A Banishing Ritual

Banishment is one of those tricky gray-area rituals that gets a conscientious witch to thinking. Is it okay to banish someone? Does this cross over that rather sketchy line of acting harmfully towards another? But if done with kindness and grace, banishing someone from your life or even some unwanted thing from your life, can actually be a very positive act.

I personally have someone who has been a very unpleasant presence in my life for many, many years and while I have been as tolerant as humanly possible with them, I can no longer endure their painfully negative energy; energy that is routinely directed at me. And so the time has come to sever the ties between us and send them away as powerfully- and as gently- as I am able. Here is a fairly simple ritual for getting rid of that which no longer serves its purpose in your life, for whatever reason.

You'll want to perform this ritual when the moon is waning. A Saturday is the best day of the week for this, and if you're lucky enough for the new moon to land on a Saturday night, you'll find yourself with an additional boost of power in your corner. However, any time during the dark of the moon will work just fine so don't feel you have to do your banishment ritual on a specific day. Choose an object that represents what it is you want to banish: a photograph or personal belonging of someone you no longer want in your life, something that represents a bad habit you wish to break, a failed endeavor (a business, a personal relationship) that you no longer want your heart to pine over, or anything negative that you just can't stop dwelling on and want permanently gone! Place the object on your altar surrounded by four white candles. Also use white candles for the four quarters in your circle as well. Cleanse the perimeter of your circle with the four elements: sprinkle it with salt water for earth and water and burn sage for fire and air. Cast your circle and call upon those deities that are known for being powerful custodians of the cosmos: Hecate, Anubis, Cerridwen or anyone else that will aid you with their strength and ability to weed out that which is negative.

State clearly what it is you want banished and then sprinkle your object with the salt water and pass it through the sage smoke. Now, instead of continuing to focus on the negative in regards to this person or situation, express the positive energy you wish to draw to you in its place. You want to turn the negative into a positive. You can say that you wish to turn your broken heart into one filled with perfect love. Or if you're banishing a bad habit, express the good that will come of ridding yourself of it rather than focusing on what it's doing to you now. Move widdershins around your circle and chant

"I release you, negative energy from my past,

No pain nor sorrow ever lasts,

I heal my spirit, I heal my soul,

As I release you from my life

I am again made whole."

At first you may feel rather tired or slow, but as you continue to chant and release the negative from your life you'll feel your energy building and growing stronger. Continue to raise this energy by moving and chanting faster and faster. As you feel the spell coming to its climax, stop moving in the circle, stand before your altar and direct your energy into the object. Say

"I cast this spell now three times three

As I will it, so mote it be"

and either tear, break or somehow dramatically destroy this object (it can also be burned in a cauldron with a fire already lit in it). Ground yourself, thank the spirits for their help, close your circle and then permanently dispose of your object by throwing it in the trash, flushing it down the toilet, burying it in the ground or tossing it into moving water. Be sure to give thanks to Mother Earth for her recycling powers and if you can, open your doors and windows and with a broom sweep out the negative energies from this ritual. Likewise, you can smudge your home with sage to re-cleanse your environment.

Hestia

As a general rule, I don't work with nor do I worship any specific gods or goddesses during ritual or while working spells. I tend instead to merely call on a generalized idea of the god and goddess in my invitation to join me in my sacred circle, the male and female embodiment of all that is divine and spiritual. I've given some thought as to why I don't think in more specific terms and I think it's because I just like the simplicity of keeping it generic. There are so many pantheons to choose from and none of them thus far has felt quite right to me. I admire those who adhere to the lineage of the Greeks, or the Egyptians, or the Celts. And while there are some truly interesting gods and goddesses to choose from, I stick with what feels right to me, boring as that may be.

I do on occasion call on one or two goddesses, every now and again. I like to work with Diana at the new moon and have called on her to help me work a spell or two, and Brigid when I am feeling at my most creative. There is, however, one goddess that quite appeals to me and if I were to ever choose a patron goddess to really get to know, to work with, to rely on, I would choose Hestia.

Hestia, in Greek mythology, is the goddess of the hearth, domesticity and family. She was rather unpretentious in her temple, sitting on a plain wooden throne with a rough wool cushion. The fire in a Greek home was never to allowed to go out, save for during ritual when it was intended to be extinguished and then relit, and as the goddess of all the households, the first offering of every sacrifice went to Hestia. Just like the ritual flames lit and extinguished in a sacred circle, as well as the eternal flames lit for various personal spiritual purposes, Hestia embodies all that is sacred in a very feminine and nurturing way.

As the goddess of the hearth, and basically stuck within a dwelling, Hestia figures in no wild tales of adventures as do most other gods and goddesses. She defers to others and lives a quiet existence providing what is essential to daily survival. She's sort of the no frills-no fluff, always dependable girl who tends to the essentials at home while everyone else is out living large, and I rather like that.

Keeping it simple, keeping it gentle and in the process taking care of all those who are deeply loved with just a small 'thanks' given in return each day...now that sounds good to me.

Color: Magickal Properties

Color is a very powerful thing to work with, as all color is imbued with different energies. At some future time I'll talk about the healing properties of colors in relation to our chakras, but today I'll keep the discussion to color magick and working with color to create more potent spells. This might be basic 101 to a lot of people, but to some it's all new territory. Candles, herbs, flowers, paper and any decorations used for spellwork, circle and/or altars can be intensified by bringing objects made of the appropriate colors into play, and even more so by incorporating any gods or goddesses they are linked with, as well as the days of the week they are connected to. Keep this in mind when using them for spellwork: timing is everything when it comes to power!

Red. This is the color of pure vibrant energy. Passion and desire. Red represents the Life Force in everything. It attracts good luck, but can also stir up anger and other unsettling emotions. Because of its power, it's best to use it or be exposed to it in moderation as any emotions it draws out can quickly get out of hand. Use it in magick to overcome difficulties or to increase determination and courage. It's the color of the Celtic Goddess Brid, goddess of the forge, and all things creative. It is also linked with Tuesday and the planet Mars.

Orange. Orange symbolizes joy, optimism and a will to succeed. This is also another powerful color and in magick is used to garner personal happiness and fertility too. This is a color of communication as it is one of the colors associated with Mercury, the messenger of the Roman Gods. Orange is linked with Sunday and the Sun.

Yellow. This color is a mind stimulant and represents achievement and learning. In divination it is used for success, new beginnings and inspiration. It evokes the sun. Linked closely with the color gold, it is a secondary color of the God and male divinity. Be careful with too much yellow though as it can turn from courageous to cowardly quite fast. Yellow is linked with Wednesday and the planet Mercury.

Green. Green is the color of harmony, nature, calmness, balance and growth. In magick it symbolizes prosperity and wealth, as well as healing and luck. This is a very positive color to use in spellwork when attempting to draw something to you in the most positive of ways. It is a sub-color of the Goddess as it is symbolic of fertility and Mother Earth. Use it also in spells to draw new love to you or to strengthen an existing relationship. Green is linked with Saturday and the planet Saturn.

Blue. Blue is the color of Spirit. It also represents healing, water, idealism and has a calming energy. Blue can be used in magick for occult protection, to enhance psychic gifts and in dreamwork. This is a very protective color. Blue is linked with Friday and the planet Venus.

Purple. Purple is the color of high spirituality as it provides a link to higher planes, psychic gifts and our dreams. This a very powerful healing color as it represents the link between our mind, body and spirit. Magickally it is used to gain insight into all things esoteric that we are seeking. Purple is linked with Thursday and the planet Jupiter.

Pink. Pink is, not surprisingly, the color of love and friendship, happiness and harmony. It represents women's mysteries and is a lesser color of the Goddess. Like green, this color is linked to the Goddess Venus. It is used magickally to restore a sense of peace and calm when things have become difficult or chaotic in relation to our emotions.

Brown. Brown represents natural wisdom, an affinity with nature and healing for animals. In magickal applications it is used to create a protective shield, to guard our homes and keep them safe, and to keep us grounded when we are feeling like we are being pulled in a direction we don't necessarily wish to go.

Black. Black represents the unseen forces in our lives, though these don't necessarily have to be negative, despite black's reputation as a color of all that is "evil." It is used for communicating with the dead and for endings to situations. In magick it is used to sow the seeds of new beginnings where needed, to absorb negativity and in banishing and limitation spells.

White. White is the color of the Divine Force in our lives. It is the color of peace, purity and truth. White is a cleansing color. In magick white is used to enhance psychic matters, to begin a new phase and as protection. It is frequently used in visionary magick. The color white is linked with Monday and the Moon.

Silver. This is the color of the Goddess and is always present on the altar to represent her, usually in the form of a silver candle. Silver is also the color of visions and intuition, inspiration and transformation and aids in giving birth to our potential. This is the color of the moon.

Gold. This is the color of the God, and like silver and the Goddess above, is always present on the altar as well, usually in the form of a gold candle. Gold symbolizes achievement, success, wealth and longevity. In magick this color is used to cast spells for success in any area of our lives and to promote confidence. It is associated with the most powerful Sun gods such as Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology, and with Ra, the Egyptian God of the Sun.

By incorporating color magick into your daily practice, and being aware of how these colors can work, both very powerfully and intimately for you, you can expand your magickal possibilities only as far as the depths of your imagination can travel.