The Path of Elemental Witchcraft: A Wyrd Woman's Book of Shadows
576
The Path of Elemental Witchcraft: A Wyrd Woman's Book of Shadows
576Paperback
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Overview
• Details hands-on techniques, spells, and rituals paired with personal stories from the author’s decades of magical practice
• Presents teachings on working with each element in different ways—such as divination, communication, healing, protection, manifestation, and enchantment
• Explores elemental altars, scrying and reading the bones, undines and fairies, working with runes and crystals, ancestral healing, weather sensing, fire gazing, candle magic, sex magic, and communicating with the Otherworld
A Book of Shadows is a witch’s sacred journal, filled with personal experiences and the intimate working of spells. In this practical guide to elemental witchcraft, Salicrow invites you into her personal Book of Shadows, detailing hands-on techniques, spells, and rituals to work with the magic of the four elements—Water, Earth, Air, and Fire. She presents teachings on each element through the lens of different schools of magic, such as divination, healing, protection, manifestation, and enchantment. Within each of these elemental teachings is a series of progressive lessons, including a personal story from the author’s lifetime of magical practice paired with a technique for you to explore.
For the Water witch, she explores scrying, engaging with undines, weather protection, fairy glamour, and healing with kitchen spells. For the Earth witch, she describes reading the bones, animal messengers, listening to plants, crystal grids, and shadow work. For the Air witch, she looks at communicating with sylphs and crows, divination through clouds and wind, sonic magic and healing, spell accelerants, and smudging. For the Fire witch, she examines the Djinn, the magical hearth, fire divination, candle work, and sex magic. For all the elements, she explores how to build elemental altars and customize the ceremonies and rituals.
Sharing intimate examples and practices to help you progressively develop the skills of witchcraft, Salicrow invites you to create your own personal Book of Shadows as you forge a magical relationship with the natural world.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781644113363 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Inner Traditions/Bear & Company |
| Publication date: | 05/31/2022 |
| Pages: | 576 |
| Sales rank: | 216,453 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
PREFACE
Welcome, Seeker
The book you are about to read is filled with magical divinations, rituals, and communications with the elemental world. I have personally experienced them or observed them in my professional role as a psychic medium and intuitive healer. While some of the stories you will read may appear fictional to your current awareness, they are indeed real in my world. Being born into a family with spiritual gifts, my introduction to spirit world began at birth. My grandmother was my first teacher. Her ways were simple and straightforward. She spoke of magic in the same way she spoke of making dinner or working in the garden; magic was simply real!
The stories I share are meant to aid the expansion of your awareness, triggering your personal memories of the unseen world. The techniques in the book are designed to be read two ways. First, it should be read from start to finish, as you will find the magical exercises at the end of each chapter work progressively. The skills learned in the beginning of the book prepare you for more advanced teachings as you proceed. Secondly, this is a reference book. It is my desire that this book become marked up and tagged, dog-eared and coffee-stained from the sheer amount of use it gets!
I invite you to begin your journey through these pages with the creation of a Book of Shadows of your own. A Book of Shadows is a magical journal in which we keep track of our experiences in the unseen world. It also is a place to track our personal growth, by reviewing our entries periodically and making note of how our workings turned out. We are living in a time of great expansion, in which we are evolving psychically as a people. There will be much for you to keep track of!
Spreading love,
Salicrow
FROM WATER WITCH:
Communication
Sea of becoming, ocean of healing,
Dreams help me see what my soul is revealing.
Water of life, essence of Love,
Rain down upon us from above
Jewels Aradia
UNDINES
Water Elementals
Undines, or Ondines as they are sometimes called, are elemental spirits of Water, often associated with rivers, streams, wells, and woodland ponds. While mythology depicts them in human form, my experience has been less fanciful and more approachable.
It is human nature to want to put intelligence into a form that resembles our own, expecting spirit to conform to our view of reality in order to communicate. This is one of the reasons so many people struggle with viewing the otherworld. This expectation limits our mind’s ability to comprehend, as we constantly tell ourselves that if something does not fit into our carefully designed blueprint of reality, then it must be imaginary.
In some ways this is true, as it is through our imagination—that fluid, ever-possible consciousness—that we enter the liminal. When we begin to see our imagination as a tool for accessing consciousness, the other world becomes a lot more real. This is clear to anyone who has begun the practice of magic, as we are often required to first imagine ourselves surrounded by the white light of protection before we can energetically sense it. It is as if the key to experiencing alternate realms lies in the ability to accept them as different from ours, yet just as real.
One of the most profound experiences I have had with an undine took place at the beginning of my Druid training with Ivan McBeth of the Green Druid School in Worcester, Vermont in 2008. It was early in the training and we, the new Bards (first-year students), were still becoming familiar with the land known as Dreamland. We were practicing “wide-angle vision,” expanding our perception by focusing on the use of our peripheral vision. It was a beautiful spring day at the convergence of two streams, and my senses were on overload as I bathed in the green light filtering through the trees and listened to the sound of the brook babbling beside me.
Getting there required scrambling down a steep bank; as many sacred places are, this one was well hidden and not easily accessed. Seclusion is often a key ingredient to sacred locations connected to Nature spirits, because they are not fond of the ways in which most humans live and treat the land. The presence of otherworldly beings was tangible within moments of climbing down the hill. The energy of the place carried a pulse of spirit that tingled in the air. As with the aftereffects of a lightning storm, the energy was palpable. (The sensation of static electricity, as well as cold, heat, or a feeling of sleepiness or “mind fog,” are commonly experienced where the veil between the worlds is thin.)
As we settled down in our individual places, I tucked myself into a little alcove where I could sit close to a small pool of flowing water. I felt a bit dizzy. I often experience a feeling of wooziness upon entering liminal space. This was something I was familiar with through my work as a spirit speaker.
Remembering the teachings of my childhood, I sang a little song, offering up my voice to the genii loci (spirits of place). I gently spit into the stream, as I remembered my grandmother’s words: “The water of our body is sacred.” Within moments I noticed the swirling pattern of the water was changing its direction, and that there was a slightly gelatinous form—a thickness in the water that seemed to move with purpose toward me. It was sinuous in its movement, undulating as it made its way in my direction (hence the name “Undines”). In this moment time was still; the world around me seemed to slide out of focus, and all that was important was the connection between the water and me. It was an introduction, for I could recognize that the structured water before me held a sentient being—or beings, for it felt as if there were more than one.
In my conceptualization of them I would consider them female, for water is inherently receptive, imprinted by whatever it comes in contact with. In truth, I believe our desire to describe an elemental being in a gendered way comes from our need to make the “wyrd” normal, and the non-human human.
As I sat entranced by the Undines, for I immediately recognized them as such, I felt a deep sleepiness come over me, while at the same time I felt a tremendous amount of love directed at me from the Water spirits. Having had experience with the spirit world in my professional career as a psychic medium, I knew that communication of this sort required an energy source (a medium), and that they were tapping into my energy in order to communicate. As this was a new experience for me, the amount of energy required was a bit exhausting. (This is why some people fall asleep when entering a “Fae’” spot in Nature.)
Communication of this kind is not always a straightforward conversation. In fact, the majority of the time information is transmitted through imagery, deep knowing, and a feeling of “download.” Just as when we’re waiting for a computer to download new programs or files, we only have knowledge of a fraction of the information being delivered. The majority of understanding will be received over a much longer period of time through a form of knowing. Just as when we open a computer file, we have what we need when we need it. With this in mind, I always recommend that people carry a journal with them when they head out on sacred travel, whether it be near or far. In a pinch, remember that most phones have a place for notes, as well as cameras to take photos that can jar our memory later.
SAMPLE TECHNIQUE FROM
"WATER WITCH: HEALING"
Activating the Water of the Body for Healing
I found myself in apprenticeship to Water shortly after returning to my home in Vermont, where I have a private practice as a Psychic Medium and Healer—working with people in person and distantly, all over the world. The teachings I received with Ae-Ah immediately began enhancing the energetic healing work I did for my clients.
The first time I placed my hands on a client after returning from my travels, I knew that I needed to activate the water in their body—as water of any kind can be “programmed” by words and intention. This thought, coming directly from spirit, was in alignment with the observations of Dr. Masuru Emoto. He performed experiments on water, examining ice crystals exposed to different words and emotions, and shared his findings with the worl, in his book Messages from the Water. I also knew how to do so, the simple directions being relayed to me directly from Ae-Ah, through the water of my own body.
I began toning the name “Ae-Ah,” over and over again, as I sent energy from my hands and vocalizations into my client’s body, my intent set on speaking directly to the waters of their body. I recognized their internal water to be crystalline, and that it was currently holding a programmed pattern of illness and trauma. I telepathically asked the water to carry a different program, to remember that it was sacred and part of the greater being that was Ae-Ah. Over the last few years, this has become an integral part of my healing practice, one that I will share with you now for use on yourself and others.
You Will Need
A chalice or wine glass, water from a sacred spring or waterway, and an altar created with items you hold sacred that are associated with water.
Like most things magical, it is essential to hold the intent you wish to achieve; in the case of balancing and reprogramming the body’s water, our intent is for optimal health and well-being. It is also important to continue your toning long enough to achieve the deeply relaxed state of light trance, for both you and your recipient. In most cases, this means staying with it for at least fifteen minutes. When you have completed your working, remember to give a bit of thanks back to the spirit of Water, acknowledging how intimately involved it is in the workings of our life.
1. Fill the chalice on your altar with sacred water you have collected. Placing your index finger and middle finger from your dominant hand in the water, anoint your heart, third eye, and crown. If working on another, anoint them in a similar fashion, having them lie on a massage table or sit comfortably in a chair. If you are attuned to Reiki or another energetic healing modality, activate your hands, recognizing that this is a compatible healing technique that can be used simultaneously with others.
2. Placing one hand on the crown of the head, and the other on the high center of the chest (above the breast), take a few deep breaths, connecting yourself to source, and the essence of water. Closing your eyes, begin to tone “Ae-Ah,” allowing yourself to be carried into a light trance state by the vibrations of your vocalization. Here especially, vocal toning is the act of energetically harmonizing the emotional, physical, and spiritual body through sounding. In vocal toning, one tone is held steady for each exhalation. In this case the name “Ae-Ah” would break down into two exhalations: “Ae” and “Ah.”
3. Work on yourself or other in this manner for at least twenty minutes. Make sure to thank the water when you are done, and record your experience in your Book of Shadows.
This technique can be used at waterways as well, by toning “Ae-Ah” while performing Water blessings such as the one mentioned in the last chapter. Remember, this book has been designed to teach you techniques that can be stacked upon each other, allowing you to develop naturally into the Elemental Witch that you are.
Table of Contents
Foreword The Elements of Magic Anne-Marie Keppel ix
Preface Welcome, Seeker xiii
Water Witch
Communication 2
Undines 2
Water Altars 8
Sacred Water from the Earth 11
The Purple Mist 16
Connecting with Willoughby 21
Transmission through Seclusion 25
Divination 30
Mirrors and Teacups 30
Bath Bombs 35
Ripples in the Water 40
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall 44
Moonlit Reflection 49
The Drowning Pool 53
Healing 59
Healing in the Soup Pot 59
Awakening 65
Water Blessing 73
Sonic Waves 78
Healing Community and Country 82
Protection 86
Reflective Magic 86
Anointed Protection 90
Hall of Mirrors 94
Irish Piss Pot 98
Protective Spray 101
Weather Protection 106
Glamour 111
Fairy Glamour 111
Accentuating the Positive 115
Misty Camouflage 119
Love Come to Me 122
Becoming the Priestess 127
Laps of Manifestation 133
Jump Girl 138
Earth Witch
Communication 144
Gnomes and Trolls 144
Earth Altars 150
The Art of Listening 154
Entering the Fairy Wood 159
The Troll Cave 165
Devas in the Garden 171
Divination 178
The Wisdom of Trees 178
Roots and Bones 183
Working with Runes 186
Animal Messengers 192
Everyday Divination 197
Geomancy 202
Connected Lines 202
Stonehenge 208
Needle 213
Balancing Energy 218
Green Heart Farm 224
Nagini, the Stone Snake 229
Attuned to the Earth 236
Healing 241
Entering the Cave 241
Verdant Gnosis 247
The Nest 250
Graveyard Dirt 254
The Wisdom of Trees 259
Slieve Gullion 263
Protection 268
Sacred Groves 268
Magical Permaculture 271
Fairy Mounds 277
Boobie-Stones 282
Stone Guardians 285
Earth in My Pocket 288
Air Witch
Communication 294
Sylphs 294
Air Altars 299
Take Caution 303
Spirit Chimes In 309
Fae Contact 313
Crow's Calling 317
Divination 323
Weather Sensing 323
Cloud Augury 328
The Voice of Remembrance 331
Voices on the Wind 336
Smoke on the Breeze 340
The Way of Birds 344
Astral Navigation 348
The Astral Plane 348
Journeying through Voice 355
I Am Awake, 359
Storm Weaving 363
As the Crow Flies 368
A Voice for the Otherworld 372
Healing 377
Purification through Smoke 377
Activating the Olfactory 381
Whistling and Blowing 385
A Healing Voice 389
Echoes in the Mountain 392
Attuned to Air 395
Enchantment 399
Bubbles to the Moon 399
Catching the Wind 402
The Wyrding Way 406
Voices on the Wind 410
Echolocation 413
Time Traveling in the Tor 417
Fire Witch
Communication 424
Salamanders 424
Fire Altars 428
The Cleverness of Jinn 431
Honoring Fire in the Home 438
Faces in the Fire 441
Fire-Breathing Dragons 446
Divination 450
Visions in Flames 450
Ashes to Ashes 453
Melted Wax 457
Flaming Runes 460
Samhain Fires 464
Campfire Divination 468
Healing 471
Light a Candle 471
Bonfire of the Vanities 475
Burning Bridges and Cutting Cords 479
Attuned to Fire 483
Internal Flame 486
Localizing Trauma with Fire 489
Transformation 494
Fire Containment 494
Change from the Hearth 498
Coaxing Embers 502
Phoenix from the Fire 505
Bonfire and Bees 509
I Have Walked on Fire, Ho! 513
Sex Magic 517
Sacred Sexuality 517
Steamy Offerings 522
Object of Desire 525
Awakening the Snake 528
Fantasy Lover 531
Desired by the Gods 535
Afterword Continuing the Journey 539
Index 545
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