Love in the New Year (or Any Time)

(In the spirit of 2022 being a Lovers tarot card year, I offer this section from my book, “Aphrodite: Goddess of Love & Beauty & Initiation”)

As with any spell working, at least for me, if you don’t have the exact things suggested, use what you have — the intention will help fuel the working.

Bringing in Love

I want to tell you that Aphrodite is a love spell. She is the intention of bringing forth that which is your birthright — to know yourself as love and in love. 

What you need:

1 rose

1 white tea light candle

White bowl, half filled with water

Begin by creating a space that is safe and sacred to you. You might find a shower or ritual bath might be a good place to begin, or you might feel ready without any preparation. You may choose to be naked or to wear minimal clothes, as you like.

Find yourself breathing the way that you do, without trying to change it or fix it. Find yourself in the way that you are in the moment, perfect and beautiful — however this looks or feels to you.

Allow your mind to begin to create a feeling of love in your body. This might be the kind of love that is shared between partners or it might be love that is larger than the universe, undefinable and vast. Whatever love you want to bring into your life, allow it to fill the places of your heart, your mind, your mouth, your hands, your feet, and even the spaces between all of those stretches of skin.

When you feel this love in your body, allow this to fill your consciousness and push away anything that does not serve what you want to invite.

When you feel this love resonate in your body, and you will know exactly when, take the white candle and light it, placing it beside the bowl. Hold the rose in your hands. Begin to watch the light reflect in the water, and allow your eyes to soften until you can see beyond the water and into its fluidity. Sink your awareness into the water and begin to feel the petals of the rose, their shape and their texture.

Notice the smell of the rose as it floats around the room and bring it to your nose as you continue to deepen into the watery bowl. Begin a spell of love that drops into the water with each petal you remove and place into the bowl.

I am love.

I am worthy of love.

I invite love.

I am love.

I receive love.

I feel love.

I am love.

You are infusing the bowl with love and with the blessing of Aphrodite.

Continue to repeat the words that feel the strongest to you, continuing to drop petals into the water and allowing your focus to be soft and gentle.

When the words begin to fall away and you feel as soft as a rose petal, take your hands and dunk them into the water. Begin to wash your face and heart and body with the water before you.

Allow your intentions that sank and swam in the water to become a part of you. They might cleanse you of old stories, they might simply bring the shine of love’s radiance to your skin. You might rub the rose petals over the places that ache or the heart that was broken.

In this moment, do what feels right to prepare yourself for love. To ready yourself. Sit with the way you feel. Allow the candle to burn out on its own time.

Take the rose petals and place them under your pillow. Leave one for Aphrodite. Rest deeply in your love.