Beauty is truth; truth beauty

I have always believed that showing my inner beauty to the world through makeup and adornment externally is a high form of magic. I think that focusing on a daily beauty ritual truly helps me feel the confidence I project to the world as sustained throughout the day. However, a more effective spell that I have done repeatedly is one of affirmation and self love brought forth from the astral plane. Below I will describe the basics of a Beauty spell that I cast to surround myself in self love.

I take my stregheria practices from my ancestors, as I am an Italian American. As a Strega, I always have fresh herbs in my kitchen, and have learned that Rosemary is a source of strength and beauty. For my self-love oil that I make for my spell, I take fresh sprigs of this rosemary, along with lavender and juniper buds. I also put rose quartz chips into a small glass bottle, along with whatever carrier oil I choose to use. I drop a few essential oils into the glass as well of rose and lavender oil. After this oil is completed, I consecrate it on my altar and use the element of air to pass it through a sensual smelling incense such as patchouli or rose. This self love oil is something I put on my body on my pulse points immediately after I have taken a spiritual cleansing shower or bath.  It makes me feel connected to source energy of Love.

Anytime I feel as though my confidence needs to be strengthened, I go to a quiet space by a mirror, either in front of my antique armoire mirror or an elegant handheld mirror. I use both the nighttime and the phase of the moon(preferably waxing or full moon at best) to shine extra bright light into the mirror and aid my visualization of myself as a confident, beautiful woman. Finally, after using my self-love oil again on my face and concentrating on all of the aspects of my self that others compliment me on (my eyes, for example), I stare into those physical aspects and imagine the white light of myself extending to those areas and shining on them so brightly that they feel warm and glow even brighter for the world to see. I then like to end my beauty spell by reading poetry or another’s written affirmation from a book.

I will finish this entry with another quote from a true magician of words- John Keats:

“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.”