How often do you look up at the night sky? Probably not at all if you live somewhere urban… can’t say I blame you since it’s mostly pointless due to the light pollution in these areas. That said, we did manage to capture a rare sighting of the Northern Lights in 2024, and that was close to populated regions. I do gaze at dark skies quite often, and not just because I have an interest in astronomy. ✨ Lunar cycles are very important in many communities, and some civilisations have even incorporated them into the Gregorian calendar that we now universally adopt. A great number of holy days and festivals around the world are based on the moon’s movements. I wouldn’t call myself religious in the orthodox sense, but I do have an affinity with paganism, and a healthy respect for Nature. 🌿 I believe strongly in maintaining the balance of the universe, something which aligns with what the Chinese would call the Tao.

For those who are unfamiliar, Taoism (aka Daoism) is a major religion in China, with many attributes also linked to Hinduism and Buddhism. Formally recognised around 300-400BC, the tenets that led to it probably took form even before that. The BBC has a mostly accurate explanation if you want to find out more, but for the tl:dr version, you need only look at the emblem of this religion — the Yin Yang symbol. ☯️ It’s a perfect illustration of Taoism’s entire ethos… no light without dark, no good without bad (though this is quite a reductive explanation since the latter concepts are relative) etc. Opposites complementing one another and working together in harmony. There truly is no right or wrong way (or Tao, which is the literal translation), only a natural flow where everything is interconnected (Feng Shui anybody?), and you simply need to achieve an equilibrium that works for you. 🧘🏻‍♀️

I have good reason to be paying particular attention to the cosmos this winter as Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year for obvious reasons (as previously mentioned), is coming up. According to the zodiac, it will be the Year of the Horse. 🐴 I can imagine my atheist/humanist husband David rolling his eyes at this and calling it ”woo woo”. His neigh-saying aside, I want to add that I do trust Science implicitly, but a part of me also can’t let go of the mindset that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. 🤔 Perhaps it is my upbringing, decades of Western education against a backdrop of Asian traditions. I used to dismiss these customs as mere superstitions in my teens, but as an adult, I find myself hearkening back to my ancestral roots.

I am a member of several social media groups for witches, where spells, rites, and schools of thought from most cultures are represented, but hardly any of them are Chinese. We can thank the Communist revolution for that. Witchcraft was of course just as prevalent in China as every other nation, but Mao’s movement erased all ideology apart from Nationalism. 🙄 The state had to come first. So pervasive was this crusade that even today, there is still a great deal of shame associated with Taoist occultism and folk magic. Practitioners are sometimes viewed with suspicion, or derision, as if they are somehow of a lower class. Strangely, ancestral worship survived, along with the philosophical side of Taoism, which is usually tolerated and even embraced. Some years ago, I came across this Q&A with some Asian American witches who, like me, were struggling with conflicting notions of identity. It made for a rather interesting read. 📖

And yet, what I find more fascinating are the similarities between the religious beliefs of East and West. For instance, depictions of the benevolent goddess Guanyin with young Shancai always remind me of the Virgin Mary with Jesus (though their stories are vastly different of course). And just as the Celts have Samhain (or Halloween) and the Mexicans have Día de Muertos, the Chinese also have the Hungry Ghost Festival. 👻 I grew increasingly aware of these parallels as I was perfecting my abundance spells, and I am not sure all of it can be explained by syncretism. Due to our family’s mixed heritage, I like to weave elements that are Asian and Western into my witchcraft, uniting the two.

Above are some photos of my candle magic for luck and prosperity. 🕯️ It’s only a little spell (with the candle being only two inches tall… handy for witches with busy lives), which means the amount of energy drawn from the universe would only be small, so whatever I manifest is kept modest. Because of this, it is a spell that sometimes requires recasting, preferably when it is a new or waxing moon 🌒 as we want to encourage growth. (Also a good time for healing spells. As a rule, full moons 🌕 are best for protection and clarity, whilst a waning moon 🌖 is great for the banishment of anything negative.) No matter when you choose to do it, your intention is the most important aspect. I don’t expect to win the lottery (might need a giant candle for that!), but providence has smiled on me following these spells, leading to bonuses at work, an increase in business/sales, and even a new job for a loved one etc. 🍀

As can be seen in the video, the jar I use to hold the candle has Chinese, Nordic and Celtic characters painted on it. Of course all ethnicities have their own sigils for luck, but where it gets intriguing is when you delve deeper to discover what each facet of the spell symbolises. For instance, I imbue my candle with orange oil because it is a common ingredient used to attract good fortune. 🍊 In medieval times, only the wealthy could afford exotic oranges, so it came to represent luxury. The same is also true in China, but for a very different reason. Apart from its bright colour reminiscent of gold, the Chinese pronunciation for orange also rhymes with the word for gold. (You’ll find a lot of Chinese beliefs are actually tied to wordplay. Another example is the number four — deemed incredibly unlucky, because it literally sounds like death.)

Something else in my spell that is ubiquitous, regardless of which continent you hail from, is the colour green. Nature’s bounty does not differ from one corner of the world to another. Green denotes spring and new beginnings in almost every nation. 🥬 It is the colour of growth and plenty, which is why I use a green candle for my abundance manifestations, together with green crystals/gems, such as my jade pendant below (I was born in the year of the fire snake) though the hue of it has been somewhat overwhelmed by candlelight.

I am doing more research and slowly building a grimoire that I hope will reflect a rich blend of cultural practices. On top of that, I try to be as mindful as possible of my surroundings, particularly when disposing spent ingredients. (I normally thank Nature for her blessings while doing so. 🙏🏻) As I tend to “release” them to the wild, my supplies cannot be toxic to the environment, including the candles. I have used soy candles in the past, but my favourite are beeswax from Phoenix Candle Company who sell them in various sizes. They are scent-free, but still fantastic for all kinds of mindful moments.

Today began on a very positive note at a guided meditation workshop run by Forest Falls Healing, where I was really happy to have had the opportunity to share some of my above thoughts with a few lovely ladies, and at the same time, aligning and resetting my chakras! As a spoonie, I can’t often say I’m energised, but the rest of the day was pretty productive. Not only have I made a slow-cooker apple and cabbage chicken dinner (modified from this recipe), I even had time to finish my shopping and blog! Not wanting to lose the momentum (because who knows when I’ll have the strength again), I also made some decorative origami horses in preparation for Chinese New Year! 🏮 If you’d like to learn how to do it, here’s the video that taught me. Have fun, and whether or not you have an inclination to conjure prosperity, I hope this is the year when luck gallops into your life! 🐎🧧