Ask any witch or tarot reader and they will confirm that the question most pressing and most vexing always concerns love. Beyond the devotion of art and science to the discovery of its nature, love is revealed to all of us in its many forms throughout our lifetimes.Spells to call in love or to enchant a paramour are as old as the hills. Bewitching another to love you is possible but against the nature of magic. If that is the spell you are looking for, you will not find it here. Every single one of us has free will and that crucial edict of human existence forms the basis of personal responsibility, inherently forbidding the control of another. Not convinced? Consider it this way: the threefold rule means that whatever charm you shoot out into the universe comes back at you thrice. Shudder at the implied consequences of your desire to control another.Let us begin.All love stems from the love of Self and so it is here that we start. You can only love and accept another to the degree that you love and accept yourself. All too often we crave great love without doing the prerequisite work on ourselves. Lovers and relationships will always press our buttons. The level of intimacy and vulnerability required to sustain and grow great love is not for the feint of heart. Big love demands a big commitment and it will test you, every time and in every way. Best be ready.This spell utilises the drawing power of the dark moon, the best time every month to let go and relinquish. It is also a time of deep introspection and intuition. The ritual allows you to tap into this energy and use it to aid your quest.Preparatory work is key for magical success. In the waning phase of the moon until the balsamic phase, muse upon and journal asking yourself the following questions. In the first instance answer intuitively and quickly, without thinking. Jot it down as you go. During the descent to the dark moon, allow the answers unfold and gradually reveal themselves to you at a deeper level.

• What are my barriers to love?
• What parts of me do I hide away from others? Examine on the physical, mental and emotional levels as well as in the physical world.
• What parts of me do I feel to be unlovable?
• What is the scariest thing about falling in love?
• How do my past experiences with love still impact me?
• Who am I not over?
• What prevents me from committing?
• How good am I at resolving conflict?
• Can I say sorry when I have done the wrong thing?
• How do I communicate?
• How possible is deep enduring true love for me?

If any of your answers flat out negate the possibility of love, this is where you need to start working by examining the underlying beliefs that inform your ideas. Often these are old, may stem from our childhood or first experiences of love or marriage. Be curious and open to discovering your deep truths. If you are still not over or connected to another, a cord cutting ritual* and a forgiveness ritual* are required first. Again, best performed in the dark of the moon.The journaling process is a way of distilling your barriers to love down to their essence. It is the most crucial part of the ritual and you may well find it shifts and changes as you move through it.The Ritual BathWhen you have settled on what it is you need to pull from within yourself in order to find and keep love, it is time for the ritual bath to wash you clean of this old way of thinking. Choose a day during the balsamic phase (the last three days of the dark moon). You will need:

• a handful of sage leaves
• a good handful of fresh rosemary needles
• a bunch of thyme
• two cups of pink salt or sea salt
• candles
• rose oil (or rose essential oil in a base oil)
• a short list of your barriers to love, as per the journaling process above

Ensure that you will not be disturbed. Leave your phone off and in another room! Ground and clear yourself, taking three deep circular breaths in and out. Call in any guides or ancestors you would like to hold space for you.Draw the bath and as it pours set the candles around it. Once the bath is at the desired level and temperature, add the salt to the bath by sprinkling it up and down its length. Using your hand fully immersed, stir the water in the bath counter clockwise as you begin the process of unwinding these blocks to love. Chanting can often be a good way to hold your focus and the intention of the spell. I believe any chant is most potent when it is in your own words. They don't have to be pretty: they do have to be heartfelt and true. Simple is best and include your overriding intention to remove any and all barriers to love.Add each of the herbs, one at a time. With each addition, stir deeply counter clockwise and chant your intention to remove all barriers to love into the swirling waters.Disrobe and step gently into the bath. Ease yourself in allowing the charmed water to pull all those beliefs from you. Soak long in the bath and watch your thoughts with curious eyes. Often that which you are letting go of pops up for one last time, delivering one crucial piece of information. Allow this process to unfold knowing you are protected.Using breathwork to literally breathe each of your barriers out and into the bath is a very powerful practice. One by one release them to the waters. Once the ritual is complete, stand up in the bath. Feel the water running down your body taking with it your old way of thinking about love. Step confidently from the bath feeling yourself released from the power of these beliefs.Anoint your body with rose oil. Allow each part of your body to welcome in love. One by one - with each body part - say, "I anoint and open my {arms} to love". Pay particular attention to your breasts / heart space, your womb or belly space and of course your hands and arms, for loving caress.So may it be.Drain the bath, collecting the botanicals with a sieve or colander over the plughole. Take them out into your garden and bury them where they will not be disturbed and the earth can continue to gently break them down. Make notes on the ritual process and anything that came up for you in your Book of Shadows. This will be your start point the following month. This ritual can be repeated every month on the dark moon and works best when performed three months in a row. It is a function of how well you clear any toxic beliefs and the residue of your past that will make space for love to blossom in your life.I love to see pictures of your rituals and to see this magic in action! Please tag me on social media @bohomofo or post in the comments below. May you always remember that in the very heart of you, you are love. *Both the cord cutting ritual and forgiveness ritual are available in my Eclipse-A-Tron ebook, instantly downloadable here. It is Pay What You Want and I appreciate your support of my magical endeavours and my writing.Words and ritual © Kerrie Basha, 2018. Lead image via Romance Was Born. Protected by magic.