BY MINERVA SIEGEL
October is a sacred time for me. The very air feels alive with old magic as the leaves turn brilliant, warm colors and fall to the ground. On these special, crisp autumnal days, I feel magic stirring up inside of me, ready to spark at my fingertips. Spells feel especially potent now, and one of my very favorite ways to mark the enchantment of this spooky season is to perform a rite I concocted to manifest and protect my power. As fallen leaves nurture the ecosystem, we should take their lead and use this time to nurture ourselves and our magic.
***Minerva Siegel is wearing Hips and Curves Lingerie, Photographed by Amanda Lillian Mills
A Simple Spell to Summon Up & Protect Your Personal Power
Items Needed
A crystal you feel a connection with (I use Candle Quartz)
Protective Crystals (Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Jet, etc.)
A white candle
Sage or Palo Santo to burn in a fire-safe container
Music that empowers you (I made a playlist for this comprised mostly of Courtney Love, Sleater-Kinney and other punk rock girl bands that make me want to riot against the patriarchy, as self-care)
I begin this spell by playing empowering grrrl jams. They make me feel angsty, passionate and powerful, which is the perfect emotional recipe for manifesting my intrinsic magic. After gathering the items required for the spell, I set protective crystals at the four corners of my little ritual space. Alternately, you can place them in the four corners of the room you’re working in, or use a compass to align the crystals with the cardinal directions, if you’re into elemental magic.
After my space is protected, I light the white candle to begin the spell. The flame is then used to set sage alight, which is placed in my cast-iron cauldron (fire safety first!). Next, I meditate with my personal power crystal, which is a particularly dark Candle Quartz specimen that carries its energy confidently and without restraint or hesitation. I close my eyes, open my third eye, and visualize energy flowing up from the earth and into my body. I imagine my aura glowing brighter with each wave of energy that washes over me. Then, I say my personal affirmations aloud:
“I am magical. I am powerful. I am compassionate. I am loved.”
They’re inspired by affirmations my good friend, professional witch Kit Bone, came up with. I say them thrice, or seven times, if that intuitively feels more correct in the moment, while still visualizing power manifesting inside me. By now, I’m feeling magic surging through me. I feel beautiful. I feel whole. I feel as though I could move mountains with the flick of a wrist, and that would just be as natural as anything. Aloud, I speak the incantation:
“Magic running through me,
help me See with clarity.
Power that I’ve summoned here,
protect me, and I’ll have no fear.”
Again, I repeat this three or seven times, whichever feels more correct at the time, and continue meditating with the crystal until I feel ready to move on. Sometimes, I’ll do a tarot spread at this point.
To end the spell, I thank the universe for its power, protection and love, and blow out the candle.
There’s no correct or incorrect way to make magic, and that’s the beauty of it. Feel free to follow this spell exactly, or to use it as inspiration to create your own power-summoning rite. Your options are as endless as the universal magic that runs through us all. Explore them! Harness your power. It’s October, after all- there’s no better time than now to dig deeply and embrace your truest self.
Minerva Siegel is an internationally-published writer, plus size, disabled model, and secular witch living in Milwaukee, WI with her Taurus, double-Virgo husband and their beloved rescue pups. A Sagittarius with a Capricorn moon and entirely too many planets in the 6th house, she uses witchcraft as empowering, daily self-care