Emille

Chapter 3

"Will that be all?"

Emille nodded quickly, averting her eyes from the judgement blazing in the eyes of the older woman ringing up her strange shopping list. Emille handed over a wad of crumpled bills, then double checked her haul: oak bark, incense, spanish moss, crushed egg shells, dried rose petals, and raw honey combs. She had spent over an hour trying to find a "witchy" store, which was much easier said than done in the small towns of north Florida. As she glanced around at the crystals and animal bones, she was keenly aware of how much she stuck out in her tidy turtleneck and skinny jeans.

The cashier, an older woman covered in tattoos and piercings, clearly thought so too. Her skeptical gaze made Emille squirm. You don't know what you're messing with, those eyes said. She was right.

Emille gathered her things and left the store and the knowing eyes far, far behind her. Now that she had almost all of the materials, it all felt a little too real. Her stomach twisted with fear and anticipation. She flipped open the journal to the book-marked page. The spell was labelled simply: Worldly Weight.

Worldly Weight

Allows the practitioner to experience true groundedness. Crafts a stronger connection to the earth. Should be conducted at noon, with clear skies and fresh forest air. Do not try without a tether to the unveiled world and a focal point as a guide.

Ingredients:

Oak bark

Spanish moss

Forest rocks, soaked in the midday sun

Crushed egg shells

A lock of the practitioner's hair

Dried rose petals

Raw honey combs

Incense

Ritual: Gather the materials. As the forest rocks are warming in the sun, tie a bundle of the practitioner's hair with the spanish moss. Place the materials in a clear glass bowl. Once the rocks have warmed, place them in with the rest of the materials. Drizzle the honey on top of the materials. The honey must be drizzled in three precise circles. Trace a circle in the soil large enough to lie inside comfortably. Lie down in the sun, light the incense, and cover yourself in its smoke. Place the bowl on your navel. Close your eyes, and focus on only your focal point. The journey to Groundedness will then begin. To end this state of being, hone in on the focal point, and follow it back to the unveiled world.

The others had plenty to say about this particular spell.

Peter: Tried wildflower petals. Put me into a deep sleep instead--would not advise.

Natalia: That sounds like a win to me.

Genevieve: honey should be drizzled exactly three times: no more, no less.

Natalia: Add wild mushrooms and have the trip of your life.

Natalia: Couldn't tell you which mushrooms to take, though. Try the yellow shrooms that grow on tree stumps.

She'd doodled a little mushroom on the corner of her paper. It wore a sappy grin and waved at Emille enthusiastically.

Fawn: I truly felt the weight of the world when I tried this...it wasn't an unwelcome feeling

Natalia: If by "weight of the world" you mean an hour of complete immobilization, then yes can confirm.

Emille wasn't sure she loved the sound of that. Between Fawn and Natalia, she felt like she was reading about two entirely different spells.