NMR ISSUE 42

Astrological Forecast 42
Bass, Grasshopper & Lion
Editorial 42
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Ghigau's Song
Goddess Manifest
Loving's Call
Mirra, Lady of the Pool
On Confronting Our Dark Side
Ritual for Creative and Spiritual Fertility
Ritual for the Waters of Life
Spring Activities
The God of the Witches
The Unknown Founder of the Golden Dawn
Unicorn with Flower Wreath in Candlewicking
Working with Your Shadow, I
Your Soul's Growth

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Ritual For Creative and Spiritual Fertility

By Kalioppe

For this ritual you will need salt, olive oil, a small pot of earth, a bowl of water, a fertilizer stick or two, a handful of pinto beans, flower seeds (or other easily sprouting seeds), a piece of paper, pencil and a pair of scissors. Choose a type of incense and colored candle that best symbolize your needs. For instance, use green and purple candles with bay leaf, lavender and rose incense to balance Craft burnout. Another example is opting for green and yellow candles with verbena, hyssop, clove, galangal and ground coffee for increasing creativity. If you've managed to misplace your Muse, and inventive is waning, try green and white candles with sandalwood incense. This last combination is also a good all-purpose spiritual fertilizer.

Cast a triple circle using your salt to outline the edges. While sprinkling the first layer say, For the Goddess. On the second pass say, For the God. On the third say, For the Old Ones. In the case of waning creativity, you may wish to change the last invocation to For the Muses.

Once you have finished, stand in the center. As you face the appropriate directions, informally invite the Elements symbolized by the candles you've chosen to join you and lend their energy. For example, light and anoint the green candle saying, Green is the color of verdant growth! It nourishes my core! It brings fertile richness to my life, and makes my spirit soar! When lighting the second candle say, Come to me spirit of the Craft [Muses, etc.]! Renew my spirit and my soul. Grant me productivity; make me new and whole! Next, place a drop of your anointing oil on the incense, light the mixture, and say, Fire and herb and smoke and air fused together well. Grant your essence unto me, and aid me in this spell.

While concentrating on removing the barrenness from your magical self, take the pot of earth and till it with your fingers. Smooth out every clump until it is fine, like silk. As you smooth the soil, chant repeatedly, I am the child of the Goddess. I am the child of the God. Their energies are within me, and nourish the spiritual sod—that before has laid so dry and cracked, but now is soft and fine—and lies ready for the planting, of the seeds, Divine!

When the soil is ready, stop for a few moments and make a list of the problems contributing to your burnout, creativity block, or spiritual infertility. Cross out each problem and beside it write its opposite. For example, if procrastination is the difficulty, tenacity is a good alternative. Once you've completed this list, it's time to remove the spiritually harmful qualities from your life. Take a bean and plunge it into the bowl of water saying something like, I cleanse myself of [the problem]! I wash it away! I replace it with new [positive attribute] which is here to stay.

Plant this bean in the pot of earth. Continue in this manner until your entire list has been cleansed and planted. Put the fertilizer stick into the soil along with the seeds and a healthy dose of water saying, Grow little seeds, for as you do, your qualities will grow in me. Our ground is fertile, our roots grow strong. As l will, so mote it be!

Cut your list in half and burn the negative (problem) column in the incense burner. This symbolically removes those things forever from your life. Fold the remaining paper several times (nine is good) and plant the positive attributes in the pot. Thank the Elemental powers for their help and bid them farewell. Trust that the problems have been eradicated and that the core of your very existence is fertile again and ready to produce.

Don't forget to water those seeds and transplant them if necessary. Your new qualities will grow and flourish as the plants themselves.

Kalioppe has been published in Circle Network News, Kore, Sage Woman, Silver Chalice and others, and is now working on a magical needlecraft book probably for Llewellyn.

From Abracadabra 1.2, Trish Telesco's newsletter for MAGIC a co-op of writers, artists and craftspeople. You can reach Kalioppe MAGIC, 492 Breckenridge, Buffalo NY 14213.