Treasure Hunting Tea: A Medieval Charm

The humble dandelion, oft abhorred by lawn keepers, hides its might well. Dandelion root tea can call upon the spirit of anyone whose advice you might need. Simply place the brew on your nightstand and say the spirit’s name seven times; he or she will visit your dreams and answer your questions. In Chaucer’s day, this method was used to find lost treasures.

Vision Quest: New Moon Conjuring Incense

You can access your prophetic capabilities with a Wednesday incense ritual using:

• 3 palmfuls ground chicory root

• 1 palmful ground cloves

• 3 palmfuls cinquefoil*

*Cinquefoil is in the dandelion family. If you can’t find any, substitute dried fern fronds or dandelions from your front yard.

Mix and burn the herbs in your fireplace in an outside sanctuary spot or on your altar while concentrating on a question. Maybe you are considering a new home, or whether to take a new job or pursue a business venture. Use this time to cleanse your mind of all concerns, worries and thoughts, making way for pure insight. Answers will come.

Lucky Charms and Ring of Power: A Protection Spell

Most people don’t realize that the classic charm bracelet is decorated with magical symbols representing the wearer’s wishes. For wealth, wear a Roman coin on your bracelet; for love, try a heart. For protection, a pure silver ring worn on the right pinkie has the greatest magical power, especially when engraved with your birth sign or astrological glyph and the sacred pentagram. To instill the ring with protective power, clasp it over your heart and call out:

Ring of power, shield and encircle me. 
By your charm, I am free.

Blessed be me. All are one. 
Blessings to all and harm to none.

Exorcise Your Demons: Community Healing Gathering

Here is an ancient way of casting out demons and bringing new tidings for your friendships and family. Buy a big bag of dried beans and invite all your friends over. In ancient times, many pagan people—from the Greeks to the Incan Indians—believed that beans contained evil spirits.

Ideally performed during an eclipse when that which is hidden is revealed, procure bags of beans and invite your tribe over. Go to your roof, a hill, or wherever you can “get high.” Give everyone a handful of beans and start throwing them down one at a time, with each toss calling out whatever you want to kiss goodbye—a job, a bad relationship, whatever your personal demons may be. After you have discarded all the discord from your life, you and your friends can celebrate the lifting of your burdens.

Moon Cakes and Ale: Full Moon Festival

Here is a pagan ritual I have performed on weekends, when the full moon shines bright. Over the years, I have added many embellishments, such as astrological or holiday themes. This basic ritual, Moon Cakes and Ale, however, is a timeless and powerful classic.

Gather a group of friends either outdoors under the moon or in a room large enough for dancing, drumming, and singing. Have the guests bring a cake of their choice as well as a cider, mead, beer or juice to share. Place the offerings in the center, on an altar table. Then light a sage leaf and green and brown candles for home and hearth.

Once everyone is seated, the host or designated leader intones:

Gods of nature, bless these cakes, 
That we may never suffer hunger. 
Goddess of the Harvest, bless this ale, 
That we may never go without drink.

The eldest and the youngest of the circle rise and serve the food and drink to everyone in the circle. Last, they serve each other. The ritual leader pronounces the blessing again. Then everyone says together, “Blessed be.”

The feasting begins, ideally followed by a lot more ale and lively dancing. A wonderful way to keep a group of friends connected is for a different person to host the circle one Saturday each month.

Count Your Blessings: Morning Moon Meditation

Plan this for an early morning when you can still see a sliver of the moon as the sun rises. Sit in a comfortable position in front of your altar and meditate. Think about your blessings. What are you grateful for at this moment? There is a powerful magic in recognizing all that you possess. Breathe steadily and deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly for twenty minutes. Then chant:

Great Goddess, giver of all the fruits of this earth, 
Of all bounty, beauty, and well-being,
Bless all who give and receive these gifts.
I am made of sacred earth, purest water,
Sacred fire, and wildest wind. 
Blessings upon me. Blessings upon thee, 
Mother Earth and Sister Sky.
So mote it be.

A wonderful practice is to record your gratitudes in your Book of Shadows or a thankfulness journal. At the end of the lunar year, you’ll have your own Book of Blessings you can reflect upon and share with others.

Dis-Spelling All Fear: Full Moon Rite

For overcoming panic, anxiety or your innermost fears, you can turn to your banishing block touchstone. You probably already have a crystal you turn to, but if not, allow me to recommend the rose-red marvel known as Rhodochrosite. This striking stone is also invaluable for overcoming fear and paranoia (mental unease). Rhodochrosite abets a more positive worldview. One of the simplest and best aspects of this crystal is that it will help you to sleep more peacefully, shoving apprehension, worry, and woe out of your mind so you can heal body and soul. Your dreams will be positive, too. This is a remarkable stone for affirming the self, allowing for absolute self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. Rhodochrosite brings together the spiritual plane and the material place. This crystal is important because it permits the heart to feel hurt and pain deeply, and this processing of emotions nurtures growth.

Sit on the floor, legs crossed, and breathe deeply nine times. Take the touchstone into your hands and chant:

That which came from the sky, enter into me. 
As was the moon full, so am I now.
And so I go, with this light, full and bright. 
So mote it be.

Repeat this at least six times, until you feel the energy of the stone passing into you. Now, go conquer!

Cauldron of Fire Ritual

Here is a wonderful way friends can help each other get rid of fears, creative blocks, and the shrill voice of the inner critic. Ideally, this spell is done during the waning moon or on November 1 or December 31—the witchy holidays when the veil between worlds is believed to be thinnest.

Get a metal kettle and an outdoor firepot or little grill, and for each of the friends you have invited, a pen and two pieces of paper. Sit around the fire, relax, and talk about what challenges you face in attaining your artistic goals. Write on a piece of paper what comes up for you. Go around the circle and read from your list of blocks. Then, with great intention, place each paper on the fire. After everyone is done, silently meditate, and write your hope for the future. Now, reversing the order of speaking, go around the circle and share your dreams. Fold the paper and carry it with you in your purse or wallet. Your vision for the future will take on a life of its own.

Eye Enchantment: Rite of Twilight

For most of us, the minute we open our eyes the day begins, and we put them to work for our jobs, self-care, housework and even Facetiming loved ones and Skyping business associates. If you are a designer or artist of any sort, you most likely use your eyes to create, so caring for them is essential. Take two small muslin bags and three ounces of dried chamomile flowers. Divide the herb in half, stuff the bags, and sew them shut.

Place the eye bags in a bowl and pour a quarter cup of boiling water over them. Cover them and let sit for a half-hour. Squeeze the excess water out of the bags and place over your eyes. Your eyes and your artistic vision should both be rejuvenated quickly. This healing rite is best performed at twilight but, anytime your peepers need some “TLC,” steep away.

Ready, Set, Go Spell

On a Monday, or any day you need to ready yourself for important events, meetings, or anything high-pressure, set aside a half-hour of quiet time and brew up some willpower to help you in any creative endeavors. Light a white candle anointed with peppermint oil and light spicy incense (cinnamon works well, if you can get it).

Take a sprig of mint, warm milk, and cinnamon sticks and stir together clockwise in a white mug. Say aloud:

Herb of minthe and spicy mead, 
Today is the day I shall succeed 
In every word and every deed. 
So mote it be.

Quaff the cup and “sit for a spell,” eyes closed, envisioning your new horizons. Keep the cinnamon sticks on your altar as a symbol of the power of encouraging words.

Truth-Seeking Spell

If you find yourself in need of help resolving a problem or uncovering new resources within yourself, try the following tried and true rite. Take a piece of plain white paper and a blue pen and have it at the ready.

On a Thursday, light some blue candles and chant the following affirmation:

Fears and doubt, begone from me!
I have the courage to break free.
I have the wisdom to know and the strength to grow. 
I call upon my inner guide to hear and see my truth.

Repeat this four times while the candle burns. Embrace your intuition and trust it with all your heart. Now write down what comes into your mind with the blue pen. You may even feel tingling at the top of your head, which is a very good sign. Knowing the truth can sometimes be uncomfortable, but it is important as a guide for your life.

Dark Moon Magic: Symbol Writing

If you wish to make direct contact with your subconscious, here is a way to see through the veil between two worlds and enter the recesses of your mind. At any herbal store or metaphysical shop, obtain dried mugwort, dried patchouli or wormwood. The latter is a bit harder to come by, but worth the try.

Crumble any one of these herbs between your hands until it is gently ground into an almost-powdery consistency. Pour the herb into a baking pan. Make sure the crumbled herb dust is evenly spread over the surface of the pan.

Light yellow candles and close your eyes. Take the forefinger of your left hand and touch the center of the pan. Run your finger back and forth in a completely random pattern—don’t think, just rely on your instincts for two minutes. Open your eyes, look at the pattern you have drawn, and write down what the symbols and designs bring to mind. Also write down the thoughts you were having while you were drawing. This ritual is best performed in the new moon phase, but if you have an urgent need to connect with your innermost self, you can do it anytime in the darkest of the night.

Light Your Own Fire: Sage Wisdom (New Moon is Optimal)

Every witch should grow a pot of sage or a big patch in a garden. Sage is a must-have on hand for clearing energy. It also increases psychic potential. Most pagans are highly imaginative and very inventive folk. Whether your passion is growing an artful garden, throwing pots, cookery or music, you can stay in better touch with your personal muse. Call her to you anytime, day or night, by your own design. This is especially important if you are feeling uninspired or struggling with a bout of writer’s block.

Head out to your garden or the sunny spot on the deck where your hardiest sage grows. Take three large and extra long sticks of your favorite incense and bind strands of sage around the incense with purple thread. Tie it off and you have a sage wand. Before any creative endeavor, you can light this wand and wave it around your workspace, filling the area with inspiration. Close your eyes and meditate upon the work you will begin. You have cleared your space and invited the muse; your work will be superb, worthy of notice from the gods and goddesses.

Sweet Dreams: Do It Yourself House Magic

Tranquil sleep and pleasant, illuminating dreams are the surest sign you have achieved peace of mind. An enchantment pillow will ensure you experience your fair share of nocturnal reverie and wake up refreshed. Take a pink satin pillowcase and stuff it with well-mixed dried rose petals, chamomile, mint and woolly thyme. Sew it with purple thread and, before the final stitch, whisper:

I call upon the powers of the Night to watch over me,
To hear my heart’s desires and bring me what my soul requires. 

Blessings to one and all.

Knot the final stitch three times, place the pillow inside your pillowcase, and kiss the pillow. If you have been having problems sleeping, that will end this night.

Mood Magic: Blue Moon Balm

For a dreary day and a dark mood, use the strength of the olden unguent to release both mind and body. This desert plant produces a protective oil, which works as both a sunscreen and a moisturizer. Combine the following oils with either four ounces of unscented body lotion, or two ounces of olive oil or sweet almond oil:

• 2 drops chamomile oil

• 2 drops neroli

• 8 drops aloe'

• 6 drops rose oil

Shake the oils together and place in a corked pottery jar. Sit quietly in a room lit only by one blue candle, and rub the balm gently into your skin after a bath. Pray aloud:

Work thy spell to heal and nurse.
Blessed balm, banish my pain.
Harm to none and health to all.

Become An Alchemist: Lunar Libation

No matter what sign or moon phase, witch’s brews can improve your life. Tea conjures a very powerful alchemy because when you drink it, you take the magic inside. For an ambrosial brew with the power to calm any storm, add a sliver of ginger root and a pinch each of chamomile and peppermint to a cup of hot black tea. Before you drink, pray:

This day I pray for calm, for health,
And the wisdom to see the beauty of each waking moment. Blessings abound.
So mote it be.


Herbal teas can also nourish the soul and heal the body:

Blueberry leaf tea reduces mood swings, evens glucose levels, and helps varicose veins.

Nettle raises energy levels, boosts the immune system, and is packed with iron and vitamins.

Fennel awakens and uplifts, freshens the breath, and aids colon health.

Echinacea lends an increased and consistent sense of well-being, and prevents colds and flu.

Ginger root calms and cheers while aiding digestion, nausea and circulation.

Dandelion root grounds and centers, provides many minerals and nutrients, and cleanses the liver of toxins.

Inspiration Infusion: Enhance Your Mental Powers

I recommend growing a pot of hardy sage so you can always clear energy and increase your psychic potential. Another useful herb is mint, which comes from the Latin mentha, and literally means “thought.” It is called the flower of eternal refreshment. Woven into a crown, it bestows brilliance, artistic inspiration and prophetic ability. Burned, it is especially potent.

Here is a wonderfully simple tool for awakening the mind and attuning to the high powers. Take dried mint stalks and dried sage in equal parts and roll together into a wand. Bind with multi- colored string, and before any ritual, tarot reading, or spellcrafting, “smudge” your house with the wand by lighting the leafy end and passing the smoke around. This will purify your space.

Conjuring Clairvoyance: Open Your Third Eye

Saffron water is made by boiling one teaspoon of saffron in two cups of distilled water. Dip your hands in the water, touch your “third eye” at the center of your forehead and speak aloud:

Ishtar, Athena, Diana, Astarte – fill me with your presence. This night, I am whole. I am at peace.
With each breath, you do inspire.
So mote it be.

Henceforth, you will understand things more clearly and have foresight. This is a muscle which can be developed with more use. Practice and you’ll find you have advance notice of what is to come.

Sylvan Spell: Planting Magic

This is a lovely spell to do if you are given a small tree as a gift, to wish for strength and good health for you and your love. Before you plant the sapling, tie a bow in some colored ribbon, and plant the bow with a small heart symbol in the soil under the roots of the tree. After you have planted the tree, water it well—especially with one or two tears of love, if possible! Make a wish that both you and your love will grow strong and enduring as the tree takes root and begins to flourish. When the tree bears its first leaf, press it in a book associated with the one you love. As long as you tend your tree with love, you will both enjoy blooming health and vitality.

Put a Cork In It - Charmed Life Charm

The next time you enjoy a beverage sealed with a cork, keep the cork. This does not have to be a champagne cork—they are all lucky. When a bottle is shared and the occasion is a happy event or joyous moment, secret away the cork from the bottle, making a wish for repetition of the pleasure as you do so, and placing a coin in a slit in the top of the cork.

Now you must sleep on the cork every night (under your pillow) and keep it in your pocket all the next day. Rub the cork any day thereafter when you wish to hear from the other person or people who shared the bottle with you; do not wish for love but rather for continuing happiness. The cork symbolizes buoyancy, not love.

Celebrate these events throughout the year to find your lucky cork: 

January 1: New Year’s Day

February 14: St.Valentine’s Day

March 8: International Women’s Day

April 22: Earth Day

May 1: May Day, Beltane

June 19: Juneteenth

July 20: National Moon Day

August 4: Dom Pérignon invents champagne in 1693—celebrate! 

September 20: International Day of Peace

October 15: Festival of Mars (Ancient Rome) 

November 5: Guy Fawkes Day

December 5: International Volunteers Day

Make a Wish Upon the Wind: A Happiness Ritual

Bluebirds are so famous they have given their name to the bluebird of happiness. The robin has been associated with the same signs of cheerfulness and joy. Seeing a bluebird or robin, you should immediately make a wish: it must be something unselfish, and not dependent on anyone else. As the bird flies off, set your wish ascending. Wish hard for steadily increasing happiness and release from strains. Whether a bluebird or a robin, if you see the bird again with a few days in exactly the same place, your wish will certainly be granted.

Here are some more magical wings and prayers:

Crow feathers: These indicate loss and mourning. Try not to be frightened but look at them as indicators of the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

Hummingbird feathers: These bring joy, beauty, and bliss. Take time out to have a good time and to share with the people you love.

Swan feathers: These are the sign of grace. As swans mate for life, a swan feather can also mean a soul mate or good relationship is on the horizon.

Yellowhammer feathers: These are the symbol for hearth and home. Seeing a yellowhammer feather in your path means you will have a happy new home.

Magpie feathers: These are just plain good medicine for any kind of illness. Magpies bring purification.

Time Is On Your Side Spell

A gift of a clock is lucky. Luckier still is to hear two clocks chiming together at a happy moment. If you are kissing, happy in company, meeting someone you like, concluding a business deal or launching a project, or indeed, in the midst of any other hopeful occasion, and you hear two clocks striking together, link fingers with the other person, or kiss them on the cheek.

Say aloud:

Two clocks have struck,
‘Tis set for luck.

Take careful note of the hour.

For the next two days, observe the hour again and think of the event that has just taken place; wish hard for luck on that matter once again. Good luck will surely attend you—whatever the matter on hand concerns.

Moonstone Mirror Magic (Full Moon is Optimal)

Moonstone is a psychic mirror, especially for females. Wise women of ancient India were the first to figure this out. If you are feeling out-of-sorts or off-center, turn to this lovely stone, sacred to the shining orb in our night sky. Under moonlight, gaze first at the moon and then at your smooth, round moonstone and look for the answer to your personal mystery. A message will come to you in the form of a dream this night. Keep a journal at your bedside to record this moonlit message.

Wands are Wonderful: Be a Crafty Conjurer

Gandalf, Glinda and Harry Potter shouldn’t have all the fun. It is a marvelous thing to make your own wand. Start with a tree branch that has fallen to the ground on its own. Sand and polish the rough edges, as it is a wand and not a weapon. Then give it a good smudging. Hot-glue on a large quartz crystal onto the wand near the handle, and hot-glue on any crystals featuring properties that will complement your magic.

The World’s Easiest Love Potion

Elixirs are very simple potions made by placing a crystal or gemstone in a glass of water for at least seven hours. Remove the stone and drink the crystallized water. The water will now carry the vibrational energy of the stone, the very essence of the crystal.

Place into a glass of water:

• Carnelian

• garnet

• rough ruby

• red coral

• red jade

• jasper

• red sardonyx

• cuprite

• aventurine

• red calcite

Mix and match and remember, if you only have access to a rough ruby and a tiny chunk of jasper, so be it—that is still a lot of love in a jar!

Place the elixir in the love corner of your room or on your altar. Light amber incense and a red candle and speak aloud:

This jade is my joy, the garnet of my grace.

Leave the water on your altar for seven hours or overnight and drink it upon awakening. Your life energy will quicken and you should feel very upbeat and good to go. Share the love!

Rose-Colored Glass: Energy Boosters

If you want to jump-start your life and bring about positive change, tap into the power of the rose and red stones. Stones of this color spectrum contain life’s energy and can help you become more motivated, energetic and vibrant. Wear this list of rosy and red stones or place them on your desk and throughout your home for an instant boost: alexandrite, carnelian, garnet, red coral, red jasper, rhyolite, rose jasper, and ruby. The new moon phase is an excellent time to introduce this vibrancy into your life, but you should also rock them anytime you need a boost.

Rock Your World: Talismanic Stones for Success

These stones pave the path to prosperity for everyone. Use them on your altar, piled up on an arrangement on your desk at work or keep them in your pocket. This earth-based energy acts like a battery to boost you along.

Azurite strengthens mental powers.

Chalcedony gives you get-up-and-go!

Emerald aids in problem solving.

Opal encourages faithful service.

Pearl engenders material wealth.

Quartz helps overcome fear of rejection.

Sapphire helps with goal setting.

Tourmaline promotes an attitude of accomplishment.

Service to Mother Earth: A Walking Meditation

0. 
   
   As you walk, take the time to look and really see what is in your path. For example, my friend Brenda takes a bag with her and picks up every piece of garbage in her path. She does this as an act of love for the earth. During the ten years I have known her, she has probably turned a mountain of garbage into recycled glass, paper and plastic. Goddess bless!
   

Grounding Meditation

0. 
   
   Because the world we live in today is very much about getting in your head and staying there, many of us have to make a concentrated effort to become grounded and in touch with our bodies and with the natural world around us.
   
   Grounding is the technique for centering yourself within your being, getting into your body and out of your head. Grounding is the way to reconnect and balance yourself through the power of the element of earth. When you see someone walking past talking on their cell phone, you know that they are not grounded.
   
1. 
   
2. 
   

Inspiration Infusion: Spell in a Cup

Your morning pot of tea can be a daily ritual you use according to your needs. If, upon rising, you feel a bit blue, brew up some bergamot. As you sip the soothing libration, you will feel your spirits lift and you can greet the day stronger and infused with this simple and true magic. Along with healing and energizing properties, herbal teas can aid the mind. Try the following blends:

• Bergamot dissipates negativity and uplifts.

• Basil lends a sense of serenity.

• Rosemary supports physical well-being.

• Orange creates sheer joy.