The Beauty Witch: APRIL

Fire burn and cauldron bubble!
The brilliant glow of life renewed
beckons from every corner,
daring you to accept the challenge
and rise to meet it blazing bright.
Sparks encircled by fate
lead to the magic
that lies ahead…

Enchanted April greets us once more, after a lengthy Winter’s nap that begins as heaven and gradually becomes tiresome in its own restfulness. Even the most hibernation-loving creatures are ready for the change that teases at the Spring Equinox, but never quite delivers. But it’s always like this. Just when we cannot bear another instant of gray, April arrives in a flash of fire and excitement, with red-hot readiness and the energy to back it up. But be forewarned: under no circumstances can you refuse it, because the cosmos will sweep you along in its blast of ebullience anyway, ready or not. Smart witches use this month for all it’s worth, with the unparalleled natural force of Spring arriving at the party of the year with no one else but Aries on her arm. This is a power couple.

The pairing of the new life cycle with the zodiac’s high priest of action makes for the most potent time of the year, my Loves, to get things moving. There is no more auspicious moment to put forward what is needed for manifestation then now. With Aries energy riding high through until April 20^th – starring a madly strong New Moon – this month is your time to make dreams into tangible reality.

On April 5^th at 4:50am (EST) our most assertive New Moon of the year arrives in fearless Aries with a cauldron full of courage in tow, emboldening even the daintiest wallflower to step forward and take the reins. This Moon is the epitome of independence, initiation, and force of will, making it the strongest spell available to start something new, and give it flight. (Of course, with it comes Aries legendary impatience, so keep reminding yourself that New Moon magic takes a good six months to appear in solid form.) Even if you don’t have a project that you wish to conjure, this Moon will give you the fearlessness to take a bold step somewhere. Maybe it’s new digs? Or a new love? Aries also has the fire sign gift of flirtatious charm and playfulness, so prepare for it all to be just a whole lot of fun – and something tells me you need that.

To help rouse the flames within, I’m going to share with you a very special brew that I’ve been drinking for years, one I recommend to all my clients, and barely go a morning without: my signature Green Beauty Elixir. It’s filled with energizing, cleansing, circulation-revving magic to both detoxify and feed your beauty from the inside out as it shakes your whole being awake! This potion also provides a post-Winter metabolism boost to help you banish any unwanted heaviness that may have accumulated during the resting months. I always vary the ingredients throughout each season, so consider this the Aries Edition, and feel free to change it up as you go along. Just one rule – keep the greens-to-fruit ratio heavy on the leafy side. Your body will thank you, and your skin will positively glow with starlight.

Green Beauty
Elixir
Per serving

1 cup spinach
1 cup kale, stems removed
½ sweet apple, such as Pink Lady or Gala
½” piece ginger root, peel removed
½ teaspoon matcha powder
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
¾ cup spring water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne
1-2 packets of stevia, as desired

This is too easy! On the New Moon, combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and pulse until entirely smooth. Please note that lower-powered blenders will not pureé everything effectively, so in that case you may wish to strain the liquid. Ultimately, though, you will want to invest in a bullet-style blender to ensure all the nutrients stay intact and the texture is pleasurable for all your plant potions. Add more water if you find the potion too thick, and adjust the sweetening to your liking. (If you have a sugar issue, you can swap the red apple for a tart green one.)  Pour into a stunning vessel and sip slowly, visualizing yourself taking that bold step forward, creating the scene you wish to lead. And feel as one with it. That’s the real key to unlocking the doorway of desire.

Spinach &  Kale This detoxifying, immune-boosting duo offer splendid amounts of iron, calcium, vitamin A, and beautifying minerals that support every inch of your foxy self, with the added coup of expansive Jupiter bringing money magick.

Apple Gorgeous symbols of love, happiness and abundance, apples are a gift of Venus.  As such, they simply burst with nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that aid and abet your beauty.

Matcha  A powdered, potent form of green tea, matcha is full of antioxidants, vitamin C, chlorophyll, and more lovely minerals. It increases metabolism and helps to burn calories while calming the mind and balancing your mood. It does contain a bit of caffeine, so omit if you are trying to steer clear, but it makes a happy skin alternative to dehydrating coffee. (If you’re on the fence, know that fire-ruled tea also bestows courage.)

Almond Just a splash here, really, but you will still reap its considerable charms. Rich in vitamin E, almonds help to regenerate cells while delivering serious nutrients. Magically they assist in healing and bringing forth abundance. You may not be aware of this, but  a  bit of good fat is essential to absorbing leafy greens, be it in a potion or a salad, so keep that in mind when donning your kitchen witch hat.

Lemon Bright, cheerful lemons add a squeeze of lunar balance to all this firepower, and with it the magick of love, happiness, and purification. Potent little couriers of vitamin C and hydration, they are also an excellent way to detoxify and bring clarity to the skin.

Ginger, Cinnamon & Cayenne The Triple-Goddess of  Fire! Solar and Mars-ruled, this cleansing, stimulating, warming  threesome fight inflammation and disease, infuse vital minerals (like age-defying copper!), soothe digestion, and increase circulation. Toss in even more love and money magick, and it doesn’t get much better, or tastier.

Beauty Witch Secret: If you’re famished, add a banana to the blend. It will keep you full without heaviness, adding lots of skin-loving fiber, vitamin C, B-6, and potassium. The humble banana actually carries powerful love and money magic, too!

I would be a bad witch indeed if I didn’t mention a few notable cosmic peculiarities swirling around this month. I almost hesitate to say the “R” word – retrograde – but there are three significant ones in play dotted throughout April that you need to know about. Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn all retrograde within a week or so of each other, and stay there until the Fall. But please don’t panic – this is not a bad thing. The fact that there is such bold, ambitious energy in the air right now only means that the stilling of these planetary vibes is there to protect us from making the wrong moves. Consider this: Jupiter will ask you to tap into your innermost wisdom to bring about internal change, Saturn asks (well, demands in his case) that we examine our long-term goals, and Pluto wants you to be aware of how you relate to changes. It’s smart, really. Aries energy is like a wild horse bolting in the direction of what it wants, so, in the infinite wisdom of the cosmos, we are asked to simply review, re-evaluate, and revise as needed. It may feel as if our progress is slowed somewhat – a characteristic of all retrogrades – but this only makes the achievements more delicious, because they are balanced by intuition and discernment.

Aries Power Card: The Emperor Create your own destiny. Be aware of your own power and strength; wield it wisely. Aries is also associated with the Queen of Wands: Courage, confidence, independence. You are in charge.

Are you spinning yet? Just as the vigorous Aries season prepares to wind down, we have another lovely Libra Full Moon this month! A starry, slightly confusing instance happens on April 19^th wherein the Full Moon occurs at 7:12am EST, but then moves into steamy Scorpio approximately one hour and a half later. It gets even more interesting as during that gap the Moon is void-of-course – not a fantastic time for ritual. What’s a smart witch to do? Make the most of the Libra Moon the night before, when the silver lady is truly at her peak. Then, as the lunar vibrations continue to shine brightly over the next few days, embrace the transformational intensity of Scorpio. After all, this is the season of rebirth, so go with it, poised and ready.

Celebrate you and all you are dreaming of with a petite crowning glory ritual that works wonders on all hair types to revive a tired Winter’s mane. I’ve concocted this deliciously scented potion infusing love, abundance, and razor-sharp intuition. And we’re still keeping it simple – it is a very busy month, after all! –  with just a few fiercely effective ingredients to fortify, condition, protect, and encourage new growth.

Crown of  Delights
Hair Masque

1 teaspoon raw unfiltered coconut oil
4 strawberries, sliced
¼ cup almond milk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
6 drops lavender essential oil

Blend together the coconut oil (liquid or solid), strawberries, and almond milk in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Add in the cinnamon and then the lavender oil, whisking until well blended. Apply to wet hair, first working into the scalp, then massaging through to the ends, all the while bringing harmony, love, and beauty right into your crown chakra. Pile hair on top of your head, and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. Rinse very well, then wash with a gentle shampoo. Finish by running a light conditioner through the ends – this helps seal the hair and make combing out easier. Rinse, and style as usual.

Joining luscious, healing almond in this very festive gathering are a few cohorts your hair simply adores:

Coconut The highly spiritual magic of lunar-ruled coconut nourishes scalp, helps to remove build-up, encourages growth, and prevents breakage by binding proteins to hair. 

Strawberry This stunning gift of  Venus conjures formidable love magic while feeding your hair the essential folic acid and B vitamins it needs to grow strong and healthy. Strawberries also contain an acid to help hair thinning and loss, and leaves your tresses shiny.

Cinnamon Heavenly scented cinnamon stimulates hair growth by increasing circulation to the scalp and aiding the growth cycle. Solar- ruled and full of fire energy, it draws love and abundance towards you, along with a heightening of psychic awareness.

Lavender The powers of love, happiness and protection all lie within the pleasurable scent of this witchy favorite. Lavender helps hair to grow while leaving it shiny and manageable.

Beauty Witch Secret: Coconut oil works well on all types of hair (oily included) but if you desire more conditioning, or a thicker masque, feel free to add in ½  of a banana to thicken the potion and deeply moisturize.

We proudly celebrate Earth Day on April 22^nd, though isn’t every day really an honoring of our planet? It should be. If you’ve been meaning to banish plastic for good, eat more plants, start a compost, or even conjure a little windowsill magic herb garden, today would be a wonderful day for it. No coincidence to the timing – whomever invented the holiday certainly had the planets whispering in his or her ear, for it arrives just as we welcome the earthy pleasures of Taurus season. We’ll get further into that next month, Loves, but for now, have an exciting, passionate, joyous April!

Love and Stardust,

Xo Alise