Nikki Van De Car - The Junior Witchs Handbook: A Kids Guide to White Magic, Spells, and Rituals

I f you only associate witchcraft with pointy black hats, ugly moles, flying on broomsticks, and putting curses on innocent children, think again.

If you think its all pretend, youre wrong about that, too.

The history of witchcraft is made up of powerful women, but maybe not in the way you think. Sure, there are stories of the witches of Salem calling down curses, but that isnt really what it was all about. Witchcraft was often misunderstood, and wise women or hedge witches who provided natural healing remedies and support for childbirth were accused of some pretty crazy things, like killing pigs or hexing cottonlikely because those whose pigs or cotton died in a blight wanted someone to blame. In reality, witchcraft has always been about caring for the earth and caring for those who dwell here.

And that certainly isnt done with creepy rituals or calling on any demons! Magic is essentially good, and its all based on something incredibly simple: intention. If you mean for something to be true, then it is. If you chant a spell, but you dont actually believe in it or really put your soul into it, then nothing will happen. But you can stand there and say nothing at all and really feel what you want to create, and that can be the most powerful magic of all. It all comes from you.

So, obviously, that can work both ways. We certainly have the power to intend for something bad to happen, but a witch knows better, because she is bound by something called The Rule of Three. This rule, which is essentially a law of the universe, declares that anything we put forth into the world will be returned upon us, threefold. So you can see why, in practice, all magic is white magic!

There is magic all around us, and it is created by us and for us. It is in the air we breathe and the ground on which we walk, in the space between what we wish were true and what we make true. Accessing this magic requires imagination, creativity, a connection with the earth, and, most of all, a sense of curiosity and possibility within your heart.

This handbook is just a guide to get you started on your journey to becoming a witch. Youll learn the basics of herb magic, crystals, ritual magic, and meditation magic, but the spells and potions included here are just a way for you to begin your practice so that you can expand it from there, creating your own spells and your own rituals, as you grow into your powers.

The book is organized into three sections: Friends, Fulfillment, and Family, the three areas of our lives that have the most impact on us and that require the most of us. Within those sections are three categories of spellwork: Creating, Healing, and Empowering, and each category includes at least one spell and meditation. Creation magic always has to come at the beginning, for obvious reasonswithout it, we would be nowhere! In Creating, youll be asking questions of yourselfwhat is it that you want in a friend, in your life, in your home? And then youll get to work making it happen.

Because life isnt perfect (and is therefore so much more interesting), its important to practice healing magic in all of these areas. People hurt us, and we hurt themits part of being in this world and interacting with those around us. Knowing how to heal from those hurts, and to help others do so, is at the core of any witchs practice.

The final category of each section, Empowering, will help you remember who you are and what you are capable of. It will help you shed any limitations you might think you have and fully step into your powerpower that is your birthright, has been passed on through generations of women, and is yours to claim.

Keep track of everything you do in your own magic notebook. In witchy terms, this is called a grimoire. Sometimes you may not have the ingredients you need for a particular spell on hand, and thats okay! You can make any substitutions you like, and just keep track of them in your grimoire. The Table of Correspondences will help you come up with any replacements you might need.

For now, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Lets work some magic.

A n altar is a place to focus your thoughts and energies, in either very specific or very general ways, depending on whats going on in your life at that moment.

Your room is probably the best place for your altar, either in the corner on the floor or on your dresser or bedside table. It doesnt need to be very big.

Start with the basics: First, what is going to be your central symbol? It can be a photograph or some other image of someone you love, an ancestor, or even a goddess. You could use a bowl or chalice if you want to focus on inviting positive energies into your life, or an incense burner if you want to disperse negative energies. You could use a large, powerful crystalanything that feels right. This kind of magic is very personal and very dependent on your own intuition. And remember, your decision is not finalthis is just what your altar will look like today. You can change it around anytime you want to.

You may also want to incorporate the elements. Here are some possibilities: