To (friend’s name) I give all the joy of love.
So mote it be.
•
Jasmine tea is one of the most delightful concoctions, and it can create an aura of bliss and conviviality. This tea is commonly found in most grocery stores, but organic and whole food shops always offer superior quality. Brew a cup of jasmine tea and let it cool. Add two parts lemonade and drink the mixture with a close friend on a Friday, Venus’s day, which rules our relationships. Jasmine is a vine, which traditionally represented the intertwining of people. Sharing this tea with a friend will enhance your bond.
This tea is also a tonic that you can indulge in alone. I recommend brewing a batch every Monday, or moon day, to ensure that each week will be filled with joy. As the tea steeps, pray:
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On this day in this new week,
I call upon the spirit to guide joy to my door.
Such gladness as I receive, so shall I give.
By this moon on this day,
I call upon Ishtar and Celene, ladies fair,
to show me the best way to live.
For this, I am grateful.
•
Although I am most fond of “vamber,” my vanilla and amber combination, I have recently moved into a sandalwood phase and am delighting in its powers.
In a glass bowl, stir together six teaspoons of powdered sandalwood and two cups of neutral oil, such as sesame or almond. Heat gently over a flame, taking care not to bring the mixture to boiling point. After cooling, place it in a colored-glass jar and seal securely.
Now you have an oil that is ruled by both the sun and the moon for use in protection and healing. An ideal way to use this in friendship magic is as a massage oil. A friend who receives a backrub using sandalwood oil will be a friend for life.
You can also use the oil to cast wishes for yourself and your friends through candle magic. Anoint a red candle (to spark love and devotion) with the oil and place it on your friendship altar. Speak your desire aloud three times and you are sure to receive what you ask for.
Have a girlfriend get-together and mix up a batch of this magical salve. This oil is redolent with the properties of the four directions, which are the source of all power. This oil will contain your combined energies and can be used during subsequent rituals.
•Lavender is for the east, representing mental clarity and ideas.
•Musk is for the south, representing new energies and the winds of change.
•Honeysuckle is for the north, representing prosperity and abundance.
•Rose is for the west, representing emotions, friendship, and love.
Mix these oils together in equal parts. Then have each friend dip a forefinger into the oil mixture and stir clockwise. Raise the bowl of oil and pray together.
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In the name of union,
in the spirit of friendship,
I bless this oil as I exalt the bonds that bring us together,
and so it shall be.
•
Complete the consecration by dabbing this magical potion on each other’s pulse points: wrists, temples, throat, knees, elbows, over the heart, and behind the ears. Make sure you all leave with your own vial of this companionship essence, which you can use any time a spell requires anointing candles or dabbling pulse points.
If you create amulets to share with your friends, your good intention will be returned many times over. I keep a stock of little muslin drawstring bags, but the amulet will be even more powerful if you sew them by hand and stuff the dried herbs inside.
•For courage: mullein and borage flowers
•As an aid to depression: nettle and yarrow
•To recognize other witches: ivy, rue, agrimony, broomstraw, and maidenhair fern
•For safe travel: comfrey
•For fertility: mistletoe and cyclamen
•For protection from deceit: snapdragon
•For good health: rue
•For success: woodruff
•For strength: mugwort
•For youthful looks: an acorn
You and your friends should keep these amulets with you at all times, either in a pocket or a purse, or on a string or chain around your neck.
You can further empower your friendship amulets by knotting them in accordance with the laws of magic. If the cord binding your bags is knotted nine sacred times, you will have increased greatly the power of the spell. Nine is the number of idealism, altruism, generosity, tolerance, and sacrifice. Here is a rhyme to recite as you bind:
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By knot of one, the spell is begun.
By knot of two, it comes true.
By knot of three, so mote it be.
By knot of four, ’tis strengthened more.
By knot of five, the magic is alive.
By knot of six, this spell shall I fix.
By knot of seven, the planets in heaven.
By knot of eight, I have sealed my fate.
By knot of nine, this work is divine.
So shall it be.
•
You can also make a magic knotted cord to tie around a paper scroll. On the paper might be a written desire, a spell, or a wish expressed to a friend in a letter.
If you are fortunate enough to have a soul mate, here is a special bit of sorcery to seal your fate together.
Take a white candle for purity, a red candle for deep affection, and two long-stemmed roses complete with thorns. Light the candles and hand each other a rose. Anoint the candles with honey to bond you together and rose essential oil for the sweet connection of friendship. Witchcraft was originally nurtured by groups of friends passing on herbal remedies and working spells together in covens.
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