Cerridwen Greenleaf - 5-Minute Magic for Modern Wiccans: Rapid rituals, efficient enchantments, and swift spells

5-minute magic FOR
MODERN WICCANS

5-minute magic FOR
MODERN WICCANS

Rapid rituals, efficient enchantments, and swift spells

CERRIDWEN GREENLEAF

Pick up your rattle, pack up your dreams. Well walk hand-in-hand in a magical land.

Luisah Teish

This book is for all the grandmothers, wise women, elders, crones and other women who have passed down the wisdom we use today. Eternal love and gratitude.

Published in 2019 by CICO Books

An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd

2021 Jockeys Fields 341 E 116th St

London WC1R 4BW New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text Brenda Knight 2019
Design and photography CICO Books 2019

The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.

EISBN: 978-1-78249-758-5

ISBN: 978-1-78249-705-9

Printed in China

Editor: Sophie Elletson

Photographer and stylist: Belle Daughtry

Commissioning editor: Kristine Pidkameny

Senior editor: Carmel Edmonds

Designer: Eliana Holder

Art director: Sally Powell

Production controller: Mai-Ling Collyer

Publishing manager: Penny Craig

Publisher: Cindy Richards

Safety note: Please note that while the use of essential oils, herbs, incense, and particular practices refer to healing benefits, they are not intended to replace diagnosis of illness or ailments, or healing or medicine. Always consult your doctor or other health professional in the case of illness, pregnancy, and personal sensitivities and conditions. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any claim arising out of the general information, recipes, and practices provided in the book.

Contents

Lets face it: we are all overscheduled. Even children and teens need planners and calendar reminders to keep up with all the activities that are part of a modern busy life. Meanwhile, our devices are beeping, buzzing, and constantly reminding us of all we have to do. Whats a busy witch to do? I contend that magic is the ultimate self-help and is also wonderfully creative self-care. While there may not be quite as much time nowadays for daily spells and rites that last many hoursyou can save those for high holidays, Full Moon festivals, and other group gatheringsyou can lead just as magical a life with incantations and enchantments that match the pace of a twenty-first-century pagan lifestyle. Just 5 minutes of everyday magic can bring much meaning into your life, along with the enormous benefits of brighter health, greater prosperity, lasting love, good luck, and that sense of wholeness that can only come from a balance between your mind, body, and spirit.

This book is very much a response to what Ive been hearing from you, dear readers, in all your letters, emails, Facebook messages, and blog comments. Message received, loud and clear! You want more magic in less time for your very busy and very blessed lives. Thanks to your excellent input, this set of spells is steeped in ancient wisdom yet updated for the modern day; it has an emphasis on maximum manifestation in the minimum amount of time. In this book, for the first time, I take time-tested magical workings with a quick turnaround that offer real results. All the rituals here are based on the practice of Wicca, the twentieth-century wisdom tradition based on witchcraft of yore. Here, we are adding a further modern touch, updating for these busy times.

This is an all-purpose spellbook with many magical rituals and charms that you can apply to every aspect of your life: health, wealth, work, creativity, home and family, self-care and love. This also builds upon my earliest spellwork, which was simple, direct, and designed for a fast result. When I was younger, I wanted everything in a hurry! Nowadays, people are busier than ever and are asking for expeditious rites and spells. I agree with you, my fellow Wiccans, that now is the time for a quickening of magic!

Welcome to the world of fast magic! One of the best ways to set the stage for rapid rituals and efficient enchantments is to plan ahead and shop smart, which is easy to do, even with our busy modern lifestyles. Nowadays, there are amazing candles and essential oils at the grocer, pharmacy, and apothecary store; cord at the craft store; incense, herbs, and crystals aplenty at the mind-body bookshop and health-food store; and metaphysical must-haves are around every corner. I, for one, can hardly believe that witchy cinnamon brooms can be found at Trader Joes and Bed Bath and Beyond, and online. All of this makes it simple to speed up your spellcraft and sail down the express lane to a happier life infused with magic every step of the way. The spells and ritual work in this book cover the gamut and theres truly something for everyone, from beginners to those of you who are very advanced in your wielding of the craft. This section is intended to cover the basics and provide tools and knowledge to prepare the way for making fast magic.

Your Essential Tools

Your altar is the center of your enchantments, your personal power space. A Wiccan altar is where you place symbolic and functional items for the purpose of spells and ritual work as well as a space for speaking chants and prayers. Your altar can and shouldevolve and change with the seasons.

Your Book of Shadows is a journal of your choosing in which you write down your magical workings and notes. When you track the effectiveness of a ritual, you can use this to refine your spellcraft in the future and your power will increase.

Candles are truly essential and contain all four of the elemental energies:

* AirOxygen feeds and fans the candle flame.

* EarthThe solid wax forms the candle.

* WaterMelted wax is the fluid elemental state.

* FireThe flame sparks and blazes.

You can dress or anoint the candle with a couple of drops of essential oil on the side of the candle using a dropper or cotton ball. Go with your instinct on choosing sizes, shapes, and colors. I recommend keeping an array of options on hand. Different candle colors can enhance your spells and many of the rituals in this book suggest specific colors.

Magical knives: An athame (pronounced a-thaw-may) is your magical knife and should be placed on the right side of your altar. The athame is used to direct the energies raised in your ritual and usually has a dull blade. Since black is the color that absorbs energy, athames should have a dark handle. A bolline is a white-handled knife that is used for making other tools and for cutting materials, such as cords and herbs, within a magic circle. You can cut a branch to create your wand, for example.