Elements of Witchcraft

Ellen Dugan is the award-winning author of fifteen books, and is known as the "Garden Witch". A psychic-clairvoyant, she has been a practicing Witch for over thirty years. Well known for her candor and humor, she is a Master Gardener, and is the High Priestess of her Coven in the St. Louis area. Ellen teaches classes both online and across the country on Witchery, Psychic Protection, and Magick. She has contributed articles for over twelve years to Llewellyn's Magical Almanac, Witches Datebook, Sabbat Almanac, and Witches Calendar.Ellen's popular magickal books have been translated into over ten foreign languages. When she's not working on her next book project, or keeping up with her family (the kids are out on their own, and the youngest is in Graduate school), Ellen likes to unwind by working in her perennial gardens at home with her husband of 31 years. Ellen wholeheartedly encourages folks to reclaim their personal power and to personalize their Spell-craft. To go outside and connect with the spiritual side of nature. To get their hands dirty and discover the wonder and magick of natural world that surrounds them.Visit her popular syndicated "Blog of Witchery" at www.ellendugan.blogspot.com You can visit her website at www.ellendugan.com

• Contents Acknowledgments • xiii Introduction: A Day in the Life of a Teen Witch • xv I The Nature of Magick 1 A Witch's Introduction to Natural Magick . . . 3 The Tradition of Witchcraft, 6 The God and the Goddess-Who Are They? 7 How Do I Get Started? 9 Dawn Healing Ritual, 10 The Most Powerful Tool in Magick, 11 The Basics of Magick, 12 Step Number One: Raising and Releasing Personal Power, 14 Step Number Two: Positive Intentions, 15 Are Witches Really Weird, Or Do They Just Dress That Way? 16 The Road to Discovery, 17 2 Ethics: Rule of Three . . . 19 Dabbling: Don't Go There, 20 Lesson Number One: Love Spells Are More Trouble Than They're Worth, 21 Lesson Number Two: Working Magick for Another? Get Permission, 25 Lesson Number Three: Defend? Yes. Attack? No, 27 Blue Shield of Fire Visualization, 28 Lovely Lemon Ring Spell, 30 Lesson Number Four: Never Perform Magick When You Are Sick or Angry, 32 Cunningham's Magickal Principles, 33 A Place for Your Thoughts, 34 II The Elements of Nature 3 The Element of Earth . . . 41 Earth Meditation, 42 Earth Correspondence Chart, 48 The Earth Mother Goddess, 49 A Little Information on the Earth Elementals, 51 Crystals and Stone Magick, 51 Crystals and Semiprecious Stones, 53 Spells and Stones, 54 Protection and Balance Spell, 54 Prosperity Spell, 56 Drawing Friendship Spell, 58 4 The Element of Air . . . 61 Air Meditation, 61 Air Correspondence Chart, 68 A Little Information on the Air Elementals, 69 Incense: A Little Goes a Long Way, 70 The Magick of Music, 71 Wind Chime Magick. 73 Bees, Butterflies, and Ladybugs, 73 Feather Magick, 76 Birds and Their Magickal Correspondences, 77 contents viii 5 The Element of Fire . . . 79 Fire Meditation, 79 Fire Correspondence Chart, 85 A Little Information on the Fire Elementals, 86 Candle Magick, 87 Colors and Candle Magick: Magickal Candle Color Correspondences, 88 Common Cents Candle Magick, 89 Witch's Dozen of Scented Votive Candles, 91 Candle Spells, 92 Focus and Study Spell, 93 Healing Spell, 94 Dragon Protection Spell, 96 No Candles? No Problem, 98 6 The Element of Water . . . 101 Water Meditation, 103 Water Correspondence Chart, 109 A Little Information on the Water Elementals, 110 Communicating with the Water Spirits, 111 Scrying in Water, 114 Three Flowers in a Fountain Spell, 116 Honoring Your Favorite Element, 117 A Place for Your Thoughts on the Elements, 119 III Looking Deeper into Natural Magick 7 The Magick of Flowers and Trees . . . 125 Working with Flowers in Magick, 127 Colors and Flower Magick, 128 contents ix Easy-to-Find Magickal Flowers, 128 The Garden Witch's List of Common Magickal Flowers, 129 The "Moving On" Spell, 131 The Mystic Language of Trees, 137 Communicating with the Spirit of a Tree, 137 Love Those Leaves, 139 The Foliage of Trees and Their Magickal Messages, 139 Creating Your Own Foliage and Floral Spells, 141 Flower and Foliage Spell Worksheet, 142 Flora and the Green Man, 143 8 The God, the Goddess, and the Magickal Year, 145 The Triple Goddess, 147 A Triple Goddess Ritual, 149 The God: The Earth Father, 151 A God Ritual, 152 The Wheel of the Year, 155 The Witches' Holidays: The Eight Sabbats, 157 The Lesser Sabbats: The Equinoxes and the Solstices, 158 The Greater Sabbats: The Fire Festivals, 160 A Teen Samhain Ritual, 165 Hitting the Books, 166 9 Four Tools, Four Elements . . . 169 Tools of the Trade, 171 Thirteen Trees and Their Magickal Properties, 175 Blessing and Consecrating Your Tools, 178 A Tool Consecration Ritual, 179 Magickal Work Spaces and Altars, 181 contents x IV Walking the Path of Natural Magick 10 Properly Prepared . . . 187 Circle Casting 101, 191 Working Within a Circle: Why, How, and When? 192 A Teen Witch's Elemental Circle Casting, 193 A Teen Witch's Elemental Magick, 195 Coming Full Circle, 197 Outdoor Sacred Spaces, 198 Consecrating Your Outdoor Space: A Ritual Outline, 199 11 Lessons Learned on Living a Magickal Life . . . 201 Shades of Gray, 203 A Lesson from the Shadow Side, 204 Natural Magick Solutions, 207 Natural Magick Quickies for Emergencies, 210 Tempest in a Tealight, 210 Spice Rack Sorcery, 211 Spicy Charm Bag Ideas, 212 Kat's Freezer Bag Magick, 216 contents xi 12 A Natural Witch . . . 219 The Witch's Pyramid, 220 Teen Witch Test, 225 The Dedicant and a Year and a Day, 226 A Dedication Ceremony, 228 Wicca 101, 231 Teen Witches and the Future, 234 Walking Your Path, 236 Glossary, 237 Bibliography, 243 Index, 247 contents xii

"As one of the more comprehensive, teen-friendly guides available, this will have great appeal among teens with esoteric interests, particularly the fantasy crowd."—Booklist"Interested teens will enjoy this primer, and involved parents should feel at ease with the overall tone and treatment."—Publishers Weekly"[Dugan's] wise-woman tone and gentle guidance will help nurture budding natural witches, and her well-written text will guide novices in their discoveries as well."—School Library Journal"Better than most tomes of this genre, Elements of Witchcraft has an excellent basic outline: 1) The nature of magick, 2) The elements of nature, 3) Looking deeper into natural magick, and 4) Walking the path of natural magick. Just as she did with Garden Witchery, Dugan shows that someone who knows the territory does a much better job with the subject."—Lori Collner, The Blessed Bee