Cottage Witchery (18 page)

“Sure, I can help.” Her voice came cheerfully over the line. “What do you have in mind?”

“I'm calling in the big guns,” I admitted. “How would you feel about conjuring an astral being to ward the yard and the house?”

“How big are we talking?” Morgan wanted to know.

“Big,” I answered her seriously. “Like in a couple of astral dragons.”

“Jeez, you'll scare the hell out of the guy if he's stupid enough to come back in your gardens,” she said, considering.

“That's the plan,” I agreed. “The moon is waning so I think we're all set, astrologically speaking.”

“Yeah, you're right . . . which goddess are we going to call on?” she asked.

“Hecate,” I announced. “Why be subtle?”

“Excellent . . .” Morgan all but purred it. “I'm in. Let me get the kids settled in for the evening. I'll be there in two hours.”

So a few hours later, Morgan and I set up on my back patio. The new landscape lighting helped to illuminate the shade gardens and was comforting and set a nice mood. What happened next surprised me. My oldest son, Kraig, quietly let himself out the backdoor, baseball bat casually swung over his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at me, flashed a cocky grin, and then strolled over to have a seat in the shade gardens. From there he could keep an eye on Morgan and me and still see the entire yard. At six foot four, it's hard to imagine him blending into a night garden. But he settled in silently and kept watch on things. He became our sentinel.

Morgan and I blessed our working altar that was set up on the patio and then cast a circle. We called the quarters, lighting a large, coordinating-colored pillar candle at each point and invoking a different aspect of the Goddess at each direction. We also took a separate white pillar candle inscribed with a triple moon symbol, set that inside of a large iron cauldron, and charged that together.

By “charging” I mean that we both held the candle in our hands and then envisioned the goddess Hecate coming to our aid and that the stalker would be caught or leave and never return. We set that charged candle in the cauldron and lit it at the appropriate part of the ritual. What follows next is the ritual that we used. Look over this ritual before you start casting, as there are a few supplies that you will need.

a dragon protection ritual

* Consecrate the altar.

* Cast the circle.

* Light the illuminator candles and call each of the quarters in turn:
“Hail to the guardians of the watchtowers of the
———
, I do call the element of
———
. Lend your strength and magick to us this night. Hail and welcome!”

* Light the triple goddess candle.

* Call to Hecate:
“Hecate, triple-faced guardian of Witches, hear our call. Turn and see the one who would spy upon our families and cause terror in our neighborhood. They cannot hide from your all-seeing gaze. Bring your focus on this stalker. May the stalker fall by their own actions, causing the web of fear that they have created to turn against them and to hold them tightly. Allow them no shelter, no haven, until they are apprehended and justice is served. Come forth, great Hecate, Goddess of the Crossroads and patroness of Witches, and bring justice. Assist your daughters and guard over those whom they seek to protect.”

* Conjure an astral dragon:

I conjure a dragon outside of this circle of mine

To bring justice true and to trip you up, come rain or shine.

I conjure a dragon with sharp eyes and the breath of fire;

Step on my property again and you'll feel more than my ire.

I conjure a dragon to move silently and quick as a snake,

You'll feel his breath on your neck and terror in his wake.

I conjure a dragon to search for you both far and wide,

No matter what mask you wear, you won't be able to hide.

I conjure a dragon to haunt every move you make,

Your days of stalking are over, and justice is your fate.

* Take a moment and visualize the astral dragon. (Since I had a working partner for this ritual, we each envisioned a dragon. Mine was black, and Morgan's was red. We both silently reinforced what it was we wanted our dragon to do: to protect, to guard the neighborhood, and to scare the hell out of the stalker if he came back onto my property.)

* Release the dragon(s):
“Go now, my dragons of protection and power—find the stalker and help bring them to justice. Return to your native habitat when you have finished your task, harming no innocent along the way. Many thanks. Blessed be.”

* Visualize the dragon(s) soaring off to do its duty.

* Thank the goddess Hecate for her assistance:
“Hecate, I offer my thanks for your assistance. I leave you this offering and my love. Hail and farewell.”
(Leave a small offering. Pour a bit of milk or wine on the ground, this works nicely.)

* Spin the circle widdershins, snuff the candles, and ground the protective energy into the yard or garden. Allow the triple goddess candle to burn out in a safe location.

* Clean up.

I guess you're probably wondering what happened next. That evening's ritual turned out quite nicely. I will admit that the wind picked up a bit when we called in the dragons, and then as we sent them off on their task it became very still in the garden. Later that evening, as I walked Morgan out to her car, baseball bat in hand, a police car pulled up. No, I assured him, I wasn't looking for a confrontation, I was only being careful. The officer let us know that they were increasing patrols as promised. He was very enthusiastic and sincere. But he did seem to want to reinforce the idea that the police would take care of things. As we waved goodbye to the nice policeman, Morgan started to chuckle.

“Um, Ellen . . .” she began. “Our pentacles were out.”

I looked down—sure enough, Morgan's was glistening quite nicely against her black tank top and mine showed up really well against my black t-shirt. Then we both laughed even harder. Why? Well, my t-shirt had the word “Witch” emblazoned across it in hot pink letters.

The very next morning the police department called to let me know that the masked stalker had been spotted three or four blocks over from my home. This time several people saw him, chased him away, and called the police. Over the next few weeks the stalker had a tough time of it. Everywhere he went, somebody spotted him, the police chased him, or—oddly enough—somebody went after him with a baseball bat. (I guess the image of the baseball bat got sucked into the spell.) He never came back to my property or bothered the neighbors again. By the end of the summer, he had disappeared. A few months after that, the problematic neighbors moved out.

To live in right relation with his natural conditions
is one of the first lessons that a wise farmer
or any wise man learns.

Liberty Hyde Bailey

Backyard Magick

For herbal items to include in your protection charms and spells, you may not have to look any farther than your own backyard. There are lots of protective plants available to you that are easy to find and probably right at hand.

Take a closer look at the trees in your neighborhood; for example, you could work
with the foliage of the following trees: ash, birch, cedar, dogwood, elder, hazel, holly,
juniper, linden, oak, pine, rowan (also known as the mountain ash), and, lastly, the willow. All of these trees have protective properties and a leaf or two (or needle) would be a fabulous addition to any protection spell that was listed in this chapter.

a dogwood charm for protection

One of my favorite and easy-to-find magickal trees to work with is the dogwood. Not only does it have four-season interest in the garden, when it is planted in the yard it wards the property and the family who lives there. Try working with the blossoms in the spring, and the foliage in the summer and fall months.

Tie up a small bundle of fresh or fallen dogwood leaves—I'd say three leaves would work out nicely—or gather two small twigs (no longer than a few inches) and fashion these together into an equal-armed cross. Bind the twigs or leaves with red thread and hang it up inside your home. If you prefer, tuck it into an altar setup to boost the security of your household. (Please remember to be a courteous gatherer and harvest the smallest possible amount for your protective amulet.)

Here is a charm for enchanting the leaves or the twig protective amulet. You can work this charm on a Tuesday for problems with the neighbors and family squabbles, or on a Saturday for protection, no matter what the moon phase.

The dogwood is steeped in magickal tradition,

It grants wishes and bestows household protection.

Lord and Lady, bless this amulet, fill it with your power,

May my home be secure every day and during all hours.

Close the charm with:

By the hearth and home, this warding charm is sung,

For the protection of all, with harm to none.

a violet flower fascination

For a little protective magick that incorporates flowers, try working with the violet. The violet pops up everywhere during the spring. Best of all, nobody cares if you pick a few purple flowers while you're out and about. The flowers and foliage of the violet will wilt quickly, so if you are planning on gathering some, take along a small cup of water. Sacred to the Faery kingdom, the violet comes in handy for all sorts of protective work. Gather three of the heart-shaped leaves and several flowers and tie them together with a deep purple ribbon. Slip the stems into a small glassful of fresh water and set this little bouquet up where you and your family or housemates can enjoy it. Enchant the violets with this charm to strengthen their natural protective qualities. Work this charm on any day during the spring months, during a waxing moon to increase your protection, or during the waning moon to push away negativity and problems.

Violets are a quiet little spring flower,

They bestow protection, love, healing, and power.

Long after the flowers fade, this fascination will last,

Bound with a purple ribbon, this protective spell is cast.

Close the flower fascination by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none,

By leaf and flower, this spell is done!

Bibs, Bobs, and Whatnots

This last section of the chapter is designed to give you some ideas for magick using everyday items that you'll find around the house. Sometimes magickal accessories are much more simple than folks believe.

Here is an easy but powerful trick I picked up years ago while working the local psychic fairs. It's deceptively easy and very discreet. Back in the '80s they used to line all the psychics up at tables arranged end to end. There was one local psychic in particular that no one wanted to sit next to. This person was always crabby, complaining, and had a sour disposition. Unfortunately, if you ended up next to this psychic, you typically had few, if any, readings for the day . . . unless you went in loaded for bear.

Back in those days, the topic of Witchcraft was a no-no here at the Midwest psychic fairs. I was the exception to that rule because I never made any bones about being a Witch. I even lectured on the topic at the fairs. (Yeah, I know . . . I'm such a renegade.) But it was amusing to watch all the other psychics—none who would admit to practicing magick—break out all the protective crystals, candles, and incense if they were unfortunate enough to get stuck next to the crabby psychic.

As luck would have it, one of my favorite psychics, Mary, ended up next to the person
in question. Mary was a hell of a gal—street smart, deceptively soft-spoken, and very
talented. When I first started working the fairs she basically sponsored me. In other words, she kept an eye on me and if anyone had a problem with me or my Craft, they had to go through Mary first.

So there we sat, the crabby person on the end, Mary in the middle, and then me. Now Mary, she wasn't one for props. She just laid her cards out on the table and gave you a great reading. She traveled light and other than a tablecloth and a tape recorder, that was pretty much it.

Imagine my surprise when she came strolling in balancing three full glasses of water, a huge smile spread across her dusky face. She quietly set up the three cups equally spaced apart, across the end of her table, between herself and the grouch. Then she sat down, shuffled her cards, and grinned. After a moment, she beckoned me over and quietly explained what she was doing.

“Girl, you see those cups there?” she whispered to me.

“Yeah,” I whispered back. “What, are you really thirsty or something?”

“Those cups there are making a fence,” she explained. “They're gonna hold all the negativity you-know-who sends out and reflect it right back.” At my chuckle, she wiggled her eyebrows at me. “You ain't the only one here who knows how to do magick.”

And they worked—well, like a charm. Here's an easy protection spell and all you need are three glasses and some tap water.