The Other Side of the Spell

I am not a magical purist. I pull from my intuition, guidance, pagan and Celtic traditions, and anything else that strikes my fancy when casting a spell. It can be as simple as lighting a single candle while focusing on a need or want (or, like on January 6, 2020, lighting every single candle in the house and leaving them burning until I go to sleep), or it can be complex, multidimensional, and last for days, like the space clear/receiving spell we are amidst.

When we entered the eclipse corridor, I knew I’d be doing some personal work and waited for the inner prompt to tell me what was needed while also paying attention to my environment. I noticed a thin layer of dust, the dwindling yet still stubbornly there pile of things to be sorted in the living room, the remaining artwork yet to be placed, some shadows appearing out of “nowhere” in my peripheral vision, and some depression and unsettled feelings in both Jon and myself.

The physical cleaning came first, as in literal house cleaning. Clearing the clutter and finding appropriate places for everything we brought from California came next. Little bits of sparkle were sprinkled along the way, some incense here, a lit candle there, crystals placed, and some herbs and spices scattered about.

By Tuesday afternoon, this was completed, and we let it all sit for a while, enjoying our space and the quiet while preparing for a few more magical actions to complete the spell. Tuesday night I glanced at the clear bowl filled with water on my shelf. I grabbed it, filled it with some fresh water, a few crystals, and some pink Himalayan salt, and set it outside to sit under the light of the almost full moon.

We had our first real cold and wet weather here this week and spent Monday and Tuesday enjoying the warmth of radiator heating in this solid brick building. Theresa and Vasken upgraded all the storm windows since we were last here, and we feel well insulated. I slept deeply in the cool night air with Zoey, Teddy, and Sookie generating the perfect warmth. I was always too warm in Ojai at night, especially as the winters have gotten warmer and warmer there.

Wednesday dawned sunny and bright, and my timeline for this spell (I had a rough draft in my brain) was running smoothly. Jon ran to the store for ingredients for the big pot of soup he was making to enjoy after our ritual. I brought in the bowl with the crystals. I had left it outside that morning, infusing it with sunlight

We turned on all of the lights in the apartment, opened at least one window in each room, and cracked open both the front and back doors. Jon and I each anointed ourselves with vanilla essential oil. Jon, with first rattle and then bell in hand, cleared each corner of each room, rousing anything lurking in the corners, bringing them into the light. I followed behind with my bowl of crystal, salt, and moon/sunlight-infused water, sprinkling it in each corner and at every window sill and doorway.

Our intentions were clear. Release and remove anything disruptive and welcome in all things joyful. We began in my office, where I started our physical cleaning days earlier. The pack ran in to join us and then retreated to the dining room to watch from underneath the table. The shaking and dinging may have been a lot for their sensitive ears. We noticed Vasken and a friend sitting together in the backyard as we began, and by the time we left my office, they had gone inside.

I lit a candle and some incense in my office and closed the window as we moved to the next room, repeating it all, shake, ding, sprinkle, candle, windows closed, on and on through every room of this 2000 square foot space we occupy. Our last action was to clear the entryway in front of our apartment and then close the front door.

One minute later we heard a vacuum begin. Vasken spent the next while cleaning the entirety of the three-story stairwell. Remarkable that he was so in sync with us without us filling him in as to what we were up to. I left a bit later to head to the Farmers’s Market and he was right in front of our door and greeted me with a hug.

I returned with wonderful fall treats and a big bunch of flowers for our table, setting the tone for the next part of our spell as we moved closer to the energy of the full moon. Clearing and cleansing is complete and now it’s time to welcome in the joy. Consciously, we will take as many joyful actions as we can for the next few days. It’s a throwback to All Positive January but shorter.

The Moon was full in Aries at 6:26 am Central Time this morning, and it was another supermoon. Aries can be loud and bossy, so thinking before spouting off is an excellent course of action. Aries also fires us up and helps us get things done. You may find your creative output on fire right now, enjoy it!

With this full moon, we are also leaving the eclipse corridor. The energetic effects, however, will continue to take shape and form over the next few weeks. During last fall’s system, the final eclipse happened on October 28th, four days later our landlord let us know we had to move. The last one during the spring season was on April 8th, we left our home on April 30th. I am curious how these most recent eclipses affect our house and home experience.

I am now just realizing the other reason for the spell. So much of the last year, beginning this blog, writing about Ojai politics, experiencing no-fault eviction, leaving California, returning to Chicago, returning to this building, and more, has felt beyond our conscious control. I am not complaining, but I am aware of the bigness of all of this and the absolute imperative to surrender again and again to the part I was playing with no script in my hand and no lines or blocking rehearsed.

Perhaps this spell is the beginning of a shift, a moving out of the need to constantly surrender and go with the cosmic flow to a more consciously directed reality. I guess we’ll find out as we open up to receiving the return on all the magic we’ve just engaged in.

Addendum: Sookie attacked Zoey last night. It came out of nowhere, she pounced on her like a cat and bit her on the nose, not too deep, thankfully, but she did break the skin on Zoey’s sweet nose in more than one place. I pulled her off of Zoey and separated them.

It’s not the first time she’s roughed up Zoey but this time was more severe, usually, it’s just posturing/trash-talking without any actual harm. Sookie has some resource-guarding issues and redirected aggression. When the raccoons would mate in Ojai we used to have to take Sookie out separately from Zoey and Teddy as she would pounce on them as she reacted to the raccoon screams and squeals.

Currently, Sookie is with me in my office and the adjacent bedroom, both doors closed to the rest of the house (the two rooms have a door that opens between them as my office used to be the maid’s/nanny’s quarters), and Zoey and Teddy are out in the rest of the house with Jon. I know the clearing stirred up a lot and Sookie is reacting to some of this.

This brings up a lot for me, my childhood dog, Bucky, having to be rehomed due to biting people including a neighbor’s child the summer before my parents separated right after the fall eclipses in 1977 (also on the Aries-Libra axis), and us having to rehome our puppy, Jasper, (now a Frisbee champ in his better-for-him home) due to him attacking Zoey.

There are always unforeseen outcomes to a spell. In asking for a clearing, everything that needs to clear rises to the surface. This is the power of doing magic, and this is the hard part of it.

So we are amidst this, as the energy continues to clear here. We’ll do all the things needed to restore peace within their relationship and our home. We are off to the vet to make sure no underlying health issues are causing Sookie’s aggression, and I am finally crying my eyes out. If you’d like to send some love to our girls and Teddy as well, I know they'd appreciate it as do Jon and I.

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