Flowers blooming and trees green with abundance, Beltane is the time around the world when nature comes into fullness. In comparison to the space between the first quarter moon and the full moon, Beltane is a time of growth and fertility, a celebration of life and happiness. This makes it a wonderful time for manifestation spells and things you want to bring into your life that make you happy.
Refining Fire of Beltane
Traditionally a fire festival, it invokes a feeling of passion and movement, especially now that, even in colder climates, the weather has warmed and we come out of our caves. Whether you do this spell with a large bonfire with friends, or in a cauldron by yourself, fire is a great way to both manifest and banish. At the same time it quickens things, fire also burns away everything that no longer serves us, helping us to simultaneously let go and move forward into the life we desire.
The Mystery of Life and Death
Beltane is the cross quarter sabbat to Samhain, meaning they are opposite to each other on the Wheel of the Year. These two sabbats represent times of the year when the veil is the thinnest, making them ideal for spell casting. To the ancient people, life and death were equally mysterious, but now as we understand how life comes to be in our modern world, we have lost the mystery of life that Beltane celebrates.
Many things thought of as taboo in our modern culture were celebrated at this time, such as pleasure and sex. Spells for love or glamour magick would be excellent to cast on Beltane. If you did the Growth Spell on Ostara, you can use this sabbat’s spell to give it a boost by writing that same intention on your petition paper. For this spell, we will choose one thing that will die, such as a fear or limiting belief you want to release, and one thing we will bring to life.
Writing Your Petitions
But first, let’s go over how to write a petition paper. Traditionally, brown paper is used, so if you can find this it is best. A lot of packages are shipped with brown paper as packing material so I save what I get in boxes for this purpose. You can also use unbleached butcher paper or brown paper bags from the grocery store. If you can’t get brown paper, you could use color magick to match your intention.
Manifesting Petition Paper
Once you have found your paper, use one piece for what you are manifesting and one piece for what you are banishing. For the manifesting paper, tear the edges toward you and rotate in a clockwise direction until the paper is the size you need it for the spell, preferably tearing all four corners. By doing this, you are inviting this intention into your life.
When choosing your intention, begin with an I AM statement, written in present tense as if it is already happening. For example:
Instead of writing, “I want to have more money,” write “I AM receiving five thousand dollars by the end of this month.”
Instead of writing, “I want a healthy relationship,” write, “I AM in a loving partnership that is helping me become the best version of myself.”
You can be even more specific than this, the more specific you are, the more likely you will receive your desired outcome in exactly the way you visualize it. Be sure to get clear on what you want through meditation or journaling before you settle on a phrase for your petition paper.
Banishing Petition Paper
For the banishing paper, do the same, but in the opposite directions. Tear the edges away from you, turning counterclockwise, diverting this thing from your life. When choosing what to write on the banishing paper, less is more. You don’t want to think too much about it as it is something you are releasing from your life. A word or two that describes a fear or limiting belief will suffice, all the while imagining it already dissolving in the fire so it can no longer prevent you from moving forward.
You will want to write your petition on the paper three times, then turn in its respective direction, depending on if you are working with the manifesting paper or the banishing paper. Halfway through the turn, with the paper sideways, write the date over top of your petition three times. Then finish turning it fully and write your signature three times. This seals your petition.
When you finish the manifesting paper, fold it toward you, turning clockwise until it is folded small and tight. After you finish the banishing paper, fold it away from you, turning counterclockwise in the same fashion. Now they are prepared for the fire.
Cast the Burning Spell
The reason we are doing both a manifesting paper and a banishing paper for this spell is because fire represents purification and transformation. In order to transform into something new, to step into that thing you want to attract, you need to first burn away the old things.
As you light the bonfire or prepare the cauldron, invoke any deity you work with, or simply open yourself to the Universe. When you toss your manifesting paper into the bonfire, visualize your petition floating up into the Ether, the air divinity breathes, and reaching the Universe or your deity like a piece of divine mail. If you are working with a cauldron, light the paper first and drop into the cauldron, allowing the fire to consume it.
Now toss your banishing paper in and, as it burns, allow yourself to let go. After both papers turn into ash, say “sha” or “so mote it be” or whatever you use in your practice to signify completion. Take the ashes off your property and bury or scatter them on the ground, releasing to Mother Earth.
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