Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within - Juliet Diaz 2019

Beginning Your Journey

Being a Witch isn’t about the hocus-pocus. And it isn’t about what you buy, wear, or post on social media, or how you act. Being a Witch gives you the power to heal yourself, change your life, change the world, and conjure your every dream. In this book I will guide you on your journey to becoming a Witch and help you to connect with the Magick that lives within you. I explain how to cast off what doesn’t serve you, how to unleash your authentic self, and how to become an embodiment of your truth. You’ll also learn the skills and techniques needed when creating real Magick.

I’m Cuban with indigenous roots and come from a long line of Witch Healers. We believe in healing the mind, body, and spirit using the Earth’s medicine along with spiritual guidance from our ancestors.

But you don’t have to be born into a family of Witches, or initiated in a secret ritual, to be a Witch. There are hundreds of ways of being one. I was taught that we should each build our own personal form of Magickal craft, using the ancient ways but molding them so they feel just right for us. This is when our Magick is at its most powerful. My own Magick is a unique blend of practices, experiences, and teachings that I have brought together in a harmonious way that suits me. The importance of building and using a craft that is unique to me is one of the most vital lessons I have learnt in my life, and one I will pass on to you.

More of us than ever are feeling the fire of our inner Witch raging within, but there is an even greater reason to our calling than finding truth and self-acceptance, a greater reason why we feel the Earth bubbling beneath our feet: the Earth, our Mother, needs us! As Witches, the connection we have with the Earth allows us to feed back to her the Magickal energy we borrow, but there is much more to do in this day and age, when the Earth is ravaged by human behavior. By beckoning the Witch within to rise from the depths of your soul, you too can bring Magick to our Earth and help keep her healthy — and alive.

Even though I had a practicing family, I had to make my own decision to be a Witch. I had to realize my truth and make the decision to live within its unraveling — I like to believe that Witches are known for flying because they’re not afraid to dive within. Remember that those who don’t see your light are clouded by their own darkness. You were meant to rise, dear Witches! All beings are children of the Earth; we all come from the same cauldron. The power you hold was seeded in you long before your flesh tasted the air. You don’t need to look outside yourself to seek acknowledgment — validation lives inside you.

It’s taken me years of practice and experience to get where I am now, to become a fully embodied Witch in all her brilliance. But you, too, can step up to your calling, own your truth, and light up the world with your Magick!

It’s time to embrace the Witch within.

Ritual for anointing this book

This book is filled with wisdom, Magick, and love, ready for you to use on your journey. By anointing this book you will be able to connect with it in a deep, spiritual way, and in return it will provide more wisdom than you ever thought possible. Anointing the book will also activate the spell hidden within its pages which will help to magnify your connection and act as a guide.

What you need

Dried mugwort, either loose or in a herb bundle; or incense — preferably frankincense, myrrh, or palo santo

A small bowl

A handful of rice

1 pinch salt

A white candle with a safe candleholder (a small taper candle is good for a relatively short spell like this one)

1 cup (250ml) water

What to do

✵ Before any Magickal workings you need to cleanse your surrounding space, yourself, and your tools of any negative energies. This is done with the smoke of incense, resin, or dried herbs (loose or in a herb bundle). My favorites for cleansing include mugwort, rue, rosemary, palo santo, frankincense, myrrh, amber, and copal; however, some spells use specific herbs, resin, or incense for cleansing.

✵ Use matches to light incense or herb bundles (and candles, when using), then blow out any flames so they burn just enough to produce a light smoke. There are various ways to burn resins and loose herbs, but among the most common is to place a small amount on a charcoal disc. Leave the incense, resin, or herbs to burn near to where you’re working or, for more extensive cleansing, carry them around your surrounding space, even through other rooms. Extinguish the incense or leave it burning for the remainder of your Magickal working or until it burns out.

✵ To anoint this book, after cleansing start the ritual by sitting in a quiet space and placing the book against your chest, next to your heart. Close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and try to clear your mind. Try to feel the book’s subtle energies intertwine with yours. When you feel this connection, put the book down.

✵ Take the rice in your hand and bring it up to your lips. Blow at the rice very slowly for a count of three. Envision your breath turning the rice a golden color. Now place the rice in the bowl. Add the salt to the rice while saying the words ’A pinch of salt will do no harm. Instead it will bless a charm.’

✵ Take the book and place it in front of you. Light the candle and hold it in your right hand. Move the candle around the book counterclockwise three times while saying, ’With this flame I grant you into my journey. Guide me, guide me, guide me.’ Blow out the candle and take a handful of the rice. Sprinkle it over the book while saying, ’I anoint you, I anoint you, I anoint you.’ You can save the candle for another Magickal working if you wish.

✵ Dip your fingers into the water and draw a circle on your chest, by your heart, and say, ’I am ready to embrace my inner Witch.’

✵ You’re now bound to Magick and to a commitment to continue your Magickal journey with clarity and focus.