Solitary Spellbook

A spellbook for solitary eclectic witches and other practitioners of the craft.

[solitaryspellbook]

Navigation charm

Needed:

Travel token (described below)

Cork, needle, magnet, and bowl. Alternatively: pen and paper.

Charged water

Sea salt

When you travel somewhere, collect a token at the destination or at the point where you turn around to go home. You can go for a drive or walk expressly for this purpose, but I think it is better to collect your token on a trip you were already going to take. Some ideas: soil from the end of a trail on a hike or nature walk; a pebble from a transit center or terminal; a souvenir from a vacation spot. Consider the nature of your trip if you want this charm to be especially suited to something. Is your destination recreational? Social? Part of your regular routine? Planned or spontaneous? Long or short distance? Accessed by a particular mode of travel?

Create ritual space. Given the spell’s purpose I recommend casting a circle and calling the four directions.

I call on the forces of the [direction] and [element] to protect and bless this rite.

Magnetize the needle and assemble it with the cork, or another floating material, to make a water compass. (text, video)

Fill the bowl with charged water. Hold the salt in your palm and speak or visualize your intent, then sprinkle it into the bowl.

If your token will not be damaged, place it in the water; otherwise put it beside.

(Alternatively to the floating compass, you can draw a compass rose and place your token in the middle.)

Float the needle assembly in the water. Allow it to settle, then touch each cardinal point of the compass with your finger or a ritual tool of your choosing.

East and South, West and North Guide me on my journey forth As I wander far or near My course be true, my way be clear

Visualize the token imbued with your spellwork, transforming it into a charm to guide your direction like the Earth’s magnetic field guides a compass needle.

End your ritual as desired. You can leave the token and compass setup for awhile if you like. When you disassemble it, keep the token in your vehicle or carry it on your person.

[solitaryspellbook]

To foster friendship

Needed:

Candle (white, pink, light blue, light orange)

Paper and pen

Length of cord or ribbon for each person

Rose quartz, lapis, or other correspondent stone(s)

Create ritual space, light the candle, and set your intention:

I light this candle for...

Create a portmanteau of the names involved, then design a sigil from the letters and draw it on the paper. Place it at the base of the candle with the stone(s). Let this arrangement charge with power as you continue the ritual work.

Acknowledge each length of cord or ribbon as representative of a specific person, then meditatively braid, twist, or tie them together. Some knot patterns: 

alternating half-hitch (text, video)

josephine/carrick/pretzel knot (text, video)

snake knot (text, video)

Create the length you want. Then arrange the cord with the candle, stone(s), and sigil and visualize everything glowing with energy. Recite, adjusting pronouns and other words as relevant:

With candle, stone, and sigil, with cords that twist and bind With gladness of the heart and with harmony of mind Bring us close in friendship, that our lives may be entwined

Release the energy as you see fit, then extinguish the candle and close your ritual space. Leave the materials together on your altar for as long as you like. Light the candle whenever you’d like to meditate or reflect on your intentions. You can also carry the braided/knotted length of cord as a charm.

[solitaryspellbook]

Communication balm

A piece of kitchen magic to help you speak and express yourself in ways that are assertive, kind, honest, and well understood. This spell involves crafting an infused herbal oil and salve.

Needed:

Correspondent dry herbs: chamomile, rose, cinnamon, orange peel. You can substitute essential oils if needed.

4 or 5 parts skincare oil such as sunflower, almond, olive, coconut.

1 part beeswax.

Drop of honey.

Piece of star anise.

Small jar or tin.

Infuse the dry herbs in oil. The solar infusion method, while slower, allows you to deeply charge the oil with sunlight and add your intention when you periodically shake or stir the herbs.

When the oil is prepared, create ritual space by cleansing your work area and casting a circle if desired. Using correspondent gemstones such as blue lace agate, lapis lazuli, sodalite, or generally any blue stone in your workspace is a nice touch.

Melt the oil and beeswax together over gentle heat in a double boiler setup. Allow this process to be meditative, stirring clockwise as you reflect on the values you wish to instill. Add the honey toward the end.

Melt and mix, my will be fixed

If substituting any essential oils, add them once the mixture is fully melted and combined. (Essential oil dilution and safety)

Stir once counterclockwise.

Hold the anise star in your palm and whisper to it the outcomes you wish to create, then seal with a kiss and place it at the bottom of the jar or tin. Pour the balm over it.

I speak with care and honesty, Assertiveness and clarity, With grace and authenticity. This I invoke, and will to be.

The work is done when the balm has solidified and you close your ritual space.

Apply the balm to your lips, throat, or over your heart, affirming your intentions as you do.

[solitaryspellbook]

Letting go spell powder

Needed:

A small jar

Ash

Salt

Black pepper or chili powder

Dried nettle

Dried marigold petals

Create ritual space as desired. Rub a bit of ash on the back of each hand, affirming action and change, then add the rest to the jar.

Ash remains from fires burned All things shift, all things transform

Crush or crumble the dry herbs so the pieces are as small as possible. A mortar and pestle is ideal. Slowly add the rest of the materials to the jar one at a time.

Salt to purify and cleanse Pepper to adapt and change Nettle to drive out the old And for protection, marigold

Close the jar and shake it, filling the powder with intention and energy. Let the vigorous action instill in you the resolve to experience change.

Take the jar somewhere outside, preferably to running water or during windy weather. Hold some of the powder in the palm of your hand. Breathe deeply and think of what you want to let go of or transform, then release it by blowing the powder into the wind or across the water.

Wash your hands of the residue and speak a final affirmation.

[solitaryspellbook]

spellbookofwitches --> solitaryspellbook

Alright! After many years away, I have fully updated the blog with a new url and theme and revamped tagging and navigation. I’ve also made edits to existing pages, posts and spells.

Now to get back to writing! If anyone has requests for spells, send ‘em my way.

[solitaryspellbook]

Is there anything that can replace incense and sage? Since I have respiratory problems and can't use them

If you are looking for an alternative to use in cleansing and clearing a space, there are many methods! To retain the elements of aromatic herbs and physical movement:

An aromatic spray. Mix water with a few drops of essential oil and mist it in the same places you would direct smoke. You can even use sage essential oil, but because there are so many choose from you can make this specific and customized to your intentions. For example, peppermint or rosemary for clarity, lavender for comfort, cedar for protection.

A broom-like bundle of fresh or dry herbs, shaken or swept across the area. In addition to the herbs themselves, the physical acts of shaking and sweeping are mobilizing and clearing. As with essential oils you can choose herbs based on correspondences and association.

If herbs or oils are unavailable to you, using a handheld fan, feather -- anything that can move air around -- is also effective especially when combined with visualization.

Sound is also a nice method of energetic clearing. Some possible tools:

Tonal: bells, chimes, singing bowls. A sustained tone is particularly meditative.

Percussive: shakers, drums, rattles. This can be both grounding and activating.

Any instrument that is practical to carry and use will work. You can also choose to use your own voice or body to produce sound. Singing, humming, clapping, etc., makes the process very personal.

These are just a few ideas. Experiment to find what works best for you and your purposes.

[solitaryspellbook]

Hi I’m a baby witch and I have a question about casting a circle. Do you need to call upon the guardians of the elements? I have read some people who do that and some who don’t. I am a secular witch so I feel that it’s not necessary. Also is there another way of cleansing the circle that doesn’t have to do with burning? I live in a house that’s not very welcoming to witchcraft and I don’t want to raise any alarms (literally with the smoke detector). I also do not trust myself with fire. Thanks!

The most important part of your individual practice is that you connect to it! If calling on the elements doesn’t suit you, there is no need.

Here is another response about smokeless cleansing.

[solitaryspellbook]

A solitary Imbolc ritual

In temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere where winter is coming to an end, neopagans often observe February 1st or 2nd as Imbolc and celebrate a variation of the pagan festival to honor the coming spring and the waking of the year. This Imbolc ritual is designed for the solitary eclectic and involves planting seeds, which you must care for afterward.

Needed:

An Imbolc altar setup, if desired

Spring flower seed(s)*

A flower pot and soil

A bowl of water**

Candles

Assemble your ritual space so that you are facing south. Cast a circle if desired starting from the east point (corresponding to dawn and beginnings) or northeast point (corresponding to the position of Imbolc as represented on the wheel of the year). Arrange the candles in an arc around your ritual materials and light them sequentially, going from left (East) to right (West). Say:

Just as the sun will rise and fall, the seasons cycle on The grip of winter yields when comes the time for spring to dawn

Take a moment to become calm and quiet. Cup your hands around the bowl of water and visualize light, warmth, and any sort of energy you wish to bless and purify it.

Hold the seeds in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Reflect on specific values you wish to instill in them. When you are ready to plant them, say:

The dormant Earth will waken as the young Sun thaws the cold And so, too, will these seeds fulfill the promise that they hold

Place them into the soil one by one, planting them at the right depth for the kind if seeds you have. For each, affirm,

I plant this seed for... (value)

Pour the water into the soil in a circle and complete the affirmations with,

So may it be.

If you'd like to meditate at this point, take some time to do so. Then conclude the ritual work by stating:

This Imbolc day the Earth's great turning furthers us toward spring I greet with joy the coming days and all that they will bring

End your rite.

(*Decide what to use based on your gardening skill and what you plan to do with the plant afterwards. If you want to plant it outside later, use something native or naturalized in your area. If you want to keep it potted and inside choose something that is successful as a house plant. Familiarize yourself with how best to care for it. Marigolds are particularly easy to germinate and grow.

**You can opt to fill the bowl with pieces of ice or, if you have it, snow. It will melt throughout your ritual and meditation, adding further symbolism to your rite.)

[solitaryspellbook]

Is there a difference between a Grimoire and a Book of Shadows? If so, what is/are the difference?

'Grimoire' can describe any sort of spellbook, whereas a Book of Shadows is the term for spellbooks used in Wiccan traditions, either by individuals or covens. Sometimes practitioners of other forms of neopaganism, generally eclectic variations drawing from Wicca, will also describe their personally compiled spell and instructional book as a Book of Shadows.

[solitaryspellbook]

Does one need and alter and if so why are they important?

You do not need an altar, but many find them helpful or meaningful. If a person’s practice incorporates deity worship, altars are often an important devotional center where the practitioner can honor their god(s). In secular witchcraft an altar can be a functional and personally significant focal point of magical practice.

An altar is fundamentally a designated space where a practitioner’s setup stays consistently assembled. It is entirely possible to practice magic without keeping a fixed center of displayed materials. You can assemble and disassemble your ritual spaces as needed.

[solitaryspellbook]

For truth and clarity

To clear your head of misconceptions. It's best if you perform this spell in dim lighting for contrast. Needed:

Candle(s), preferably white

A small glass or crystal bowl of water

Salt, optional

Set up your altar or ritual space and cast a circle as desired. Sprinkle a small bit of salt into the water or use another method for purification and blessing, such as visualization, and affirm:

I purify this water for clarity of mind.

Dip your fingers into the water and sprinkle some around the candle(s) and your altar setup, if you've arranged one. Say:

I purify this altar for honesty and truth.

Replace "altar" with "candles" if it is more applicable. Be still and breathe, focusing on what you want to achieve. Then light the candles and say:

Illuminate the darkness, clear away obscurity Cast off all illusion and let truth be known to me

Gaze at the bowl of water in the candlelight and visualize it glowing with a bright, pure light. Touch a finger to the water and then to your eyelids and/or forehead. Sit a moment. Imagine the energy of the charged water saturating your eyes and clearing your sight. Visualize the light of the candles filling your mind to drive out darkness and confusion.

End your rite as desired.

[solitaryspellbook]

Solitary Litha ritual

This ritual is especially suited to be performed outdoors. Needed:

Seasonal flowers and items to decorate your ritual space.

The means to create a small fire. A fire pit outside will work wonderfully, but an indoor fireplace is also fine. If you cannot build a fire, use candles.

Some herbs representative of happiness. I suggest lavender and vervain, or any asters.

A small square of fabric and a ribbon. Use natural materials that are safe to burn.

Any percussive instrument (optional)

A plate of seasonal fruits or other foods and a glass of appropriate drink such as fruit juice or red wine.

An offering bowl (only needed if you are not working outside and/or you cannot build a fire)

Decorate your altar or working space with summery items. Seasonal flowers and fruits are especially good. Cast your circle, positioned with the fire in the center if possible. Walk clockwise laying flowers around its perimeter.

Build the fire or light the candles. Speak the following words:

At this time of life and joy when summer's reached its height I honor the season and the sun with these flames burning bright And as the year begins to wane, I'll keep with me this light To fill my heart and warm me when the day turns on to night

Feel the warmth and imagine the fire filling you. Place the herbs in the center of the square of fabric, fold it up, and tie it off to make a pouch. Put your intentions into it as you work. You can fill it with things you want to release or with wishes and hopes for the remainder of the year. Throw it into the fire if you've built one. If you are using candles, place it beside them for now.

Walk clockwise around the circle. Play the instrument if you have one or clap your hands and chant the following words:

Turn, turn, turn, turn, the Litha fire is burning Walk the circle, chant the song, the year's great wheel is turning

As you walk and chant, reflect on the year -- now that it is halfway through, what have you learned? What has come to pass? What is yet to come? Picture a great wheel turning, a representation of the steady passage of time. Continue this active meditation for as long as you like.

When you are ready to stop, sit by your altar again with your food and drink. Speak a small and personal expression of gratitude for all that the Earth has provided and for the food and drink before you. Throw a bit of the food into the fire and pour some of the drink onto the ground if you are outdoors. Otherwise put them into an offering bowl. Enjoy the rest.

Close your circle and end your ritual, putting out the fire or candles last. Bury the offerings outside if needed. If your ritual used candles and you did not burn the herb pouch, keep it on your altar until you can throw it into a fire. You can also bury the pouch.

[solitaryspellbook]

Is there a way to bless flowers? I wanted to give some to my friend who's feeling sick.

Some ideas: simply charge them with positive or healing energies using visualization or other techniques, charge the water they’re in if they are cut flowers in a vase, or do a spell or ritual to bless them. I’ll see if I can think up a general blessing spell that can be used on anything you like.

[solitaryspellbook]

To reverse a spell

Use this spell to reverse harmful magic. Needed:

A small taper candle. It must be weighted or secured somehow so as not to float in water. Use a black candle or one of a color that represents the spell you wish to break.

A glass or bowl about the same height as the candle

Water

Salt

Cast a circle. Put the candle into the glass or bowl and fill it with water so that it is almost covering, but the wick remains dry. Consider how long you’d like the candle to burn when deciding the water level. Sprinkle salt into the water and say:

With salt, this water is made pure I give it the power to heal and cure

Imagine the water and salt glowing with a bright light. Perhaps visualize sparks as the salt hits the water. Light the candle and say:

A spell was cast with baneful will A wicked web was wrongly spun I take away the harm and ill I now undo what has been done 

As the candle burns, imagine that the water is emitting positive energies that will help to reverse the spell. Let these energies build up in your circle. When the candle burns to the level of the water and sputters out, take it out of the water and hold it horizontally with both hands. Say:

This harmful spell I now negate, Return things to their rightful state! 

Break the candle in half. As if the snapping sound were a thunderclap, visualize the energy in your circle being released in a burst of bright energy like lightning, destroying the effects of the spell you are reversing. If you can, snap the candle into even smaller pieces, breaking it further, making it useless and inconsequential. Close your circle if you are not outdoors and take the water and the broken candle outside. Bury the candle pieces as well as any wax that may have dripped into the water. Pour the water in a counterclockwise circle around where the candle is buried. If you are outdoors, do all this within your circle and close it when you are done.

[solitaryspellbook]

I don't understand how to anoint a candle =[

There are several ways. The way I have in mind when I say to anoint a candle, and the way I anoint my own, is like so: take some oil or an oil mixture and put a little on your fingertips. If you are doing a spell to send something out or away from you, then place your fingertips in the center of the candle and drag them down to the bottom. Turn the candle to expose a section that does not have oil on it, and do the same thing. Continue until the bottom half has some oil all around it. It does not have to be completely and evenly covered. Do the same thing with the top half of the candle, dragging a thin layer of oil from the center to the top until there’s some oil on all sides. If you would like the oil to be evenly distributed, encircle the candle in your thumb and forefinger, or with your whole hand, holding it in the middle. Twist and drag the candle, first from center to the bottom, then center to top. If the spell is meant to bring something into or towards you, do the same thing but move from the ends to the middle. You can wipe off any excess oil on a cloth, but I like to put it on my own self; on my pulse points, collarbone, forehead, wherever I like or wherever seems appropriate for the spell. For example, if I were doing a spell to increase mental capability, I’d put it on my forehead and temples. Only use a little bit of oil when anointing a candle. A little goes a long way. And always dilute essential oils, because they can be very irritating to the skin. Put a few drops in some vegetable, seed, or nut oil, preferable a kind that has little smell of its own.

[solitaryspellbook]

Petition spell for confidence

Needed:

A candle, preferably red or orange. You may also use a candle in a color that you feel represents you well. Use a larger candle if you have one, so that it will last longer.

Something to carve symbols or words into the candle

Any oils that are uplifting or that increase confidence, such as cedar, cinnamon, bergamot, basil, eucalyptus, rose geranium, juniper, lemon, orange, rosemary, or sandalwood (optional/if available)

Paper and a pen

A flame-proof dish

Cast a circle if desired.

Prepare the candle by carving symbols and/or words that represent the self, strength, and confidence. Carve these all up and down the candle. You may also anoint it with oils. When anointing the candle, start from the top and bottom of the candle and move inwards toward the center, as you are aiming to draw something into yourself.

Light the candle and sit before it, and take a few moments to visualize its light filling you. Write down the word "confidence" or draw a representative symbol onto a small piece of paper. Hold it up and say:

By this candle burning bright And by this chant that I recite I fill myself with strength and light New confidence I now ignite

Set the paper on fire with the candle's flame and let it burn in the flame-proof dish. Imagine yourself as a strong and confident person. Picture yourself this way in a variety of situations and assert and affirm the change in yourself. You may choose to recite or write down a worded affirmation, such as:

I'm confident and strong and free, just the way that I should be.

End your ritual and snuff out the candle, and then put it in a safe place. Afterwards, at any time you can light the same candle and focus again on instilling yourself with confidence.

[solitaryspellbook]

To heal from a distance

If someone would appreciate a healing spell and consents to it, you can use this spell to send healing and good energy even if they are not present. Needed:

A small doll or poppet. If you do not have one, you can shape a figure out of clay or dough, or you can draw one onto a piece of paper.

Any stone that represents healing. These include amethyst, rose quartz, clear quartz, jade, red or green jasper, lapis lazuli, sodalite (especially good for emotional healing), or a piece of copper. In general, any pink, green, red, or blue stone will work. If using a penny for copper, those minted before 1982 will have more copper content. Those minted after will be mostly zinc.

A white, pink, blue, green, or red candle (optional)

Cast a circle. Work by a candle, if you like. You may choose to carve a rune or symbol for healing onto the candle prior to lighting it. Take the doll or drawing and bless it, defining it as representing the person to be healed. You may write a name on it. Speak the following incantation over it:

Figure of [material], heed my will Become the person I wish to heal

Visualize the figure as the intended person, giving it their qualities and personality. Take your time in linking the figure to the person in your mind. When you are ready, hold the stone in your dominant hand and say:

Healing stone with the power to mend Bring pain and sickness to an end

Replace “stone” with another word if relevant. Visualize it glowing with healing energy and light. Then slowly, and gently but firmly, drag it across the poppet. Touch it and rub it in small circles against any part of their body that you know to be particularly affected or painful. If you don't know where the affected areas are, then simply focus on the entire figure. As you do, visualize the healing energy going into the figure until it, too, is glowing with a peaceful, healing light. Imagine, as clearly as you can, the intended person returning to health. Will the change to happen. When you're finished, hold the stone on top of the figure, either in the center of its chest or on top of the affected area, and say:

I will it so, and with this spell May [pronoun/name] be happy, healthy and well

Visualize a final burst or pulse of light going into the figure to drive out all sickness and pain. End your rite and close your circle. You may leave the figure and the stone on your altar for awhile, or you can put both away in a safe place together. Keep the stone and figure together until the person gets well. When they return to health, bury the stone and figure or, if you wish to re-use them later, clear them of all past energies with a cleansing ritual.