Blessed Imbolc, witches and wizards! I am pleased to be writing this, knowing we have survived the trials and tribulations of January, which was even more intense than even I envisioned it would be. As I had more or less predicted, the dying power structures gave us quite a show in the past month, and forced us to face the reality that while things are shifting for the better, there is much we still need to protect and shield ourselves from. In the end democracy prevailed, and we are now firmly locked into our rebirth, and ready for our new beginning as a nation, but let that reminder of what is at stake stick with you in the coming year, as this is likely not the last time that those afraid of change will attempt to force their will upon us. Being the magical souls you all are, and despite all the months drama, I am sure you have felt the deeper shift - the movement towards unity and love - even more strongly than ever in the past few years. No longer is our leadership inundating us daily with hateful rhetoric pitting us against one another, no longer are we being fed lies or misinformation about the stark realities of our situation or being told to ignore what we see with our own eyes and hear with our own ears, no longer must we endure the childish name-calling, whining and gloating of an inept and irrefutably unhinged madman. To those who never fell for the long con of the shady snake oil salesman and his henchmen, it is a comforting feeling to know we are now in the hands of a more competent leadership that embraces all qualities of the Age of Aquarius: humanitarianism, honesty, egalitarianism, unity, acceptance of individuality, and intellectualism.
This fresh start feels like the perfect opening to February, a month mostly associated in modern times with love, but historically one that also embodies energies of healing, purification, inspiration and motivation. The origin of the name of the month of February is a bit murky, but we know the original Roman name was Februarius. We also know that In ancient times, Romans would hold a purification festival, Lupercalia, which was later named Februa; either after the februum, which is any means of purification or purging, or - more likely, the goddess Februa, who was known as an overseer and purifier of things. This festival was usually held midway through the month, around the 15th, and celebrated the coming of spring with fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. Pope Gelasius I later replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day towards the end of the 5th century, which is how it eventually became known as the month of romance and love.
The month begins with the theme of purification as well, with Imbolc blessing us in the first days and marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox, making it an ideal time for rituals to honor and let go of the past in order to make way for the rebirth of spring. The earliest mentions of Imbolc in Irish literature date back to the 10th century with poetry relating the holiday to ewe’s milk and its implication of purification. Historians speculate that this originates from the breeding cycle of sheep and the beginning of lactation, when the livestock our ancestors protected and nurtured all winter long repaid them by providing them with much needed nourishment and sustenance after long, hungry winters, and showing them the promise of what is to come in the spring as the animals wombs quickened. Traditionally, Imbolc aligned with the first day of spring and the idea of rebirth, and thus, this holiday celebrates the rebirth of the Crone as the Maiden, where we seek to find new areas of softness, sensuality, curiosity, and adventure.
However, despite these signs of the coming spring, Imbolc is still considered one of the coldest months of the year, which seems odd for a Sabbat associated with the element of fire. Here in California, after a record breaking warm December and January, we are just now getting frost, heavy rains, strong winds and deep snow. You know what that means, right? It’s time for Imbolc fire rituals! Now is the time to spark the renewal of our inner flames and burn what no longer serves us in the coming season, so we can open ourselves up and welcome in the warmth of love and rebirth. Imbolc is a great time to reflect upon and reaffirm our existing commitments and relationships, re-establish our love for our inner selves, and plan out how we will honor our resolutions and attain our goals, whether spiritual, emotional or physical. If you have the ability - and the fortitude - spend some time outside with a candle or a fire. Light some incense, and cleanse yourself with the smoke before meditating on your goals, aspirations and intentions in life and love as you feel the warmth of the flame kissing your face through the biting winter air and infusing you with the intentions you have set.
Once we have purified ourselves in honor of Imbolc, we can continue to ruminate on our goals as Valentine's Day approaches. Most people think Valentine's Day is a day only for lovers, but this is not entirely true. Sure, the Christian saint for whom this day was later named was the patron saint of “courtly love”, but we must remember that, like most holidays, this mid February celebration was initially a pagan celebration of purification that was syncretized. We can decide to celebrate it as we so choose, ideally as a day to honor all forms of pure love: a parents love for their child, the love of family, romantic love, and the oft neglected and forgotten love of self. The whole month of February speaks of wellness through purification, and one of the most important aspects of wellness is self love. It is often said that we cannot truly love others with the depth and intensity they deserve until we can show ourselves that same unconditional love. Take some time mid-month to focus on you, and rekindle your love of self. Take a candlelit bath or shower, practice some solo sex-magic, attune your heart to your needs and desires and satisfy them. Plan and design personalized rituals to help you re-dedicate to self, spirit, mother earth, and our own heart centers (we will share some ideas mid-month here on our blog!). Ask yourself what you feel in your heart center, what changes could be made that will help you to feel more fulfilled and excited that you get to be you, and what steps you can take to get there.
February is also a month in the animal kingdom when new life - which, in our human world, is usually the product of love - is beginning, but still lies dormant. Pregnant animals, who will give birth in the spring, begin to feel the quickening of their unborn offspring now - hence one of the monikers for this month's full moon being the “Quickening Moon”. If you have experienced pregnancy, you know the magical feeling of your soon to be baby fluttering for time within your womb, and for many of us parents, this is when the unconditional love for our child truly sparks within us. The quickening is the time that it becomes very apparent and real that you have the potential of a tiny life within you, and that if all goes well, you will soon have a living breathing baby to love, hold, nurture, and protect. It can be a bit overwhelming, this most sacred of gifts, but it is a feeling of love that I believe transcends all species on this planet. Even the earth itself is quickening now, as seeds and bulbs far beneath the snow and icy soil embark on their journey towards the warmth of the sun’s light. Because we know these new and better things are coming, we know that this is a good month to make plans for our futures. We can accept responsibility for our past mistakes and purify ourselves by releasing them at Imbolc, then forgive ourselves and carry on, in order to expend our energy nurturing the intentions and energies we want to manifest.
In order to reach the quickening, however, there is generally another type of magic that takes place, usually in our bedrooms. Sex magic is a practice that I have, personally, very limited experience with, however I have known it to be a very effective form of manifestation magic, both in the natural sense of creating new life, and in the spiritual sense of bonding two humans together and/or creating an immense amount of energy that can be utilized for the realization of your intentions. Sex magic is, more or less, any form of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise transcendent spiritual pursuits. To put it in layman's terms (no pun intended), one uses their sexual arousal or orgasm and visualization of their desired result to channel the energy produced during the act towards that goal. Sexual energy is an extremely potent force that can be harnessed to transcend one's normally perceived reality, and - on top of that - it’s fun! The most glorious aspect of this type of magic, is that it does not require (or limit) a specific number of people to participate for it to be effective. Sex magic can be performed as an act of self love or with a partner as a means to super boost your rituals and to help your intention and goals take root and begin manifesting quickly and powerfully. It is not only physical birth that sex magic is good for: it is more than effective for emotional and spiritual birth as well.
Of course, if it is attraction, lust, or romance that you desire, this is clearly an ideal time to work on attaining these goals. To some in the craft, love magic is taboo, as they see it as bending another's will to yours in order to attain their admiration. This can be true - and dangerous - if that is what your spell intends, which is what makes the ethics of love magic such a controversial topic. However, if you are concerned about karma, the rule of three, or about your magic backfiring if you try to force your will upon another (believe me, it can happen), there are some very simple "guidelines" you can adhere to when performing love magic that will keep you on the up and up in the realm of white magic.
One of the first and most important basics to adhere to when performing any type of spellwork is to ensure that you are in control of your own power. Be comfortable in your own skin, own that you are powerful, and wholeheartedly love yourself, within and without. I feel as though I can safely say many of us have found ourselves in toxic relationships, either intimate or platonic, and have battled with extracting ourselves from these poisonous situations, believing with all our hearts that it was in the name of love that we had to endure emotional and sometimes physical abuse - which we often do not discover was in fact abuse until much later in life when we're left healing the scars it left on our souls. One of the most important rules in life is to recognize toxicity such as this early on, and cut the emotional cords before you allow it to consume and destroy you from the inside out. We all have sought validation outside ourselves - this is an innate and natural human behaviour - but we do not need to seek this outside of ourselves. Love spells must be about love, and this does not always involve another human. If you do not feel as though you can say, earnestly, that you are the most important person in your life and are deserving of love, I strongly implore you to consider performing self love rituals and spellwork before you attempt to perform any love magic involving another person.
On this note, I would like to touch upon a common misconception before we delve deeper into the intricacies of love magic. Love magic, at its core, is about drawing in, strengthening, or attracting love; it is not going to force another person fall in love with you. Love magic is magic intended to enhance, heal, and deepen existing emotional bonds, not to create a bond where none exists. To put it simply, if you and the intended participant have affections for each other, love magic will help to enhance the magnetism, and deepen the mutual affection. It should be used to attract, enhance, heal or build on love that already exists — in any of its many, many forms.
To achieve success in love magic, it is important for you to be open and receptive in both mind and heart, and to ensure you are seeing clearly where you stand, before performing any spell-work. You must be direct and transparent with your intention. Ideally, this will involve the spell caster developing and writing a thorough petition, clearly stating what they desire from the intended lover, or - if performing love drawing for your yet to be found twin-flame, what type of individual and bond you are seeking. If you are performing an attraction spell, do not leave any ambiguity as to what your intention is, lest you attract someone or something that doesn't quite fit the bill.
There are some who believe a proper petition should be seen only by the author, and the gods, but this is entirely a personal preference. Some believe verbalizing or showing others your petition can help send more signals out into the universe and help your petition be heard. I have had the most success with keeping mine private, as I find I can be more direct and earnest about what I truly want if I know that only my eyes shall fall upon the words. I know that the energy I am sending out is mine and mine alone, and not sullied by the judgement or interpretations of others. Once you have created your petition, burn it to release the energy into the universe and send your desires dancing into the ether on wisps of smoke, purified by fire, and grounded by the ash.
The importance of knowing where you stand, and ensuring that your petition is clear and thorough is because spells can fail if one is not being honest with themselves about the situation at hand, or if they exclude important details. This applies to the other half of the lust equation as well. If you have rose colored glasses on, and choose to ignore the warning signs of a disinterested or unworthy partner, thinking that your magic will make them return to you or change their ways, you will be sorely disappointed. Love magic will expose the truth in these scenarios, exposing all of the darkest and starkest realities and dynamics until you have no choice but to see the truth. Let this be a reminder as to why one mustn't perform love magic on a particular person, but rather to open the heart of both parties up to a happier, healthier and deeper relationship. Ideally, we cannot look at love magic as a tool to bring someone specific to us, but rather, to be used to discover and lead us towards the correct path we must follow in order to attract the kind of love you desire and deserve - no matter who is on the other side.
Love magic is not a fixed form of energy; it is mutable. If your guides, angels, or ancestors have a different path in mind for you, you can be assured they will take the oars and guide you to the correct port; however you must be open in heart and mind, and actually heed their advice. Pay close attention to the reactions of the elements and tools you are working with. If working with candle magic, watch the way the flames burn. Is it a tall, intense flame? Good news! Your petition is being sent into the universe with strong and intense energy. Did the wick stop burning? Sadly, this is more than likely a sign from your ancestors or guides that you are unlikely to see your intentions materialized, and probably need to take a step back and re-evaluate where you stand, and what it is you truly desire. Is your wick sputtering, cracking and flickering despite any external forces? Time to re-evaluate and fine tune your intentions. You must also be aware of your own emotions, sensations and energies when performing these types of workings. Does something feel off or forced? Do your words ring hollow? Do you truly believe that what you are doing is what is best for you and any others involved? Your mindset needs to be attuned to match the energy of your desired outcome, which is why chaotic, distressed, and anxious energy will lead to chaotic, distressed and anxiety riddled results. Grounding, meditation, cleansing and a calm mind are imperative to safe and effective spellwork.
Lastly, we must remember that magic and spell work, of any kind, is not about casting our spell and then sitting back and waiting for our intentions to land in our laps. We must put ourselves out there, and work towards and focus on our intentions regularly, or the energy will simply dissipate and our spell will fail. We only get out of magic what we put in, so if we do not continually reinforce our intentions with action, we will end up precisely where we started.
February is a fertile time for many types of magic, so take some time to purify, embrace love in all of its many forms, and utilize the new, positive energies of our rebirth to manifest your intentions into reality. There is a distressing need for more love in todays world, and here at Infinity Coven, we look forward to continually manifesting as much as possible in the month to come, to ensure a better tomorrow for us all. We will be sharing some of our tried and true love spells and rituals in a blog later in this month, and we hope you will utilize some of them and share your experience with us on our instagram or facebook @infinitycoven.
Blessed Be!
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