When it comes to witchcraft and Wicca, there are a lot of expectations regarding the tools you use, how you conduct ritual, and the daily routines you should traditionally perform. The heaps of witchcraft books currently on the market don't make this much easier, as there are not very many spells included in these books that are realistic for people dealing with low funds and low spoons. This has posed an issue for me multiple times as a witch dealing with pain, depression and fatigue on the daily.
Engaging in rituals and spells help me cope with the multiple symptoms and traumas that affect my everyday life. Unfortunately, especially on days when my symptoms are especially bad, I find it difficult to conjure the energy to show up at my altar, let alone plan and carry out a ritual. Since realizing this was a major obstacle for me, I began finding ways to adapt rituals so I could partake in them from bed with minimal tools and movement involved. One of my favorite ritual modifications involves creating "power pages" in my Book of Shadows to use as miniature altars.
For those who don't know, a Book of Shadows or grimoire is a journal that witches and Wiccans use to record magickal information, spells, personal correspondences etc. If you don't have one yet, you can use any notebook, binder or piece of paper to create power pages to call on in times of trouble or when you'd like to hold ritual from your bed.
Using drawings, art, textures, collaged images and magickal intentions, I build altars for a multitude of uses within the pages of my Book of Shadows. These pages can serve as a mini altar you can prop onto your lap or next to you in bed. The imagery itself could be the main vehicle in which you practice your magick and attract the energies necessary for your working. Taking the time to add to this imagery when you feel so inspired is another way you can continue to weave your magick into this portable sacred space. You can place objects or tools necessary for your ritual (and that create minimal mess) on the page itself, such as crystals, a Tarot deck or an object you'd like to enchant, like a necklace. Cleanse and clear the pages before and after ritual as you would do with your regular altar, and check for any signs of wear and tear on the pages in case some repairs or adjustments need to be made.
I have power pages representing everything from the fire element, the goddess Hecate, the divine mother archetype, ancestor contact, and my familiars.
Most often, I use these power pages to hold tarot cards as I give myself a reading, the pages acting as a perfect surface for me to shuffle and lay out the cards I draw. I may choose a page based on the type of reading I'm giving myself or what deck I'm using.
Sometimes, I use the pages to say prayers over. Traditionally, if I wanted to say a prayer or a chant or recite a petition to spirit, I would do it at my altar where candles are lit, relevant items are arranged and incense is burning. On low spoon days, I simply use the power pages to place my hands on as I pray, supported by the corresponding images on the pages in replacement of ritual objects. The most powerful magickal tool is symbolism, and that can easily be represented on your power pages.
Lastly, I like to use these power pages for charging objects, as well as myself, with magickal energy. Depending on the page and the energies I am seeking on a given day, I may meditate with my hands on the page, imagining myself absorbing the powers in the imagery. I sometimes do the same with crystals or other magickal objects I wish to charge with an energy that one of my power pages provides.
My Leo Energy Page
Before you create a power page:
Consider what energies you want to embody. Is it for manifestation or banishing spellwork? Is it meant to represent your essence as a Virgo Sun or Sagittarius rising? Is it meant to inspire strength and confidence in times of struggle?
Think about how you might communicate these energies on the page. What colors, symbolism or words speak to you and best communicates your goals?
Choose a medium for your power page; consider whether or not you would like to draw, paint, collage or employ a mixed media approach.
Beauty magick page
As You Create a Power Page:
Play music that embodies the energies and intentions you are channeling through this work. For example, a page about confidence or the zodiac sign Leo might be well served with music that gets you fired up or is about the sun.
Say out loud or in your head the energies you are imbuing the work with as you construct it. You can imbue the paints, water, paper or glue that you use, reciting your intentions with one piece at a time in hand as you adhere them to the page.
Once the page is assembled, hold your hands over the page and recite your intentions once more. You can cleanse the page beforehand if you wish, to rid the materials of any negative, stagnant or irrelevant energies it was storing before the assemblage of your power pages. You can also dab the pages with perfume or essential oils. The easiest way, for me at least, to cleanse the finished product is by ringing a small ritual bell I got from my local witch store. Clapping or even shaking your keys works just as well.
Before and after using the pages for workings and as sacred space, be sure to cleanse and close off the ceremony with any sound or cleansing method that is most accessible to you in the same way you would at your altar. You may wish to write a short recitation or prayer to thank the power page before closing your book.
Let me know if you make your own power page, and tell me how it went!
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