Evolution is Absorption

Author: Quill /

As a kid, I wanted to be a ballerina.  But everyone said, "You're already too old to begin dance classes!  You'll never be a ballerina now."  As I grew I thought I'd like to be a doctor.  And everywhere people said, "Going to medical school is very expensive.  You don't have the money to be a doctor."  When I was a teenager I wanted to be an artist and a writer.  But they said, "You'll starve with such unrealistic jobs!  Those are hobbies, not careers."

So I became a witch.  And I can dance, heal, and create as much as I like.  Because it's my job. 

And no one tells me different.


Sorry, but You Gotta Learn before You Teach

Author: Quill / Labels: , , ,

From work comes experience, from learning comes knowledge.  And from experience and knowledge come wisdom.  I have met many wisdom-seekers but very few who are interested in either work or learning.  And that is a terrible shame.

With the magical community's focus on self-awareness and personal experience over doctrine, teachers are hard pressed to find students who will listen instead of trying to lead the class themselves.  I know it's not an
easy avenue to take.  The dream of receiving great mystical enlightenment is soon overshadowed by the time and effort that go into understanding it.  But taking instruction in person is nearly guaranteed--no matter what kind of teacher you choose--to be noticeably easier, faster, and more linear than going it alone.  It's just different.

Being taught by another person is unlike reading a book, the standard method of learning for many modern practitioners.  The book demands very little and is often reassuring of your progress just by you returning to it day after day.  "You're reading me three days in a row?  Good job!  Look at you go!"  But a teacher wants you to do more than just show up.  You must demonstrate that you are grasping the information and also that you will know how to use it when the time comes.  And that means homework, questions, examples, challenges.  "You finished your focus training for the day?  Good.  Now tell me why focus is important and list three ways to use it for spellwork."

Magic is an ever-changing discipline yet old as time itself.  This presents some interesting hurdles for teachers to jump: teach the traditional, explain the typical, but leave room for the revolutionary.  Unfortunately, students already experiencing the typical will often disregard the traditional.  This comes back to the attitude (common now with eclectics but by no means held by all practitioners) that all magic should be revolutionary--each spell must be made by the individual for this one specific event and its formation should only be based upon "what feels right."--and it makes it hard for students to even grasp the typical without feeling compelled to ridicule its simplicity.  This explains many teachers' reluctance to approach new students and why I let students find me rather than searching for them.  And sometimes the trouble starts even before the agreement has been made.  Here are some examples from my own experiences of wisdom-seekers who sadly were not work-seekers.

A few years ago, a young woman approached me on an unrelated matter but when she found out I have classes, instantly let me in on her rules for being taught.  First, I was to give up any plans of an orderly design--she would learn what she wanted, when she wanted.  Each class would be short or long, as she desired.  And I would be there to, what, supervise?

Also note that price was never an option.  As I've heard before, it is only right that I spend years learning these things and further years organizing them into classes--not to mention the time, expense, and travel dedicated to teaching each person--only to give it away for free on a whim to whomever gave me a second glance.  Yep, sounds like a solid plan that I can sustain for the rest of my life!  I explained how no one expects a yoga instructor or a piano teacher to go without compensation, but she was hearing none of it.  In the end, I simply sighed and told her that as I had never offered to teach her--nor would I--and I had no interest whatsoever in her expectations.  And if she, as a newcomer, had such specific notions of proper teaching, she should set up her own classes and let others heckle her for a while.  Needless to say, it didn't end well.

Another, much more mild, incident happened with a man who was already in the midst of my classes.  Once he came to History of Magic he declared that because he didn't like history he shouldn't have to take it.  I assured him that the ancient and modern history of magical practices was very interesting and useful.  The class goes quickly and is full of discussion and visual aids.  But he had himself set against it and chose not to do any homework from that point on.  Evidently I was being punished for giving him an agreed-upon class by him ruining his own grades!  This promising student ended up leaving because he wasn't able to run the class.

Now these were by no means the way that teaching always goes and I was sad both times that this is how these situations ended up.  If a student goes into any kind of training (not just for magic) well-informed of what to expect, ready to give their best effort, and with a little trust, they will succeed and enjoy the process.  And I am certainly not saying that teachers are infallible or that they cannot learn from students, but they do just as much work as the students.  Writing classes is work, coming up with (and testing) projects is work, fielding phone calls and e-mails any time of day or night is work.  The lesson plan a teacher comes up with before they even take a single student takes a very long time to create and shouldn't be thrown around on a whim. So here's my final word on it--respect teachers and respect students.  There is hard work on both sides and neither one has it worse.  Luckily, the outcome is so rewarding that it's worth all of that and more.

And if you don't like me saying so, go set up your own classes!  Grr!

Images from:
http://community.platinumgames.com/
http://www.flickriver.com/groups/

On Becoming a Lion Tamer

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

Recently I've been thinking about the old Monty Python sketch where a mousy little accountant comes into a vocational guidance counselor and requests a job as a lion tamer.  Of course it plays out with the usual Python surreal hilarity, but after all this time it inexplicably came to my mind in another way.  Why can't he become a lion tamer?


Think about it in the sense of any sweeping change one many desire to undertake for their lives.  He's ill-equipped to meet the challenge--most people are in the beginning.  He's also typecast--and we can be this as well ("just a teenager," "just a housewife", "too old to change") and so can our motives ("it's a phase", "is this about losing your job/husband/house/etc.?").  And he really doesn't know what he's getting himself into--but anything new comes with hidden information and surprises.  If you're a parent, take a moment to think back to your perception of parenthood before your baby was born.  Or think about your current job, the town you moved to, the relationship you're in now...they all had tricks up their sleeves that you couldn't have predicted nor planned for.

But should these things keep him from becoming a lion tamer?  Should they keep you from attaining your ultimate goal?  Only if you focus on the hurdles and forget the steps between.  To share a little about myself, my ultimate goal is to be a published author.  It first began about 12 years ago, writing down ideas I had and then slowly compiling them into a binder of finished material for my first manuscript--a spellbook of uncommon magic.  My original plan was to bind it and save it for our children as they grew, a sort of family lineage.  Then I thought I might also share it with students.  And finally I thought, what the hell, I'll try to get it published so everyone can have it.  Of course, if you've seen what houses are looking for these days, it sure isn't original spells!  But that moved me to write my second manuscript which I strongly believe has print potential.  This one I finished in 2010 and have been streamlining, illustrating, and proposing ever since.  It's not easy but it's what I really want.  I'm a stay-at-home mom with no college background, living in a rural area far from the publishing world or even the major part of the magical community, but I know I have what it takes.

Any readers who know me personally have heard me talk on and on about what I've written so far, all the many ideas I have for future books, why I think they're perfect for publication, how many rejection letters I've gotten, how many edits I did, how I'm still learning how to write the perfect proposal, and crossing my fingers every time I send it out.  But I'm not giving up.  Maybe I haven't found the perfect publisher yet or maybe my style could be brushed up some more, perhaps it just wasn't the right time when I started sending them or that my early proposals were boring (this one I know is true!).  Each time I send out a proposal, I learn a little more; I try something new, I research, I read, I take one more step forward.  And I truly believe that I will land on the perfect combination of presentation and substance that will thrill a publisher and a readership.  I have to believe that, otherwise I'll give up on my dream without having given it my all.  The steps are clear before me, I just have to walk one at a time.  Just because there are many steps on the way to completion doesn't mean that I should stop.  As David Nightingale said, "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it.  The time will pass anyway."

What are your big plans?  When you see yourself living out your impossible dream, what are you doing?  Today, just for today, act like there's no such thing as impossible.  Make a list of the steps you need to take to get from where you sit right now to standing out front in the big ring, taming lions!

And a P.S. to the poor accountant:  You have essentially seven steps.  Find a volunteer or part time job with a circus, read lots of books, get to know the animals and the trainers, offer to help out once in a while, talk to the current tamer and ask questions, aim for a job as a team member with big cats but settle for smaller animals and work up, ask for a good word with other outfits that might need a tamer or try for becoming an understudy with the current one.  It may take years to finish but you can start Monday morning.




Photo (Madame Scheel) from:  http://www.scenicreflections.com/
And if you have never seen the sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOmB1q8W4Y

The Secret of Powerful Magic

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

I won't drag this out only to divulge my answer at the very last moment (you're welcome).  The secret to powerful magic is a trusting heart.

In the very beginning, when we're taking our first steps into the world that we are not even yet ready to admit may be magic, we don't trust.  We seek, we explore, we question, and we second-guess everything.  Is magic real?  Is it just coincidence?  Am I just playing at make believe? Am I getting results despite all the colors and herbs and chanting?  Am I tapping some hidden realm, some sideline of existence only hinted about in legends?  Am I part of a new generation of mystics that will usher in the Age of Aquarius? 

It can take a long time and a lot of experience to leave this stage.  For me, it was months of study and spellcasting before I stopped saying all my results were coincidence.  It was much longer until I stopped feeling that way.  In the end, though, the reasons are unimportant.  If magic works for you, then it works.  Period.  And this, too, is part of trust.  What you do has worked before and it will work again.  Maybe this spell was used by you in the past, maybe by a friend, or maybe it's traditional and therefore used by countless people throughout an uncertain length of the past...Have faith in the spell itself.  Let go of the need to explain to yourself and others, the need to do and believe only that which is rational and comprehensible by the five senses.  No one is keeping score and it really doesn't matter even if they were.  Results trump reason.

So here is my advice:  the next time you sit down to cast, take a moment to unlock that secret box in your heart where you keep all your trust.  You may be a guarded person who only does this for parents, lifelong friends, and puppies, but do it now just for you.  Fling the doors open wide and let it all pour out.  Go into your work like a child--aware, eager, and trusting.


Image from:  www.a-new-golden-dawn.com/

Nemo Potest Nudo Vestimenta Detrahere

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

Latin for "You cannot strip the clothes from a naked man." **

This is my approach to living in the style popularly called "out of the broom closet."  I live in a small rural village hedged in farmland and populated by upper-middle-class types with SUV's and tidy flower gardens.  My back yard meets that of the local church.  For months our house was a regular stop on Saturday mornings for Jehovah's Witnesses.

In contrast, this wild witch type has shameless outdoor rituals and spellwork, wears talismans as jewelry, and is generally found in swishy Bohemian clothes and long skirts in direct violation of the Abercrombie and Fitch dress code of the area.  An appalling gris-gris hangs above the door and an elaborate wooden sign advertises my magical wares for sale even before you knock.  My two herb garden beds spill out with both the planted and un-planted (i.e. wild things--weeds *with* a name) varieties.  My husband's vegetable garden is a raised bed of fecund nature so obscene, it should wear a bra.

In short, we do our own thing and it shows.  And you know what?  I've never been harassed.  Sure, people have asked questions, some silly, some insulting (if I felt like seeing it that way), most just curious.  I've had the odd encounter with angry people who don't agree with what we do or think we're making some grievous error by raising our children to follow in our footsteps.  But it's never been anything I can't handle, nothing that cannot be diffused with the simple truth that we each live our own lives according to our own beliefs.  I'm never the subject of hateful gossip (at least none that has reached me or affected my life negatively) and I've never had my life, work, or family threatened because we practice witchcraft.  I don't go out of my way to be "witchy", I just act like myself.  And no one talks behind my back because I tell them to their face.

How about some stories?

Once while working a day job as a cashier, a customer approached me and angrily glared at the pentacle around my neck.  "That's a sign of Satan!"  he spat, completely unprovoked.  I paused a moment and then replied cheerfully, "Not where I come from."  Having nothing to say, he paid for his things and left. 

Another incident happened when I worked an old revenge spell and had to allow its remains--whole onions carved with initials and stabbed with rusty nails--to wither in the sun.  Because my children were small then (and because a spell is best forgotten about after cast), I found a quiet unused place for it to sit: on the jutting air conditioner facing the back of our property.  This seemed perfect until the next time the local rev. mowed his lawn (and right about this point in the story is when both you and I recall that we share a property line with a church) and I noticed him wearing a funny expression as he passed close by.  After that--and indeed up until the time he moved away about a year later--he wouldn't look me in the eye. 

On a positive note, when meeting with a representative from a local newspaper about running an ad for my spellcasting classes, I started out discrete.  My main interest was in learning the process, costs, etc. and the exact details could be worked out afterward.  By the time the "afterward" part of the conversation came up, I began to wonder how this nice lady with whom I'd been enjoying a friendly yet professional chat would react to the news.  So I laid it out straight and simple:  "I'm a witch and I'm offering public classes to teach others."  She smiled without hesitation and told me how her daughter would be excited to hear about that.  We launched back into conversation and, in the end, she and the graphics design team made me a stellar ad!

If this is your thing, do it--do it nine times!
Being upfront about my beliefs has always been a good choice for me.  Only when there is secrecy will there be rumor. It's no fun to whisper about what that person next door might be doing if you can see him/her plainly standing in the backyard.  Even if that person is chanting from a big book and tossing things in a pot, the excitement of discovery is missing.  You can't use my "secret" against me if it's not a secret.  Better to move on to juicier gossip.

Diffusing arguments are just as simple.  When I'm confronted, I can honestly say that what I do is my business (both figuratively and literally) and if they wish to get involved with questions or comments, they may not like what they hear even though they'll understand it.  I'm not in the business of pleasing people or changing their minds and that's just another form of liberation from argument.  They are without meaning.  The only thing I care to do is express myself and be a willing ear for others expressing themselves.  Anything more is essentially unimportant since anger and argument never changes opinions.  If anything, it solidifies them. 

When magical folks live an open life it's the same as what everyone else is doing with their lives, whether those lives are filled with their love of horses or Hummel figurines.  It's okay that they're proud, okay that others know, and okay that they declare this devotion in decorative ways throughout their home, work, and play.  Take, for example, religion and spirituality in this country.  It's so diverse that it takes on the same nature as any other personal interest.

"Are you coming for the birthday party at Debbie's?" 

"I can't, I have mass...

"...it's my son's bar mitzvah...

"...we don't celebrate birthdays...

"...I'm hosting the sabbat ritual...

"...I'll be volunteering at a soup kitchen that day...

"...it's the full moon and I've got spells to cast...

"...I'll be out of town for a conference...

"...that's our family game night...


None of these responses is any different--they're the variations of human lives and nothing more.  The general reply after saying any of them would be "Bummer.  Sorry you can't make it."  And that's about it.  When people ask if I believe in magic, whether they ask with curiosity or incredulity, my answer is simply "yes."  I choose to respond to what is asked and not what is implied.  I've talked with ministers and laypersons of many faiths as openly as if we were discussing recipes.  In various conversations I've shown my reasoning for curses without apology, related stories of spells perfected and those gone awry, and talked taboo magic with fairness.  I listen, compare and contrast, but especially respond with the understanding that our differences are essentially meaningless.  I have never turned these incidents into a scene, nor has the other party.

Pictured: Sybil Leek not giving a damn
We can look to celebrity witches (authors, musicians, public speakers, shop owners, activists, etc.) to understand this a little better.  They are not open about their practice only because they are famous--they were open before you ever heard their name--instead they are behaving just as they would in their private lives, but now with a larger audience.  They're doing their own thing, secure in their skin and their minds.  You don't need to be famous to be bold.  In fact, displaying your witchiness is as easy as not pretending to "be normal."  Take a look at some of your favorite witches and learn to power of self-acceptance. You have nothing to prove and nothing to apologize for.

Witches have just as much right to be themselves in public and in private as do anyone else.  If we want to keep it as personal information closely guarded, that is the individual's choice.  But to allow projections of the reactions of the populous from expressing our happiness is to burn our blankets lest we fall asleep and have a nightmare. There simply isn't enough reason to make ourselves miserable.

Know your rights and how to express them.  Stand on your own feet in your own space.  Live with pride and honesty and you can suffer no offense.  




**For those who wish to share this wisdom, here's the pronunciation:
[NEM-oh POH-test NOO-doh WESS-tee-MEN-tah det-rah-HAIR-ay]



Images from:
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/features/snapshotsofthepast/9323684._Burley_Witch__left_us_spellbound___/
http://everymagicalday.wordpress.com/2008/11/02/protection-symbols/
http://blog.hanneketravels.net/category/england




The Magic of Iron

Author: Quill / Labels: ,

Iron is strength.  It is the power of deep places in the earth which the secret creatures like snakes and worms are born to know but humans have only discovered through our inquisitive nature.  It is the nobility of refinement, the bravery to face trials and come back transformed.  It's the balance of fire and water and the experience of a master to know how to apply them.



Iron's use in magic is a long one.  In every culture where iron has been dug, forged, and worked, it has been used in magic.  And why not?  Iron weapons defended the innocent, iron locks prevented theft, iron nails built the houses that kept people safe and warm, iron cauldrons fed us and even kept us strong by adding the mineral to our diet, iron shoes guarded the hooves the the all-important horses and helped make journeys from home ever longer.  Soon the workable metal was shaped into talismans in its own right--images of eyes and genitals, sacred symbols of Gods and Goddesses, and powerful animals.  It was the magic of master craftsmen but available every day to everyone.  How much of modern magic can claim that?

Though steel has replaced much of iron's old uses, rust is considered "dirty" and not the sharing of iron's power, and horseshoes are rarely found discarded along the roadside, iron's magic has not diminished.  Modern withes use iron in spells granting physical and spiritual protection, purification, prosperity, and luck.  Horseshoes and horseshoe nails are not only used in magic to bring good fortune, but even finding one is an omen of luck to come.  Iron coffin nails are protective, as are square cut nails.  Iron swords and knives are the traditional means of dispatching unwanted spirits, malicious magic-users, and destructive fairies.

There are a variety of ways this metal can be worked into your magic no matter what kinds of spells you prefer.  Whole iron is posted above the front door, added to mojo bags, wound in colored thread and lucky images, made into jewelry, or driven into a specific place to exert its influence.  "Iron shot" (also called magnetic sand or fine iron filings) are the powder formula of iron.  Added to herbal powders it's used for drawing, sprinkled over lodestones, it feeds and activates them.  Rust is the liquid formula of iron.  "War Water" is a well-known potion often made exclusively of rust water.  Special protection is gained from forge water, the water used by smith's to cool hot iron after it's been worked.  A replica of this can be made at home by heating a piece of iron red hot, using tongs to drop it in water, and then sprinkling the cooled water.  Healing and blessing baths are easily made by hanging a cloth bag of iron nails under the spigot as the bathtub fills so the water flows over them.

Iron talismans are fairly easy to find for a modern witch, but don't forget that any piece of iron contains the power of all.  That is why rust continues to be used and why even saying the word "iron" can put evil to flight.  If I may shamelessly plug my shop a moment, Quill's Occult Supply now carries cut iron nails ready to add their magic to your work! 

If you'd like to go that one (or more) step further, check out these links about simple, ancient methods of smelting your own raw iron ore and pouring liquid iron in a makeshift furnace:

Smelting Video by the Blacksmiths of Colonial Williamsburg 

Start-to-Finish Video of Historically-Correct Ancient Viking Smelting Methods

Iron Crucible Instructions Using Household Items

And here's a great article about the magic of iron and horseshoes

Tarot Every Day

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

When things are going well, I have time to read the cards every day.  When things are going poorly, I need to read the cards every day!  Only in the fair, busy days in between do I not get in some tarot time.  But every time I sit down to the deck, I learn.  I learn about the cards, the people and events they represent, and about myself and my little place in the world.

To disclose some semi-secret but important information to you, I am not very good at giving advice.  When people tell me their woes, I'm much better at sympathizing and saying generally reassuring things than I am at drawing them a diagram out of their predicament.  But put a deck of cards in my hands and suddenly I know just what to do.



For myself it's a similar issue--I read when I'm faced with a tough decision.  Or when someone is acting oddly.  Or when I need to know what to say or what to focus on.  There so much that tarot can express that it's a handy tool for nearly any situation in which you may find yourself.

Despite all of this, I don't often use "daily spreads."  Maybe it's because I just haven't found one that really works for me or maybe I find the whole concept of gaining insight on perfectly identical subjects every day (issues with relationships today...how I'll handle money today...unexpected surprises today...) very dry and limiting, but I just can't bear to use a daily spread three times in a row.  Instead I like to ask more specific questions based on what is actively firing in my brain that day.  Here are the ways that I use tarot every day and the spreads that keep me imminently informed.

  • Here's my own "Three Cross" spread for asking a specific question.  Unlike many regular spreads this can be used both to give more information on a situation and also to answer "yes or no" questions.

The base cards are read together.  If you're seeing a yes or no answer, two or more upright is a yes, two or more reversed is a no.  If you use a deck which doesn't reverse, go with your first reaction to each card.  If you respond to the negative aspects of the card first, count it as a reversal.  Read the card meanings for more information as to why this response was given.

The fourth card crosses the first three--it is what binds them together.  This card will give more information on your question itself (especially any aspects of it you may have overlooked) or the kind of emotions/people that are creating the situation.  It's a simple and free-form spread that I use when I'm in a hurry or just want some straight facts without frills and distracting details.  It's also the spread I use when a client asks an additional question that wasn't answered in their paid spread.  With this I can do a quick shuffle, lay the cards, and give them all the information they came for with very little extra effort.

  • Understanding the motives and behavior of others can be a difficult, though important, task to which we're called all the time.  In these situations I use the spread called "What's He Like?"* to peek into a person's current state.  It often tells me just what I need to know about how to deal with them while also helping me sympathize with their side of the story.

This has helped me decide about potential coven members/students and also know how to approach problems with family and friends.  Be prepared to read both side of the cards here--what goes on inside a person's head can be very complex (and even be full of lies and self-deception) and come out in their actions in unpredictable ways.  But this spread can be a quick and fun way to get that inner grasp on others, making you a more effective leader, parent, employer/employee, spouse, whathaveyou.

  • And finally, I get a lot of use from simply posting cards.  This is when you use one card (or more, if desired) to represent the ideal outcome of your current situation and place it in a prominent location--such as an altar, nightstand, or other place you reserve for special items--where you will see it every day.  If you want to get creative with posting (especially when using a card to represent a long-term goal or a new outlook you wish to have for your life), make a copy of your chosen card and post it around the house, decoupage it on a piece of furniture, frame it, paint the image on a canvas, print a blank of the card (this site is a great choice) to color, or even get a tattoo of it.  All these are ways to invest in your card while also posting it.
Tarot is a dynamic tool that can answer our questions, bring us closer to others, realize our potential, and help us to better our lives.  There are no rules for using it properly, nor for how often to use it.  Make it part of your every day and it will aid you just as often!

Feel free to comment and share how you use tarot every day!




*I recall getting this spread layout from Aeclectic.com years ago, but where it was before that, I have no idea. If anyone knows the original creator, please contact me so I can give due credit.

Color image from :   http://tarot-tarotreading.blogspot.com/
The diagrams are my own

Returning to the Woods

Author: Quill / Labels: , ,

March has barely begun and I'm dreaming of the warm weather.  Not really for myself, however.  I don't mind winter weather or winter grey.  I like the snow and the ice, even when it's on the ground in front of me.  Just last week I slipped while shoveling and landed flat on my back on the pavement, shovel still in hand, while cars drove by and admired my form.  lol  But that's not the winter's fault; it's just that thing that sometimes happens to people when they think they're being bright by shoveling wet snow and cooking dinner at the same time.

But I do think about the warm weather for you.  Or, at any rate, those of you who loved my dried wild herbs so much that my supply is all gone!  When the weather is fine I'll be back out the the woods and fields near my home, hopping across moss-covered stones in creek-beds, wading through briars and underbrush, kneeling by a deer path, seeking out the very best of what the land is offering.

And maybe I will find something new!  Isn't that a crazy thing to hope?  I don't buys shoes or purses and I can't see the excitement in going to the mall unless there is something I'm particularly wanting to find, but I love the treasure-hunt feeling of walking in the woods and not knowing what may be there today that wasn't there before.  And that is one of the wonderful things about owning a shop: I do for myself as I do for you, and vice versa.  When I'm gathering herbs to sell, I'm also learning more about those herbs, their habits, their preferences, colors, and variations.  When I find something I've never seen before, I identify it and learn its name, it's habits and all that, bringing it into the brood with the others and selling it to those who need its virtues.  

But winter still has a little more time left before any of that.  Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring and the whittling away of snow has not been replaced with fresh cover, so though we may not have too long to wait, we do yet have time to plan and dream.


Image from:  http://uknowispeaksense.wordpress.com

Mermaid Magic

Author: Quill / Labels:


If you were feeling slightly cheated after reading my last post "Spells to Become a Mermaid" and finding no such spells, here is my remedy.

What follows is an abbreviated collection of popular mermaid spells.  I am not claiming that they are functional, only that they do follow the standard pattern of traditional spells.  I have left them as I found them with the exception of some minor organizational, grammatical, punctuation, and spelling changes.  In each case where these amendments were made they did not impair the original style.  If you'd like to see the sites I found them on, check the links at the end of this post. 

Most of them can be found posted across the internet on any site discussing mermaid magic.  Because of this, unfortunately, none of the spells had a listed author.  If you know who wrote any of these spells, please let me know so I may properly credit their creator!

As you read these spells, please try to see them with the same optimism with which they were written.  There's a lot of modern ideas in here about just what makes a mermaid, what they do, and how they look (and there's certainly a hefty dose of admiration for the Australian TV show "H2O: Just Add Water") but there's also that same thrill that brought us all to magic in the beginning.  They are each easily workable and worth a try, if you're so inclined.  When you make them work be sure to send me a postcard from the island of your choice!



Elemental Witches Mermaid Incantation


“Witches of the sea and air.
Please listen as I call upon thee.
There is a wish I most desire.
A mermaid when wet, a human when dry.
A tail color of blue and gold is what I choose.
The power of shaping and freezing water is what I feel to have.
A beautiful top to go along with it.
Rain shall not affect the.
But a drop of water should change me.
Beware of moon during its brightest night.
Witches of the sea and air, please listen to what I most
desire.”



Mermaid Bath

At night, get in the bathtub and turn out the lights.  Sprinkle two pinches of salt on both sides of you, say:

“A mermaid when wet, human when dry,
this is thing that I most desire.”

Say this 4 times.   Then get out of the tub and go straight to bed.   Fall asleep with your legs crossed and you hands resting on a special symbol (it doesn’t matter if you don’t sleep through the whole night like that).  The next time you touch water in the morning, you should be a mermaid. 
You can put pajamas on, but for the most part, stay wet.  For example, let your hair stay wet and stuff, because you’re supposed to become a mermaid when wet, so for the spell to completely work you must be wet.



Mystic Spirits Mermaid Incantation

“Mystic spirits, spell.
Mystic spirits, grant me this wish that I most desire.
I want to be a mermaid.
Every time I get wet,
10 seconds later I grow an blue tail.
This spell can never fail!
Gills on my neck are essential—
My time underwater is eternal!
My eternal wish forever be!
And I want the powers to shape water.
Forty-three hours after saying this spell
I will get my mermaid tail!
When I’m dry, a human I
shall be me—just me.
Please mermaids and witches, hear my plea.
I want to be a mermaid with the sea
This is my will so mote it be!”



Mermaid Bath II

Fill a tub with water but don’t go in it.  (This works best on midnight)
Put salt in the tub and add your essence in the tub (use spit, hair, or blood).
Put something of the ocean in the tub(a fish scale or a sea shell.  I recommend using a fish scale from a restaurant).
Mix this together.



Mermaid Incantation

“When I’m wet, a tail I grow.
When I’m dry, my legs will grow.
A mermaid well wet, a human when dry.
The power to speak
with all the fishes of the sea.
Insert your magic into me!
When I’m done with the sea,
My feet and legs will return to me.



Mermaid Incantation II

Recite:
“Insouciant Inclemency,       (In-soo-see-ent  In-klem-en-see)
Redoubtable Mediocracy,    ( Ree-dow-ta-bull Mee-dee-o-kr-see)
Refutable Humanity.           (Ree-few-ta-bull Hu-man-it-ee)
Make me what I wish to be—
A MERMAID!
Witches one and witches all,
Give this power to me!”


Repeat 10 times.

Whatever you do, DO NOT SAY THIS WHILE DRY!!!!! You do not have to be in the bath, shower, pool, or ocean while you say this. Some part of you just has to be touching water. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SAY THIS ON A FULL MOON.   Just don’t look at it or you will regret looking at it after saying the spell.

After saying this spell, you will probably have side effect(s):
-Legs changing color/getting itchy, tingly or achy
-Nausea
-Fatigue
-Difficulty breathing
-Coughing fits when in water
-Being able to breathe in water/hold your breath longer
-Random anger
-Scales appearing on your skin
-Gills appearing on your neck or under your armpits
-Legs sticking together or wanting to stay together
-Legs crossing by themselves
-Constant thirst even after drinking lot of fluid
-Headaches
-Wanting to touch or be in water


REMEMBER:  side effects are not necessary, but most people get them.  Sometimes side effects don’t happen until 2 weeks after saying the spell.

Tail colors vary, and you do not decide what color your tail will be. You do not get to choose your power. The powers I’ve heard of are like the “H2O: Just Add Water” powers (i.e. heating, freezing, or shaping water), or psychic powers, and telekinesis. The power may take up to 2 months to develop.

For this spell to work, you need to have a symbol—something that is special to you and is on your upper body (so it will still be visible when you grow a tail).  It can be a necklace, a bracelet, a ring, your hair, your eyes, etc.  You cannot take it off for more than two hours at a time or you will lose your powers and tail, and the spell won’t work.  You also have to believe the spell will work or else it won’t.



Salt Water Mermaid Spell

Fill a glass bowl (I used a fish bowl) half way with water and add a lot of salt.  Stir well.  Spit into the bowl twice and stir.  Add a few objects you from the sea (I used shells) and stir.  Add more water and stir.  You can add food coloring now, if you choose to use it.  Add mermaid images (like figurines) or items associated with mermaids (like a comb) and stir.  Add two silk flowers and stir.

Say:
"A mermaid I want to be,
But not permanently!
With a tail of (preferred color)
and the power of (preferred magical power)!
When I'm neck-deep or deeper
in water, my tail will grow.
I will
Breath,
Talk,
See
As easily and painlessly as on land.
When I'm dry or out of the water,
From the knee down,
I will have legs and be human.
Oh, a mermaid I wish to be!
Witches one and witches all,
Give this power to me!
Witches one and witches all,
A mermaid I wish to be,
So give this power to ME!

As you say "ME", throw in your favorite piece of jewelry.  Scoop some water from the bowl and rub it on your legs and repeat the incantation from the beginning.  End the spell by drying off but leaving your feet wet.  Your legs should be very itchy right away.
Put on your piece of jewelry.  You may take off your jewelry but for no more than a week.

SIDE EFFECTS-
*Keeping legs crossed
*Very itchy legs
*Singing a lot
*Rash on legs
*Making non-normal sounds
*Being very active (Hitting your head on the ground, summer salts, weird things you dont usually do.This only lasts one day)
*Drinking lots of water.
*Queasiness /Dizziness



Removable Mermaid Spell

Fill a plastic child’s pool or the bath with water.
Make a circle around the pool/bath with 7 seashells of various sizes and shapes.  Put on a swimsuit and enter the water.
Sit down and hold a fish tail in both hands and chant:

“It’s a mermaid I want to be.
Turn me now while the shells can see.
The one to be a mermaid
now is ME!!!”


This spell requires a second one when you want to go back to normal:

Do the same thing as before but instead of holding a fish tail, hold piece of your own hair in your hands and chant:

It’s a human who I want to be.
Turn me now while the shells don’t see.
The one to be a normal human now is ME!!!”



Lunar Mermaid Incantation

While touching water on a full moon or during a solar eclipse say the following:

“Mermaid now let it be.
Mermaid when wet—So mote it be!
Human when dry— So shall it be!
On land, I walk.
In the sea, I swim with a long (preferred color) tail.
Blessed be.
And by the power of 3x3x3.
In sea I swim.
When dry I walk.
So mote it be.
So mote it be.”

Author Unknown


**Special note: the instructions to use a solar eclipse may be a typo where a lunar eclipse may have been intended.  Test for yourself**




Spells originally found:

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/mermaid-spells/articles/147734/title/11-mermaid-spells
http://gypsymagicspells.blogspot.com/2011/04/spell-to-become-mermaid.html



Here are some videos of the Kona Mermaids.  Really something to see!
Kona Mermaids
Here's an annual magazine for all you mermaids and mermaid fans (from the publishers of the stunning Faerie Magazine):
Mermaid Magazine

For the little mermaids in your life (or you!  Come on--you know you love Twig the Fairy!):
Twig the Fairy and the Mermaid Adventure

Also see here for an exciting-looking non-fiction book on mermaid magic:
Mermaid Magic: Connecting With the Energy of the Ocean and the Healing Power of Water


Related reading includes Spells to Become a Mermaid

Images from:
cryptomundo.com
happinessisblog.com
kickstarter.com/projects/twigthefairy/twig-the-fairy-storybook

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