In my cauldron

Its midnight and the moon shines brightly in the autumn sky. I look down upon my altar and the small cauldron in the center of it and think about what it is I want during this Sabbat. I prop the cauldron up so that I can place a tea light under it - after all - fire is good.

First in goes water, the source of most life on our planet - some have called it the very blood of the planet. I let the water warm a bit, and gaze into it, seeing the reflection of the full moon which shines in from the window behind me. Water is the possibility of all - it overcomes all barriers, even against rock, given enough time, water will always win. Water is good.

I close my eyes and think of what I wish - I wish for health first and foremost. For without health, nothing else is really all that important. Even the richest man in the world, dying from a deadly disease is still dying. Without health, we have no energy to enjoy the pleasure of life, to go outside and run in a field on a sunny day. Without health, we do not have the will to get up and to experience the world around us. I know this - I speak from experience. I pickup a small bit of Rosemary and toss it into my cauldron and it ripples the water as it goes in. Rosemary is an all healing herb, it attracts health and pushes away illness. It protects, it purifies, it makes things whole - in essence, it brings health. Health is good.

With health and life, what more could I want? I want love, friendship, companionship. Life is not worth living without caring, loving, feeling. Love cares not which medium it chooses, a mother, a father, a child, a lover - even an animal. Love is love, it is powerful and warm and strong. Love lifts you up when life beats you down, love makes you feel empowered and glowy. Love brings more riches to you than any monetary reward could compare to. I pick up a handful of Rose Petals and toss them into my cauldron. Today I wish for companionship - for love given and returned. For someone to share happy times with, to cry at sad movies, to make fun of people that annoy us and to warm us at night. Love is good.

I look into my cauldron and see a swirl of rosemary and rose petals. I see an image of happiness and the bright lights of sun and fire which bring its power of healing to the earth. I take out my wooden spoon and mix my herbs with the water. The scent of roses and rosemary rise up from my now warm cauldron and envelop me. Something is missing. The swirl in my cauldron is just that - a swirl. It has no personality, no power. It has no individual signature, no creative spark. It is missing me. I bend down towards my bubbling cauldron and gently blow on it. Air is the breath of life - it is inherently mine. My breath is like no other's- it is unique individual and only I can provide it. It blends the water, the herbs, the fire. My breath is pure air, that spark of creativity and possibility. Air is good.

I sit back and watch my cauldron bubble - my wishes for the new season bubbling in front of me. I feel its energy rise, from the cauldron, which represents the womb of the mother, through the warm water, the herbs and through my breath it releases up to the world around me. Weather the gods hear my wishes or not, it does not matter. I feel the energy around me, comforting me and using my will to affect change. I feel strong and powerful, I feel connected to the earth, and the world that exists all around me. I feel alive. Life is good.

Life is good.