P is for Personalization (better late than never, right?)

When I first started on the path I did everything by the book. Literally, by the book, any book. I clung to the rituals and spells laid out for me, and would not change a thing, to the point that if I didn't have a particular stone or candle, then I just didn't complete the spell or perform the ritual. This meant a long time of planning well in advance any workings I might do, and god/dess forbid I did not find the exact things.

It took a good many years but one day I was getting ready to perform a ritual for self-love, and it called for rose oil with which to annoint yourself. I am not a big fan of rose oil, and smelling like it does not make me feel divine and beautiful, just really stinky. (I know others love rose oil and it does make them feel fabulous, I am just not one of those people.) I now had a couple of options: I could not perform the ritual which I obviously wanted to, perform it using an oil I do not like and lose some of the joy of the ritual, or I could replace this oil with one that made ME feel divine and beautiful. I chose the latter, replacing the rose oil with honeysuckle which has been a favorite of mine since I was little. And I think the ritual worked much better than if I had sucked it up and used the oil the author suggested, and certainly better than if I had given up on it because I didn't like one element.

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So don't be afraid to play with ingredients, stones, scents, etc. To some healing is blue, to some it is green and to others brown, so when doing a spell or ritual for healing you should use the color candle that represents best for you. The same goes with wording and deities used, if there is one close to you that represents the spell or ritual you are doing, then plug them it. The point of Wicca/Paganism/Witchcraft is that it be personal, and mean something to you. So make sure that it does.

Blessings!!