Wolf Magick

For magickal folk, wolves can be both totem and spirit animals. A totem animal is one with which you feel a strong connection of kinship and identity. Most people actively seek totem animals, finding them during a course of intense study, on a vision quest, etc. Totems are teachers: through their example, they inspire us to develop certain qualities and recognize specific gifts within ourselves.

While people seek out totems, a spirit animal cannot be sought, but appears when the time is right. A spirit animal may be one that you have not considered before but which presents itself at a time when you are in need of guidance or prepared to take a spiritual or intellectual leap. If totems are teachers, spirit animals are guardians, infusing your soul with gifts and very much becoming part of you. Spirit animals may accompany you into the spirit realm, and may help you find answers to magickal problems.

Interestingly, I had already adopted the wolf as a totem before the night I saw the wolf on Mt. Hood. But on that night, when the shining lupine appeared in my path and stared into my eyes, I knew that I had also been called by its spirit presence. Soon after, I carried out a ritual in which I acknowledged the wolf's real and spirit presences in my magickal life. Since then, I acknowledge the wolf as my totem - in addition to my two other totems, bear and crow - and as my only spirit guardian. May his path be swift as he runs through snowy forests, leaving a trail of silvery shadows in the night!

Cat Lore

Cats have been associated with deities, witches and magick for centuries. Here are some nippets of cat-related folklore.

Cats have been sacred to more than one religion, and at different times and places have been considered both good and bad luck-bringers. The Egyptian goddess Bast was both lion-headed and cat-headed and attended by cats and therefore cats were sacred and revered in Egypt; killing one was a heinous crime, and when a household cat died mourning rites were performed for it. Cats were often found in temples and were ritually fed; stray cats were treated with honour and fed, and the household cat was allowed to share the family's food. Cat amulets were produced and elaborate cat-sized sarcophagi crafted for cats who had died, who wereoften embalmed as humans were.

Followers of the goddess Diana also considered the cat sacred because she once assumed the form of a cat, and cats were under her special protection. In Scandanavia, Freya's chariot was drawn by cats. The Celtic goddess Ceridwen was also attended by white cats, who carried outher orders on earth.

Cats are traditionally associated with witches, and it is generally assumed today that witches' familiars were and always cats. However, during the Burning Times any small animal that was kept in the house was suspect, and records show that accused witches were forced to confesshaving familiar spirits in the form of cats, rats, mice, dogs, weasels and toads. It was also firmly believed that witches could take the shape of cats, and accusers sometimes claimed that they were
followed or tormented by witches in the shape of cats. In 1718 William Montgomery ofCaithness alleged that hordes of cats gathered outside his house nightly and talked in human language; he claimed to have killed two of them and wounded another one night and awoken the next morning to hear that two old women had been found dead in theier beds and another badly injured.

In Britain and Australia black cats are considered lucky, and in some places white cats are correspondingly unlucky. In many parts of Europe and in the United States, however, it is the black cat who is ill-omened. In Britain tortoiseshell cats will bring their owners luck, and blue cats bring luck in Russia. An old saying about black cats is that 'Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers shall have no lack'. It was said that if the household cat sneezed near a bride on her wedding day, she would have a happy married life.

To meet a black cat is usually fortunate, especially if it crosses one's path. In some districts the luck is only considered released if the cat is politely greeted, or stroked three times. Sometimes it is considered unlucky if the cat runs away from the person, or turns back on its own tracks. To meet a white cat is bad luck, except in those countries where white cats are the luck- bringers. If a black cat comes into a house or onto a ship, it is considered a very lucky sign, and the cat should never be chased away in case it takes the luck of the house with it.

Seamen avoid the word 'cat' while at sea, but to have a cat on board is lucky, especially if it is a completely black cat with no white hairs. To throw the cat overboard raises an immediate violent storm; no sailor would do such a thing to the ship's cat, and in fact cats are rarelyleft on an abandoned ship but are generally rescued with the sailors. In Yorkshire, if a sailor's wife kept a black cat, her husband would always return safely from the sea; this sometimes led to black cats being stolen.

Cat hair and bones were often ingredients of charms and spells, and even now a few hairs from a cat are supposed to increase the power of a spell, although this now appears more common in England than in America where the hair of a wolf appears to have taken over. In previouscenturies the tail of a black cat was believed to cure a stye if stroked over the afflicted eye, and a tortoiseshell cat's tail was considered to remove warts. Three drops of a cat's blood smeared on a wart was also considered to cure it. If a person in the house was very ill, it was thought that throwing the water in which the patient had been washed over a cat, and then driving the poor creature away, would transfer the illness to the cat and drive it out of the household.

It was said that every cat should be given two names; a country rhyme states 'One for a secret, one for a riddle, name puss twice and befuddle the devil'. This saying was based on the belief that one person could gain power and ascendancy over another simply by knowing his or her real name; by giving the household cat two names, once for common use and one secret and never revealed to outsiders, the pet which had the run of the household could be protected from becoming a tool of evil or of outside infiltration.

*Cat Weather Lore*
A sneezing cat means rain on the way, and three sneezes in a row portends a cold for the cat's owner!

A cat running wildly about darting here and there and clawing everything in sight means wind or a storm on the way; when the cat quietens down, the storm will soon blow itself out.

Cats washing over their ears has long beed held to foretell rain; the old rhyme goes 'When Kitty washes behind her ears, we'll soon be tasting heaven's tears'.

A cat which rolls over and over in the grass, claws the ground and behaves in a skittish manner, is indicating that a brief rain-shower is on the way.

When the cat is restless and moves from place to place without settling, it is foretelling hard winds.

A cat who sits with its back to the fire is said to be a portent of frost.

When a cat spends the night outdoors and caterwauls loudly, it may be foretelling a period of several days' bad weather.

*Cat Dream Interpretations*
To dream of a black cat is lucky.
To dream of a tortoiseshell cat means luck in love.
To dream of a ginger cat means luck in money and business
To dream of a white cat means luck in creativity, spiritual matters, divination and spellcraft.
To dream of a black-and-white cat means luck with children; may also mean the birth of a child.
To dream of a tabby cat means luck for the home and all who live there.
To dream of a grey cat means to be guided by your dreams.
To dream of a calico or multi-coloured cat means luck with new friends and old ones.
A dream of two cats fighting means illness or a quarrel.

*Cat Spells and Charms*
If a black cat crosses your path, greet the animal politely and stroke it three times if possible, while reciting this charm:

'Black cat, cross my path,
Good fortune bring to home and hearth,
When I am away from home
Bring me luck wherever I roam'.

Then leave the cat and go on your way. If you abuse, insult or ignore the cat, no good luck will follow

If a black cat crosses your path, greet the animal politely and stroke it three times if possible, while reciting this charm:

'Black cat, cross my path,
Good fortune bring to home and hearth,
When I am away from home
Bring me luck wherever I roam'.

Then leave the cat and go on your way. If you abuse, insult or ignore the cat, no good luck will follow.

Cats and Money

Cats can be harbingers of coming prosperity and good fortune. A cat of three colors is extremely lucky and will keep a house from harm, while a smutty-nosed cat will bring wealth to its companions. Stroking a cat’s tail nine times grants good luck at cards. And just sharing your home with cats will bring you many blessings.

by: Scott Cunningham

Cat Magick

It has been said that a cat is more a spirit than an animal. Historically, little distinction has been drawn as to the difference between witches, fairies, spirits, goddesses, and the feline, for at different periods in time the cat was believed to represent them all in corporeal form.The cat has always been considered a Moon creature, and sacred to such Goddesses as Isis, Bast, Artemis, Diana, and Freyja. When Diana became known as Queen of Witches in the Middle Ages, the cat was associated with Witchcraft and Goddess worship.Followers of the goddess Diana also considered the cat sacred because she once assumed the form of a cat, and cats were under her special protection. In Scandanavia, Freya's chariot was drawn by cats. The Celtic goddess Ceridwen was also attended by white cats, who carried out her orders on earth.It is generally assumed today that witches' familiars were (and are) always cats. However, during the Burning Times any small animal that was kept in the house was suspect, and records show that accused witches were forced to confess having familiar spirits in the form of cats, rats, mice, dogs, weasels and toads. It was also firmly believed that witches could take the shape of cats, and accusers sometimes claimed that they were followed or tormented by witches in the shape of cats.

Witches regard their cat familiars as founts of wisdom and occult secrets. Cats can lead their mistresses in dreams to spiritual knowledge. They can foretell the future, predict the weather, and bless magickal endeavors, and represent the soul of magick, secrecy, and freedom.

Spell To Become Closer To Your Cat

Preparation: You will need brown candles and the following herbs:

Catnit-helps create a bond between you and your cat
Vervain-for Peace and Protection
Gardernia-for Spirituality
Saffron-for Strength
Love Seed-for Friendship
Passion Flower-for Friendship

Consecrate each herb before starting. Take 1/2 of the empowered herbs and wrap in a small square of brown cloth and tie it off with a brown cord or string. Take the other half and make a smaller satchet for your pet. Wear yours four days meditating with your pet at least once a day. You can tie the pets satchet on while meditating. After those four days take all the herbs and burn as an incense while sharing a meal with your pet.

Magick Cat Collar

What you need:

1 yellow candle
candle holder
matches
1 Amethyst stone (fairly small)
1 Brown collar
apple, peach or lavender oil
5 silver paper clips
brown fabric paint
Needle-Noses Pliers

This spell should be done during the waxing moon. Light the candle. Take four or the five paper clips and bend them all out as straight as possible (use the needle-nosed pliers). Now take the paperclips and (do what feels right to you) wrap the stone as you would a crystal. Chant the following while doing this:

This collar I have made by hand shall protect my pet, all evil shall be banned. It will keep him/her in good health and always loved it is a source of good luck that is always watching from above. No harm shall ever come to my pet. And m will, So mote it be!

Anoint the collar with the oil you have chosen. Attach the wrapped stone to the collar (like you would a license tag).

Rite for a Departed Pet

"This ceremony may be as formal ir informal as desired. An altar should be set up with a white candle in the center. A token of the animal should be present. This can be a picture, a clipping of hair, a beloved toy, or other object. A small square of cloth and a piece of ribbon should be present.

"I give thanks to you, small friend,
For the time we shared together.
I give thanks for the touch of your soft fur,
Your shining eyes, kisses from your rough tongue.
I give thanks for the sound of your voice.
Go now to your rest.
I will miss you, my friend,
As you travel on your way.
But I know that someday, somewhere,
If the gods will it,
We will meet again;
And the meeting will be one of love.
May the blessings of the Lord and the Lady
Be with you as you travel on your way!
Know that my love and blessings go with you
As you travel to the Land of Eternal Summer.
Blessed Be!"

Now, take up the token and place it within the square of cloth. Add to it a piece of your own hair or other token of yourself. Using the ribbon, tie the cloth up into a bundle, and say:

"Let us be bound together in love,
That we may merry meet again!
Blessed Be!""

Referencdee: Margie McArthur, "WiccaCraft for Families"

Spell for Healing a Pet

Mix some healing oil, using:
6 drops Lavender oil
6 drops Camphor oil
6 drops Rosemary oil
1/2 ounce base oil (apricot kernel, jojoba, grapeseed, even olive oil)

Annoint a black candle, a red candle and a brown candle with this healing oil. The black is for absorption of the negativity (the illness), the red is for strength and health, and the brown is an "astral" or "significator" candle for the animal. Place the brown candle between the black and red candles, and make a ring of stones around the set-up, using stones or crystals that you associate with healing (amethyst, quartz, agate...you choose whichever type or combination of types). Place some of the oil in your hands, and begin to rub them together, generating heat and energy. When you feel that you've built a small "bundle" of healing energy, place your hands on your pet, stroking it and giving it the healing energy you've built, making sure to concentrate on any areas where you feel or sense the illness. Focus on the candles, continuing to maintain contact with your pet, and visualize the strength from the red candle pouring into the brown candle, and pushing all the sickness into the black candle. Attune with the Goddess, and when you've got a good grip on the visualizations above (and the animal!), say:

"Goddess, with your healing touch
Bless this animal we love so much.
God, with beasts as your domain,
Remove the sickness, heal the pain.
So mote it be!"

Continue the stroking and energy flow until you feel that the spell is done, then allow the animal plenty of time to rest and heal. Obviously, if you wish to perform this spell in a cast circle, that's your choice. If you wish to continue the spell for a number of days (I'd suggest at least 3 days), and your pet has a special place where it rests or "lives" (such as a cage, etc.), ring this area, if possible, with the stones, place a red candle on one side of the area and a black candle on the other (annointed with the healing oil); focus on the red candle and project its energy into area with your pet, visualizing the illness being pushed out the other side, since there's no room for it, and into the black candle. Rub the oil onto your hands and stroke it into/onto the animal's body as often as you feel necessary.

The Mirror, the Cat, and the Moon Love Spell

On May Eve, coax your cat to go with you to a pond or a rushing stream, and take with you a mirror, a man's silk handkerchief, and a white candle with some tinder to light it.

When you reach the water's edge, light the candle, hold it up to the moon, and intone this rune"

Lovely Freya, Queen of the Moon
Bring my true love to me by the month of June.

As the moon rises, call puss and let her study her wide-eyed face in the mirror for a little while. Then turn your back to the water and hold the mirror aloft so that it reflects the moon, and also her reflection on the water. Place the silk handkerchief over your face and count the number of moons which appear in the mirror. If there are but two, a twelvemonth must pass before you are wed, but if there are more, their number represents the months which must pass before you are wed.

If your cat is strong in magick, your true love's face will appear in the mirror, as still as the reflection of the moon, just for an instant.

The Cat Spell Oracle

If you would divine the future, it is lucky to call upon your cat as an oracle. Frame the question clearly in your mind, then write it down three times. Whisper puss' magickal name to yourself three times three, and speak the question three times aloud.

Now, making sure that the door is ajar, call to your cat. Carefully observe which forepaw appears first through the door as she walks into the room. If it is the left paw, a denial is your answer. If it is the right paw, 'yes' is your answer.

Having divined this way, ponder the oracle's response. The key to its message, and what will transpire for the best, is within your own heart.

The Northern Lights Fairy Spell

When the firmament is alight with meteoric phenomena, and the Merry Dancers assume their pretty gowns and make great sport up and down the curtain of the night sky until they in a fair frolic and frenzy, these Northern Lights are come to let you know that the evening is full of magick, and the season ripe for spells and craftworking.

Therefore, coax a cat (better if she be black) on to your lap, and sit alone with her in the garden, stroking her until a sheen appears on her coat, and she purrs contentedly. Have at your elbow a nipperkin of wine in a small vessel, and at the cat's first stretch, anoint her lightly with the wine, making the sign of the Celtic Cross upon her head, and then do the same for yourself.

Gently grasp the end of her tail and stroke it three times swiftly over your left eye, and then over your right, saying:

Elves of the night, enchant my sight,
Your forms for to see in moon or sunlight,
With this spell and with this sign
I pri'thee, forward my design.

Let puss run off, and steal away to your bedchamber, there to comtemplate the moon and the stars and all the magickal lights of the sky from your lattice. If you have found favor with the fairies, then mystic dreams will come to you that night, and afterwards you will begin to see the Little People at their revels, faintly at first, but yet more clear, more lucid, as the fairy enchantment blesses ever deeper your inner seeing.

The Cait Sith Good Luck Charm

For good luck and protection, it is well to call upon the Highland Fairy Cat, the Cait Sith.

Bind around your forehead, inside your bonnet, a bouquet of the mystic herbs chicory, henbane, and rue, and go by night to the summit of a small hill or a grassy knoll. Place seven white stones in a circle around you, and bless each one. Stand in the center and perform a song for the fairies. Say aloud before you begin: "This is for the fairies."

When you have finished, bow three times to the moon, and say aloud:

Fairies, I have danced for you,
Fairies, I have sung for you,
Now I pri'thee, send to me,
The Fairy Cat, the Spirit Cait Sith
My guide and safeguard for to be.

Having chanted the charm three times, you must cast the henbane upon where you have danced, and you must take home with you the seventh stone from which you formed the magickal circle, and the chicory and rue which comprised two parts of the nosegay bound about your brwo.

When you are home, brew yourself a tisane (tea) from the herbs, and go at once to your bedchamber to drink it, carrying the seventh stone with you.

Bless the stone with the sign of the Celtic Cross, anoint it with three drops of water from the tisane, and finish the rest before slipping into bed.

Once there, drop the stone beneath your bed at its head, so that its place on the floor corresponds with your pillow. Say the charm again three times before sleeping, and as you begin to dream, the Cait Sith will come to you and make itself known to you.

Never take the stone from beneath your be, letting it remain directly below the point where your head lies; and if it should happen that a stray cat presents itself to you, take it in, for it will harbour the spirit of the Cait Sith, and you may call upon the Cait Sith, and know that you have a friend and a protecting spirit at all times. Thank the fairies for this, and the kindly goddess of the moon, who is mother to all mortals.
(The above four spells from Cat Spells, Cat Magic through the Ages by Claire Nahmad)