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Happy Summer Solstice!

Over the last few months I have found myself so busy with countless things to do and organizing the Pocono Witches Festival that I have felt a slip in my spiritual practices and connection. It is not that I fully let everything go, I always make sure I do at least one thing Magickal each day. I was just feeling there was a lack of connection as everything else was consuming me. Well, low and behold, during the last Full Moon my roommate asked to do a ritual about transformation. It was then that I decided to go through a four-month prep for a long overdue vision quest. Now, normally this requires only a month-long period of preparation. Whereas, each week of the month, one uses the time to connect to each direction, element, and the spirits that correspond. I choose to extend that to 4 months (measuring from Full moon to Full moon) for a multitude of reasons, schedule being one, but most importantly to give myself new routines and focus to reconnect. Traditionally, this prep period should be started in the East, however, I decided to start with the South. It just fit better with what I needed and also with the seasonal time of year, with the Summer Solstice falls in the first week. Although, I cannot share everything that is traditionally done during this time I can share with you what I will be doing and some basics that I have done in the past. Most of which will help connect with the direction of South, the element of fire, and spirits of Wolf and Coyote.

Many of these practices and their information can be found in “The Modern Witches’ Curriculum” while others were added for my own personal needs and circumstance.

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The direction of South in many traditions, both cultural and modern corresponds to the element of Fire. The element of fire can bring us both creativity and destruction. It is the only element that forms by consuming another element. Fire, unlike the other elements, does not exist in a natural state and is born of change. The element of fire is the strongest of the four and therefor it is the easiest to connect with. When we focus on increasing the fire element in our lives, we increase our creativity, joy, energy, inspiration, and love. The direction also deals with our spiritual selves and the paths we choose to follow. It is the direction and element that can be used to clear our spiritual selves, remove spiritual blockages and transform. It helps us work on our shadow, doubts, and harmful patterns.

I have listed the practices that I will be working on over the next few weeks, as well as a few others that you can do to connect with the direction and the element of Fire.

Meditation

I have always had a problem with morning meditations so I choose to do them at night before I go to bed or while I am laying down. During a normal prep period I like to use guided meditations that are pre-recorded by others or ones that I have written myself. Each night, I repeat the same meditation, however, this go around I am alternating between a few over the month. I have chosen ones that focus either on the element itself, the animal spirits associated with the direction, or the spiritual attributes they are connected with. Some days I am just falling asleep listening to the recorded sounds of a crackling fire. This guided meditation was written many years ago and was posted previously here in another blog post.

Spirit of the Wolf Guided Meditation

Begin by lighting a candle and some incense. Turn off the lights. Close your eyes, make yourself comfortable and relax. Next begin to prepare for the meditation by breathing in deeply through your nose, filling your belly, hold for a count of three and exhale through your mouth. Do this three times, or until you feel relaxed, centered and open.

Feel the room around you, acknowledge the glow of the candle and scent of incense.
As you breath in, begin to visualize the smoke of the incense circling you, surrounding you.
It begins to create a bubble around you. This bubble will protect your body on your journey.

You find yourself sitting in the dark, outside on a hill.
You can feel the cool grass beneath you, but, the air is warm around you.
Crickets quietly chirp in the distance.
Although, you are sitting in the dark, you are not afraid….
Appearing before you is the spirit of the wolf.
He sits harmlessly before you.
Looking closer you can see that he is in spirit form rather than solid, yet his soft fur sways in the warm breeze.
He will be your guide on this journey and will take you through the phases of the moon.
Begin your journey by feeling and reaching out to wolf’s energy.
Allow it to mix with your own, you will become one with wolf.

Now, as wolf, looking up to the black sky, you notice a tiny sliver of light begin to appear, it is the new moon.
Feel and see yourself going toward the moon.
At the same time the moon also comes to you.
You and the moon meet and join together.. You are the new moon….
Take some time and feel the energy of the new moon.
It is of new beginnings and birth.
Allow yourself to succumb to its energy and let the moon show you what you need to learn at this time…….

After a moment, wolf calls you back and to let go of the new moon’s energy.
As you pull away, you begin to see the sliver of the moon begin to grow into a waxing crescent moon.
Its energies of growth and love begin to surround you.
Allow the knowledge of where you are headed to enter you, let the moon show you what steps you need to take to grow at this time.

Again, the wolf calls you back after a few moments, the images begin to fade and you are now overcome by the bright light of the full moon… The energies and power are almost too overwhelming.
It is time to open yourself up to them and be the full moon.
These powerful energies feel as though they are recharging you, like a battery.
You can feel your own magikal energies reach the highest they have ever been.
You are now glowing with pure positive energy.
The energy pours out of you in all directions and reflects off the clouds above and touches the trees and plants below.
As above, so below you are the full moon…

Just as you feel you are able to expand your energies around the world, the light fades into a waxing crescent moon.
It begins to draw back some of the energies you have just absorbed.
Along with some the full moon energies, the waning moon extracts all the negative thoughts you hide within yourself.
It takes your fears.
Your self-created obstacles.
You can see all this pouring out of you in a long dark plume of black smoke…..

You are now floating in darkness, no sound…Total emptiness.
You are not afraid. You know you are protected by the spirit of the wolf.
This is the time to confront all the negatives that had poured out of you.
Face them, learn from them… This is the dark of the moon……….

After a moment, all the images begin to fade as you hear the cry of the wolf.
You have now returned to the hilltop, looking up, you can see all the moon phases in the sky.
Bid farewell to them, individually and thank them for their wisdom.

Eventually, the darken sky becomes day and before is the wolf.
Thank and honor his spirit.
You may also wish to take a moment to accept any wisdom he gives you.
Say your farewells… Take 3 breaths, and open your eyes….

Devotionals

Although this is one area I myself struggle with, devotionals are a great way to keep the lines of communication open with your deities. During this month I have chosen to keep a devotional routine to Hekate as the Light-Bringer. As one of the major epitaphs of Hekate that I work with is Hekate Phosphorus, I thought she would be a great way to connect to not only the element but to also connect with my path and the loss of its sight. When creating a devotional routine to a Deity in connection with the element of fire, I would do this with a Deity that has some form of linking to fire in their mythos or to you personally. You do not have to make it lengthy, just spend a few moments with your deity, asking for blessings, advice, or just thanking them. I usually like to offer incense and say a few words.

Magickal Workings

This is one area I do not have problems with keeping a routine, I tend to do something magickal every day. Although, with the amount of work there is to do with running 2 large events, the podcast, and meeting with clients (even though that sometimes falls under magickal workings) I am finding it harder to do this. The good thing is that I needed to make more candles to put on The Hierophant website. I have chosen to concentrate this portion of the month to creating more of my magickal candles. I understand not everyone has an outlet to make a mass number of candles throughout the month. However, that shouldn’t stop you from doing some form of candle magick for yourself or others during the month. For example, lighting a 7-day magickal candle each week for any intention will not only bring you closer to setting up a daily magickal routine, it brings you closer to the element of fire regularly for the month.

Ritual

Because I started this on the Full Moon of June, I was fortunate that the Summer Solstice fell within the month fire. What a better way to connect with the element than honoring a big ball of fire. Even if there was no major magickal calendar event to happen, I set out to also do a ritual during every aspect of the moon. THE MOON!! You may be asking yourself what does the moon have to do with fire. For one, in many cultures, some form of fire has always present or is a focus during any Full Moon ceremony or spiritual event. Even if we think of how the moon is lit in the night sky, we can attribute that to fire, well to that big ball of it in the sky at least. Thinking in the terms of the suns light reflections we can mirror this in our rituals by working on our own spiritual reflected self by using the phases of the moon.

Because many of my blog posts are shared on social media, where groups usually discourage the sharing of rituals and spells (I guess they feel it’s better for people to turn to unknown sources that an experienced Witch for these things). However, you can find rituals for every phase of the moon in “The Modern Witches Curriculum”. What I will share is one of the Tarot Spreads that can also be incorporated into any Waning Moon ritual.

Waning Moon Tarot Spread

Place Card 1 on the far left and card 2 on the far right. Then place cards 3-6 from top to bottom in a crescent moon shape between the first 2 cards.

1. What is going right in your life?
2. What needs to be removed from your life?
3. What is the cause of what needs to be removed?
4. What can you do to achieve the removal?
5. What outside influences are available to me?
6. What changes should I expect?

Some other things you can do

I have listed other things that I will be doing throughout the month and that I have done in the past as well.

–Research and learn about how other traditions and cultures view and use the element of fire. Fire has and probably always will be an important part of human culture. From the Greek myth of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods to the burning bush in the Christian Bible, fire has always been a part of our spirituality and religion. Fire plays an important role in Witchcraft as well. It is one of the building blocks of the universe, a foundation of our magick circle, and a tool in purification rites.

– Attune yourself to the element of fire by making a list of 5 things that get you all fired up, either angry or inspired and take a constructive action to change or invoke these things. In his book Earth Power, famous Wiccan author, Scott Cunningham wrote “Attuning and working with these energies in magic not only lends you the power to affect dramatic changes in your life, it also allows you to sense your own place in the larger scheme of Nature.”

Understanding what attributes of fire, we possess or lack help us maintain a spiritual balance within ourselves and the world around us. When our fire energy is in balance, we are often more joyful and playful, communicate better, and have a true enthusiasm for life. Some symptoms when we lack or are out of balance are depression, insomnia, loss of spark, and a need for control. Know that there are specific compensations for a weak or lacking element that can sometimes also create balance.

-Study the correspondences of herbs, oils, and crystals associated with the element of fire. Create your own incense or oil recipe. Not all Witches use element correspondences however, those who do know there is a great deal of variation between traditions. In most cases, in Witchcraft the elements are involved in one way or another and each offer something unique and special.

– Get a chakra balancing through reiki work or some other practice that you feel comfortable with.

There are so many things you can also do each day to help you connect with the direction, the spirits, and the element. Something as simple as lighting a candle while you are home to setting some time as side to do some shadow work. I will be posting one outline a month if you choose to follow or just dabble in connecting to each element. Balance is key to a healthy spiritual life.

“Look! He is coming to the people

running with the sacred fire

fire is medicine, it is powerful.”

-Blackfoot Medicine Song