which I learnt how to harness my emotions with the strength of a dragon, and how to use them as fuel for magickal workings and personal growth. The head of the dragon is decorated with ‘URUZ’, a Viking rune symbolizing endings, new beginnings and strength. Positive growth often requires a trip into the darker realms as part of the cycle of renewal and this was the lesson I learnt through a series of losses and hardships that ultimately led to new, better opportunities and experiences.
Another work of Witchy body modification I undertook around the same time as my dragon tattoo is my labret piercing. This is a ten-gauge steel stud inserted about one centimetre below the centre of my bottom lip. To mark myself so drastically in such a visible position required quite a serious reason. My labret represents one of the most unnerving spiritual challenges I have ever experienced – a ten-day Buddhist meditation retreat called Vipassana in July, 1995. During this time I learnt a very difficult technique of meditation: it requires complete dedication, as you have to agree at the orientation lecture that under no circumstances will you shoot through and abandon the course. The teachers of Vipassana ask for this reassurance from you because they know how hard the course is. For ten days, although you are surrounded by others, you must neither speak, look nor make gestures at anyone, and you concentrate solely on Vipassana meditation. For two hours in the middle of the day you are able to speak to the teachers but other than that you are guided by a morning and afternoon teaching session. Your day consists of rising at 4am and focusing only on your breathing and the subtle sensations in your body for no less than fourteen hours of sitting meditation. In addition, your food intake is very strict with a light vegetarian meal for breakfast and lunch, and only herbal tea and fruit for dinner – and of course there is no coffee, smoking or alcohol.
You become paranoid, depressed, frustrated, and occasionally ecstatic over the ten days, but on completion the peace of mind you have achieved is better than sex! Vipassana was one of the most difficult yet rewarding things I have ever done, and I’m sure my teachers would be horrified to know that the experience inspired me to pierce my body with steel. However, during the course you are encouraged to contemplate the notion of the impermanence of the flesh and the permanence of the spirit, and the transitory nature of pleasure and suffering. Essentially, the ritual of my labret piercing was a permanent piece of steel inserted into the impermanent, organic medium of flesh. The pain of the piercing was so intense that transcending it became blissful and as such it summed up what I learnt at Vipassana.
Another form of body modification is makeup – when applied with intent it can be a magickal expression. Colour affects our emotions and others’ emotions around us, and enhancing or exaggerating our facial features can be a magickal act. Usually Witches wear no makeup when attending coven meetings, but for open group gatherings everyone dresses up, and on these occasions I outline my eyes with black and smear silver glitter onto my eyelids. Doing this, I am announcing to others that I am ready to enter into a realm of mystery and enchantment.
I have a headband that sits low across my forehead set with a quartz crystal over the third eye area which I often wear when doing intense meditation, as the crystal placed here can amplify psychic powers. It was a tradition among the ancient Druids to wear crowns with open-set jewels in the centre of the forehead for similar reasons.
As a Witch I believe everything can be imbued with a sense of magickal purpose – even the most routine of chores like getting dressed every morning. As a Catholic I was brought up to think that an overt interest in personal appearance was vain and to be frowned upon. As a Witch I think vanity is a good thing, though by this I am subverting the generally accepted meaning of vanity. To me, vanity means having an ever-evolving interest in your appearance for completely personal reasons, not because you want to appeal to, impress, manipulate or dominate others. Vanity can be a form of self-expression that involves being aware of, and in touch with, the inner self and expressing that externally.
After my teen years of dressing radically, I went through a stage in my early twenties where I downplayed my personal appearance and convinced myself I was ugly and undeserving of any special enhancement. I would throw on any old thing or just buy an item of clothing that thousands of other people were wearing, I didn’t experiment with makeup and I stuck to a few basic, familiar things.
But as I continued developing my Witchcraft over the next few years, I saw my inner world reflecting more and more on my outer world, and so I got in touch with enjoying and playing with my appearance again, but with a more evolved sense of purpose. The creative process of dressing up and wearing elaborate makeup is an empowering Witchy act and as I continue to grow, I continue to take decorating myself seriously as an outward expression of my ever-evolving spiritual psyche. Of course there are days when nothing beats a neat little black dress and smoothed back hair and discreetly applied makeup (or a pair of crappy trackies!), but that’s my point – Witchy style is about being in touch with your needs and desires. It is an expression of self-interest and self-love, and that is very empowering.
This Goes with This and That Goes with That
ALL YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN SPELLS
The most powerful magickal experiences will always be the ones that you have had a major hand in creating.
Here you can tailor-make your own spells by following all or some of the steps below and utilizing the magickal correspondences which follow in the rest of this chapter. Don’t be afraid to try anything, and remember – it doesn’t have to go like clockwork! Be prepared to get confused, make mistakes and learn. The more spells you cast, the better you get!
Steps
1 Decide what you want to do, e.g.: A spell for courage;
2 Go to ‘Days’ for the best day on which to perform the spell;
3 Go to ‘Moon Phases’ for the best time in the lunar cycle;
4 Go to ‘Colours’ for colour advice regarding candles, paper, cloth and thread, etc;
5 Go to ‘Numbers’ for advice on how many candles should be used, how many pentagrams should be carved into candles, etc;
6 Go to ‘Crystals’ to find which stones should be used to focus energy or should be included in amulets and charms;
7 Go to ‘Herbs and Oils’ to find which herbs and oils to mix into incense to use for anointing, and to include in charms;
8 Go to ‘Goddesses and Gods’ to find the appropriate Deities to ask for assistance and blessings;
9 Go to ‘Elementals, Angels and Mythical Animals’ for extra magickal help.
A Suggested Spell-Plan Using the Above
On your chosen day, and your chosen time, set up your altar with the appropriate candles, incense, crystals and other items, and brew some tea (see Seven Days to a Magickal New You! for more information on tea-brewing) using herbs appropriate for your intent.
Cast Circle, invoking the Deities and any other beings, e.g. Elementals, Angels, etc (see the Spell