Ma’at Mirror Spell

Sometimes in life, people will make choices for themselves that negatively affect others. They will choose actions that bring harm, distress, and damage to the lives of other people, simply because they can, or they selfishly wish to do so. This is an example of a spell to help a person of this sort learn to make better choices with their lives.

You will need:

• A picture of the person that faces directly out looking at the viewer. (No one else should be visible in this picture, only the subject of the spell.)
• A mirror that is similarly sized as the picture.
• Lengths of black ribbon or cord long enough to go around the mirror several times and tie securely.
• Herbs such as Adder’s Tongue, Bluebell, Knotweed, Morning Glory, Mullein, Peppermint, Primrose, and Rue.
• Dragon’s Blood Ink, or Bat’s Blood Ink, or Lampblack ink.
• A sheet of parchment large enough to enclose, completely, the mirror in a two-way tri-fold to keep all spell components inside.

Before you begin the spell, make certain you have all the elements needed, laid out, and ready to go.

On the parchment:

• If using a crossing style spell, write their name (ex. Linda Smith) and the desired result to cross the name (ex. No more lies)
• If using a binding style spell, write their name, and use the crossed-word style over the name.
• If using a Do-as-I-say style spell, repeat an instruction or instruction on the parchment. (Ex. No more lies, no more harm.) Repeat the line 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, or 13 times as these are powerful numbers.
• If using a breaking habits style spell, state the habits, (ex. Lying, deceiving, harming) write out what effect their habit has had on others, (caused loss of job, caused family strife, broke up marriages, etc.) state what retaining the bad habit will cause him/her (lose friends, lost family member’s trust, etc)
• If using runes to bring just desserts home you may choose:
  • Draw Isa on its side to draw in deceit, illusions, and betrayal.
  • Draw Ansuz reversed to draw in delusion, vanity, and boredom.
  • Draw Wunjo reversed to draw in sorrow, strife, and frenzy.
  • Draw Hagalaz reversed to draw in failure, hardship, and loss.
• Create a sigil expressing what you want them to experience, or what you want them to stop doing.

Have the herbs, personal items or any other additions, stones or metal to strengthen the spell, etc. standing by, or laid out on the finished parchment.

Before you speak the first verse, hold the picture and stare at it. Envision all the lies the subject of the spell has told about others and those told about himself/herself to make themselves look better. Visualize every friend and family member lied to as having their eyes opened and seeing the truth of the subject’s character.

You’ve lied to strangers, lied to friends
Lied to family, now it ends
Each time you speak to tell more lies
Your words they will now analyze
Instead they’ll see the truth of you
Now all your falsehoods they’ll see through

Before speaking the second verse, concentrate on the people you know who have been harmed by this person. See them turning their back on him/her and walking away (just as you turn the picture over to face away from you) no matter what the subject says. As you speak this verse, place the picture of the subject against the mirror so all he/she could “see” is their own evils (If you use a magnified mirror, see their faults becoming magnified in the subjects own mind, as well) as you lay the picture on top of the mirror.

You have strewn harm both far and wide
Now let no one stay by your side
With this no help for you be found
As to your actions you are bound
Thus face to face so you can see
As all your harm returns to thee

Before you speak the third verse, bind the picture to the mirror with the black cord or ribbon. As you bind the picture, visualize that all the harm they caused is being directed back to them and them alone. No matter who lives with them, is related to them, rides in a vehicle with them, stands near to them or works with them, etc. all others are protected because they are not reflected in the mirror’s view. See the truth dawning on the subject that their ways are returning to them only. See him/her understanding that they have to change to bring an end to their suffering.

Harm to you will be directed
But all others are protected
Innocent ones shall remain so
As harm returns so apropos
Yet once this lesson has been learned
Then due forgiveness you’ll have earned

Before speaking the fourth verse, wrap the mirror with the picture bound to it inside the parchment with the black salt, any personal item you wish to include to zero in, and herbs against the picture side. Fold it closed around the picture so that none of the salt or herbs can escape. Visualize that if the person begins to see the light and stops lying to harm other with their words, stops lying to cover up the harm they do and blame it on others, then they earn a reprieve from the spell. However, if he/she thinks the worst is over. If they backtrack and start returning to their lying, harmful and deceitful ways, then, see the spell return to them full force like a stretched rubber band snapping back against their psyche. See as they feel its burn every time they lie thereafter until they have fully learned the lesson, no matter how long it takes.

All the power here enacted
Will at that time be redacted
Should your bad habits then return
You will again feel this spell’s burn
Once clean of heart, you’re judged by Ma’at
Return to bad ways you will not

Before speaking this last verse, see him/her as having learned their lesson. Let their features appear vague in your mind, since you do not know how long it will take them to learn to stop lying and harming others through their words and actions, you cannot tell their new age at this point. See that they are clean of heart and do not intend to harm this way again. Watch as they treat others honestly, speak truthfully, and try their best to make amends. As you speak the names Warrior, Father, Sage, Maiden, Mother, and Crone, tie a knot for each name in the last black cord, which holds the parchment package closed.

Thus by the power in this spell
No more your loved ones go through hell
Warrior, Father, Sage I intone
Join power with Maiden, Mother, Crone
Through power raised this night by me
Thus, as I will so mote it be

After the last verse, take the spell package outside. Dig a hole and bury it (being careful not to break the mirror) in a safe place in your yard so that you may watch over it. Never dig the package up, but let the parchment, herbs, picture, and all other components stay in the ground to rot and return to earth. This cements the spell. Each time the witch sees the spot the spell is buried, sending an additional burst of energy toward it will keep it working indefinitely.

 

Witches’ Spell: House Cleansing and Purifying

As any witch will tell you, cleansing, purifying and blessing your home on a regular basis will help with all facets of your life. You will get rid of the old and draw in the new with every ritual cleansing. Most witches have their own special methods of cleansing their houses, but when you combine your typical house cleaning with a house cleansing, you will be amazed at the difference you feel in the space afterward.

Even while living in my parents’ home as a child and later as a teen, I had a seasonal ritual of cleansing my living areas and reorganizing them completely. It did not get rid of everything I would have wished, but it got rid of most of it. When I moved out on my own, I continued the process as I cleaned out closets, cabinets, and drawers, leaving no place untouched. It always made me feel so much better, lighter, and happier, even before becoming a witch. The process of cleaning was working its magick in my life. Since I always had lots of green plants around the apartments and always has windows cracked at every opportunity, there was always a fresh flow of air and energy in my places.

Now that I am older and my sons rule the majority of the roost though, I am not the one doing the majority of the cleaning in the household (my sons clean all the areas they use and I clean the two areas I use) it is a different process and a different feeling within the house, now.

I discovered a few years ago, partly by accident and partly by sage advice, it is a simple matter to cleanse the house at the same time we clean the house. One method removes the dirt and grime that we can see, the other removes the psychic dirt and grime that we feel in the form of negativity, harmful, and depressive energies. It is amazing how different the house feels afterward.

Some simple things you can do to accomplish the most for your efforts with the least physical repetitions and effort is to start with a plan.

First, take a nice ritual cleansing bath and work in some targeted deep breathing before you begin, following up by anointing a black candle and a white candle, with ritual cleaning oil and invoking the power of deities or the elements, etc, whatever the individual witch prefers.

God’s and Goddess’ (Elementals) divine power
Join with my own in this hour
Harmful magicks to disarm
Guard our home from any harm

Floors to ceilings, walls to walls
In the bedrooms down the halls
Kitchen, restrooms, yards and more
Every window, every door

From both mundane and arcane
Safe within we will remain
By these powers I decree
As I will so mote it be

Personally, after this I suggest passing all the cleansing additives to be used through the smoke of the anointed candles. On passing them through the smoke, focus on their absorbing the power to cleanse and purify from the candles and the powers or deities represented, if any, for the job at hand. Then, all oils, herbs, waters, etc, passed through the smoke and charged with the ability to cleanse and purify should be set aside to await their individual use.

In invoking deities to join with the witch in the cleansing and purifying of the home is a personal choice. I have always felt that Ma’at particularly enjoys working with me to get my house in order, and Thoth does not mind helping out due to the magickal nature of the enterprise as we do it.

Next is organizing the clothes washing, especially the efforts to get the blankets, sheets, and bedding taken care of, in addition to their bi-weekly washing. Getting them into a wash and add some indigo blue water, New Moon Water, maybe even a few drops of Purification Oil blend to the wash water every season, in order to properly cleanse and purify the items.

While those loads of laundry are going, organize the areas of the home. Make certain that everything has a place and is in its place. As loads complete, hang or fold laundry and put it away. Add sachets of lavender to drawers with clothing for ones who prefer femininity, or cedar for clothes of the masculine witches amongst us.

Adding some New Moon Water to the water for washing the floors and windows, perhaps even a bit of freshly zested lemon rind, a tablespoon each of hyssop, and burdock tied into a small bit of cloth and dropped into the water bucket is a good choice. Barely spritzing this mixture onto microfiber cloths used to dust household areas will keep from damaging wood or other tender materials while picking up the dust.

For witches who vacuum, add a few drops of pine oil, cedar oil, or a few drops of frankincense to some baking soda and mix well with mortar and pestle, and then sprinkle over carpets in order to purify them and make them smell nice. Personally, I enjoy a blend a lemon and lavender for the carpets, then a drop or two of straight peppermint on the filter of the vacuum for purification. At the heat of the vacuum and the movement of the air through the filter, the entire house begins to smell wonderfully minty.

Create two-inch squared bags from thin linen; stuff them with thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and pine needles. Charge them for your purposes and use a piece of white yarn to string them together. Hang them in a window that is often open to allow the wind to carry their scents and magickal purpose throughout the rooms.

For outdoors, killing many purposes with one application, mix and magickally charged sea salt, powdered cayenne pepper, and diatomaceous earth, and spread it around the foundation to your home and the perimeter of your property. Not only will this work to cleanse and purify your property, but also the diatomaceous earth will help prevent many types of harmful insects from invading your property and your home, as well.

As you can see, using these methods, the busy witch can cleanse, purify and protect their home and in multitude of ways with one days effort.

Should a witch choose, they might add the more common smudging with sage, or writing protective runes or sigils onto windows and mirrors, after the fact. However, technically, these are not necessary when the house is cleansed and cleaned in the manner explained above, as the surfaces are handled on an individual basis with the charged cleaning items. Only the intent during the cleaning process is needed. If you want to add one more layer, get some active music with a great beat and a positive message blaring as you work. After all, don’t forget, sound cleanses as well.

Of course, if there is illness in the air, witches may get a few large white onions and cut them into halves or quarters, leave a large piece in each room for no less than twelve hours, or preferably over night. This will draw the illness from the air. Throw the onions away the next day or leave in place for a few days, if there is illness spreading in the community. Remember, if you have small children or animals, to put the onion where they cannot access it for their safety as the onion draws bacteria and is poisonous to some animals.

Be certain to add your favorite house blessing spell after the cleansing and purification is complete. After all, nature abhors a void, so it you do not fill it, something else will. Be a smart witch… fill the void for yourself!

 

The Meaning of Ma’at

I have made jokes for decades about my OCD being the reason I worship Ma’at. In truth, while I do believe that is a part of the reason Ma’at appeals to me, I also believe it is mostly because I feel a kinship with the ideals that Ma’at stands for. Ma’at was more of a concept to the Egyptians than an actual Goddess. Even though they were judged according to Ma’at when they died, Ma’at was considered more of an instruction manual for life than a deity in the beginning. Ma’at was their manner of daily living that they ascribed to as ideal.

Ma’at stands for the ideals of order, balance, truth, justice, and harmony. These are the virtues of Ma’at.

As such, I try to live as much of my life according to these virtues as I possibly can. Being human, of course I fail, but the continuation of coming back to these virtues after each failure and striving not to make the same mistake again, is one of the way in which I honor her.

Order: I believe that living a well ordered life is a concept that improves my life. Instead of spinning my wheels in thoughts and deeds, I prefer to have plans made, things to work toward as goals. Keeping things orderly prevents wasted time and energy in many ways. I try to plan things out ahead of time, so that when something happens I am not caught up in a reactionary mode, but can quickly shift into my “Here’s the plan” mode. I do not enjoy trying to find something that has been mislaid. I do not like trying to search through files on my computer to find what I am looking for, so I label everything accordingly. One of the best compliments I ever received was during my tenure at my previous job. One of the managing directors of the call center introduced me to a visiting Vice President by saying, “This is Tee, I’ve told you about her. She is the most organized person I have ever met in my life!” This was priceless praise to my ears. Apparently, that is why I joined RMG years before, as my old boss explained it. He said he decided to take me from the front line of the call center and promote me to the Resource Management Group (RMG) under him, for exactly that reason. I had lost my voice for a time, during which, I became a temporary assistant to organize the RMG team’s area (especially his pigsty of an office) for the team of four men because he said my own area was immaculate and orderly. In addition, I had documented and submitted several new methods and procedures to streamline efficiency for the call center during my 8 months on the frontline phones so he wanted me to streamline his filing and reports system. I worked in the other three cubes minimally, but I gave his office a thorough sweep, organizing, filing, and creating a logical system for him to follow. I got my voice back two days later and two days after that, I was a full-time member of the RMG team even though I was not an actual employee, but still a contractor.

Balance: Living a life of balance with other people, animals, and nature is something that many witches strive for in life. For me, striving to do as little intentional harm as possible to the world around me and to balance out what harm I do by committing acts of kindness toward people and animals has become a way of life. When a new animal turns up running loose in or neighborhood, we adopt it, or we did until we just could not keep any more by law. Now, we bring them into the home short term, check for tags, and have the vet scan for ids trying to locate its original family. Failing that, we find the animal a new home with a family or a place in a local no-kill shelter. The animals we cannot catch, we put food and water out for as needed, it is our way of life. Trying to recycle everything I can for my family, reduce the new material goods we buy and reuse old goods in new ways is a way of life. Using the Freecycle network to transfer items we no longer need to those who can use them and trying to find new items that we need, instead of purchasing them from a store in order to save on earth’s natural resources is a way of life. We grow what food we can to reduce our carbon footprint; we do not use pesticide and herbicides to poison the earth and groundwater and this, too, is a way of life. We conserve water in excess of what is required in our drought prone area of Texas and our electric energy is from 100% renewable sources, which is our way of life. Though we are not well off, we do manage to donate to local charities in time, money, and even blood. I support Kiva and Heifer international for worldwide charity toward those in worse shape around the world than we are at this time. This is not only a way of life, but also one of the great joys in my life.

Truth: Ma’at represents another standard to live by, which makes logical sense to me. Since I value honesty and truthfulness in those I deal with because they represent respect in my mind, if I lie and deceive someone, then I am not giving him or her respect they deserve as human beings. I tend to show respect to those in positions of authority, unless by their own dishonesty and deceit they have shown no honor of their own, then I try to destroy them or failing that, send them far away. I follow the laws of humanity for the same reason, as a sign of respect to my community and to society as a whole. I know that I do not like being lied to or deceived any more than others do. As such, I do others the respect of not lying to or trying to deceive them. This can be a double-edged sword for those who know me, though. Do not ask me a question if you do not want to know the answer. While I will try to be tactful and diplomatic if I can, if I cannot, you will get the answer you asked for but perhaps not the answer you wanted to hear. I have raised my sons to follow this particular code especially. It is my way of honoring the future.

Justice: I am a strong believer in the concept of actual justice. While I will forgive slights and overlook rudeness in most cases, for large transgressions, I am devout in seeking justice. I would have no problem at all with the death penalty being enacted for child molesters, murders, gang member who commit violent acts, rapists and those who would sell drugs to people before the age of accountability. Furthermore, I would be quite content to flip the switch on these people myself if “Old Sparky” were still being used in Texas. Other crimes, in my opinion, should have punishments tailored to fit the individual crime instead of simple incarceration. I do not think that locking someone behind bars, giving them three square meals a day, heating and cooling them in the seasons, providing them with free exercise equipment, free medical, dental and vision plans and an education is the way to handle crime. Especially when so many of the taxpayers in this country do not have these rights for themselves, but have to give money to the government to pay for the criminals. I would be more than thrilled to see the inmates required to grow their own food, tend to animals if they want meat, clean their own buildings and living properties, tend to the landscaping, and work off their transgressions with hard labor. The labor can monetarily recompense or reimburse those the criminals have harmed financially. Then again, I would not be locking up many of the people that targeted in the United States currently. The “three strikes laws” and the “war on drugs” have been some of the largest injustices ever, in my opinion. If someone is non-violent and stupid enough to use a drug, which rots their brain, as long as they harm no one else in the commission of this stupidity, stop incarcerating them and let them alone. It could very well be their Dharma to have that experience in this incarnation to learn from so they progress in the next incarnation. If a person is too poor to pay fines or court costs, stop incarcerating them. Instead put them to work on roadsides cleaning up litter, have them work with groups such as Habitat for Humanity, building homes for those who cannot afford to buy commercially built properties, have them work in outreach programs feeding the homeless and tending to homeless shelters in urban areas. Instead of monetary recompense for the work, this money can go to paying of the debts they owed.

Harmony: I try to live in harmony with others. I do my best to be polite and charming when dealing with strangers and acquaintances. I treat all I meet with respect and I trust people unless and until they give me reasons not to trust them. To those I love as family and friends, I give the best I have to offer. If I see someone in need, I will do my best to help them out even if it includes moving them into my home with my family (again) and helping them get back on their feet. If they abuse the generosity, they are rebuffed in the future, well, most of the time, family being what it is; I sometimes make exceptions I come to regret multiple times. Even then, I try to maintain as much harmony within the household as possible. On the job, I treat people with respect and strive for harmony across the board. I am typically friendly, out-going, and good-natured, so I do not give orders to the people under me if I can find a way around it. Instead, when they are not performing their job properly, I say “May I ask you to do me a favor?” and then point out the portion of their job they are neglecting either intentionally or inadvertently. Most often that is all I need to do and people are more than happy to comply with alacrity. If more is needed, I revert to the virtue of justice and make the punishment fit the crime.

As I have discovered firsthand, when striving to live a life based on order, balance, truth, justice, and harmony, I deal with much less stress than others around me seem to have to deal with. It is a soothing process for me. It allows me to enjoy my life, and reap the fruits of my labor in peace and contentment. Of course, nothing is perfect. There are those people who always want to start a war for nonsensical reasons. There are those who try to cause mischief and chaos so they may feed off the energy of others. Even a few who try to argue that I should be more materialistic, more power hungry.

They clearly do not understand that choosing a life with fewer golden chains allows me the freedom to have less stress, and more free time to enjoy time with the ones I love and to work on my magick. Everyone must decide for himself or herself what is most important to them. Is it the high dollar sports car, the latest phone with the “smartest” innovation, or is it ample time spent huddled around a table with good friends, enjoying a game and laughing so much you can barely breathe. Is it time in your backyard barbequing with loved ones and listening to them rave over your latest newly created recipe for homemade ice cream. As for me, I particularly liked creating homemade Apple Pie Ice Cream, Watermelon Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Ice Cream. What about you? Fun and friends or fancy goods?