9th Spell - Prosperity from Nothing

Yesterday was devoted to the hunt.

Lore, my girlfriend, and I waited for our other friend, Kieran, to arrive. And with her arrival, she bore gifts. And not just any gifts! Beautiful hand-crafted amulets. Lore received a necklace made out of green goldstone, which was used by monks in the past as a way to enhance and amplify their abilities. On the other hand, goldstone was thought to have been created by alchemists on their search for a way to formulate gold. One can say its purpose in magick is to bring prosperity from nothing. Its a rather uplifting stone. I keep one in my purse, along with my pendulum.

My own was a delicate silver bracelet with a huge rock (haha, you know girls and their jewelry) of amethyst.

Amethyst is a stone used for protection, and has been for awhile. Also, a amethyst fades in the sunlight, and is at its brightest during cloudy days. Interesting, isn't it? I also got a very belated, but still very awesome birthday present of the Urban Decay Naked palette, which for those whom are not into makeup, is a very nice eyeshadow palette that consists of mainly nude colors from light to dark.

While we did have errands to run, after we completed them, our mission was clear. We were on the hunt for a certain book, two, actually. One was a journal, a nice, blank journal to write inside, and then, Wicca in the Kitchen by Scott Cunningham, which consisted of a comprehensive list of herbs and spices and other foods that one used in the kitchen, and their meaning when used in Kitchen Witchery. The book was for Lore, but I was also interested in owning it, if only for the sake of expanding my own personal knowledge.

We headed to Half-Price Books, to which, we found the journal I was looking for! At least, something that would do. It was a book that had a cover crafted of tissue paper and glue... a method I am familiar with. At the time, I wasn't completely sure that was the exact method, but that's what it looked like.

I'll cover a bit more on the book, what I want it for, and how I plan to recreate it... once I put together its composition in a Spellcraft 101 post. If it works, of course.

Alas! While there, Kieran and I bumped into the very first book of spells we ever got! I read it while I was in middle school, and I remember feeling so powerful, secretive, and mystic reading it, hidden in books during my Reading class.

It was The Book of Spells by Nicola de Pulford. It was a hardcover book, solid black, with silver writing etched into the front and tied together with a silver ribbon. I remember it being very enticing as a twelve-year-old. Lore kind of watched us gasp and awe over it, before cracking a joke that she felt alone in the whole exclamation over it. It made sense. Lore, in comparison, was relatively new to the whole world of Witchcraft.

The guy at the counter commented on my bracelet, which is always nice, and the three of use headed out after a small conversation of people looking for interesting books for their Book of Shadows, which he also made, but of course, they ran hundreds of dollars, of course. Mine was for something like that... but not quite.

Since the search was fruitless, we made a game of going to almost all the Half-Price Books in the area (having already exhausted Barnes & Noble and Borders, which was shutting down). But alas! Still, nothing on the book. It was a bit disappointing, but we did order it in from another bookstore in case we didn't find it.

While at Hobby Lobby to pick up a few supplies for craft works, Lore reminded me that we still needed to look for a chalice. So! Through the glassware we went.

Now, Lore and I are rather... unconventional. So, instead of finding a “real” glass, we were both attracted by a candle holder.

“But really,” Lore stated as I picked it up, looking it over. “It serves the same purpose. It will hold liquid.”

And it wasn't as if we would be running it through the dishwasher or anything....

So in the end, we found our chalice. I thought it was rather splendid.

It will need a bit of sprucing up (some embellishments on the handle!), but its perfect for the moment. Perhaps that would make another good Spellcraft 101 class!

All-in-all, it was a good day. Though I never found the book I had been looking for, it wasn't a day wasted. I suppose it was a lot like the goldstone I carry around in my purse. I was able to obtain prosperity from nothing. When was a time you were able to do the same?

8th Spell - Secret Paths

It was a very peaceful day, yesterday. It was Friday, and that morning, I woke up to the sound of Lore, my girlfriend, typing on the computer as she finished up some financial work. I checked up on a few social networks, turned in a resume for a job I had found an opening for online, and felt rather accomplished by the time she asked if I wanted anything to eat. Bless the God and Goddess for peaceful mornings.

Delightful smells floated from the kitchen and upstairs as I got dressed, Lore hard at work in the kitchen. I headed downstairs with the laundry, and proceeded to sort it out and get to cleaning. After our brunch was complete, we sat down on the couch, watched a little TV, and started talking about our plans for the day.

The house we were residing in was located decently out in the rural area of Texas. We were at least twenty to thirty minutes away to the small town over, and about an hour from the city. I wanted to go to the bookstore in search of one of Scott Cunningham's works, but by the time we could of headed out, it wouldn't of left us much time to do things. Well, better saved for tomorrow.

As Lore and I sat comfortably on the couch together, I was suddenly struck with an idea.

“Lets go for a walk,” I suggested to her. The area we lived in was absolutely gorgeous. Lore agreed, and after getting some shoes on, we headed out, hand-in-hand.

Now, while I love Mother Nature and all its glorious things, I am a city girl through and through. So, me asking to just randomly take a walk through the woods is usually odd. However, because of the new area we had been walking around already a few times, so for the moment it wasn't an especially odd request.

But the God and Goddess had been whispering, perhaps, and it urged me to go.

Lore and I made our way through the forest trail, listening to its soft noises, and walking through its tall grass and under its secretive trees. Its paths always seemed to call out to me, but today, especially so. They seemed so much more magickal today, with their spindly tall blades of emerald green grass, and the hint of gold patches that gleamed across the path as the setting sun beamed through. The bark of the trees was almost silver, and every little blooming spring flower was precious and charming.

The weather was wonderful. Today, we decided to take another path down the trail, up a hill, past a little dock that looked as if it hadn't been used in some time... and finally, I pointed down a trail that curved into soft green, tall grass and trees.

“Lets go that way,” I suggested, feeling particularly jovial, and Lore and I turned the corner and down the trail—and that's when I saw it.

It was beautiful. I wish I had my camera, but my cell phone had to do, for the moment.

The trees had suddenly cleared away, showing off the vast lake. A perfect path was cleared off, but it seemed that, despite this, no one passed through the area all that often. Deer prints had been spotted in the dirt. Most likely, many of the walkers veered down the other trail that lead around the lake.

I could imagine a small fire in the dirt patch, and Lore and I dancing under the moon. Beltane had already passed, but come June would be time for the Midsummer, and this looked like the perfect spot to celebrate. Lore commented on how it looked nice to have a picnic there. We moved around the area; there was a sweet, earthy scent that clung to the spring air, giving the spot a heavenly aroma. We moved around, closer to the water, where it was surrounded by a small cage of trees growing out of the shallow water. I felt safe within its hold. Lore hunched over by the water, running her fingers through it as I stared out at the water, the sun layering the choppy waves in a golden-orange blanket.

“This place is perfect! And so beautiful!” I let out, and suddenly, my desire to go out and explore the day all became clear.

“I feel accomplished,” Lore stated from her spot by the water, and I looked over at her.

“...Me too,” I admitted.

7th Spell - The Lore of Names

When you pick up books on magick at your local New Age section in a bookstore, sometimes you find familiar names such as Scott Cunningham or Silver RavenWolf. So what are the differences in those names?

I could point out the silly answers, but leaving behind all the jest, one is a Craft Name. A Craft Name can be used for the sole purpose of practicing magick, apart from your real name, such as Soull for me. While its not necessary to have one, some people feel a sense of separation from their mundane life while using it.

The Ancient Egyptians believed that a person's name (the Ren), was a part of their soul, and so there were great lengths taken to protect it once the person reached their end. They believed that, when the person departed, as long as their name was read and spoken, the soul would stay alive. For that purpose, it was written in as many places as possible, and "wrapped" in a cartouche (magickal rope) to protect it.

Do you have a magickal name?

My girlfriend didn't for the longest time. While we lay in bed together, I suddenly spoke up about it.

“You should have a magickal name.”

“Why?” She spoke, suddenly off-put.

“Well, why not?”

“I dunno. I just... don't think there is anything that would fit me yeah?”

At that, I explained how someone came up with a Craft Name, and suggested some. She knocked them all down as stupid, so I finally picked up a paper and pen.

“Name off some things that represent you. Anything that comes to mind,” I stated. “It doesn't have to be name material. Just give me something to go off of.”

After writing them down, I went and looked up a few other words that made good matches for them, or held the same meaning.

In the end, we had a list that looked something like this:

“Okay,” I stated. “Now... take this list and try combining names. If there are others write them down as well. I marked a few with a dash because I felt like they'd make good suffixes to other words.”

My girlfriend came up with a few mash-ups.

Saga-Scholar

Sage Papyrus

Sagemaker

“Sagemaker...” I stated slowly, rolling it off the tongue.

“That sounds like a good last name,” She mused thoughtfully.

Creating Sages since 2011.

“What about a first?” I asked.

We tried paring a few of the other words with it, but none seemed to work. Not really.

We took a break that night, but the following, it came to me.

“Lore...” I let out faintly as I laid beside her. My girlfriend turned over and looked at me.

“...What?”

“I almost called you Lore, a few minutes ago,” I stated. “...Lore.”

“...Lore Sagemaker...” She let out.

...

I think she liked it.

The same method can be used to find a Craft Name, as well as many others. But remember this: its your Craft Name. The only one who has to like it, is you. ♥