Three Times is the Charm

 Number 4 in my Folk Witchery series
  
Three times is the charm is a very old saying and relates directly to the magical process.

In my last Blog article 'Now Cast Your Circle' you will see that in effect the circle boundary was cast three times. The first time with blue Witchfire, the second with consecrated water and the third time with incense.

Three is a very powerful number both in the physical and magical worlds.

In the physical world three is the number of sides of a triangle, the strongest and most stable shape in nature. A box can collapse if it hasn't been given triangular supports across its corners. A three legged table or stool is stable on even the most uneven surface.

In the magical world it is traditional for a spell or invocation to be repeated thrice (three times) and Witches speak of the Triple Goddess - Maiden, Mother and Crone.
The reason why we repeat the spell three times is also because we need to get through to the magical universe to activate the energy we need. I was once told that the first repetition is for the conscious mind, the second repetition is for the subconscious or unconscious mind, and the third repetition goes beyond these to our magical mind. So it is the third repetition that actually gets the magic moving.

It is also traditional to cast the circle three times, or with a triple boundary, for a similar reason. However I also incorporated a bit more into the ritual I gave you.

The first casting was done with Witchfire. Witchfire is the personal power of the Witch and (if you manage it properly) an energy which rather than just being drawn from within yourself, is channelled directly from a Universal energy source. Witchfire is effectively the power of life, the energy which turns a lump of dead flesh into a living entity. So by using Witchfire to cast your circle boundary, the boundary, the circle and the magical area all comes alive. And so does the magic within you.

Now we needed to awaken your inner magic so that you could do the next process, the consecration of salt and water, and once that was done, the consecrated water was used for the second boundary.

With the third boundary we raised the magical power levels again, using incense to 'call the quarters'. The quarters or compass points of the circle, East, South, West and North correspond to the magical elements Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These four magical Elements are the building blocks of the magical Universe, the alternative dimension which is the source of the physical world, and by using the consecrated water and incense, we were incorporating those Elements into the very boundary of our magic circle.

Consecrated Water being composed of salt and water is actually a blend of Elemental Earth and Elemental Water. The incense is both Elemental Fire and Elemental Air. So we have the four magical Elements plus the fifth element, Witchfire which enlivens them all.

These five elements together are symbolised by the five point star, the pentacle, which many Witches and Pagans wear.

So the little, simple circle casting I gave you was actually a 'swan' form of magic - floating serenely along on the surface and paddling like fury underneath.

You will find that many traditional spells and Folk Witchery are of a similar ilk, so don't dismiss or disparage traditional spells as being simplistic. There is more going on within than is apparent on the surface.

Angel Magic

As the 29th of September is the feast of St Michael and All Angels I thought it was appropriate to write a little about angel magic.

It is nice to have a way of communicating with your personal Guardian Angel, in ancient Greece this was referred to as your personal Demon, which shows that angels and demons were once one and the same. This is spoken about in some of the Apocryphal books of the bible and in christian myth.

According to legend Lucifer was the favourite angel of God and so had more leeway than other angels. However Lucifer got arrogant and decided he could take over from God and organised a band of rebel angels to seize power. God sent Michael as the head of his own army to battle the rebels and Michael won. Lucifer and all the rebels were cast out of heaven and consigned to the management of Hell.

Again according to legend you are allotted two spirits at birth, the guardian angel who whispers into your right ear and a little demon who whispers into your left ear. The angel is thought of as your conscience and the demon as the little voice that encourages you to be daring and naughty. These are, of course, ways of personifying concepts which can be difficult to explain otherwise - why you should choose to behave in a 'good' or 'bad' way.

There are four archangels which are associated with the elements and the four quarters of the magic circle. These four angels can therefore be used to create a protected area, which is the basic principle behind the well known magical ritual the Banishing Ritual of the Lesser Pentagram.
These four angels are:
Raphael the guardian of the east and angel of Elemental Air
Gabriel the western angel of Elemental Water
Uriel or Oriel who is the northern guardian and angel of Elemental Earth
And in the South Michael with a flaming sword, the guardian of Elemental Fire

You can create a very simple personal protection by saying aloud or in your head:

"Raphael before me, Gabriel behind me, Uriel on my left and 

Michael on my right, guard me in your circle of fire."

You can create a gemstone angel circle too by using a stone for each of the elemental angels:

Agate for Raphael, Pear or coral for Gabriel, black agate or onyx or haematite for Uriel and red jasper or garnet for Michael. In the centre put a white candle and a stone to represent your personal guardian angel, I would suggest angelite or blue lace agate unless you have already chosen one which appeals to you. Then say something like:

Holy angels I ask that you imbue this stone with your power 

and make it a special object to connect me with the 

energy and vitality of my Holy Guardian Angel.

Sit and meditate for a few minutes and if possible leave the candle to burn down. Then take the centre stone and put it in a special pouch to carry with you.

Use it as soon as possible, simple say something like:

'Guardian angel here my plea

Safely guide and watch over me.'