Ex Penna

The Secrets of Ancient Irish Charms and Spells

If you're anything like me, you like nothing quite so much as lists of spells, free for the asking.  However, you may also be like me in that if they are of poor quality, if their language is clumsy or their actions uninspiring, you are smart enough walk away.

Fear not!  What I have brought you today is a brief collection of both beautiful and workable magic spells straight from Ireland.  So get out your BoS and a pen, plop a familiar on your lap, and lock the workroom door.  You've got casting to do!

If you're like me, you still have a tree standing in your house in January.  If you're like a lot of folks I know, all the rest of your tree's fellow decorations are hanging around as well.  Now would be a great time to clear everything out, get yourself prepared for a brand new year, and make use of some of those pine needles that are inevitably everywhere.

Here in Pennsylvania, pine grows plentifully.  So much so that one of my neighbors remarked that he would eagerly cut them down anytime someone asked, just to be rid of them.  I was astonished to hear that!  Is it too much familiarity with this common tree?  Or is it that there's too many possible parasites that afflict them (which means he should really hate the parasite, not the tree)?  We may never know, but as a magical practitioner and a major wildlife advocate, I say love your pine!

To keep things brief, I'll touch on pine's two most important abilities (especially because they are perfect for this time of the year!)--purification and money drawing.

Burning an incense of pine needles in your home will drive out wayward spirits and remove any crossed conditions present.  I recently learned from the wonderful Lucky Mojo Curio Company that a quick and cheap option for uncrossing a house is to add pine needles and Van Van oil to a bottle of regular Pine-Sol and use it to scrub the house.  I think that's brilliant!

Pine needle infusion in your bath brings you back to clarity and positive thoughts.  Pine boughs hung over your door ensure happiness within.

When using pine needles for money spells, you can burn them as incense alone or add to a formula to boost its strength.  Add some to a mojo bag with or without other herbs and curios.  Pine alone can do the trick!  The great thing about pine in this case is its stable nature.  When you call on pine for help with prosperity, you can bet that any money gained will be through regulated and safe means, not snap decisions and high-risk ventures.    

Occult Fashion Trend: Religious and Spiritual Iconography


I'm sharing this not because of the excellent information it contains (some of the author's thoughts are delightfully clueless), but because it is perfect food for thought.

So we're talking about magical symbols and images being used for clothing and jewelry.  How does this idea sit with you?  Are you thrilled to see a more casual use of pentagrams in everyday places or does it make you cringe at its crassness?  Are you happy to spread the witchy vibe around or would you prefer only those of us in the know use these images?  Are things like magical seals too precious (or powerful) to be silk screened on a tee-shirt, or is this just another way to bring magic into the public consciousness?  As a practitioner, would you enchant one or more items of such mundane clothing for magical purposes or do you feel that items consecrated at their creation would work much better?

Talk this over with your magical friends.  Hell, talk it over with your mundane friends.  What are their thoughts on sourcing the occult for fashion?  How do they meet with your own.

This is something that you've undoubtedly heard me discuss before, but it continues to be an issue so I must continue to talk about it.

Here's the facts:  People will pay for others to cast spells for them.  They will pay for pre-made spell kits.  They will pay for magical objects, talismans, and other charged items.  They will pay for a teacher to give them instruction on how to do all this for themselves.  They do this as willingly as they pay for books, art, poetry, and music about magic.

As well they should.  A practitioner invests money and time in being ready for client requests.  It's not an easy job and it takes a lot of skill and confidence to do it well.  It's got value that can be measured in several ways.  One of those ways is monetary.

If you don't believe that it's okay to ask for money for your magic, then don't do it.  There is no stipulation that you must accept payment and no one is trying to convince you that you should.  If you can see that as being a fair position, then you can also see that no professional magic worker needs, deserves, or requires the opinion that their magic must be for free.

Images of the Male Witch


This seems to be one of the many hotly debated topics in the magical community--just what is this strange beast called the male magic user?

What does he look like?

How does he dress?

What makes him different from his female counterparts?  What makes him the same?

And probably the most discussed issue...

What should he be called?




Here are my thoughts on the matter:

Male practitioners are just as varied as female.  In practice, there will be some that adhere to "the look" and others who couldn't be picked out of a lineup of mundane types.  Clothing, appearance, age...these are subject to change and can't be relied upon as identifiers.

What should they be called?  Whatever the hell they wish!  Even with women, some prefer titles like priestess (accenting the spiritual side of their magical work) or strega (for their cultural heritage or magical lineage) and no one tells them no.  Then, too, should men have the option to be witches or warlocks, mages or magicians or wizards as is their wont.

To this end, I like the look of the photos in this link.  Each one's concept of the male practitioner is a little different.  Which is your ideal?  For the guys out there, who would you emulate?  It's fun to note how each one takes on a bit of the overall feeling of magic while crossing it with distinctly masculine traits: the druid in the woods, a master of the land; the quiet and contemplative mage sternly cloistered in his study surrounded by arcane books and bottles.  They display something unique each time.

Only one thing remains constant--and that is also present in every image of the female magic user--the look of power and self-mastery.  That is how we define a practitioner.

We're more connected now than humanity has ever been, and yet the problem of finding and maintaining deep friendships remains just as difficult.  You might have hundreds or thousands of Facebook friends and Twitter followers yet still have no one with whom you can share your true self--those innermost thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams that acquaintances never know.  Everyone should have people with whom they can be genuine.  That kind of peace and understanding is what the soul craves.

Though this charm doesn't exactly fit with my usual style of spoken magic, the tone is earnest and the purpose is worthwhile giving it a good spot in any BoS.

55 Songs About Witches


Though I object to a slight few on this list for picky personal reasons*, I think it's a great way to familiarize oneself with the long shared history of magic and music.  Plus, most of these are damned inspiring!  What kind of witch are you--Santana's Black Magic Woman" or one of Thurston Moore's "Wonderful Witches"?  Check out some unique and eclectic takes on the magical persona and let them stir up some witchcraft in you!


*  If you're curious, I debate choices like listing both Donovan's original and Julie Driscoll's remake of "Season of the Witch" as well as the bizarre choice "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead", no matter how well Ella Fitzgerald did it (and I normally can't say no to anything she does).