Ice Magick By: Enodia Black

My first winter in Eastern Washington was bitter. I had lived in
        California previously, and I didn't know how to function in really
        Cold, snowy, weather. I wandered bewildered through a world
        Blanketed in white. Large, soft, snowflakes fell on my head, and my
        Feet sank deep into the powdery coldness. Snow slid over the tops of
        My boots, encrusted the hems of my jeans and soaked my feet. It was
        Cold, miserable and hard to get around. But it was also beautiful.
        The snow caused the land around me to shape shift into a pure, white,
        Sparkling expanse. I got to know a phenomenon called "freezing fog,"
        When the fog moves in despite the low temperatures, and freezes onto
        Everything it touches, coating the branches of trees with crystals of
        Ice. The ice, though slippery and dangerous, had a beauty that
        Caught my breath. It was powerful, and because it is a force of
        Nature, I began to wonder how its power could be used magickally.
      
        Water to Ice
      
        To understand how ice can be used in Magick, it is important to first
        Understand the element of water. Water is one of the most important
        Elements to human beings, because we need it to survive; for this
        Reason, water has always been thought of as sacred. Water is in
        Constant motion, always flowing. In fact, water is so linked with
        The idea of movement that when we see water that is still, we give it
        The name "stagnant," a name which denotes unnatural lack of change,
        And even decay. It is not surprising, then, that water Magick is
        Concerned with things that tend to remain in a state of flux:
        Emotions, the subconscious and purity.
      
        Water is like our emotional states; it is deep, mysterious and can
        Even be deceptive. We have all heard the phrase "still waters run
        Deep," a phrase that describes the churning turmoil that can exist
        Beneath a placid demeanor. Water can look calm, but below, out the
        Range of our vision, so much can be going on. An entire ecosystem
        Exists beneath the surface, out of our eyesight. When we enter the
        Water, we enter a new world. The surface of the water is very much
        Like the veil that stands between the world of the everyday and the
        Otherworld. The veil is normally difficult to pierce, and only on
        Certain nights (like Samhain) can we cross it easily. But water can
        Help in the process of parting the veil — we can gaze into a bowl of
        Water, and see into the otherworld. So water is not only Magickal,
        It is also an excellent medium for divination.
      
        Water is also the only element that is capable of changing its form.
        It is linked to all of the other elements. Water covers the earth,
        And the earth requires water to produce life. Fire can act upon
        Water and cause it to unite with the element of air to evaporate and
        Form a gas. Finally, when water is cooled, it can combine with the
        Element of air to form ice. This capacity for change, and its need
        To always move, makes water the quintessential shape shifter. As a
        Form that water takes when it shape shifts, ice is ideal for Magick.
        Perhaps because all Magick is concerned with change, ice Magick is
        Extremely powerful.
      
        Ice Magick
      
        Ice Magick is similar to water Magick. However with ice Magick, the
        Power of the spell is increased because of the act of freezing the
        Water. When water shape shifts from a constantly moving force to a
        Solid, its power is the most potent. Magickally, ice is not
        Associated with all of the same properties as water; it's mainly used
        For spells that have to do with transformation. Ice can be used
        Magickally to perform any kind of Magick that induces a change in the
        Caster's' inner state, so it can be used to help reveal personal
        Secrets, remember forgotten memories, dispel depression and release
        Stress.
      
        Magick is an act of transformation, and ice possesses a strong
        Magickal power since it is in the process of changing. Ice spells
        Have two phases, the freezing of the water, and the melting of the
        Ice. I have seen some spells where the caster writes a problem on a
        Piece of paper, immerses the paper in water, and freezes the water to
        Put an end to the problem. Those kinds of spells only use one of the
        Two phases of ice Magick. It is important to remember, however, that
        Problems that are frozen must eventually come back; everything that
        Is frozen must melt. I have found that it is more practical, and
        More powerful, to use both phases, freezing and melting, in spells.
      
        The freezing of the ice begins the spell, because the caster is
        Already thinking of the spell, and planning the ritual, when the ice
        is frozen. The process begins as the water solidifies, and the power
        is released during the ritual as the ice melts. For this reason, I
        find it most useful to freeze "special" ice for spells. Also, most
        ice trays are made of plastic. Holding the frozen water in non-
        natural plastic is not as effective; magick is natural, and should
        ideally involve natural substances. Metal bowls can be used, but the
        easiest method is to use cardboard coated with wax (so that the
        cardboard doesn't stick to the ice). Small paper drinking cups that
        are coated with wax are ideal, as are frozen juice containers that
        have been emptied of their contents and washed.
      
        Ice Spells
      
        A piece of ice naturally begins to melt when it is left at room
        temperature, so it works like the burning of a candle in candle
        magick, changing itself during the spell, thus releasing its energy
        to the goal at hand. It is extremely powerful to encircle a candle
        with ice and perform a spell. The ice melts and the candle burns —
        two elements that work in a cooperative way can produce powerful
        results. Spells that use fire and ice are wonderful for obtaining
        balance, since they employ the complimentary elements of fire and
        water. Also try putting ice in a bathtub while visualizing. This
        technique is especially suited for spells involving physical
        transformation.
      
        Herbs and oils can also be used to enhance ice magick. An infusion
        of one or more herbs can be frozen, or essential oils can be added to
        the water before freezing. When water is frozen, it combines with
        the element of air, so herbs and oils that are associated with either
        element can be used. Herbs that work best are ones that, when
        growing in the natural world, can endure cold and snow, or require
        cold weather to germinate. Below is a list of some herbs and oils
        that work well for ice magick:
      
        Herb
        Oil
        Element
        Magickal Associations
      
        Aspen
        X
      
        Air
        Communication
      
        Pine
        X
        X
        Air
        Happiness, Exorcism
      
        Rose
        X
        X
        Water
        Love, Healing, Psychic Power, Luck
      
        Spearmint
        X
      
        Water
        Memory
      
        Spikenard
        X
        X
        Water
        Happiness
      
        Willow
        X
      
        Water
        Love, Healing, Divination
      
        Yarrow
      
        X
        Water
        Psychic Power, Love, Courage, Exorcism
      
      
        Information in this table was obtained from Cunningham's Encyclopedia
        of Magical Herbs and Fern's Plants for a Future.
      
        Ice and Divination
        Ice can also be used for divination. Symbolically, the surface of a
        body of water represents the veil between this world and the
        otherworld. So, when water is frozen, the door to the otherworld is
        closed. But as ice melts during a ritual, the door re-opens and we
        can look inside.
      
        The surface of melting ice is shiny, and like any reflective surface,
        is well suited for scrying. One way to do this is to sit in a dark
        room with a yellow candle burning off to the side, so that the light
        of the flame flickers on the melting ice. Ice scrying requires
        patience — messages will be revealed slowly, as the ice melts. Ice
        scrying is especially suited for looking into the past, since the
        frozen water symbolically represents a frozen moment in time.
        Looking into past lives is possible, as is looking back and trying to
        remember a forgotten memory. The melting ice represents the
        releasing of memories from the subconscious mind.
      
        Final Considerations
      
        Because ice forms in the natural world during the winter months, ice
        magick is best performed in the spring, when the world begins to
        thaw. However, it is also possible to perform ice magick at other
        times during the year, as the need arises. Dawn is best, because
        symbolically, dawn is to the day as spring is to the year.
      
        Ice magick is very powerful. It is a neutral, natural force that can
        be used for positive or negative means. It is therefore important,
        as it is with any spell, that the caster makes sure of his or her
        intentions before attempting it. Remember how beautiful ice can be,
        as it sends off prisms of light, but also remember that it is very
        easy to slip on ice. Ice should not be feared any more than wind,
        rain and storm. The spell caster should approach ice magick with
        respect and reverence.