There is something inherently beautiful and magickal about snow. The entire landscape transforms and a peaceful calm descends upon the land, leaving us to believe that we are the only ones awake and moving at the time. However, for us, with the comforts of electric heat and modern commodities, we can also remember just how treacherous and deadly snow and winter could have been for our ancestors. It’s almost like a portal in time—portal isn’t the right word…it’s more of a sliver of space in which time itself seems to standstill as Father Time Himself even seems to delight in the marvel.
If you follow me on Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram), you will know that we got a hella lot of snow for our area yesterday. I don’t have a ruler to know precisely how much we got but the city next to us got like 15 inches which beat a record set in 1969. This was all in ONE DAY! At least where I live, we haven’t gotten a lot of snow since like 2009 and even before then, it’s usually only a couple of inches that seems to melt away either by that afternoon or the next day. So…the only practice I’ve ever really gotten into that pertained to snow magick was collecting snow to create snow water and holy water.
I know I’ve read that snow collected on a Full Moon is good for holy water
but to be honest, any water can be used so long as it’s consecrated. Plus, snow has an undeniable quality about it that is mystical and sacred. This is what I want to discuss today—Snow and Snow Magick!
Snow has all the magickal qualities of water so it’s good for cleansing/purification, healing, and intuition. What makes snow different is the feeling it naturally evokes within us as we watch with excited yet hushed tones as it falls. It has a peaceful and calm quality so if you’re looking for harmony within the home, healing with your emotions and calming the hurt/pain you feel, snow is perfect. If you don’t see much snow then water is always an alternative. There’s a childlike innocence and wonder so if you feel yourself stuck in a rut and life is just bland, use the snow to evoke the joy back into your heart and spirit. Due to the transformation through the physical stages it undergoes—solid to liquid—I find it’s also great for any transformation work you need to undertake but want it to happen in a slower and gentler manner.
If your health allows it, and it’s not dangerous—so please, do not do this in a blizzard—make sure to go outside while it’s snowing and just revel in it. I noticed yesterday that after having been extremely stressed over the past couple of weeks to the point I wasn’t sleeping properly and have felt so indifferent to life, I was able to almost instantly raise myself out of those vibes. I could feel the energy washing over me and washing away some of that shit that had been clinging to me. My aura felt better, my energy felt cleaner, and I was able to laugh and play with tremendous excitement and joy. I didn’t even notice that I was cold until my dad came outside to tell me that my face was blood red and I needed to come inside! **This is not any sort of medical advice**
Being outside and delighting in it all can be an offering of joy and gratitude to the Winter Spirits and Deities. Another thing to do is go for a short walk, and as I said—BE SAFE!, leave some birdseed and nuts out for the small critters. Speaking of Deities, I haven’t been able to find many Gods and Goddesses of Snow but if you really want to work some magick or do a ritual with the help of a God/dess, I recommend either a Deity associated with this time of year and season or Deities of Water since snow is water. A practice I would recommend is to either stand in the snow or sit by a window so you can see it and meditate. Ask for a Deity who you can work with regarding the snow and see who steps forward.
I have sort of rambled on in this post so let’s do a quick list of spells that one can do with snow:
Collect Snow for Snow Water
Put a jar of snow water on your altar that can be used for purifying yourself, objects, and tools. It can also be used in healing spells.
Collect Snow for Holy Water
I collect a large jar full and will wait until the Full Moon to do this. Being the nerd that I am, I make sure to mark it on my planner and calendar when all the Full Moons are and so I will also make a note to make Holy Water so I won’t forget. The Ritual I use is from Silver Ravenwolf’s To Ride A Silver Broomstick that I’ve tweaked a bit. However, it’s really can be very simple. I’ll actually do a post later this week on Making Holy Water since the Full Moon is on the 20th this month.
An interesting idea I found at witchesofthecraft.com, is to make a snowball and infuse anything you wish to release within it. Really pour all of that energy into the snowball then pitch it far away from you, in turn releasing and banishing the habit/situation/etc.
I also found making snowmen to serve as poppets which is a fantastic idea.
Whereas they mentioned for protection, I don’t get that vibe from snow so I would say to use it in a healing ritual. Make the snowman and either write the person’s name onto it that needs healing or visualize the snowman as that person. Go about doing a healing spell/ritual like you would with a cloth poppet. What I like about this idea is that you will see the snowman and each time you see it, you can reaffirm the magick. I personally like saying affirmations so that way I don’t end up focusing on the spell and inadvertently taking away any of the energy and magick. When it melts, know the energy has returned to Mama Earth. I find earth to likewise having a healing quality to it so this will sort of solidify the magick, if you will.
You could also switch it up so that as the snowman melts, the issue will fade, leaving the person healed. Does that make sense?
Writing Sigils in the Snow
Draw Sigils in the snow with the intention that it will strengthen while the snow remains and will be released to manifest as the snow melts. This may make for a slower spell in terms of manifesting
It’s obvious that I absolutely LOVE the snow and it’s definitely one of my favorite parts of Winter—the others being Christmas, Yule, and Imbolc! It’s a very reflective and peaceful time when we all rush inside to stay warm. It’s the time of year we become more focused on our homes and families. However, the snow can be that much needed brief interlude where we all hasten outside to play and embrace the child within each and every single one of us. Communities come together and it’s just a sacred experience. I had one neighbor yesterday who went around and shoveled the entire street’s sidewalks without saying a word to anyone. She didn’t ask but did it. Another neighbor let us borrow as snow shovel so we could shovel our sidewalk and car—the snow just kept falling all day so we had to stay vigilant in shoveling because it was relentless! My dad shoveled out the elderly neighbor’s car after he did ours though he wasn’t asked.
It was just this truly beautiful experience of everyone helping one another, regardless of whether we spoke to one another or not. Children could be heard laughing as they played and even some adults got in on the fun! Once everyone headed inside to get warm, the streets once more grew silent as hardly anyone dared to drive. It was one of those days where you got to fully experience the full range of energy that comes with snow and winter. I definitely ensured to take advantage of it for some magick myself and I hope the next time you find it snowing where you live, you will likewise utilize its potential to craft a spell or two.
Brightest of Blessings,
The Autumn Witch
Sources:
https://witchesofthecraft.com/tag/snow-magick/
http://shadowsmagickplace.blogspot.com/2013/02/snow-and-ice-magick-judging-by-cloudy.html
http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/divinity_of_the_day/egyptian_gods_and_goddesses.asp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHJ4xCVmdeE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19shbCH2hA
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