working on the most surprising of projects. I had no plans to write a novel this year (I am already working on a writing project, but more about that later) but if you’ve seen the odd note that I’ve been posting you’ll notice that I had a surprise encounter with my muse. Here I am, 15,000 words in a week and unable/unwilling to put down this surprise project. But, put it down I will, just for a moment, to show up here for you and have a little chat about Love Spells. Rather fitting for Valentine’s Day.
When I first started taking my practice seriously I didn't realise how ethics played such a big role in the witchcraft community. With so many varying practices, religions, customs, cultures and ethnicities, it is obvious and a given that not everyone is going to agree on every subject all of the time, but there is one subject that comes up more than others and that is the morals surrounding love spells.
At the core of this dilemma is the subject of free will. Is it moral to interfere with something as important as choosing a partner with someone who may not have made the choice to be with the spell-caster? Is the other person's fate to be with someone else? What is the spell-caster interfering with when it comes to the happiness of others such as future partners, and even future children.
I think we can all agree that it is unethical to coerce or manipulate anyone into being in a relationship that they aren't comfortable or happy being in, the same should apply when it comes to love spells that coerce and bend a person's free will.
On the other hand, we should be careful when it comes to the type of love spells that are cast. You could be in a relationship already but the other person is having a hard time committing or showing that they love and care for you. Ordinarily, a spell that promotes infatuation would be a seemingly good place to start. Using a spell that makes the other person so obsessed with you that they think about you constantly and cannot bear to be without you may sound amazing... but what happens when you want out? Trying to sever ties with someone who has been put under an infatuation spell is tiring, difficult, and (quite frankly) dangerous.
The sort of love spells we should be focusing on are the ones that feature ourselves, primarily, and the ones that work on the relationship as its own, separate being. Such as bonding spells, sex magick, romance rituals and long-distance love spells. These spells do not interfere with either person's free will but rather work on the relationship as an entity on its own. These spells and rituals build energy, both romantic and sexual, and help to heal and build up the relationship even further. They also leave some wriggle room should the sad time come when it is required for you to part ways.
When it comes to Love Spells, concentrate on loving yourself first, that way you open yourself up to other romantic possibilities without the moral dilemma. First and foremost, your magickal energy should focus on self-love…
A Simple & Slow Spell For Self Love
You will need:
Rose/Lavender incense, a tea containing chamomile/rose/lavender, plus another bag of the same tea, the following tarot cards: Temperance for patience, The Empress for beauty, Ace of Cups for compassion, a small cotton bag, pink rosebuds & a fresh bay leaf, dried elderflower (for joy in transition), dried chamomile (for peace and calm in self), dried juniper berries (for regeneration and hope), dried lavender (for happiness and love), dried raspberry leaf (for healing of female energy, this also applies if you are male).
Method:
Put all of the ingredients (except the elderflower) into a bowl, or a cauldron
Add the contents of the bag of tea that you are drinking throughout this ritual, you are mirroring what you are physically consuming.
Cleanse the mix with your incense
As you drink your tea, have the three tarot cards out in front of you and think about their message and how you can apply it to yourself, think about your relationship with yourself and acknowledge any hard feelings you have.
Put everything into the little bag then add the elderflower at the end to symbolise the transition from self-loathing to self-love.
Lastly, cleanse the finished bag with the rest of the incense and hang it in front of a cleansed mirror that you use to get ready, or keep it on yourself for one week.
The spell is finished when the incense has burned down and you have finished drinking your tea.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend,
Laura