Self-Love in the Time of Covid-19

By this point there is probably no one in the world who does not know that we are currently having a pandemic. I am not going to dwell on the necessity of washing our hands, social distancing, and self isolation. You should be doing those things if it is possible for you to do so. I closed my barbershop this past week, and have been spending the time in nature as much as possible (making sure if I meet anyone on the trails that we are at least 6 feet apart). However, it is easy to be overcome with emotions of all sorts at this time.

It is very important that we take the time to relax during this time of high stress. It is easy to let ourselves fall into depression and negative habits. There is nothing wrong with binge watching Netflix, Hulu, or even binge playing video games for a day or two. Those are all valid ways to take your mind off the current events. However, it sometimes aids us in falling down the rabbit hole into despair. I know when I have allowed myself to overindulge in high sugared food, alcohol, and not really move off the couch I sometimes spiral down into negative thought behaviors.  I think it is extremely important during this time that we make sure we are taking care of ourselves. It's also a good time to get back in touch with Mother Earth if this isn't a current practice you do regularly.

One of my favorite things to do to just connect is taking a walk in the woods or by a river. If you can do it safely, and follow the CDC guidelines I highly suggest it. Just taking even 15 minutes out of your day to walk in nature, and feel the sun on your face will help. If you have more time to spend in nature I suggest you bring a small snack with you. Bring something healthy and not processed (fresh baked bread, wine, left overs from a home cooked meal), and sit below a tree that you feel called to or on a rock near the creek. Close your eyes, feel the wind and the warmth, and when you feel ready speak a prayer or message to Mother Earth. Thank Her for all she brings to our lives, and give gratitude to all the living beings on this earth. Then open your eyes and share your meal with the Mother. Place some of the food you brought on the ground and pour some of the beverage out on to the earth. Sit in quiet while you eat. When you are ready to leave say another thank you to the Mother. Pack up all your items making sure you aren't leaving anything but the food behind.

If you aren't able to get outside because of weather or health/personal reasons you can easily do this next exercise. It is a meditation that a lot of people have written about, but for this situation I have changed it a bit. Instead of just using it to connect with Mother Earth during this mediation you will be exchanging energy to heal the Mother and yourself.
Read through the meditation a few times before doing it so you'll know what to do.
Or you may want to record yourself reading it and play it back to help guide you through.

Healing Tree of Life Meditation

Sit or lay somewhere comfortably where you won't be disturbed for at least 5-10 minutes

Close your eyes and get comfortable

Take a deep breath in through the nose for a count of 4 seconds, hold it in your lungs and diaphragm for a count of 4, and then fully release this breath through your mouth. 

Do this breath 3 more times, and then allow your breathing to return to its normal pattern.

As you are sitting/laying with your eyes closed visualize your spine and see roots begin to grow out of its base. See the roots descend through the floor, and down into the dirt below you. As the roots go deeper they begin to get thicker and start to pull up a green energy. 

See this energy ascend up the roots and into your body. As the energy enters your body see it dance up your spine, and out into your arms and legs. This energy builds up in your head, and you begin to sprout limbs of a tree. Visualize the limbs growing tall, and up into the air pushing through the ceiling of your space. 

Sit in this space and feel the energy of the sun as it warms your limbs. Feel the wind as it blows through your branches. Feel the energy from the dirt as it feeds your body. 

Sit for a while in this space and energy.

Continue running the green energy up into your body, and see it filling the parts of you that need extra healing or attention now. Allow the energy to flood those spaces. See the color change from green to a warm orange and into a bright white as it absorbs into the organs, bones, tissues, and skin.

Now look inside yourself and see what color your energy is. Whatever color you see you will begin to push it through your limbs, and down your spine, and down into the roots. Visualize your energy like pollen and spider webs from your tree limbs. Spreading out into the air connecting the atoms to you. Visualize your energy pouring out of the roots and into the earth connecting Her to your trunk. As you send your energy out see it healing Her. See the air getting clearer, the water in the ground being purified, the animals of the earth coming back to your branches. See the air filled with your energy glowing white, and ground around you glowing white. 

Continue working this energy for a while.

Take another deep breath here, and pull your energy back into yourself. Visualize the tree limbs descending back into your body, and the roots ascending back into your spine. 

Mentally say a thank you to Mother Earth, and slowly begin to wiggle your fingers and toes or loll your head back and forth. Slowly open your eyes and come back to the room.

Its usually a good idea to have a small snack after this exercise to help ground you a bit. 

Whenever you feel you are loosing your connection to Mother Earth this is a great practice to do. 

Have any other ideas or exercises I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!

Home Protection Magick

Home is where the heart is. 

It is also where energy both positive and negative easily takes up residence. Either our own energy or energy directed at us by others can affect our lives in our homes. There are centuries of magickal charms, incantations, and spells to protect our homes. Everything from the now normal horseshoe being hung above the main door to hiding shoes in the walls and chimneys of new home builds. There are also new ways that I and other witches have crafted for protection.

an example of a modern take on the witches' bottle

One of the most common forms of home protection that many witches do now is actually a form of magick employed by common folk as protection against witches and that is the Witches' Bottle.  A witches' bottle simply put is a container (now most commonly a mason jar, but any seal-able jar can be used.) The bottle is then filled with different herbs, DNA of the inhabitants, and curios and placed either in a wall, chimney, or buried under the front porch steps. It acts as a protective shield from magickal attacks and the evil eye.
Should someone send a magickal attack your way the bottle will act as a beacon for that energy. The spell meant for you will go to the bottle, be trapped, and then shredded and destroyed by the ingredients within the bottle.
Another technique involved in home protection can take the form of House Dolls. It is very similar to any other poppet it is created and intended to protect the home and the people within the house. These are similar to soul dolls, but nor quite as intense of a connection as what is created within the soul of the soul doll. These can be created from many different materials. I have made them from cloth, pieces of wood, and even antique dolls. There ingredients are very similar to that of the witches' bottle. You will fill the doll with specific herbs, a form of your DNA, and other curios. The difference with the dolls and the bottles is that you have to awaken and en-soul the dolls. This is done by breathing life into the doll, and then baptizing the doll either with spring water or whisky, naming it, and giving it its mission to watch over the house and those that live within its walls. You then need to feed it at least once a week, and keep it in a place of honor of the house.

Recipe for Witches' Bottle and House Dolls:

Bottle

Doll Materials

Thorns

Rusted Nails

Bent Needles

Broken Glass or Mirror

Vines

Devil's Shoestring

DNA :

(For bottles-Spit, and Urine) 

(For Dolls- hair, blood, teeth, fingernails)

For the Bottle

Combine the ingredients, urinate into the bottle or add spit or blood

seal the bottle and charge it with its mission

Bury the bottle next to the front door, or under the front steps

If that is not possible, hide it in a dark unused corner of a closet or cabinet

For the Doll

- Create the doll, and fill it with the ingredients. 

Instead of urine for the DNA you will want to add another form Hair, teeth, blood, fingernails, etc

Sew or seal the doll up, and then breath life into the body of the doll

Drop three drops of whisky or spring water on the doll's head

Say "I awaken thee, and baptize thee. Your name is _____."

Then tell the doll what its job is 

"Your job is to protect this house and those within from all 

positive or negative energies that may come to do us harm."

Place the doll in a spot of honor in the house (perhaps on the hearth)

and feed the doll once a week.

A new technique I have found that works wonders is similar to a papyri spell or a petition being written on a tablet. I was introduced to this method by Laurie Cabot during my second degree training with her. It is a spell written on parchment and then activated and charged for its purpose. It doesn't so much stop magick from being sent into your home as much as it places a curse or hex on someone entering your home with ill intent. 

It is written in Theban, and it states "Anyone who enters this space with ill intent places a curse upon their head."

Should you entertain someone in your home, and their life starts to fall apart it is most likely because they entered with some other reason than being your friend. It also makes it so that should someone break into your home, steal from you, etc their life will be marked, and they will pay for crossing the threshold. 

This is just a very small sampling of home protection charms and spells. There are hundreds of different ways to protect your home. Some witches will use wind chimes, or enchant keys and hang them off their door knobs.  Don't allow history to be an obstacle in your magick. As witches we adapt and innovate. Happy creating your charms!