Passion and all that entails – lust, infatuation, rage,
aggression, obsession, power, drive and motivation, domination, feminine power,
etc.
She is ruled by fire – the fearsome aspect of the planetary
energy of Venus, volcanic and volatile. In a sense, she is the domineering
match to the masculine Mars, the traitorous seductress. Despite our own moral
connotations with such – she is not marred by our own virtue, for she exists
unabashed and guiltless. She cannot be controlled, she cannot be mastered, and
she cannot be owned. Her rage is explosive, her hunger insatiable, she is decadence
and gluttony, she is wrath and vanity – and she will not be judged for it. What
she wants, she takes; what she desires, she deserves. Conversely, she is the master of passion – with the power to
incite and dispel it. She is the dichotomy – the renunciate, the hedonist – and
everything in between. Under the guise of the Red Sister, she is the picture of
virtue – she who abhors the material and casts away all worldly possessions,
she is the ascetic and the chaste. “You may know my nature – but do not presume
to know my intention.”
Offerings, including but not limited to:
All things beautiful, lush and expensive – fine wines,
champagne, perfumes, sweet cigars/cigarettes, beauty supplies, jewelry, roses,
red candles bathed in oils, sugars and syrups, decadent foods (such as
chocolate or anything deemed an aphrodisiac); but on the darker side: knives, sulphur,
blood, red chiles, illicit substances (though not recommended – for your own
good)
(For the Red Sister: white or red roses, anointing oils,
flavorful “peasant” foods)
Ideal locations for workings:
Taverns/bars, brothels, street-corners,
places of luxury or excess – she is also particularly suited to bath rituals
and mirrors.
To Call Her
Gather a collection of offerings, a square of red cloth or a
mirror on which you have drawn her Seal (above). Drawing it in red lipstick may
garner you some bonus points. Upon this, the offerings will be presented.
Prepare yourself by dabbing on some perfume or inspecting your own image in a
mirror. Music is always a welcome addition to workings with her, as dancing is
a great way to align yourself to her energy. When you are ready, light 3 or 7
red candles and begin your working. Hymns may be sung and prayers may be said,
though I offer none. As with the Black Mother, I recommend speaking freely –
give yourself over to the power and allow the words to flow ecstatically.
Passion is rarely planned, but captured in a moment. Allow it to run through
you.
Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need, but do so
honestly. She can easily see through lies and she will draw from you truth –
often truths you do not want to face yourself. But without facing them, you
cannot be free, and you cannot grow. Allow your guilt and shame to be expunged
by her fire and let it ignite within you its passion. Be warned, though,
obsession follows her – be sure to set up clear lines when working with her. I
don’t lay a circle often, but for this it is recommended.
When you are through, leave the offerings for her. Thank her
graciously and give her a respectful bow. You may now leave the circle.
It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks.
For those familiar with Quimbanda, many manifestations of Pomba Gira are a perfect example of the Red Queen – and much of this working mimics her observance, though less specialized based on aspect.
She of zealous passion – infatuous and impetuous – she is the Warrioress, the Lover, lustful and raging. She is the guiltless, the unapologetic, the one who rides in brazen nudity and cuts down all who stand in her way. She is the Whore and the Soldier – mad with passion and blossoming in ecstasy as she slips the knife between the ribs. Both feral and refined, she is adorned in silk and lace with blood at her teeth and a smile on her twisted lips. She of double-edged laugh, the loving and the hateful – the Red Queen comes.
This ritual is intended as a love-drawing spell, however
with very minor alterations it can be used to draw in nearly anything. This can
easily be done by supplementing the items placed within the jar with those more
befitting of your intent and swapping out the red candle for a hue more suited. Live animals are used in this ritual and it is important to handle [the moth]
carefully or risk both endangering it and the “health” of your spell.
Ingredients
Red Candle
Jar & String
Thin Cloth – a coffee filter would also suffice, assuming it’s
not one of those newfangled conical ones
Moth
Personal Affect – an item or the hair, fluids, etc. of he/she/they
you wish to attract. If you wish to attract a more general person or concept, blend yourself an herb/spice mixture and
dust the bottom of the jar with it. You may – and are encouraged – to do this in
addition to the personal affect so as to dictate through what focus you draw
this person to you.
A pinch of sugar/a drop of honey
Optional:
Attraction Oil – highly
recommended
Instructions
First and foremost, you must procure a moth. Don’t make
things too complicated. Turn on some outside lighting and (with jar in hand,
already prepped with your personal affect and/or herb mixture) wait patiently
for your guest to arrive. If you’re having some difficulty, you may find this article useful. Once the moth has arrived, simply catch it in your jar and placing the
cloth (or coffee filter, make sure to poke some holes!) over-top and fasten
either with the ring or with a bit of string. Needless to stay, be careful not
to injure the moth (specifically its delicate wings) when “jarring.” While it
is a myth that to touch a moth’s wings will prevent it from flying, handling
them is still not recommended. Take care to be gentle: you want to make sure
that the moth not only remains alive, but can survive when freed.
{Possible Herb Recipe: Coral-colored Rose Petals – the perfect mix of red for romance/lust, yellow for friendship and pink for sweetness, Lavender, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Cardamom, Rosemary and a touch of Ginger}
Once that’s out of the way, the rest is a cake-walk. Dress your candle in Attraction Oil and
carve in it the name of he/she/they whom you wish to attract. In a dark
room, place the jar (and moth) near the candle and light. If you so choose, you
may read the following incantation or try your hand at freestyle rap, do an interpretive dance or
whatever gets you in that “attracting spirit.” Allow the candle to burn away a
bit – watching the moth incessantly fly itself into the walls of the jar, as
moths have been known to do.
In the hallowed dark –
I am a beacon, The dancing play of
light – ‘pon silken curtain of night, And you – on dusty wings – come calling; I draw you in, I draw you in, Like the moth to the
flame, I draw you in – By witch’s will, By witch’s song: Come.
After you feel as though you’ve waiting long enough (or can’t
bear to watch that resilient moth fly head-first, kamikaze-style toward the
flame) take the jar outside (turning off that pesky outside lighting) and
letting it fly free once more. You have successfully jarred the moth’s interminable
desire to reach the flame. Collect the contents of the jar into the cloth you
used to “lid” the vessel and add to it, a drop of candlewax and a dab of honey //
pinch of sugar. Using the same string (or a freshly cut piece if you opted for
the jar-ring), bind the cloth into a small bag and place it near the
still-burning candle. Once the candle has burned out, collect the bag and carry
to draw unto you the object of your desire.
When I created this process, I had been through a very rough
period in my life. A dear friend and ex-lover of mine went missing and, if that
were not enough, I – as a witch – had a very hard time dealing with the fact I
was not able to find him. At was at this time, I made the choice to drink
Morning Glory tea and seek him out – what I found was all the more
heartbreaking. I knew he had gone from this life – and lo and behold, months
later the news arrived. It was at this time – because, even though I knew he
had perished, there was a touch of hope that perhaps I had misinterpreted the
signs, misunderstood the message – that I decided to remove my heart.
So, I sat down and worked out the specifics, knowing well
what I was doing. When the time came to do the ritual, I prepared. I had
crossed every “t”, dotted every “I” – but as I began, I knew this was not what
it seemed. I had written it to free myself of the heartache by means of
metaphorically removing my heart. What I found was all the more placating. As
the ritual proceeded, I knew I would not be removing my heart – but memorializing
it. I penned out a lengthy letter, in which I tied up all loose ends – not just
with the aforementioned, but all loose ends of my life. I wrote them all out
and folded the paper inside the heart, let the wax seal it in and I had done what
needed doing, and made an oath then and there:
All these things, I
will carry with me always, but no longer might they hold me back. They have
been sealed in the past, so that I may move forward – but forever, all of them
will remain, tucked away in my chest.
I sealed up that heart, wrapped it in cloth and then stowed
it away in a miniature, wooden chest (Word
of wisdom, though, make sure you remember where you stash it, because I spent
20 minutes searching all over for the damned thing so I could take a photo or
two!).
So, if you are ready to allow the past be the past, and seal
up the memories – I have brought to you the ritual.
Things You’ll Need:
For the Heart –
Air-Dry or Oven Bake Clay – however, if you have a kiln, by
all means… – also, as a last ditch, you can use clay-rich soil/dirt, I talk
about the process here
Wax – you can use candlewax or paraffin, which can be found
at most supermarkets (you’ll have to ask someone, because no place puts it in
the same damn section [I’m not still bitter])
(Optional) Paint – I used red and pink wax, so I forewent
the painting process
For the Rest –
A Box/Chest/Bag or other Storage Option
Time (& other supplies of your choosing) – as I said, I
sat down and wrote everything out, but that isn’t the only way. If you want to
burn some things, scream, do a little crying, do what you need to do, just make
sure you have something to stuff into the heart!
The process is relatively simple, but somewhat time
consuming. Begin by sculpting your heart – as you can see, I went the more
anatomical route, but the symbolic heart is perfectly fine – it’s your heart,
sculpt it however you damn well please. However, you’re going to want to hollow
it at least partially out. That’s where you’ll be shoving all the memories and
tokens and whatnot. After complete, allow it to cure – through air drying or
oven baking. This can be a timely process, don’t rush it.
Once completely dry, in a double boiler, melt your wax. It’s
not recommended to melt paraffin in the microwave, as it’s a minor fire hazard.
If you don’t happen to have a double boiler, a bowl that snuggly hugs the sides
of a pot will work just fine – though not plastic, that would be another
hazard. Once the wax is thoroughly melted, remove it from the boiler and allow
it to cool momentarily. On a nonstick surface, such as wax paper or aluminum
foil, place your heart hollow side up. Pour the wax into the hollow and turn it
so that it evenly coats the inside. This may also take some time. After a few
moments, the wax cools enough to touch – so you can work it with your hands.
Once the inside has cooled enough to remain solid, cover the
rest, following the same procedure, allowing it to cool and then working it
with your hands. This seals any cracks and also gives the added bonus of a
nice, smooth, shiny coat once hardened.
Once the heart is complete, the rest is very much up to you –
however you wish to go about it. I went through a lengthy process of setting up
an entire table for the working – covered in photos, keepsakes and the like
(which I then boxed separately for safe keeping, out of sight and out of mind).
After having written the very long letter, I folded it up and placed it inside,
then melted a bit of wax over it to secure both it and a candle – which I lit
and let burn down so that it would seal it the rest of the way.
As seen above, I keep
mine in a small cedar box, wrapped in a handkerchief on a bed of Sulphur – but your
choice of storage is entirely up to you.
As a word of warning, since the “removal” I become a witchy-nun – vows and everything, so that could be a possible side effect, I’m not entirely sure.
It’s that time of the year – Valentine’s Day. While sure,
you could spend your time beheading temple priests who wed Christian couples in
the true(?) vein of the season, I’m sure most of us will be conforming to the
more secular (capitalist) depiction of the “holiday.” For those trying to land
yourselves a beloved – or just impress the one you have, I’ve compiled a few
spells and charms to aid in the process.
Glowing Glamour
Finely Powder:
Onion Peel
Egg Shells (washed and dried)
Cinnamon
Rose (red, pink, coral)
Cardamom
Caraway – if you want more of a lusty influence
For those with a darker complexion, feel free to add varying
amounts of cocoa to meet your tone!
Also – when I say finely,
I actually mean: absolutely obliterate the stuff! Forego the mortar and pestle
and hop straight to the spice/coffee grinder. You want as fine a powder you can
possibly get.
To use, sit before the mirror and apply as generously or
sparingly as you see fit, speaking/visualizing/commanding that you have an air
of warmth to soften even the hardest of hearts.
Luck in Love Charm
Take (2) copper coins (such as a penny) and adorn them in
oil or perfume to match your intent – I recommend my Attraction Oil. Place the
first coin face-up and drop red wax upon it. Acting swiftly, place a rose petal in
the wet wax. Again, drip the wax, now upon the petal – using it to cement the
other coin face down so that the faces look to one another. Place in a small,
red bag worn about the neck or drop it into your left shoe.
Seven-Knot Ribbon
1 —– 2 —– 3 —– 1 —– 3 —– 2 —– 1
Cut a length of red ribbon, and sit before a candle. On the
first day, place one knot at the center and one on either edge of the ribbon –
let the candle burn 1/3 of the way down, tie the cord around your (left) wrist –
ensuring another knot is not place upon it permanently. On the second day, tie
another knot 1/3 of the way from the edge to the center knot on both sides –
the knots should number 5. Tie the cord into your hair or about the neck and
let the candle burn another 1/3. On the third day, finish the cord by placing a
knot on either side between the newest and middle knot, allowing the candle to
burn all the way out. Tuck the ribbon into your underwear to draw love to you.
7-Day Candle Drawing
To draw a specific person, secure a personal affect – in this
case, hair is the best – and upon a square of paper write (without lifting your
pen) your own name and the name of he/she you wish to draw to you into a
circle. It doesn’t have to be pretty, don’t worry – and you may wish to forego
dotting the “i”s and crossing the “t”s. Fold the paper in half so that the
names are face-to-face (ideally, the paper should be folded from corner to furthest
corner – forming a triangle, but don’t sweat it too much). Sandwich the
personal affect (along with one of your own) between the names – if you’re
using hair, twist your hair around his/hers. Place upon this a 7-Day Candle –
Our Lady of Guadalupe is fine – and light.
Allow the candle to burn until it has almost reached its end.
Remove the paper and drop it into the flame. Allow the candle to burn the rest
of the way – love is on its way.
You can also check out a few love rituals previously posted:
The Qedavian Apocrypha 