Elemental Combinations

I don’t really use elements in your traditional ritual set up. I do sometimes use them but it’s often in a more alchemical way than an earth-air-fire-water way.

One of my favorite ways to use elements is to combine them. A good example is an air plant. An air plant largely lives on air (with the occasional misting of water) but it’s still a plant so it’s an earth element. That’s three associations to deal with for one tiny little plant!

But elemental combinations are actually a really smart way to help set up an altar or a spell on the go. You can just roll with it. Instead of packing a ton of ritual items, you can just pack one or two herbs and that can suffice. It helps if you travel a lot, do a lot of on-the-go rituals, or need to be low-key.

Elemental combinations also have the benefit of being dual purpose so you can bring two different energies into a spell at the same time. Need both fire and water? A dried water plan may be the best way to go – just burn it with a candle.

Of course, the thing with element associations is that they are NOT universal. Every practitioner will need to rely on their cultural or traditional folklore in addition to their own personal associations.

 

However, correspondence charts are super helpful, especially when they’re well-researched. To that end, I’m happy to announce that I’m releasing online correspondence charts for free to you all.

These are heavily researched with sources. As in, you can look up where each correspondence comes from right down to the page. Right now, we’re starting with herbal correspondences because I have hundreds readily available but stones, metals, and other correspondences will come along in time.

I’m super happy to finally be sharing this with you. Keep an eye on the correspondence charts because they will constantly be updated. I will eventually create a downloadable PDF with all the correspondences but for now, it’s online only. Enjoy!

Protection from Fire [Spell Saturday #69]

This is a spell designed to protect a home, business, or location in general from fire. This is not going to guarantee your home will be fire-free so make sure you have appropriate renters, business, or homeowner’s insurances along with fire safety equipment.

Seriously, don’t be foolish. Don’t use just this spell to protect your home.

What you’ll need:

  • A sigil against fire
  • Ashes from a fire that has burned in your home or on your property
  • Holy water or water enchanted with protective energies (see notes)

First, create a sigil that is to protect you and the surrounding area from fire. You can use any method you like to create the sigil or you can borrow a sigil from another source. Or you can just take a picture of a fire. Print or write out the sigil. It doesn’t have to be a big image, just visible enough to define clearly.

Gather the ashes from a fire. The ashes can be from a fire pit, fireplace, or even some paper burned in a metal trash can. You’ll probably need a handful or more of ashes so make sure you have enough before starting this.

Take the ashes and mix them, little by little with the holy or protective water. You’re trying to make a slightly thin paste. It should feel a bit like pancake batter or ointment – thicker than paint but thinner than a buttercream frosting.

Once you have your paste, go up to the lowest accessible point in your house and trace the sigil on the paper (or, even better, onto the house itself) with the paste. Allow to dry.

Not go to the highest accessible point of your house and do the same thing. You may also want to repeat the procedure in all four corners of the house.

Toss the paste once you’re done. Keep holy water or protective water on hand. Every year or so, go back over the sigil with the holy water.

 

Notes:

  • Google “sigil generator” to find an online generator if you’re really stuck when it comes to a sigil.
  • Protective water can be anything you like. It could be gathered from a stream on your property, salt water, blessed water, or holy water. Even full moon water is good. Any of these waters are perfectly acceptable. It just has to be water that you feel is incredibly protective.
  • Make sure that the paste didn’t mold. A couple days after you’ve done the spell, double check to make sure it hasn’t gotten moldy or gross. If it has, you can scrape it clean and trace the sigil again with the holy water.
  • If you’re writing on the paper and not the house, make sure that you have enough sigil papers to go around. If the paper gets to be too worn to use, make up a new one and repeat the spell.

August Round Up

Oops, meant to post this yesterday. It’s a short post but meaningful so you get it for the first post of September instead!

August has been a hell of a month. With a ton of celestial events happening, it’s been a pretty awesome time to wander out and stare at the sky. But lots of scary things have been happening in the news. Remember to support those going through crisis right now, like the hurricane victims in Texas, the mudslide victims in Sierra Leone, and the victims of flooding in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Support those you can and if you can’t, reblog the above posts so the news gets to those who can help.

Things have been happening around here too. I published a book.

Spirit Walker is the first in a series. You can buy it in print or e-book on amazon or createspace. I’m really excited to finally be sharing this story with you all. It’s also a huge weight off my shoulders as I can now focus on other things.

When it comes to posts, it’s been pretty scarce. I spent a much of this month remodeling my mother’s kitchen (and we’re not done *cries*) and attending a ton of personal life events like birthdays and funerals. I had little time between book stuff, orders, and all that other personal stuff to write posts. I still managed to publish all four Spell Saturdays (which is an accomplishment I’m weirdly proud of) and a book review.

First, let’s cover the book review. The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin is a book I recommend you reading if you’re a creator and a tarot reader or if you’re a tarot reader looking for alternative views of the cards. I wouldn’t say it’s a tarot book, specifically, but rather a book about creativity and tarot. If that makes any sense at all.

This month’s Spell Saturdays was theme with celestial events! The luck in gambling spell By the Luck of the Moon is one that I quite like because there’s lots of association layers involved in the moon and gambling.

Star of the Apple’s Heart Faerie Love spell is such a mouthful but it’s a good love spell when you want to bring a lover into your life and you don’t much care the form they come in. It’s a tricky spell to perform, wording-wise, but worth it if you’re willing to give it a go.

The Sun’s Invitation is part of a series of spells that work the exact same way. All are invitation based spells using different planetary invocations. The Dark Moon’s Invitation was published back in January.

Finally, I wrote Cursed by the Stars which is, as the title may suggest, a curse. I really wanted to offer a curse this month due to all the hatred being spread so venomously right now and I also wanted to stick with the celestial theme. This spell’s based on another spell I wrote and haven’t shared but I like it.

Outside of that, it’s been a quite month. I’ve spent the last week trying to get my backlog of orders out to my beloved clients. September promises to be better, I hope.

Cursed By The Stars [Spell Saturday #68]

Ever hate someone so much that you wish them to forever be cursed? It’s a serious commitment and require a serious amount of thinking time before you take the plunge. If you really think someone deserve this kind of punishment, keep on reading.

This spell is meant to curse someone using the energy of the stars they were born under.  So long as they walk under the star’s light or can see the stars in the sky, they’re cursed.

 

What you’ll need:

  • Target’s full name
  • Target’s birthday
  • Target’s birth location
  • Bonfire
  • A star-filled night
  • Offering for the stars (see notes)

First, write down your target’s name, birthday, and place of birth. Try to get as close as possible for the birthplace (city or hospital is preferred.) Fold the piece of paper up and carry it close to your heart for one day and one night.

During that twenty four hour period, think of them often and how much you hate them. You can think of what you want happen to them or you can just keep that hatred vague. Up to you.

Once the twenty-four hour period is done, travel to a place where there stars are brightest, if possible. Light a campfire or bonfire that is visible to the stars. If you’re with others, wait until they go to bed or are away from the fire to cast the spell.

Now invoke the stars. You might call upon the stars in your zodiac constellation or a star you’ve felt particularly drawn to. Or you can just ask the stars to listen to your request. Be as poetic or are blunt as possible. This needs to come entirely from the heart. Say something like, “Oh stars above, listen to my pleas, and curse the one whose name I offer thee”.

Now that you’ve gotten the stars’ attention, leave your offering to them somewhere within sight of the stars but out of sight for humans. Try sticking the offering in a tree or tucked under some bushes.

Take the piece of paper with your target’s name on it and hold it in front of you. Raise it above your head so the stars can see it and say something like, “Stars, I curse this person who has done me wrong. Curse them with your heavenly light. May they days be ever dark and filled with the torment they have brought me. As long as they walk under your light, they are cursed.” Again, this is something that needs to come from the heart so be as specific or as vague as you want. Just talk to the stars and tell them what you want to happen.

When done, toss the paper into the fire’s heart and watch it burn up, the ashes going into the sky. Thank the stars if you want and allow your hatred to burn. Whether that hatred continues after this fire or begins to abate is up to you.

In the morning or at dawn, go through a cleansing process and cast a protection and blessing spell over yourself.

Notes:

  • Offering for the stars can be anything. A bundle of sweet herbs to scent the fire, shining coins to reflect their light, a mirror, stones, whatever you think is appropriate. It’s up to you. Make sure that the offering is either completely degradable or is something that doesn’t degrade at all. You don’t want to harm the animals or earth here.
  • It’s probably best to cast this spell in a place where you can see as many stars as possible. A place with less light pollution. If this isn’t possible in your home, maybe take a camping trip and cast the spell then.
  • Using magical ink, war water, or body fluids to write the spell out is a good idea. Similarly, try using magical paper.
  • A campfire or bonfire is important to this spell because we’re interested in the ashes and smoke rising from the fire. A candle doesn’t generate enough flames for this spell to work properly.

Review: The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin – 4/5

The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin – 4/5 – You should be reading this.  [Crown’s review guide here.]

I didn’t see any flaws in this book. I sometimes felt the book was missing something. I think that’s because this is more of a creative lifestyle book using tarot as a medium of understanding than a tarot book that’s about creative life. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a good read and gets you thinking about the tarot cards in a different light.

Continue reading →

Happy Solar Eclipse + Book Release!

Happy solar eclipse!

I hope your day is full of lots of energy and magic. I know mine will be.

Big news though, aside from the awesome celestial actions in the sky, my new book Spirit Walker is out!

Spirit Walker by Samantha L. Davidson

You can buy it for Kindle right now. Paperback version should be available later today. (Should be. I don’t control publishing, sadly. If not, check back in the next week.)

Want to know what Spirit Walker is about?

“Haleo Wyrick is storm chaser by choice and the founder of the psychic black ops program Valora by chance, she’s smart, ambitious, and brave. And she’s scared.

As a spirit walker, she can pass through the world as if a ghost, but not even she can escape a stalker who follows her into her dreams. Hurt and hunted, she flees and fights to end this nightmare.”

It’s a book about a woman who is both extraordinary and completely normal trying to avoid a creepy stalker. And how she tries to overcome the trauma caused by it all. It’s also about a boy who discovers that dreams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. And about a man who is trying to figure out how to be a good boyfriend to a man he loves. Oh, there’s a bit of the secret black ops kind-of psychic program, spirits, astral travel, and woo stuff too.

The first published book in the Valora series. The second, The Sea Witch, is a prequel and will be available next year.

I wanted to create a world where magic can be as low-key as our own practices alongside some truly unbelievable stuff. The Valora series is about practitioners like us, maybe with a bit more flash and consistency. The Valora series is also part of the Gray World series and that’s a bit more urban fantasy than paranormal fantasy, if that makes any sense.

 

ANYWAY, so amazing celestial movements are happening in the sky and lifelong dreams are being achieve today. No big deal. Hope your day is equally as awesome!

The Sun’s Invitation [Spell Saturday #67]

This is a very adaptable spell. It’s used to increase the things you want more of in your life. So if you want love, you’ll add that component. If you want money, you add that. It’s used for what you want. Unlike the full moon or sun variations of this spell, this one can be used to invite things you do not currently possess into your life.

That being said, this can be a tricky spell to pull off in some people’s home environments. You need complete darkness on a new moon night.

Ingredients:

  • Items you want to increase in your life
  • Solar Water [see notes]

Collect together items that represents the things you want in your life. You might have a handful of cash, a picture of a college diploma, a love letter written to a dream lover, or anything else. Think creatively and simply. If you want to travel to Aruba, put in a picture of Aruba. Don’t make things hard for yourself by trying to collect the perfect representations. If you can’t get a visual, write or draw it.

Once you have together your items, take them and place them on a table next to a window where there is sunlight all day long. If your space is secure, put it outside on a balcony or in your yard. Or take it to the park or beach with you. You want as much light as possible to sit on these items.

Be smart about this. Don’t leave a wad of cash on your windowsill and expect it to not get stolen if you live on the ground floor and leave the window open. Be as discreet as possible with your items but don’t cover them up. If something will become faded by the sun and you still want to keep it, take a picture of it and use that instead.

Place a drop of solar water on each item then leave them there all day long. You can leave the items untouched for a full 24 hour period or you can take the items away immediately. You may wish to avoid spending any money used in this spell until after the full moon.

You can repeat this spell as often as you like.

Notes: 

  • Solar water recipe is to gather water on a bright sunny day from a sunny location. A good example would be to collect water from a river on a sunny day. A more reasonable alternative is to pour tap or filtered water into a jar and leave that in the sun for a full day (sunrise to sunset).
  • If you’re charging water, crystals, or anything else by the moon’s light, do this in a separate location than this spell.
  • If something is water sensitive, you can just dab the water on your finger and run it along the least sensitive surface and wipe it off. Or dampen a cloth with the solar water and wash the item that way.
  • We avoid putting the items in a bag or container so the lack of sunlight can touch them. A good middle ground is a big glass mason jar.

Happy casting!

Star of the Apple’s Heart Faerie Love Spell [Spell Saturday #66]

Apples are one of the most ubiquitous fruits in magic and folklore. I mean, it’s an apple. I can say, with fair confidence, that apples can be used in just about any type of spell.

This one is a love spell, designed to ask for a lover to be brought to you by the faeries. I can literally hear some of you screaming “no!” at why this might be a bad idea. Typically and traditionally speaking, faeries aren’t likely to bring you anything but mischief and trouble. When they help, they take something in return. It’s extremely rare to run into a faerie story where the human is gifted something by the faeries for nothing.

However, if one is on good terms with faeries or if one is willing to take a risk, the love a faerie might bring you in exchange for your offering could be fantastic. You may meet a physical lover, a charming new neighbor or co-worker to fall in love with. You might have a passionate affair. Or, you may be offered a spirit lover, such as the faerie themselves or some other spirit.

Remember to read the notes at the end for more details.

What you’ll need:

  • Two fresh, sweet red apple, washed and shined
  • A great offering to the faeries (suggestions here)
  • A place where you can leave your offerings to the faeries
  • A knife to cut the an apple with

First, select your offerings. This step is the most important and requires the most prep. Pick natural containers to store your offerings. So if you’re pouring milk, pour it into a quickly compost-friendly bowl or cup. Or you can pour the liquid into the shell of a piece of fruit.

Next, secure the place where you’re going to cast the spell. As tempted as you might be to cast this spell at your altar or work space, it’s better to go to the faeries themselves. Find a place that feels most connected to the fae and ensure you won’t be disturbed for at least half an hour.

Now, set up your offering. You can leave the offering at the base of a tree or on a fallen log. Or you can leave it along the shore or on a rock. When you’re happy with the set up, put one of the apples in front of or in a prominent place in the offerings and say,

“Spirits of this place,

Faeries of this glen,

I bring to you an offering.

In return, I ask of you a boon,

Bring to me a lover new.

One who is fair, loyal, and kind.

One who will endeavor not to harm or hide.”

Pick up the second apple and say,

“With this apple, I cast a spell,

Using the boon of the faeries

And the blessing of the stars.

One half for me and the other for my love.”

Now cut the apple in half so the center is visible. Hold the apple halves up so the light of the stars or sun, respectively, can shine on it for a moment.

“I take this spell into myself and offer a gift,

Bring to me the one who will accept my kiss.”

Then kiss one half of the apple and bite into the other half. Leave the kissed half of the apple by the faerie offering and eat the other half of the apple. Then take your leave of that place for now. You should soon find yourself the center of romantic attention from someone, if you offering was accepted.

Accept the lover offered to you. The way this spell is designed is that you can mark out the type of behavior this lover demonstrates. Unlike other “describe your future lover” spells, this isn’t to bring you someone who fits a long list of ideals but rather the kind of behavior you will find acceptable and tolerable in your relationship. This lover probably won’t be someone that you would normally date or normally meet. If you reject the lover offered, then there’s no way of knowing how the faerie will respond. They may bring you a different choice or they may be offended that you rejected their offering.

Notes:

  • I recommend overdoing the offering rather than try to match or undersell it.
  • To create a fruit skin to put your offerings in is simple. First, pick a large, thickly or solid skinned fruit. Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the flesh of the fruit. Wash the skin and set in the sun to dry if you’re not going to make your offering immediately but do make the offering in the next few days. Toss any skins that begin to become crumbly or soft. Mango and avocado skins are particularly good choices but similar fruits or vegetables can be used. You can also simply hollow out a large, dense fruit to make your offering in, like a potato, apple, or watermelon.
  • Change the wording as needed. If you’re working in a desert, you won’t say the word “glen” for example. If you’re looking for something specific in a lover, mention it in the spell. The spell does not have to rhyme. Keep your list of attributes short but make sure you mention the critical things most important to you. You don’t want to give the faerie wiggle room or loopholes on the things that matter. For example, if you want to date a man who will not abuse you in any capacity, make sure to outright say that. It may be something that’s seemingly obvious in other love spells but you want to cover all the bases here.

Novel: Spirit Walker is available for pre-order!

Spirit Walker by Samantha L. Davidson

My novel Spirit Walker will be available in print and e-book August 21st. Pre-order your kindle copy now.

Want to know what it’s about?

“Haleo Wyrick is storm chaser by choice and the founder of the psychic black ops program Valora by chance, she’s smart, ambitious, and brave. And she’s scared.

As a spirit walker, she can pass through the world as if a ghost, but not even she can escape a stalker who follows her into her dreams. Hurt and hunted, she flees and fights to end this nightmare.”

It’s a book about a woman who is both extraordinary and completely normal trying to avoid a creepy stalker. And how she tries to overcome the trauma caused by it all. It’s also about a boy who discovers that dreams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. And about a man who is trying to figure out how to be a good boyfriend to a man he loves. Oh, there’s a bit of the secret black ops kind-of psychic program, spirits, astral travel, and woo stuff too.

The first published book in the Valora series. The second, The Sea Witch, is a prequel and will be available next year.

I wanted to create a world where magic can be as low-key as our own practices alongside some truly unbelievable stuff. The Valora series is about practitioners like us, maybe with a bit more flash and consistency. The Valora series is also part of the Gray World series and that’s a bit more urban fantasy than paranormal fantasy, if that makes any sense.

I am SO EXCITED to share this with all of you. It has been a lifelong dream to publish a book and here we are. This is a world I really want to share with everyone. Remember to pre-order Spirit Walker now for your kindle copy or hang tight for a physical book copy on August 21st.

By the Luck of the Moon [Spell Saturday #65]

The Moon is often associated with love, death, and other things. It isn’t often associate with money. The Sun tends to take that claim. This is especially true when it comes to gambling and games of chance.

Here is a spell that is designed to grant you a boost of luck using the moon’s power. It’s a spell that’s useful only when the moon is visible and will work better when the moon is waxing or full. Avoid this spell during the waning or new moon.

 

What you’ll need:

  • Moonwater

Before you go out or attempt a game of chance, wash your hands in moonwater made during a full moon’s night. Allow to air dry.

Now step outside where you can see the moon and hold out your hands. Say the following,

Moon above,

Shining star’s reflection

Grant to me your blessing

My hands will on this night,

Bring luck to my side.”

The spell will last until sunrise.

Notes:

  • This spell is ideal for when you’re playing games of chance with your hands, such as cards, dice, or slot machines. It’s less useful for gambling such as the lottery or racing.
  • Washing your hands may disable the spell. It’s been hit or miss with it working as soon as you wash your hands. You can reapply the moonwater and recast the spell but I find that it’s kind of a one hit wonder in this regard. I try to avoid washing my hands while using this spell unless sanitation is required.