New Wand

The Wand Lady (as I call her) had a booth set up at Pagan Pride Day, held this year at Deer Park in Sparks. She is usually at the psychic fair, but wasn't at the last one. She has the most beautiful wands I've ever seen. She makes them out of wood, and some just out of crystals.

This was the first time I've ever seen her offer low priced wands. The lower priced wands were all woods, wire wrapped (most in copper) with a quartz crystal at the end. They all had different crystals at the bottoms.

I found two three that I was torn between: an oak moss wand, a redwood wand and a madrone wand. I was fascinated with the oak moss wand, but after holding it realized that the moss chafed off every time it was held. I wasn't sure I would be happy if the moss part, which gave the wand a mysterious and powerful look, were to disappear after several uses.

The redwood wand captured my attention because I'm from California, where redwoods abound. And the Wand Lady picked up all these wood pieces in the Santa Cruz mountains - an area that I love. Redwoods are ancient trees, and I felt that the wand could be quite powerful.

However, when I held the madrone wand, my friend Claire said from her standpoint, it fit me like a glove. She said the color matched my hair, and it does.

I picked each wand up in my left hand. It is not my dominant hand, so I figured (rightly or wrongly) that whatever came through would be the wands' strengths. Each felt good, so it didn't help me out as much as I hoped.

In the end, I went with the madrone wand, which has rhyolite at the end. Rhyolite promotes change, diversity and progress - all the aspects I need in my life right now. And for $10, how could I pass it up?

Today I sat down and talked with the spirit of the wand. I asked it what it could do for me. It showed me a picture of it squeezing through fences and barriers. I took it to mean that it could cause change where I thought none could happen.

I then asked it couldn't do. The word "hate" floated before my eyes. It let me know that it could not be used for curses or bindings.

When I asked what it looked like, a translucent image of a wizened old man floated before me. That made perfect sense to me; the property of translucence could get through barriers, and the wise part knows no good comes of hate.

After my session with the wand ended, I placed it on my work shelf next to my copper wand. I can't wait to use it.

Unintended Consequences

Magic quite frequently has unintended consequences. You know, those little life details that accompany the fruits of your labor. Conjure up a phone call from a lover, and you will get it - but perhaps he's calling to tell you he's canceling your date or found a new lover. As the saying goes, "Be careful what you pray for; you might just get it."

I knew I wanted to try poppet magic, and I had just the target. My problem: I had no intimacy with the target. I only know her to exist, and to be a thorn in my side when it came to my significant other. I didn't know what she looked like. I didn't have a picture of her. No taglocks to speak of. So how do I construct a poppet to torment her?

I lucked out - I obtained a pullover of hers. Soon after, she did something out of jealousy that affected me, so I felt the time was right. And it was: as luck would have it, it was during a waning moon. I pulled out the piece of clothing and got to work.

If you haven't made a poppet before, it's labor intensive work. Because I felt that could be the case, I enclosed my space within a magical circle. I gathered my supplies, and got down to business.

Stuffing each cavity takes thought. What to stuff in the cavity? What will yield the most reward? It was both fun and challenging to find ingredients and items to place in the cavities. Fun? Yes. I know in this particular case, the magic wasn't, as some would say, "white." But yes, it certainly was fun.

After the activation ceremony, I placed the poppet on my altar and began working with it daily. At some point in time, I didn't feel the need to work with it every day - but once in awhile I would feel the need to "prompt" it again.

Yesterday I received a call - did I, by any chance, have a red pullover in my possession? Danielle sent her boyfriend over to get it.

Um. Huh?

Well, duh. Of course. Girlfriend's clothes were all high end: Ann Taylor. Banana Republic. The Loft. The pullover? From Wal-Mart. I should have known.

But... and here's where the unintended consequences come in... it worked. Anyway. You see, the owner of the pullover was the cause of the most recent jealous reaction. It was because of her that Girlfriend went over the edge. Had a snit fit. Put Ex-Boyfriend through the ringer.

Bwahahahahaaaaa.... sometimes I just love magic, unintended consequences or not!

Dead Man Flirting

Graveyard dirt. Believe it or not, it's a key ingredient in many spells. Unfortunately, graveyard dirt isn't easy to come by. You can purchase it in stores, but who knows if it really came from a graveyard? And, if you've been to a cemetery recently, you know that most graves are covered with grass, so digging up dirt would be a desecration of sorts.

Another little known fact: to be used effectively, graveyard dirt must be obtained ethically. That is, with full consent of the deceased. It helps to aid the Goddess Oya in this endeavor - and there is a way to do that as well.

I've had need for graveyard dirt on several occasions recently. I decided it was time to do a little research so I could stock my cabinet with this much needed and hard-to-come-by resource.

I thought of the perfect graveyard, in my hometown of Fremont. There is a little cemetery not far from Ohlone College. When I was a kid, we often walked our dog there, and spent time honoring those long since gone. Some of the graves date back to the early 1800's, and we assumed there were no family members left to visit. So, we'd visit instead.

This weekend was the perfect time. I helped my dad at the flea market (conveniently held at Ohlone), and after I was able to excuse myself, I went to CVS to get the last needed requirement: wine. See, Oya likes her gift of nine pennies to be doused in wine - specifically, red wine (that's my kind of Goddess!). I grabbed a four-pack of Merlot, checked out, and drove back to the cemetery.

At the entrance, I called to Oya. I let her know I had pennies and wine for her and asked to to allow me entrance. Before I could finish, I swear I heard Oya say "What are you waiting for! Give me my pennies." So, I did. Then I left the wine at the foot of the stairs. I heard her say, "Don't cap the wine!" I made sure to keep it open, because I certainly did not want to piss her off.

The next step was to talk to the spirits. I let them know why I was there, and told them a bit about my history and what I planned to do with the graveyard dirt. This is the part that can literally take hours. I was hoping it wouldn't, as I had to get back to my parents' house to check on my mom.

I walked around, and visited graves. I spent a lot of time with those who were veterans, hoping that our mutual connection of service would grant me permission. I sensed that a former Corporal in the Army wanted to grant me permission, but his wife did not want him to. I walked around some more. Some clearly told me to move on. Others were eerily silent.

I saw one grave that someone had clearly been at recently, and not in a good way. I talked to the pair (sisters, it looked like), and apologized for the state someone left their graves in. I looked around for a garbage can so I could clean up, but none was found. I moved on.

I visited grave after grave. I talked to many, and didn't make much of a connection. Finally, I asked Oya for help. "Oya! I'm having trouble locating a helpful spirit here. Is there somewhere I should be looking at specifically?" Oya answered me with the help of a squirrel. I saw him poised at the edge of a gravestone, and then he ran. I wasn't sure which grave to check out, the one he started at or the one he ended at. I decided to check them all out.

I talked to all those spirits in the immediate vicinity of the squirrel sighting. The only one who engaged with me was one Richard "Dick" Valencia. He died in 1999, at the age of 74. His wife had not yet joined him, but her name was already engraved on the headstone next to his.

I told him what type of spells I wanted to use the graveyard dirt in: Protection, Love and Banishment spells. He said "I can help you with protection and maybe banishment. But, girlie, I can help you more with sex than I can with love." He was joking with me - and I so did not expect that. We "conversed" for awhile, and he continually flirted with me. I asked him if his wife would mind if I took dirt from his grave, and he said "Who cares? I want you to have it." So, I took two handfuls of dirt and left him nine dimes in return.

After leaving the nine dimes, he was delighted. He said, "Take more dirt!" I told him I'd only feel comfortable taking another handful, and that's what I took. He told me he liked my red hair. I thanked him. We talked for a few more minutes, but since I had the dirt and had left the dimes, it was time for me to go. Before I left, I kissed his gravestone. I swear I felt him blush.

He escorted me part of the way out. When I felt he was no longer with me, I said good-bye and thank you to Oya, and left. I knew, though, when I got home I'd have to check the Internet to see if I could find out any information about him.

Tonight I checked, and I found him easily. It turns out his nickname was "Muscles" and he was apparently really well liked. I could tell that, though, from his spirit. He headed "The Big Dick Golf Tournament" in the Bay Area, and was an avid sportsman, hence his ability to readily admit the dirt from his grave could aid with protection. And, I do imagine that his sportsman-like physique probably did make him a big hit with the ladies, so perhaps he wasn't joking when he said he could help me with sex magic.

Either way, as read about him on the 'Net, I felt him next to me again. He didn't say anything, though, he just seemed to delight in reading his obituary. Plus, he seemed to just enjoy my company.

It's kind of sad that the only guy enjoying my company this weekend is a dead man, but I'll tell you, I'll take what I can get. After all, a compliment is a compliment, no matter who it comes from.

Thank you, Muscles. It was nice talking to you.

To Bind from Harm

Thee I bid
Thee I bind
And thee I bend unto my mind

Candle Magic

Candle magic is my preferred method of spellwork. I've had more success with magic when I use candles than with any other type of tools. I'm not quite sure why that is - perhaps because of my Christian background. As candles are used in all sorts of religions for all sorts of purposes, the use of candles as a spiritual tool is not foreign to me.

This week, I discovered a book I bought ages ago stuffed in a box labeled simply "Magic books." That book is Practical Candleburning Rituals: Spells and Rituals for Every Purpose by Raymond Buckland.

Buckland's book outlines several different spells, and each has a Christian method of performance along with a Pagan-method of performance. This appealed to my Christian senses - candle magic for Christians? Why the hell not?

I picked out a spell to perform, and actually ended up choosing the Pagan method of application. The aspect I like best about the spell is that it is not finished in a day. I will have to continue to reignite this spell over a course of time. This appeals to me as the end result is something that would naturally take some time to happen - it's not anything I would expect to happen overnight. In this aspect, it makes sense to me that the spell to cause the end result would also need time and attention.

And you know, maybe that's why candle magic and I get along so well - I understand the energy of candles and I love the ritual of candle work. Candles have always represented magic and spirituality to me. No wonder it works for me.