Corn Moon

On August 5 we celebrate the Corn Moon.

The Corn Moon and the month of August in general is a time for harvesting, gathering, sacrificing unwanted influences, appreciation vitality, relationships and spiritual and physical health.

Corn Moon Correspondences:
Colors: Red, Yellow, Orange
Herbs: Basil, Chamomile, Rosemary, Rue
Gemstones: Tiger's Eye, Carnelian, Garnet, Red Agate
Element: Fire

Corn Moon Ritual

Decorate your altar with a cloth of yellow, gold, orange or red, ears of corn and a chalice of wine. Have a cauldron ready in which you can burn paper and a black candle.
Cast a circle and create sacred space.
Light the candle.
Prepare a list of things you are ready to remove from your life. Focus on letting go of the unnecessary things or habits in your life that you wish to be free of.
Touch the paper to the flame and when it ignites, drop it into the cauldron. Offer the list to the spirit of the first harvest.
Affirmation of the Corn Moon: I sacrifice that which is no longer useful in my life.

(Ritual adapted from Llelwellyn's Witches Date Book)

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Moon in Libra

From July 26 at 1:25 a.m. to July 28 at 6:56 a.m. EST) the Moon is in the sign of Libra.

Libra is the sign of the balance, the arts, partnerships and justice so workings for employment in the arts, artistic work, relationships/partnerships, peace, fairness, justice, court cases, mental stimulation and balance are auspicious at this time.
The areas of the body that will benefit most from any healing work during this Moon are the lower back and kidneys.
The corresponding color for the Libra Moon is Royal Blue and the governing spirits are the Sylphs who resonate with the East and the Air element.

Daily Ingredient - Basil

Basil

No Kitchen Witch's pantry is complete without basil. A staple in any kitchen, basil is one of the most versatile herbs in cooking and magick. It can be used for spells involving: Love, Removing negativity, Wealth, Protection, Sympathy, Fidelity, Healing relationships and Courage to name a few!

Basil and many other herbs can be used in a variety of ways such as herb sachets (mojo bags), herbal baths, teas, infusions, incense and of course added to your cooking after being magickally charged.

Simple Basil Spell:

Decide what your goal is going to be out of the above list. For our purposes we will say courage.

Make a dinner recipe containing basil.

Before adding the basil to the dish, hold the quantity you are going to use in your dominant hand and close your eyes. Clear your mind as best as possible as try to become aware of the herb's energy. You may start to feel the basil tingle in your hand. If you don't that's okay, it will come with practice.

Next, visualize the color you would associate with courage. To me, it is a strong orange but there are no rules here, whatever color speaks to you will be most powerful.
Visualize this color filling your body while at the same time visualizing yourself feeling courageous and facing whatever issue it is you need the extra courage for.

Mentally transfer the color and images to the basil. I visualize the color flowing from by body, down my arm, into the hand holding the basil then into the basil itself. Picture the basil glowing with not only the color but the strong, courageous feelings you invoked.

Add the basil to the dish, confident that by ingesting it you have given yourself the extra courage you need to face your issue.

Magick isn't a "ZAP!" but it gets the wheels of the Universe turning and sets the stage for some major change to take place. The spell is just the first step. The next step is working toward the goal on the physical level. In this case it might be to face whatever issue you need to face instead of shying away and putting it off.

This spell could just as easily be used for any of the above mentioned purposes simply by changing the color and images you visualize.