WICCA
242Then, prayers, thanks, or petitions are
said to the Lord and Lady. Sometimes
there is anointing of oil (different oils
have different meanings). If it is a wor-
ship ritual, some kind of sweet cake and
drink (such as juice or water) is consumed
inside the circle in celebration of the
deities. If it is a spellcasting ritual, the
spell is performed using herbs, candles,
string, oils, fire, or anything else for which
that specific spell calls. At the end, the
deities are thanked for being present and
the sacred circle is broken.
Spells that are cast are thought out
carefully beforehand. The witch consid-
ers whether the spell honors the Wiccan
creed and whether it will harm anyone
indirectly (if a spell is cast for rain, then
somewhere else in the world will be
deprived of the rain). The day is carefully
chosen: if the witch is casting a good luck
spell, then it is important to cast it when
the moon is waxing (growing bigger so
the good luck grows). The spell, then,
requires different objects that have differ-
ent meaning. With the good luck spell, for
example, the witch, in the sacred circle,
would light a candle that represents him
or her (perhaps a blue candle represent-
ing the depth of the self ), saying “This is
me.” Then the witch would light a black
candle (representing bad luck), saying
“This bad luck is draining from me;” then
light a grey candle (representing neutral-
ity), saying “The bad luck is neutral;” and
finally light an orange candle (represent-
ing energy), saying “This energy is com-
ing to me to work through better luck.”
Once the candles have burned down, the
circle is broken and the spell is complete.
Some witches keep an herb garden for
their own personal growth or to use in
rituals and so they plant the herbs that
will help them. For example, basil is used
in love and prosperity spells, chamomile
is used for relaxation, dill is used for pro-
tection, peppermint for purification, and
so on. Keeping an herb garden, for witches,
requires tending to it and thanking the
Mother Earth for the growth and health
of the plants. Of course, just like most
things in Wicca, you don’t have to have a
herb garden in order to be a witch. The
herbs, along with oils, candles, stones, and
anything else needed for rituals can be
found almost anywhere: plant stores, con-
venience stores, and, of course, Witchcraft
stores.
Some witches find it easier to practice
with some kind of animal, as they believe
animals are powerful spirits. The com-
mon animal is the cat, but other animals
are kept as well. These pets, along with
small children and other animals, are the
only beings (besides the deities, of course)
that can enter the sacred circle without
destroying the ritual. All animals that aid
in rituals or spiritual advancement are
known as familiars (but they can be cats,
frogs, birds, dogs, and so on). Even wild
animals can be familiars; for example, if a
witch is casting a spell or performing a
ritual outside, any animal may wander up
and come and go within the circle acting
as a spirit aide. Contrary to popular belief,
Wiccans do not perform any kind of