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 fires 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.
You can perform a blessing on a single stone and keep it with you at all times. I keep an amethyst crystal chunk on my bed stand and another one that is a candleholder in my office. As a Pisces, I want my birthstone energy with me for strength, stability, and a love connection with the universe.
Choose a crystal to become your touchstone. Begin charging your crystal on your altar during a full moon. Light a white candle for purification and then place your hands on the stone. Chant thrice:
“Goddess of Night, moon of this night,
Fill my stone with your white light.
Instill this stone with your magic and might;
Surround it with your loving sight.
So mote it be.”
Perform this spell three nights in a row. Then you can begin to draw energy from it. Your sanctified stone will be a source of strength, wisdom, and love you can turn to whenever you are down and in need of a boost. And, best of all, you can take it with you!
Stones, crystals, and gems are regarded as the purest forms of the earth’s abundance. Whenever you get a new piece of jewelry with a stone or gem or decorate your home or garden with rocks and pebbles, show gratitude for these gifts from nature. Sprinkle thyme, daisy blossoms, and ground cinnamon on your garden path and on your doorstep. Also, burn this mix in your incense holder and chant:
“Mother Nature, I thank you for the strength
and bounty of your stones and bones.
Your beauty is reflected now and forever. Blessed be.”
Your gratitude will be rewarded tenfold, and you will enjoy a shower of crystals and gems in your life from Mother Nature, who enjoys getting credit for her good works!
Using almonds and almond oil is a simple way to attract into your life whatever you want more of—love, money, a new home, you decide! The great psychic Edgar Cayce even believed that eating five almonds a day could prevent cancer. I anoint myself with almond oil every morning as a kind of self-blessing for health and wealth. A little dab of this attraction oil will go far for you, too.
If you are feeling a financial pinch, try rubbing some almond oil on your wallet and visualize it filling up with bills. Rubbing this essence on magnetite can miraculously bring your wishes directly to you. A drop or two on green candles will also make an appreciable difference.
Almond oil works quickly because it is ruled by Mercury, the god of speed and communication, who operates in the realm of air.
Thursdays are named for Jupiter, or Jove, originally Thor of Norse mythology,
who represents joviality, expansion, and all things abundant. Here is a Jupiterian
Thursday spell that will bring excellent opportunities your way.
On a Thursday, go for a walk in the woods, in the park, or on the beach. Bring an abalone seashell and two votive candles—one green and one purple. Gather
wildflowers, preferably yellow ones, such as dandelions. Place the candles inside
the abalone shell. Encircle the shell with the flowers and any gifts from nature
that appeal to you—iridescent feathers, smooth driftwood, sandblasted sea
glass. Stand in front of your natural altar and consider the wonderful, full life
you are going to enjoy. Light the candles and say:
“As above, so below,
The wisdom of the world shall freely flow.
To perfect possibility, I surrender. So mote it be.”
Rather than chasing money or possessions, you can simply draw them to you with wisdom from days gone by. A tiny green pouch filled with the herb vervain, a silver dollar, and lapis lazuli or peridot, is a powerful tool for making positive change in your life and attracting good fortune.
Prepare your attraction pouch during a waxing moon (ideally when the Moon is in the sign of Taurus). Hold the pouch over frankincense incense and let the smoke bless the bag as you speak:
“The moon is a silver coin;
I carry lunar abundance with me.
Blessings upon thee and me.”
Another lucky charm for solvency is to take seven tiny turquoise stones and put them on your windowsill during a full moon for seven hours. Then pick up the stones, and while holding them in the palm of your hand, speak this wish-spell:
“Luck be quick, luck be kind.
And by lucky seven, good luck will be mine.”
Carry these lucky stones with you in a bright blue bag and be on the lookout for blessings to shower down upon you. You might receive a gift, win free services, or literally find money in your path.
The world can overwhelm us at times with problems relating to work, finances, and all manner of problems that get in the way and want to stay. But these problems are not beyond your control! The ultimate time to release bad luck is immediately after a full moon or any Friday the thirteenth.
If you have been on an unlucky streak, get yourself a big black candle, an obsidian sphere (or at least an obsidian crystal), a piece of white paper, a black ink pen, a cancellation stamp (readily available at any stationary store), and a big flat rock that is slightly concave in the center. Write on the paper what you wish to be freed from; this is your release request. Place the candle and the obsidian on the flat rock and light the candle near an open window so the negative energy will leave your home. While the candle burns, intone:
“Waxing moon, most wise Cybele,
From me this burden please dispel.
Upon this night so clear and bright
I release __ to the moon tonight.”
Bury the candle in your garden for thirteen minutes. Take your stamp and mark the paper “cancelled.” Put the candle out, fold the paper away from you, and place it under the flat stone. Repeat this process for twelve more nights (thirteen total). On the last night, which should ideally be the beginning of the new-moon phase, burn the paper and bury the candle, paper ashes, and flat rock far from your home. Give thanks to the moon for assisting you, and LET GO of bad luck.
After your Employment Incantation, you might want to immerse yourself in the waters of prosperity with a money bath. This particular ritual is most effective if practiced on Thursday night during a new or full moon. Pour apple green or lemon verbena essential oil into running bathwater and bathe by the light of a single green candle. As you close your eyes, meditate on your truest desires. What does personal property mean to you? What do you really need and what do you really want? When you are clear about your answers, put on all of your green gem jewelry—peridot, green jade, tourmaline, malachite, and so on. Focus on the candle flame while whispering:
“Here and now, my intention is set.
New luck will be mine and all needs will be met.
With harm to none and plenty for all. Blessed be.”
Here is one of the ways I got a great job on my first day in San Francisco: Light a gold candle and place it in a special place beside a crystal of pyrite, otherwise known as fool’s gold. Repeat this incantation eight times while holding the gold in your right hand and holding a vision of yourself at the desired job:
“I see the perfect job for me;
I see a place of plenty.
Upon my heart’s desire I am set;
My new boss will never regret.
This job will come to me NOW;
Harm to none, I vow. So mote it be.”
Candle magic is a mainstay of crystal magic. I burn candles every night and take them with me when I am traveling. For this exercise to work, simply apply the basic precepts of color magic: Have a clear intention of your desires outcome and choose the appropriate color candle from the following list. On the corresponding day, begin burning the candle on your altar or any special place in your home. Repeat this ritual for seven consecutive days with the same color candle.
* Sunday: the Sun rules this day; use gold or red to affect a boss, a promotion, health, fame, or success.
* Monday: the Moon rules this day; use silver or orange to affect the home, subordinates, or emotions.
* Tuesday: Mars rules; use yellow to affect aggression, sex, conflict, or confidence.
* Wednesday: Mercury rules; use green to affect communication, study, or intelligence.
* Thursday: Jupiter rules; use blue to affect medical and legal issues, money, spirit, integrity, safety, or security.
* Friday: Venus rules; use indigo to affect aesthetics and beauty, marriage, relationships, theater, art, music, or family.
* Saturday: Saturn rules; use black to affect judgment, obstacles, or property.
You can access your intuition and prophetic capabilities and also call for angelic assistance with this Wednesday ritual. You’ll need these ingredients: one celestite stone and one palmful each of ground cloves, dried sage, and amber resin.
With a mortar and pestle, mix the herbs together. Place the heavenly blue celestite in front of you and say aloud three times:
“Calling all angels!
Come and play.
Be with me now
And show me how
To make my way.”
Burn the herbs in your fireplace or in a dish while looking at the celestite and concentrating on a question, such as whether to take a new job or end a relationship. Use this time to cleanse your mind of all concerns, worries, and thoughts, making way for pure insight. Answers will come, and angels always give you a sign that they have visited. It can come in the form of an amazing coincidence, a song on the radio, or some other sweet surprise.
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 Silver, shield and encircle me. Blessed be.”
If you are a creative person getting ready to present your work to the world, you can wear a talisman of your own making to ensure a positive outcome. Many performers, artists, musicians, and other inspired folks have lucky pieces of clothing or some other token that gives them courage to put themselves forth in the best possible manner.
Crystal and gem magic is perfect for creating your own success in this sort of endeavor. Put a talismanic power stone in your pocket or purse and you will have an aura of achievement all around you. When choosing your talisman, keep these pointers in mind:
* Red stones, such as garnet, ruby, carnelian, red jasper, and jade, are excellent for attracting positive attention, such as publicity for your recital or poetry reading. For a speech, a performance, a presentation, or a show or your art, wear red jewelry.
* Green stones, such as emerald and peridot, are wonderful for realizing your potential for wealth and successful new projects. If you are preparing for a possibly lucrative deal of your creative output— pitching a book or an art opening—you must wear green jewelry.
* Blue stones, such as turquoise, topaz, lapis lazuli, and sapphire, help you to see clearly and without obstruction. If you are trying to empower someone to see and share your creative vision, blue gems are right for you.
The red stones always hold a lust for life. So, for the Ecstatic Elixir, we are going to push the envelope here and put as many red stones into our potion as we can! Place the following into a glass of water: carnelian, garnet, rough ruby, red coral, red jade, jasper, red sardonyx, cuprite, aventurine, and red calcite. If you don’t have all of these, just mix and match. Even a single rough ruby and a tiny chunk of jasper is a lot of love in a jar.
Place the Ecstatic Elixir on the love corner of your room or altar. Light amber incense and a red candle and speak this spell:
“This jade is my joy, the garnet my grace.”
Leave the water on your altar for seven hour or overnight, and drink it upon awakening. Your life energy will quicken, and you should feel very upbeat and good to go.
If you are like me, you can’t exactly afford to buy a ruby on the spot. I have been gladdened lately by the appearance of $3-each rough rubies at the new age bookstores. Now those rubies I can buy on impulse.
Rubies are stones of great passion. Here is a simple way to light a fire by day that will ignite with your lover by night. Hold your ruby in your left hand over your heart and speak aloud three times:
“I can feel the heat
Of your skin
And your mouth;
I can taste the kisses sweet.
Your hands on me,
My hands on you;
Oh, lover, hear my song.
Tonight, we will be as one
All night long.”
Now carry your heart-warmed ruby in your pocket all day long. Don’t forget to give your lover a call and invite him or her over for a long and lovely night.
The great psychic and healer Edgar Cayce used this blue beauty for achieving remarkable meditative states during which he had astoundingly accurate visions and prophetic dreams. Indeed, azurite helps achieve a high state of mental clarity and powers of concentration. If you can’t find the answer to a problem in the here and now, try looking for solutions on the astral plane. Write the problem down on paper and place it under a small azurite overnight on a windowsill so it collects moonlight.
At 11:11 a.m., lie comfortably in a quiet and darkened room with the azurite stone placed over your third eye on your forehead. Clear your mind of everything for eleven minutes and meditate. Sit up and listen for the first thing that comes into your mind—it should be the answer or a message regarding the issue at hand. Write down the words you receive. The rest of the day you will be in a state of grace and higher mind during which you will hear information and answers to help guide you in many aspects of your life. If you, like me, enjoy this meditation, you may want to do it every day at 11:11 a.m. and every night at 11:11 p.m. I strongly suggest that you keep a journal of these “azurite answers.” You may receive information that you won’t understand until many years have passed, making the journal an invaluable resource and key to your very special life.
Performing a spell at the optimal time in the lunar cycle will maximize your power. As you read the rites and rituals in this book, keep this elemental magic in mind: Each lunar cycle begins with a new phase, when the Moon lies between the Sun and Earth so that the illuminated side cannot be seen from Earth. The Moon gradually waxes until it has moved to the opposite side of Earth. When it has reached the far side of Earth, its lit side faces us in the full-moon phase. It then wanes until it reaches the new-moon phase again.
The entire cycle takes a month, during which the Moon orbits Earth. To determine the pattern of astrological signs governing the Moon, you will need a celestial guide or almanac. My favorite is Llewellyn’s Daily Planetary Guide. The Moon moves from sign to sign every two or three days.
To begin using your magical powers, you must first set the stage, the perfect environments in which to incubate your ideas. You’ll do this by building a stone shrine, your touchstone for daily conjuring and contemplation. By preparing your home and sparking your inner flame, you can clear away personal blocks and invite in the friendly spirits who will aid and abet your supernatural pursuits. It is of the utmost importance to have in your home a shrine or altar, a power center, where you can keep your stones and perform rituals and spells. This is your energy source where you can renew yourself and your spirits every day. The more you use your altar, the more it will build up energy, and the more effective your spells will be.
On a low table, place a white scarf and candles from each of the colors of the spectrum: white, violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, red, and black. Place them in the miraculous arching shape of a rainbow. Take amber incense and place it in a quartz crystal bowl at the center of the rainbow. Amber is good for creativity and healing and also contains crystalline grains of rock resin from Mother Nature. Keep a wand of sage or a smudging stick in a fireproof bowl or seashell on your altar and use it to clear the energy and sanctify the space every day.
Next, place symbols on the altar that reflect your personal power and spiritual aspirations. I keep fresh wildflowers in a vase beside a statue of a young goddess pouring water of wisdom, symbolizing Aquarius. I also have abalone shells, which represent my Piscean nature, aligned with a magnetite obelisk and a rock- crystal ball. Let your imagination run wild! Use religious icons and images or photos that have special meaning—whatever expresses your innermost spirit.
If you have an obelisk or pyramid on your altar, you can use it for manifestation by placing your desires and wishes on paper beneath the crystal.
Keep the basic principles of feng shui in mind and put prosperity stones in your far- left money corner, and romance rocks in your far-right love corner.
The crystals you select should be a completely personal choice. Browse your favorite lapidary or New Age shop and see what your are drawn to and resonate most with. Here are some crystals you can choose for specific spell work and energy you want in your life and environment:
* For creativity: amazonite, aventurine, carnelian, chrysolite, chrysoprase, citrine, green tourmaline, malachite, yellow fluorite
* For intuition: amethyst, azurite, celestite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, selenite, smoky quartz, sodalite, star sapphire, yellow cacite
* For love: amethyst, aventurine, magnetite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, twinned rock crystal
* For prosperity: bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tiger’s-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire
* For self-assurance: azurite, chalcedony, chrysocolla, green tourmaline, hematite, rutilated quartz, tiger’s-eye
* For serenity: amber, aventurine, blue jade, dioptase, Herkimer diamond, jasper, kunzite, moonstone, onyx, peridot, quartz, rhodonite
* For success: carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz
* For vigor: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz
* For wisdom: emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite
After the first thirty-three days of tuning in with your new crystal ball, you should give it a good cleaning, both physically and energetically; Thirty-three is a power number and is exactly the right amount of time to wait so that your crystal ball is permeated with your personal psychic energy. I recommend keeping it with you, in a pocket or, if it is smaller, even in a little pouch around your neck. The constant interaction with your body will get you and your crystal ball in sync.
To thoroughly cleanse the crystal, put in a bowl of sea salt for seven days. Treat your crystal ball as the precious thing it is. Keep it in a soft cloth; I prefer a dark blue silk bag. Never store your crystal ball in a synthetic material—it came from the earth and needs to stay connected to the earth’s grounding energy.
If you are like me and have slightly sticky, well-lotioned hands, you simply need to wash the crystal in warm water after each use and then wipe it with a soft, natural-fiber cloth; all will be well. Regard your crystal ball with the highest respect, the highest regard, and the highest mind, and it will give you a lifetime of great service. Also, remain mindful that you are using it for the purposes of universal love and healing and these effects shall be so.
If you have ever experienced a problem in your life that no one else could help you with, a scrying mirror or crystal can offer counsel. Any time you feel the need for insight and answers, scrying can lend illumination. Are you stymied at work? Are you restless and don’t know why? Do you suspect someone isn’t being honest with you? Try scrying! Here are some scrying crystals to use for intuition power:
Amethyst opens your own psychic abilities
Azurite with malachite can help with studying and brainstorming ideas
Bloodstone guards you against anyone trying to deceive you.
Celestite gives you the very special help of angel-powered insight and advice.
Chrysocolla helps you to see and resolve relationship difficulties.
Lapis lazuli leads the way if you are looking for a new job.
Selenite can be used under moonlight for pleasant visions of your future.
Scrying is the art of divining by looking into an appropriate surface. It could be water, a mirror on the wall, a crystal ball, or a slap of rock. For that matter, some people are quite talented at seeing visions in the flames of fire or in the bottom of a teacup. Smooth, natural surfaces are much better and less distracting, however.
I like to think that a chunk of shiny black obsidian was the first scrying mirror. We know the ancients had special prophets and priestesses who engaged in foretelling the future, and they were making and using tools of their trade from various crystals at hand. No doubt they would be delighted to know we are
still using crystal balls made from translucent quartz and mysterious volcanic obsidian! I cleanse mine before and after each use with rainwater that has set through at least one day of sun and one night of moonlight, but rituals can get as elaborate as you want!
Scrying has been used since biblical times and is even mentioned in Genesis chapter 44, verses 4-5 (NKJV). Queen Elizabeth I entrusted all matter of the heavens and the unseen to John Dee, a brilliant mathematician and metaphysician. He used a mirror of polished black obsidian, and his legacy led succeeding magicians and psychics to prefer black mirrors. Dee employed scrying to great effect in calling upon certain angels. He reported hearing knocking and even voices that sounded like an owl screeching during sessions.
Scrying is the mantic art of gazing onto a surface and receiving information in the form of visions. It is said that this gives us a more direct connection to the Akashic record, the theory of cosmic memory storage espoused by the theosophist Rudolf Steiner.
Scrying can be used for myriad purposes in addition to divining the past, present, and future. You can contact spirit guides, improve your skills of creative visualization, and even use it as a gateway to the astral plane. As with crystal balls and other sacred tools, you should polish mirrors with a clean cotton cloth and store them in a special protective bag.
Quartz crystal balls have an inherent power that you have to practice working with. They have been part of our folklore, myth, magic, and metaphysics for a long time. The great philosopher and physician Paracelsus made the claim during the height of the Renaissance that what he called conjuring crystals needed to be used in “observing everything rightly, earning and understanding what was.” I love that they are in fairy tales and Disney stories, too. That shows how ingrained crystal balls are in our culture and collective mind-set. Even people who avoid anything too witchy know of the power of crystal balls!
Crystal balls have their own authority and wield a large influence on the development of our psychic abilities. When you gaze into a crystal ball, it is possible to see into the fabric of time, both the past and the future. What you see could be a delineated vision of a flickering, wispy suggestion of images. You have to practice and hone your attunement with the energy of the crystal ball. Many psychics use crystal balls in their readings, and some report seeing images of clients’ auras in the ball. What you have to get really clear on is how you interpret what you see. Gleaning information about people’s lives is a huge responsibility, and you need to feel sure about what you are reading. One way is to learn to trust your center of intuition in your body. For me (and for many other people) it is a gut feeling—literally in my stomach. I have a feeling of surety, or knowing, and I speak from that. If I don’t get any such bodily sensation, I simply explain that I don’t know what I’m reading or I’m not really “getting anything.” It is far better to say you don’t know that to fake it.
You can sharpen your psychic skills by working with a partner. Sit directly across from your partner with a crystal ball between you. Close your eyes halfway and look at the ball and into the ball while harnessing your entire
mind. Empty out all other thoughts and focus as hard as you can. Your third eye should begin to open, and the vision and intuition will come from there and project into the crystal ball. As you train your mind, the patterns will become clearer and your impressions will become surer. You should trust that what you are seeing is real and find a place of knowing, as I do with my stomach. Express to your partner what you are seeing. Then listen to your partner as she reveals her visions to you. After at least three rounds of individual reading and revealing, share visions at the same time and learn whether you are seeing the same things!
A mental practice to try on your own is this crystal-ball meditation: In a darkened room, sit holding your crystal ball in the palms of both of your hands. Touch it to your heart and then gently touch it to your forehead where the third eye resides. Then hold the ball in front of your eyes and, sitting very still, gaze into it for at least three minutes. Envision pure white light in the ball and hold that image. Practice the white-light visualization for up to half an hour and then rest your mind, your eyes, and your crystal ball. If you do this every day, within a month you will start to become adept at crystal-ball gazing.
Choosing a crystal ball should not be undertaken lightly: this is a deeply personal tool that has its own energy and will also become imbued with your energy. Think of it as a container for a great deal of your energy and make sure it feels right for you and you alone. Do not allow anyone else to touch your crystal ball. If by chance it happens, simply place it in a bowl of sea salt overnight and it will be cleansed of outside energy and influence.
Highly polished and glasslike spheres of beryl and quartz crystal have been in use for many thousands of years. Healers, shamans, witch doctors, and medicine men have been using the bones of the earth for divination since time immemorial. The Celtic folks and Druids favored beryl as their scrying crystal of choice. Beryl still has a well-earned reputation as the stone of power. The Middle Ages and the Renaissance saw a far-flung use of crystal for seeing the future.
The mythical wizard Merlin, of Arthurian legend, kept his crystal ball with him at all times! Pure quartz crystal balls are quite pricey but are worth the expense if you are serious about harnessing your intuition and using it for the good. Most people I know who use crystal balls, including many healers and teachers, see cloudy and smoky images, so do not expect your experience to be like going to the movies! Each and every crystal ball is unique and has its own energy.
Here are a few examples:
Amethyst offers advice on business matters and is especially good for lawyers and writers
Beryl helps you find anything you have lost—keys, jewelry, money, people!
Obsidian is the karma stone and helps you see and resolve past-life issues
Quartz crystal can put you in touch with helpful spirit guides who foretell events
Selenite is particularly useful with any matters regarding hearth and home.
Smoky quartz connects you with nature spirits and shows you what to avoid in your life.
To purify your home, you need this special broom. A home purification is handy for clearing away bad energy after a squabble with your loved one, a bout of the blues, or just about any upset you need to get out of your personal space. I would go so far as to suggest that you sweep the negative energy outside every morning in your life. Bear in mind, this is not white glove-type cleaning; it is a symbolic act that is quite effective in maintaining your home as a personal sanctuary.
You can make your own purification broom from straw bound together and attached to a fallen tree branch, or you can add mojo to a store-bought broom. Wrap copper wire around your broom or use it to bind the straw to the stick, as Venus-ruled copper lends an aura of beauty and keeps negativity at bay. Attach crystals to the handle with glue to boost your broom. Recommend crystals for space clearing and purification are:
Amber for cheeriness
Blue lace agate for tranquility
Coral for well-being
Jet for absorption of bad energy
Onyx for protection
Petrified wood for security
Tiger’s-eye for protecting your psyche from energy draining powers
Turquoise for relaxation and calmness
In use since Elizabethan times, magic bottles, or spell bottles, can function as guardians. Called witch bottles in the 1600s in England, they were originally used to hold objects for magical uses. They have largely fallen out of use, but you can customize magic bottles for yourself with crystal stoppers for a variety of reasons. You can put one in your garden for healthy plants, on the mantel to protect your home, next to your bed for love and happiness, and in the kitchen for good health. These magic bottles are mostly used for protection, but you can also place into them symbols of your dreams and desires, such as a flower for peace, rosemary for remembrance, and cinnamon for the spice of life.
Magic bottles are very easy to make, as you can easily glue the crystals of your choice onto the lid or cork top or place them inside. Here are a few to try:
* For luck with money, place three pennies and some pyrite or jade into a bottle and put it on your desk and home or your workplace. Shake the magic jar whenever you think about your finances, and your fortune will improve in three days.
* For love, place a rosebud or rose petal, rose essential oil, and rose quartz into a bottle and keep it at your bedside. Each night, burn a pink candle anointed with the oil from your love- magic bottle. On the seventh day, your prospects for romance will brighten!
* For a peaceful and secure home, take a teaspoon of soil from
outside your house (or the closest park) and place it into a
bottle with some smoky topaz or brown jasper. Place the bottle into the pot of a plant near the entrance of your home. Every time you
water the plant, think about the sanctity of your home. As your plant
grows, so will the tranquility of your residence.
This rope that binds magic to your and is ideally made from strands of red wool or ribbon. Nine feet long, it is braided and tied into a loop at one end to represent feminine energy and left loose or frayed at the opposing end to signify the complementary male energy. Crystal beads woven onto the strands of the rope can compound its magical quality. I recommend that you use clear quartz crystal beads, which are energy amplifiers, but you can use special stones for various effects: rose quartz for love, citrine for grounding, jade for prosperity and success in work, blue lapis for creativity, and amethyst for improved intuition and psychic ability. The descriptionary in Part Two of this book will guide you to other crystal bead options.
Important tools used in magic rituals, cauldrons are typically iron kettles. You can make a symbolic cauldron, however, out of any concave or bowl-like object, such as a large stone or crystal geode.
To make your own swords and knives, or athames (pronounced a-THAW-mays), you can affix crystals of your choice onto metalwork you purchase at a New Age store or from a sword specialist. Or, if you purchase an athame that already has crystals, you can change your sword so it is imbued with your energy. The idea of the sword is that you wield it within the spirit world to keep bad energy and negativity at bay. With your sword in your hand, you are the master or mistress of your domain; you rule your circle of magic. The bolline is usually a white- handled knife that is used for making other tools; it can be used only within the magical circle, the boundary you form by marking the four corners and the four directions through speaking ritual.
Mirrors have been tools of magic since time immemorial. Shiny, smooth reflective surfaces have lent themselves so well to the imagination and intuition. It is little wonder that these portals to another world promote psychic awareness. Obsidian and other types of shimmering rocks and volcanic glasses presented themselves to primitive peoples as opportunities to communicate with unseen spirits, which is what we modern folk do when we are accessing energy.
When Harry Potter famously looked into his magic mirror, he awakened the masses to this tradition, and I have heard that sales of magic mirrors have skyrocketed. Throughout history, people looking for answers have used mirrors and even bowls filled with ink to peer into another dimension. Gazing balls and pools have also served for dealing with the divine.
You can make your own magic mirror and power it with crystals. First, get a round dime-store mirror, preferably with a plastic or wooden frame for ease of gluing appliqués. Make sure the frame has a lot of surface area on which to affix your gems. From any New Age store or rock shop, purchase fifty to 100 small crystals—various quartzes and semiprecious stones of a similar shape and small size. You can use a rainbow of colors unless you have a particular affinity for any certain stone. For example, amethyst is my birthstone, so I prefer to use an all-amethyst magic mirror. I simply feel more connected to this lovely, purple semiprecious gem.
Clean the frame with a soft, dry cloth and spread clear drying glue onto it. One at a time, place the crystal pebbles into the glue in any pattern you desire. I have seen lovely versions of concentric circles of color following the spectrum, beginning with deepest, darkest red garnet stones inside and circling out to the palest purple pebbles and finally a layer of the clearest quartz. I have seen gorgeous pebble spirals and paisleys, and so many other patterns.
I know some gem magicians who have several magic mirrors for different kinds of questing and querying. A mirror of peridot, the birthstone of Leo, is good for looking at issues of self-image and matters centering around you. A ruby mirror (made of the highly affordable rough rubies) is perfect for matters relating to love, and a jade mirror will aid in money matters. Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) would do well to make magic mirrors from sea glass and seashells they have gathered during walks on the beach. Anyone who feels drawn to the ocean will also benefit from a seashell magic mirror. Many of us go for walks on the beach or along water when we are searching for answers. A magic mirror of shells can be twice as effective at helping you find your answers!
Amethyst is still tops in my book, and I recommend a mirror adorned with this stone as a very dependable tool of magic. Amethyst is a good balancing stone and is also one of the most intuition-boosting of all gems.
Charm boxes, also known as spell boxes, are simple tools of magic you can easily make for yourself. Ancient cultures, particularly the Native Americans, Greeks, Celts, and Egyptians, used boxes for ceremonial magic and for the storage of sacred objects. Is not the famed biblical ark of the covenant a magical box? During medieval times, much spell work revolved around boxes. Even a young woman’s hope chest is a type of magical box, filled with the wishes, intentions, and materials for a happy marriage.
Gem-magic boxes can either contain crystals of special importance to you or be adorned with gems you affix to the outside of the box. You can create a job-spell box with peridot or aventurine stones, green candles, patchouli incense, and dried ferns placed inside.
Make a love-spell box with two pieces of rose quartz, a pink candle, rose petals, and two copper pennies. Fashion a psychic-spell box using amethyst and quartz crystals, cloves, and rosemary.
