Book of Witchery (10 page)

You may care to enchant these lunar stones by placing them on a windowsill that receives the moonlight or by setting them in a dish and leaving them in the garden on the night of a full moon, letting them soak up some lunar energy. If you own any pearl or sapphire jewelry, then let it stay indoors on a moonlit windowsill. (I wouldn't recommend leaving your good jewelry outdoors overnight.)

Moonstone:
The moonstone is linked to the sea and to the moon. The elemental association for the moonstone is water, and it is a receptive stone. It is employed in all types of moon magick. Tumbled moonstones are enchantingly affordable and come in a range of colors—white, beige, pearly gray—and these stones are gorgeous and shimmery. As jewelry, white moonstones are typically set in silver. Wearing moonstone earrings, rings, pendants, or bracelets can increase your sensitivity to psychic impressions, though, so if you are already sensitive enough, limit your exposure to moonstones.

Personally, I adore moonstones; however, I do not wear them as often as I'd like. I never wear my moonstone earrings or my moonstone pendant when I do psychic readings. Why? Because when I do, I typically get overloaded with information—rather delicate, personal information that the client may not have wished for me to know. Also, moonstones tend to turn up my mediumship abilities to full blast. So I do not wear my moonstone jewelry during psychic work unless I want to spend my day talking to all the client's dead relatives, who can be very
demanding
—once they have someone to talk to, they typically do not shut up—and yeah, they do follow me home, which is very disruptive.

This is not the case for everyone, but if you do counseling, assist in physical therapy, perform healing work such as Reiki, or give tarot readings to the public, you are already sensitive. Moonstone jewelry may really help you “up your game,” so to speak, and become incredibly empathic to others, or it may cause you some psychic overload and emotional distress. In other words, you may feel so overwhelmed and so emotionally worn out by other people that you need a break. It's like having a psychic hangover; it feels like all the symptoms of drinking too much without the actual drinking. And believe me, psychic hangovers suck big time. So you'll have to experiment to see how moonstones set in silver affect you.

Truthfully, they may not bother you at all. I know plenty of folks who work beautifully with the moonstone for psychic work and tarot readings. Just remember, when moonstones are set in silver, it only increases their receptive powers. There is no reason to be alarmed; just use this moonstone information to your advantage in the future.

Try carrying a piece of tumbled, polished moonstone in your pocket to celebrate your connection to the moon and all its energies. Or keep the opalescent stone with your divinatory tools. I like to surround spell candles with a ring of tumbled moonstones to give my candle spells a boost of lunar magick. The moonstone is wonderful for use in the following types of spells: safe travel, increasing psychic powers, boosting your empathy, gardening, and self-awareness. It is a classic Goddess stone. Since the moonstone is often used as a talisman to promote a safe journey, I think it's time to conjure up a moonstone travel spell with one of the featured deities for Monday.

Moonstone Travel Spell

This spell will call on Meness, the patron moon god of travelers. We met Meness earlier, in the meditation for Monday. I suggest setting up this spell in the evening. Find a spot that faces east or that is illuminated by moonlight. Or try setting this up under the moon, in the garden, or on the porch or your outside deck. Get some atmosphere going! Try using a scented candle, such as jasmine or gardenia, to coordinate the fragrance with the moon's energies.

Gather the following items:

• A photo of your destination, your travel itinerary, or your airline tickets
  
• 4 small tumbled moonstones
  
• A scented white votive candle and holder
  
• A lighter or matches
  

Set up this spell on a safe, flat surface. Light the candle and place it in the holder. Place your paperwork/tickets or itinerary to one side of the candle. Arrange the four stones in a circle around the holder. Place your hands on the travel paperwork, and ground and center. Then repeat the following spell three times:

Meness, patron of travelers, watch over me
Whether I travel in the air, on land, or sea
Like a talisman in my pocket a stone will I tuck

Moonstones do encourage a safe journey and bring good luck.

Take one of the stones and keep it in your pocket while you travel. You may close the spell by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none

By the moon and stars, this spell is done.

Gather up your papers and tuck them away for your trip. Allow the candle to burn out on its own. If you performed this outside, then move your candle and the remaining stones indoors to let the candle safely finish burning. Never leave your candles unattended.

Potions, Philters & Oils

Today is the time to create philters and potions that work in harmony with your lunar magick. Since the moon is directly linked to psychic abilities, today is the day—no matter what phase the moon happens to currently be in—to create a psychic power philter (or potion, if you prefer). There are many variations to lunar magick. After the philter recipe, you will find more information about the lunar phases and their effect on psychic abilities.

Philter Recipe for Psychic Power

• One clear or blue glass bottle with a stopper or lid
  
• A clean dropper
  
• 6 inches silver ribbon
  
• A small moon-shaped charm
  
• A label and a pen (to list the ingredients and to decorate and mark the bottle)
  
• 1
  ⁄
  8
  cup almond base oil (almond is associated with the moon)
  
• 13 drops sandalwood oil (a lunar oil that is both spiritual and protective)
  
• 3 white rose petals
  
• 3 willow leaves or a pinch of dried willow bark
  
• A tiny moonstone chip
  

Pour the base oil into the bottle until the bottle is three quarters of the way full. Then add the moonstone chip, the rose petals, willow, and finally the essential sandalwood oil. Close up the bottle with the lid, place your fingers over the lid, and carefully shake up the mixture.

Hold up the mixture to the moonlight and allow the moonbeams to illuminate the philter within. On the label, list the ingredients and the use for this potion. Decorate the label by drawing moons or whatever else you think would add to the moon magick. Attach the label to the glass bottle (wipe off the outside of the bottle first). Finish up by threading the moon charm onto the ribbon and then tying the silver ribbon around the neck of the bottle. As you finish tying on the bow, hold the bottle in your hands and repeat the charm below. (Notice there is a place for you to insert which phase of the moon you happen to be currently in. This way, you can customize the philter for specific psychic abilities.)

This philter holds the powers of the moon

May it increase my psychic power soon

The stone adds lunar power and empathy

The herbs and oil increase the power times three

During this _____ quarter's enchanting moon phase

I'll work easily with my powers through the day

This potion is enhanced by the moon's magick so bright

My psychic talents will now blossom and come to light.

Store the philter bottle in a safe, dry place out of direct sunlight. Make sure that you keep all potion and philter bottles well out of reach of children. Now, if you want to get really creative, you can adapt the charm for the philter to work in any of these following lunar energies (which means you could literally create four different lunar philters, one for each phase and psychic influence of the moon).

Phases of the Moon and Their Psychic Associations

The different phases of the moon do have an effect on your psychic talents. Here is the information, along with tips for working with your divinatory tools, such as runes or the tarot. Consider how this lunar phase/psychic information will affect the spells that you cast on a Monday. It will all depend on what phase the moon is in when you cast, which means you have lots to learn and plenty to experiment with. There are many layers to witchery and magick. The best way to up your game and to increase your skills is to practice, experiment, and see how the magick works for you.

First Quarter:
(new moon to the waxing half moon) Now is the time when your psychic power is starting to build; you may feel more “tuned in” and more compassionate and sensitive to other people's emotions. Your dreams and their divinatory meanings become clearer. You may notice that your animal allies, or totem animals, show up more in your life, so pay attention to their messages. Work your divinatory tools now to get a clear picture of what is beginning to unfold in your life at the present time.

Second Quarter:
(waxing half moon to the full moon) During this lunar phase, your emotions and senses get turned up to “high.” (Think of it as riding a psychic wave of sorts: it builds as the full moon gets closer, peaks, and then you start to ride downward.) Precognitive dreaming is more likely to happen during this particular lunar phase. At the full moon phase itself, you will probably notice everything in a more detailed and magickal way, so work with it when it hits. Intuition and clairvoyance abilities will peak as the moon waxes to full. Employ your favorite divinatory tools now to see the past, present, and future.

Third Quarter:
(day after the full moon until the waning half moon) As the moon wanes, the focus begins to turn within. Pay attention to your inner voice—your instincts and gut hunches. This is not the time to ignore that inner monologue. You may find that you are “hearing between the lines,” meaning you are hearing or sensing what is unspoken, so think before you speak. Ride the back of this wave of lunar energy and realize that the energies around you can be used to your benefit. Tune in to your own spirit and meditate. Work with divinatory tools now to see what is hidden from you.

Fourth Quarter:
(waning half moon until the new moon) At this point of the moon phase, some folks may find that their psychic talents go on holiday, or you may notice that they come howling in with an all-out assault on your senses. The reason for this is, I believe, that during this last waning lunar phase, all psychic work turns within. This often forces a person to contemplation, and it nudges them into turning their psychic abilities and all that focus within. Then they gain the opportunity for self-discovery. Work with your divinatory tools now to gain an appreciation for what events and people have led you to this point of your life. By looking to the past, we can acquire a good overview on what has brought us to the point we are standing at now. Then we may gain understanding, wisdom, and insight.

Essential Oils

These essential oils are all linked to the moon. Again, I have chosen scents that should be easy for you to get your witchy hands on. Essential oils that correspond with the moon and Monday's magick are:

• Gardenia
  
• Jasmine
  
• Lemon
  
• Lemon balm
  
• Lily
  
• Myrrh
  
• Sandalwood
  
• Stephanotis
  

These scents would be fabulous to add to spell candles—you can always add a drop or two to a plain white tealight candle or work these essential oils into potions and philters of your own design. So take a whiff of their bewitching fragrances, and see which ones you prefer for your own lunar enchantments.

Tarot Card Associations

The tarot cards that are associated with the moon's day are the Major Arcana cards the Moon, which symbolizes illusion, and the High Priestess (or Popess), which means intuition, dreams, and magickal powers. Adding these cards as props to any moon magick spell will give you something to focus on, and the classic tarot card symbols are ancient and powerful.

The Moon

The Moon is an intriguing tarot card. Often this card is interpreted as a time of disillusionment or despair, but not always. This card is a symbol for the Crone Goddess, and it also signifies illusion and development of psychic powers. This is the card to work with and meditate on when you feel that there are hidden forces at work or when you may not be seeing things as they really are—you know, the new boyfriend who seems too good to be true? The boss who seems to have a hidden agenda? You get the idea. In the classic illustration of this card, it shows both a dog and a wolf howling at the full moon. These may be symbols of the tamed and untamed personality, or the conscious and unconscious mind.

The High Priestess

The High Priestess symbolizes wisdom, mystery, feminine power, and magick. This card typically represents the Goddess in her aspect as the Maiden. This card is the one to work with when you want to increase and call on your inner natural magickal powers. The High Priestess is strong, tough, wise, and unyielding. This is a woman of power. In the classic illustration of this card, the priestess holds a scroll and a quill, which represents wisdom and knowledge. And believe me, working with this card or having it turn up in a reading reinforces that you are strong enough to wield your magickal power wisely. We all have our own magick; dig deep and see if you can call it out. If you want to learn how to be more empathic and tune in to your natural psychic abilities (and everybody has those, too, by the way), this is the card to meditate on and to focus on in your spellwork, as it brings strength, insight, and understanding.