Here’s a quick recipe to create exactly the right mood for a romantic evening.
Stir together in a clockwise motion:
Middle Earth Magic: Inspired Ideas and Seasonal Spells for Your Enchanted Life
I grew up on a farm in West Virginia and learned much about herbs, trees, animals, gardening, foraging and so much about nature. I incorporate this wisdom I learned from elders in my family into my spellwork. When I finally left the farm, I majored in Medieval Studies, my attempt to emulate my idol, J.R.R. Tolkien. All these influences led me to my own blended brew which I call "middle earth magic," containing a mix of the modern and the time-tested "old ways."
Cerridwen Greenleaf
Cerridwen Greenleaf has worked with many of the leading lights of the spirituality world including Starhawk, Z Budapest, John Michael Greer, Christopher Penczak, Raymond Buckland, Luisah Teish, and many more. She gives herbal, crystal and candle magic workshops throughout North America. Greenleaf's graduate work in medieval studies has given her deep knowledge she utilizes in her work, making her work unique in the field. A bestselling author, her books include Moon Spell Magic, The Book of Kitchen Witchery, The Magic of Gems and Crystals and the Witch’s Spell Book series. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
On a small piece of paper, write the name of your would-be love in red ink and roll up the scroll. Anoint the paper with rose or amber essential oil. Tie the scroll with red threads, incanting one line of the following spell per knot:
...
The sweet scent of petals and herbs can bring love when you cast this spell. Try to perform this spell during a full moon.
- A small lidded box
- 1 rose quartz crystal
- 1⁄2 cup fresh red and pink rose petals
- 1 whole vanilla bean, chopped
- 1⁄3 cup dried woolly thyme
- A pinch of ground cinnamon
- Piece of white paper and a pen
Mix the flowers and herbs together and fill the bottom half of the box with the mixture. Then write five qualities you want in a new lover on the piece of paper. They should be a mix of personality traits along with physical characteristics. For example, I did this in a few years ago and wrote that I wanted a love with long black hair. Sure enough, I met a handsome man with beautiful, waist-length black hair. This manifesting magic works! Fold the paper at least once so it will fit into the box. Fill the rest of the box up with the herbs. Nestle the crystal in the herbs right at the top, then close the lid. Each night, open the box up and take a sniff to remind you of your search for true love.
Nature is the ultimate creator. At a nearby gardening or hardware store, get an assortment of seed packets to plant newness into your life. If your thumb is not the greenest, try nasturtiums, which are extremely hardy, grow quickly, and will spread to beautify any area. They also reseed themselves, which is a lovely bonus. Light the following candles, charging them with appropriate gems and stones:
- Green candle with peridot or jade for creativity, prosperity, and growth
- Orange candle with jasper or onyx for clear thinking and highest consciousness
- Blue candle with turquoise or celestite for serenity, kindness, and a happy heart
- White candle with quartz or limestone for purification and safety
Put the seeds under the soil with your fingers and tamp them down gently with your wand, the branch, which you should also stick in the ground at this time. Water your new moon garden, and affirmative change will begin in your life that very day. Get ready for the exquisiteness of new love. Ahhhhh!
To attract new love, two nights before the full moon, take a pink votive candle and place it inside your cauldron or any large metal pot. Lay a rose and a bell beside the cauldron and your altar. Use either rose or apple blossom essential oil to anoint the candle’s wick. For the next two nights, cup the candle in your hands and direct loving thoughts into its flame. On the night of the full moon, take a thorn from the rose and carve the name of your heart’s desire into the candle’s wax, reciting:
I will find true love.
An altar is a place of power—your personal power—where you can make magic. It should be an expression of your deepest self, filled with artifacts that hold personal resonance. Allow your altar to be a work in progress that changes with the seasons and reflects your inner cycles.
To create your altar, find a small table and drape it in richly colored, luxurious fabrics—perhaps red satin or a burgundy velvet scarf. Take one red and one pink candle and arrange them around a sweet-smelling incense such as amber, rose, or jasmine. Decorate your altar with tokens that represent love to you: a heart-shaped chunk of ruby glass, potpourri made with rose and amethyst, a photo of your lover. Fridays are the time for spelling love, right before dawn. Before you light your candles, anoint them with a love oil you select from the following pages.
Plants carry potent energy you can use to amplify your magical workings. Use the signs of the sun, moon and stars to your advantage and, over time, you will come to know which ones are most effective for you. Make sure to use your own astrological chart in working with these herbs. Here is a guide to the astrological associations of plants you may grow in your kitchen garden or keep dried in your pantry:
Aries, ruled by Mars: carnation, cedar, clove, cumin, fennel, juniper, peppermint and pine.
