Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Back to Basics: Winter Magick for Your Home 


I've been putting off doing the post for spiritual cleaning because it's winter. See, even if you do a spiritual cleaning using blessed water or a smudge stick, I personally feel that without being able to open all of the windows, you aren't really cleansing any energy. You are just moving it around a little. If you want more on spiritual cleaning, I did a lot of posts on it in my Spring Cleaning series. So much of what I did in that series really fits with the Back to Basics theme.

But if you are like me and want to do things that fit the season, here is a repost from back in January of this year:

If you are like me, you can't wait until it's warm enough to get back outside to do ritual and spells. I can feel my "cabin fever" growing every day and I'm anxious for spring. Although winter is traditionally a time of rest for nature, unfortunately we don't hibernate. Our lives stay busy. We can't open our windows to let in fresh air, so the energy in our homes can get congested and stale. Here are some magickal ideas to get that stuffy energy flowing again.

A Crafty CharmI particularly like A Sparkling Winter Charm For The Home from the book Cottage Witchery by Ellen Dugan because this charm doubles as a winter decoration and makes a great centerpiece. It also can be personalized in any way you'd like.

You will need the following supplies:
  • glitter
  • a basket (size, color, and decoration are your choice)
  • a square piece of felt or fabric measured to fit into the bottom of the basket (This keeps the glitter in place.)
  • a dozen pinecones any other decorative or symbolic items you'd like to add (holly, ivy, or evergreen are great winter choices)
1. If desired, decorate the basket.
2. Place the felt in the bottom of the basket
3. Arrange the pinecones (and anything else you want to include) in the basket
4. Hold your hands over the pinecones and imagine the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water swirling around you. Picture this energy being funneled through your hands into the basket.
5. Sprinkle the glitter onto the pinecones as you repeat this charm 3 times:

Pinecones are a natural symbol of fertility,
I enchant these to bring us good luck and prosperity,
By the winter winds that blow, and the sparkling snow that falls,
I call for joy and abundance to come bless us, one and all.

Perhaps you are like me and the idea of doing any kind of charm that encourages fertility makes you a little nervous. I suggest this alternative. It has the same meaning but is worded slightly different.

Pinecones are a natural symbol of growth for my family,
I enchant these to bring us good luck and prosperity,
By the winter winds that blow, and the sparkling snow that falls,
I call for joy and abundance to come bless us, one and all.

A Winter Prayer
I like this prayer from A Book of Pagan Prayer by Ceisiwr Serith because it addresses the anxiousness for spring that I mentioned earlier. It goes as follows:

Raised against the empty winter sky, the barren
limbs of trees and my hands reach out in prayer.
I ask from the gods of winter the strength I will need
to endure until spring.
And the wisdom I require to learn from the dark and
the cold the lessons will teach.
May I receive them without flinching.

A Magickal Bath
At Khakani I found this bath spell for a Lavender Getaway Magic Bath, ideal for soothing your dry winter skin.

For a soothing winter bath, put 2 tablespoons of lavender buds (Lavandula angustifolia)
and 2 tablespoons of finely ground oatmeal into a small muslin bag or a piece of cloth.
Secure tightly with a string or rubber band. Tie the bundle
with the string or a piece of ribbon so that it under the spigot of your bathtub.
Once the bath is full, try rubbing the bundle gently over your skin.
Both the lavender and the oatmeal will work to soothe dry skin and calm frazzled nerves as well.
I like to turn off the lights and take my bath in candlelight. If you don't have lavender buds, lavender scented candles, bath salts, or bubble bath can be substituted. I have seen oatmeal bath products as well.
Imagine all your stress and worries leaving you and going into the bathwater. You will feel purified and renewed.

©The Domestic Witch

No comments:

Post a Comment