Magical Meanings of Essential Oils for Your Spellwork

These essential oils are some excellent choices for anointing candles as well as yourself.

• Astral Projection: Jasmine, benzoin, cinnamon, sandalwood
• Courage: Geranium, black pepper, frankincense
• Dispelling negative energy and spirits: Basil, clove, copal, frankincense, juniper, myrrh, pine, peppermint, rosemary, yarrow, vervain
• Divination: Camphor, orange, clove
• Enchantment: Ginger, tangerine, amber, apple
• Healing: Bay, cedar wood, cinnamon, coriander, eucalyptus, juniper, lime, rose, sandalwood, spearmint
• Joy: Lavender, neroli, bergamot, vanilla
• Love: Apricot, basil, chamomile, clove, copal, coriander, rose geranium, jasmine, lemon, lime, neroli, rose, rosemary, ylang-ylang
• Luck: Orange, nutmeg, rose, vervain
• Peace: Lavender, chamomile
• Prosperity: Basil, clove, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, oak, moss, patchouli, peppermint, pine, aloe
• Protection: Bay, anise, black pepper, cedar, clove, cypress, copal, eucalyptus, frankincense, rose geranium, lime, myrrh, lavender, juniper, sandalwood, vetiver
• Sexuality: Cardamom, lemongrass, amber, rose, clove, olive, patchouli

Charging Your Candles

“Charging” a candle means instilling it with magical intent. A candle that has been charged fills your personal space with the intention of all four elements.

Once you clarify your intention, cleanse your candles by passing them through the purifying smoke of a cedar bundle or some incense. This stage is especially important if you have purchased new candles for your rituals from a store or metaphysical shop. Cleansing will rid the candles of any odd energies they may have absorbed from other places or people.

You can further charge your candle by carving a symbol into the wax. Warm the tip of your ritual knife using a lit match and carve your full intention into the candle wax. I like to use the thorn of a rose for this. You can use your ritual knife to write words, although many witches use symbols—a heart, a dollar sign, or a number, for example. As you engrave the appropriate magical words onto the candle, you are charging it with energy and your hope and purpose for this spell. Some highly successful examples of this I have used and witnessed in circle gatherings are: “Healing for my friend who is in the hospital; she will recover for renewed and increased health.” “I get the raise I am asking for, and more!” “New true love enters my life in the coming season, blessed be.”

Next, you should dress your candle with a specific oil. Every essential oil is imbued with a power that comes from the plants and flowers of which it is made. You can also use oils to anoint yourself at the crown of the head or at the third eye to increase mental clarity. By using the inherent powers of essential oils, you are increasing and doubling the energies by anointing both your tool—in this case, the candle— and yourself.

Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts of flowers, herbs, roots, or resins, sometimes diluted in a neutral base oil. Try to ensure you are using natural oils instead of manufactured, chemical-filled perfume oils; the synthetics lack any real energy. Also, approach oils with caution, and don’t get them in your eyes. Clean cotton gloves are a good idea to keep in your kitchen for handling sensitive materials. You can avoid any mess and protect your magical tools by using oil droppers. While you are learning and studying, find a trusted herbalist or the wise sage at your local metaphysical shop; usually their years of experience offer much in the way of useful knowledge that will be to your advantage as you work with candles.

Dressed to Thrill: Charging Your Jewelry with Enchantment

Before a special date night or big evening event, you can enhance your own energy field with jewelry magic. Charging a gem or crystal imbues it with your intent. Upon charging your jewelry, you can use it in spellwork or anytime you want to surround yourself with the magic you put into the gemstones. While picturing your truest wish and hope and what you ultimately want to achieve through this process, anoint a candle with an essential oil that most expresses your energy. Perhaps it is rose, or as in my case, amber.

Begin by lighting the candle and gazing into the flame. Then, place the piece of jewelry in front of the candle and say aloud:

    Into this jewelry, I imbue my essence.

    In these stones lies the power of this blessed earth.

    This gem of great hue is charged until my magic is through.

    With harm to none, so mote it be!

You can further empower the jewel by scratching your desire into the wax of the candle. Then, each time you burn the candle, place the gem before it and think upon your purpose.

Center Yourself with the Help of a Little Candle Magic

The best way to prepare for personal ritual is to center yourself. I call this “doing a readjustment,” and I believe this is especially important in our overscheduled and busy world. Doing a readjustment helps pull you back into yourself and gets your priorities back on track. Only when you are truly centered can you do the true inner work of self-development that is at the core of ritual. Centering takes many forms. Experiment on your own to find out what works best for you. One excellent way to center is to light a candle and meditate on it. By focusing on the flame, you bring your being and awareness into focus. You can take this a step further with this spell for new insight into your life.

Step 1: Place one candle on your altar or “centering station.” Light your favorite meditation incense. For me, nag champa immediately sanctifies any space and creates a sacred aura.

Step 2: Scratch your name into the candle with the tip of your knife. Next, scratch your hope onto the candle, either in words or other symbols. 

Step 3: Light your candle and recite:

    This candle burns for me.

    Here burns my hope for [say what you are hoping for].

    Here burns the flame of insight,

    may I see clearly in this new light.

Sit with your eyes closed for a few minutes and picture yourself enacting your hopes and desires. You are setting your intention. Picture yourself in the company of people who inspire and teach you, those who bring insight and new light into your life. Let the candle burn down completely.

Intention Candle Spell

Essential elements for this ritual are one candle of your favorite color, a candle holder, copal or cinnamon essential oil to represent spirituality, paper and pen, a ritual knife, and any visual aids you may require, such as photos, tarot cards, or a drawing of a deity you have made or found specifically for this ritual. Carefully select a representation of a deity with whom you feel a connection or who you believe will be benevolent toward your intention.

The “body” of the ritual refers to the act itself. It will further your intention if you carve related symbols and power words into your candle with the tip of your knife. Anoint the candle with the essential oil you have chosen. Dressing the candle with the oil from top to bottom adds the influence of attraction to your spell. Conversely, dressing the oil in the opposite direction, from bottom to top, adds banishing power to your spell.

Write your intention on the paper and then speak aloud:

    Thus, I consecrate this candle in the name of [insert the name of the deity here],

    so this flame will burn brightly and light my way.

Place the anointed candle in the candleholder, light it, and say:

    Blessed candle, light of the Goddess,

    I burn this light of [deity’s name].

    Hear my prayer, O [name the deity], hear my need.

    Do so with all your grace

    and with magical speed.

Now read your intention as you wrote it on the paper. Roll the paper into a scroll; then, using a few drops of the warm wax from your intention candle, seal your sacred statement. Place the paper on your altar or in a special place where it can be safe until your intention is realized. 

Allow the candle to burn down completely in order to truly raise and release energy. It can be useful to use small candles or tea lights for spells that require candles to burn out completely, so you’re not left sitting there for several hours. Once you have seen your spell come to a culmination, burn the written intention in a metal dish or in your fireplace in gratitude to the god or goddess who helped you. While other faiths may pray to God for help and favors, this differs in that you are helping yourself: you are taking action and setting your intention, not simply turning over all responsibility to a higher power.

How to Set Intentions for a Ritual of Your Own Design

When creating your own ritual, or performing any spellwork, for that matter, you must approach it with a definite concentration, so try to eliminate any distractions clogging up your sacred space. If a nagging worry is hovering in the back of your mind, you are not properly focused. You may even want to perfect an image of your intention and desire with creative visualization.

Part of your preparation should also include using ritual correspondences—the phase of the moon, the day of the week, the color of the candles you use, and much more. These things add to the depth and meaning of your ritual. Do you need to clear the energy and refresh your altar with some housecleaning? Do so and continue to focus on your intention as you create the foundation for a successful ceremony. While you are clearing energy in your space, you must also clear out the clutter in your mind. If you are in a state of inner chaos, the outcome will simply not measure up to your expectations. Perhaps it will help you relax if you listen to instrumental music or sacred chants. Conscious breathing or stretching will also help you make yourself ready for ritual. Constructing your inner temple is a marvelous process that can aid in your journey deep inside yourself.

Sit or lie down in a position that is comfortable enough to relax you, but not so comfortable as to allow you to drift off to sleep. As you breathe slowly and rhythmically, imagine a peaceful, beautiful place specific to your desires. It could be a white marble temple in a lovely sculpture garden under a still blue sky. It could be a mirror pool by a sacred grove. It must be pleasing to you, a place you can visit frequently in visualization. It can be any size or shape but should have certain aspects:

• The Center: Your inner temple should have a single center from which you can access all areas of the temple. This center space is a representation of your personal power center.
• Reflective Surface: Here is where you can take a look at yourself spiritually. The reflective surface can be a scrying mirror, a crystal ball, or even a pool of water. You can also use it to look at the past, present, and future.
• Water: Your inner temple can have any number of water sources, such as a waterfall, a well, a stream, or an ocean. Water represents our deepest levels of consciousness. Commune with your deepest self here.
• Earth: Here is where you ground yourself and create manifestation. Take stock of your deepest desires and goals here in a garden, forest, meadow, or wherever your imagination guides you.

Ideally, your inner temple has four doorways or gates, one each for the four directions and elements. Once you have created your ideal inner temple, you can now use it to perform ritual, as you have created permanent sacred space inside and outside this temple through visualization.

Correspondences of the Days of the Week

Sunday

The sun rules this day; use gold or red to get results with a boss, a promotion, or health, fame, and general success. Burning red candles on a Sunday can also help you to overcome fear and gain self-confidence.

Monday

The moon rules this day; use silver or orange to influence home, subordinates, and the emotions. Burning silver candles on Monday can promote inner peace.

Tuesday

Planet Mars rules Tuesday. Yellow is the color to use on this day to affect aggressions, sex, conflict, and confidence. To let go of anger, burn orange candles on Tuesday.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, Mercury rules. To manifest your will in the realms of communication, studying, and intelligence, burn green candles. For mental clarity, burn yellow candles.

Thursday

Thursday rules Jupiter. Burn blue candles for medical and legal issues, money, spirit, integrity, safety and security, or for a peaceful home.

Friday

Venus rules Friday; use indigo for matters relating to aesthetics and beauty, marriage, relationships, theater, art, music, or family. For physical well-being or success at work, burn green candles. For kindness and compassion, burn pink candles.

Saturday

Saturn rules over Saturday. Black is the color to burn to affect judgments, obstacles, and matters involving property. To overcome regret or guilt, burn white candles.

Color Magic: The Supernatural Spectrum Pt. II

GREEN

Ah, green, the color of fertility and luck! Green is a great color to work with if you need a little financial boost as it is heavily associated with money and wealth, growth, prosperity, and employment, as well as all-around good luck. It is also related to beauty, youth, nature and earth magic, and success in gardening. Look to green for abundance and bountiful blessings!

GRAY

Gray is a neutral color, imbuing it with the potential for balance and stability. Gray represents impartiality, cancellation, and stalemates. It can protect from negative influences and is also excellent for meditation. Try incorporating a gray candle into your rituals when you are dealing with confusion or need to remain objective about a particular matter.

YELLOW

In need of a little pep in your step? Yellow is an energizing color that will bring you optimism and invigoration! Intelligence, charm, attraction, learning, inspiration, persuasion, confidence, divination, psychic power, wisdom, happiness, memory, and friendship are some of the meanings associated with the color yellow. Because yellow is the color of the sun, expect an awakening and stimulating effect from burning yellow candles.

BROWN

Brown is a color that connects us to the earth. Its magical uses are related to animals, home, family, grounding and stability, balance, strength, hard work, protection, and material things. Use this candle when you feel like you need to bring things back into perspective, or when you are casting a spell to protect your home.

PINK

Love, honor, fidelity, morality, and friendship are just a few of the associations with the color pink. It is a color for affection, affinity, romance, beauty, self-love, faith, and devotion. Pink also carries a feminine energy and can be a catalyst for reconciliation.

ORANGE

Orange is infused with the energies of adaptability, stimulation, attraction, encouragement, ambition, creativity, and success. It is also the color of justice, which makes it of great use in all legal matters. Orange is also the color of opportunity, so you may find an orange candle to be a useful tool when manifesting success in business, networking, or career changes.

PURPLE

Purple is a color symbolic of power, authority, healing, spirituality, ambition, and wisdom. Burning purple candles can be conducive to business progress, tension relief, meditation, exorcism, and deepening spiritual awareness.

Color Magic: The Supernatural Spectrum

Candle magic and color magic are deeply intertwined. Ritual candles are chosen for their color correspondences and then carved and anointed with special oils chosen for their own special energy. Color is a deeply intuitive form of magic, and its effect on the human mind is widely recognized and is supported by an array of scientific studies. Think about color therapy, for example! The way that colors elicit a subconscious response from your brain is its own form of magic. Even skeptics will agree that different colors can change the energy of a room and alter your mood. You may also find that your favorite colors have something to do with your response to certain vibrational energies and or some things that you are unconsciously lacking in your life.

Color magic is incredibly simple and can be incorporated into all areas of your life, from your home decoration to all the items you adorn yourself with such as clothes, makeup, nail polish, and so forth! Creating a candle spell involving color can be as simple as applying the basic precepts of color magic: Have a clear picture of your desired outcome, and choose a candle in a color you feel is appropriate. Then, just light your candle and let it burn while you focus on your intention. Because color magic is so subjective, some differences of opinion do exist, and color itself is a magical system. You may study the following guide as you select your candles, but remember to let your instinct lead you above all else here.

WHITE

Because white contains the whole spectrum of colors, it can often be used as a catch-all candle color and can replace other candles in a spell if necessary. White is specifically associated with protection, purity, peace and harmony, truth, binding, sincerity, happiness, spirituality and the higher self, tranquility, and new beginnings. You might wish to use the power of a white candle either to get a fresh start to your day or to create a sense of calm throughout your space.

RED

Red is the color of passion! Signifying the lifeblood running through your veins, it can be used for protection, strength, health, energy, vigor, sex and sensuality, love, courage, and power. Red candles are fierce and bold, useful in love magic as well as to ignite your personal power and charisma. They will help you to overcome obstacles and become the most daring and confident version of yourself.

BLACK

Black candles are best known for their ability to absorb and destroy negativity. They have strong banishing powers, protecting you from any harm that might come your way in the form of negative energy or ill intentions. Black is also an excellent color to help you cope with fears of the unknown and is associated with acceptance, determination, grounding, security, release, endings, and grief.

BLUE

Blue represents emotion, honesty and trust, relaxation, and calm. It is a color that can bring peace to a restless heart and mind, and it is also associated with communication. There are a variety of shades of blue that have even more specific correlations and uses.

Conjuring Creativity: An Altar for the Imagination

Your personal altar is the ideal environment to incubate your ideas and can be a touchstone for daily conjuring and contemplation. By preparing your home and sparking your inner flames, you can clear away personal blocks and invite in friendly spirits who will aid you in personal pursuits, no matter what your line of work is.

On a low table or chest, place an orange or gold scarf and the following elements: yellow, orange, and gold candles for stimulating intelligence and clarity; bergamot oil for energy; and vanilla incense for mental power.

In an amber or clear glass bowl on the altar, place cloves and sage leaves. Next, add items that symbolize your personal creativity—perhaps a poem you wrote, a figure you sculpted, or a photograph you took of the altar.

Place benzoin, an herb for all-around mental strength and clarity, in your incense burner; it will bring inspiration from the psychic realm. Add any gifts from nature that inspire you—luminous shells, chunks of quartz, or feathers. Arrange your altar in a way that pleases you and stimulates your senses. Now, anoint the candle with bergamot essential oil while you meditate to clear your mind of any distractions. This is an essential step in opening the mental and spiritual space necessary to create, whether your intention is to create a ritual of your own design or an art project. Once you feel focused, light a sage leaf and wave it gently around so the cleansing smoke permeates your altar space. Light the anointed candles and the incense with a candle. Now set and speak your intention:

    By my hand,

    And by the blessing of the spirits,

    The fire of my creativity

    Burns bright,

    Burns long,

    Burns eternal.

    Blessings to me and to all who create!

Healthful Beginnings: An Altar of Healing and Protection

Creating a healing altar will safeguard your physical health and that of your loved ones. Set up your healing altar facing north.

To ensure healthful beginnings, find a pure white square of fabric to drape over your altar to make a tabula rasa, an altar equivalent to a “blank slate.” Take two green candles; place them in green glass holders or votive glasses and position them in the two farthest corners of the altar. Place your incense burner in the center between the two candles and light the incense. Sandalwood, cinnamon, camphor, and frankincense are all powerful purification incenses that are perfect for the creation of a healing altar. Burn one or all of these purification essences to consecrate the space. Adorn your altar with objects that symbolize healing energy to you. You may perhaps choose a candleholder carved from a chunk of amethyst crystal, which contains healing properties; an abalone shell with the iridescent magic of the oceans; a small citrus plant bursting with the restorative power of vitamin C; or a bowl of curative salts from the sea.

These symbolic items, and any others that you select, will energize your altar with the magic that lives inside you. It is also important that the altar be pleasing to your eye and that it makes you feel good when you look at it so you want to spend time there each and every day. After you have been performing rituals there for a while, a positive healing energy field will radiate from your altar.

Your Prosperity Altar: Invoking Heavenly Bounties

You already know that your altar is the nexus of your magical powers, but it can also be a medium through which you give gifts to the Roman god of abundance, Jupiter, also known as Jove. Jupiter is a rain and thunder deity who also controls fertility. He will rain abundance down upon you if you gain his favor through ritual observance. His “jovial” qualities include leadership, jollity, generosity, expansiveness, and a royal manner. Your middle finger is your Jupiter finger, and you can also increase your fortunes by leaving a ring on your altar overnight and then placing it on the middle finger of either hand. Ideally, for the best result, it will be a green or gold stone such as peridot, tourmaline, or citrine.

If you can find a statue or bust of Jove, you should place this symbol on the right side of the altar accompanied by the image of an eagle, which is the ideal prosperity altar emblem, as the eagle is Jupiter’s bird totem. The eagles of Rome and America are this royal bird of the king of gods. Lapis lazuli, the beautiful blue stone beloved of the Egyptians, is also sacred to Jupiter. The alchemical symbol for this stone is the astrological sign of Jupiter in reverse, and the blue of the lapis stone is associated with the blue of the sky god. You can increase your prosperity by remembering one of its most basic principles: By giving, so shall you receive.

To create a prosperity altar, consecrate the area with sea salt. Cover a low table with green and gold altar cloths or scarves and place matching candles on it. Each day, “recharge” your altar with an altar gift such as flowers, jade or other green crystals, golden flowers, scented amber resin, and coin-shaped pebbles. On any Thursday or new moon, light your candle at midnight and burn frankincense and myrrh incense. Make an offering of a golden fruit such as apples or peaches to Jupiter, and anoint your third eye with a corresponding essential oil such as myrrh, frankincense, apple, or peach. Pray aloud:

    This offering I make as my blessing to all.

    Greatest of gods, Lord Jove of the sky.

    From you, all heavenly gifts do fall.

    Most generous of all, you never deny.

    To you, I am grateful, and so mote it be!

Put the candle in a safe, fireproof place and let it burn all night. You will dream of your loved ones, including yourself, receiving a bounty of material and spiritual wealth.

Altar for Healing and Wellness

Find a pure white square of fabric to drape over your table, just touching the floor. Take two candles in matching holders and place them on the two farthest corners. Place your incense burner exactly in the middle. If you don’t have a favorite incense yet, start with the ancient essence of frankincense. Select objects that appeal to you symbolically to place on your altar. I have a candlestick of purest amethyst crystal, my birthstone. When I gaze on the candle flame refracted through the beautiful purple gemstone, I feel the fire within me. This inculcates your altar with the magic that lives inside you, that lives inside all of us, and magnifies the ceremonial strength of your workspace. You should decorate your altar until it is utterly and completely pleasing to your eye. After you’ve been working spells for a bit, an energy field will radiate from your altar.

Fireplace altars today hearken back to this earliest custom. Home and hearth have primal appeal to the comfort of both body and soul. If you have a fireplace, it can become the very heart of your home. The fireplace is also one of the safest places for the ritual work of fire keeping. Sanctify your fireplace with a sprinkling of salt, and then set it up as an altar to the four seasons. Like the Vestal Virgins of old, you can keep a fire burning in a votive glass holder in the back of your fireplace and have an eternal flame. The fireplace can be your simplest altar and a reflection of the work of nature. If you don’t have a real fire in your fireplace, you can place in it beautiful sacred objects—pretty rocks, feathers, seashells, glistening crystals, beautiful leaves, and anything representing the holiest aspects of the world around you. Let nature be your guide.

Blessings for Home and Harmony

On a low table or chest of your choosing, place a forest green scarf and a brown candle to represent your family. Add lovely objects that you have found around your home and garden: a special fallen leaf, ocean- carved driftwood, lacey dried lichen, smooth stones, or whatever your heart desires. It is of utmost importance to add a bouquet of wildflowers native to your area that you have gathered close to your home or purchased locally. This bouquet will help integrate your home into your neighborhood and the geographic area in which you live. If possible, add a sweetly scented sachet of potpourri made from your home kitchen garden: rosemary, lavender, thyme, and mint, all of which imbue your space with positive energy. Add personal mementos like photos or a locket with a photo of your spouse and children.

Burn your favorite essential oils, the ones that create an aura of instant comfort for you, such as vanilla, cinnamon, or sweet orange neroli in an oil lamp. Finally, anoint the brown candle while concentrating on peace and bliss surrounding your home. Chant:

    Here burns happiness about me.

    Peace and harmony are in abundance,

    And here true bliss surrounds.

    From now on, disharmony is gone.

    This is a home of peace and blessings.

    Here sheer joy lives.

This consecrated space will ease your spirits at any time. Your altar connects you to the earth of which you are a part.

Finding the Sacred in Sensuality: Your Erotic Altar

To prepare for new relationships and deepen the expression of feeling and intensity in your love life, create a center from which to renew your romantic spirit. Here you can concentrate your energy, clarify your intentions, and make wishes come true. If you already have an altar, incorporate some special elements, such as red candles or red crystals, or anything associated with Venus, like copper or a seashell, to enhance your sex life. Your altar can sit on a low table, a big box, or any flat surface dedicated to magic. One friend of mine has her sex altar at the head of her bed. Begin by purifying the space with some smoke cleansing. Then cover your altar with a large red silk or silk-like fabric. Place two red candles at the center of your altar, and then place a soul mate crystal—two crystals naturally fused together—at the far-right corner of the altar. These are widely available at metaphysical stores. Anoint your candles with jasmine and neroli oil. Also keep the incense you think is sexiest on your altar. Place fresh Casablanca lilies in a vase, and change them the minute they begin to fade. Lilies are heralded as exotic and erotic flowers, prized for their seductive scent.

FLAME OF PASSION ALTAR DEDICATION

Here at your magical power source, you can “sanctify your love.” Collect your tools as well as meaningful symbols and erotic iconography and prepare for the sacred rituals of love. Light the candles and incense and dab sensual essential oils between your breasts, near your heart. Speak aloud:

    I light the flame of desire;

    I fan the flame of passion.

    Each candle I burn is a wish,

    and I come to you as a witch.

    My lust will never wane.

    I desire, and I will be desired.

    Harm to none, so mote it be.

Light of Venus: A Shrine for Loving Magic

To create your altar, find a small table and drape it in richly colored, luxurious fabrics—perhaps red satin or a burgundy velvet scarf. Take one red and one pink candle and arrange them around a sweet-smelling incense such as amber, rose, or jasmine. Decorate your altar with tokens that represent love to you: a heart-shaped chunk of ruby glass, potpourri made with rose and amethyst, a photo of your lover. Fridays are the time for spelling love, right before dawn. Before you light your candles, anoint them with a love oil of your choice.

Scent your wrists, your throat, and your left breast over your heart with the same oil. Jasmine and rose have very powerful love vibrations to attract and charm a lover. If you desire sexual results, look into the flame of the red candle; if your desire is affection or flirtation, look at the pink candle instead. This simple spell, said aloud, will create loving magic:

    Venus, cast your light on me,

    A goddess for today I’ll be.

    A lover, strong and brave and true,

    I seek as a reflection of you.

Enchanting Your Jewelry with Candle Magic: Your Crystal Altar

Charging a gem or crystal imbues it with your intent. Upon charging your jewelry, you can use it in spell work or anytime you want to surround yourself with the magic you put into the gemstones. While picturing your truest wish and hope and what you ultimately want to achieve through this process, anoint a candle with an essential oil that most expresses your energy. Perhaps it is rose oil, or as in my case, amber.

Begin by lighting the candle and gazing into the flame. Then, place the piece of jewelry in front of the candle and say aloud, “Into this jewelry, I imbue my essence and the power of this blessed earth. This gem of great hue is charged until my magic is through. So mote it be!” 

You can further empower the jewel by scratching your desire into the wax of the candle. Then, each time you burn the candle, place the gem before it and think upon your quest.

To enchant all of your jewelry, you need to create an altar for this express purpose. With a crystal-magic altar, you can prepare the way for letting crystal and gem magic into your life and focusing your desires and dreams. If you already have an altar in place, incorporate some of the following elements. The more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be. 

Your gem-magic altar can be a low table, the top of a chest, or even a shelf. First, you must purify the space with smoke. Once you have cleansed the space, cover your altar with your favorite fabric; I recommend the color white. Place a candle in each corner. I prefer candles of many colors to represent the rainbow array of gems. Place gems and crystals of your choice around the candles. Rose quartz is a heart stone, and fluorite is a calming crystal, so these are good choices for grounding yourself, particularly if your altar is in your bedroom, as many are! Add to the altar fresh flowers, incense you simply love to smell, and any objects that have special meaning to you. Some folks place lovely shells or feathers they have found in their paths or on the beach, and others use imagery that is special, like a goddess statue or a star shape. The most important point is that your altar be pleasing to your eye and your sensibilities. You should feel that it represents the deepest aspects of you as a person.

Ideally, you will bless your altar on a new moon. Light the candles and incense, and say aloud:

    Here burns happiness about me,

    Peace and harmony are in abundance,

    Here my happiness abounds.

    Gems and jewels—these bones of the earth

    Bring love, prosperity, health and mirth.

    Be it ever thus that joy is the light

    That here burns bright.

    Blessed be!

You have now consecrated your altar. It will be here to ease your spirit anytime and will become your power source. Your altar connects you to the earth of which you and all gems and crystals are a part. Your altar will connect you to the crystal magic that has now entered your life. Whenever you want to add a dash of magic or a supernatural sparkle to a stone or piece of jewelry, you can place it on your altar for seven days. On the seventh day, wear the jewelry and bewitch everyone you encounter! Remember that your level of clarity and concentration will be reflected in the jewel’s power.

Now, enjoy your sacred stones.

Creating Your Crystal Conjuring Shrine

Put your shrine together on a low table covered with a white scarf. Set rainbow candles in an arc and then add black and white candles. Prepare a heatproof bowl containing amber incense (good for creativity and healing), and place it in the center of the rainbow, surrounded by quartz. 

Prosperity stones should be placed to the far left on the altar, in the money corner. Romance crystals should sit to the far right on the altar. 

The rest of your altar should consist of personally meaningful symbols. They should reflect your spiritual aspirations. I keep fresh wildflowers in a vase, a statue of a goddess, abalone shells, a magnetite obelisk, and a rock-quartz crystal ball on my altar. You can use just about anything—photos of loved ones, religious images, and so forth. An obelisk or pyramid on your altar can be used for writing out desires and wishes. 

With your altar, you can create a bridge between your outer and inner worlds. It can even be a place where you commune with the deepest and most hidden parts of yourself. An altar is where you can honor the rhythms of the season and the rhythms of your own life. An altar is a touchstone, a place to see the sacred and incorporate it into your life each and every day. It can be your special corner of the world where you can rest and connect with your spiritual center. Creating and augmenting your altar every day is one of the most soul-nourishing acts you can do.

Crystal Cleansing

Over time, you will doubtless adorn your sacred altar space with many beautiful crystals. Whenever you acquire a new crystal, you need to cleanse it. A new or waning moon is the optimal time to perform this cleansing. Gather these elemental energies:

• A candle for fire
• A cup of water
• Incense for air
• A bowl of salt

Pass your crystal through the scented smoke of the incense and say:

    Inspired with the breath of air

Pass the crystal swiftly through the flame of the candle and say:

    Burnished by fire

Sprinkle the crystal with water and say:

    Purified by water

Dip the crystal into the bowl of salt and say:

    Empowered by the earth

Hold the crystal before you with both hands and imagine an enveloping, warm white light purifying the tool. Now say:

    Steeped in spirit and bright with light

Place the cleansed crystal upon your altar and say:

    By craft made and by craft charged and changed,

    This crystal I will use for the purpose of good in this world.

    In the realm of the gods and goddesses,

    I hereby consecrate this crystal.

    Blessings to all, blessed be.

Crystal Shrines: Altar Crystals

The following is a comprehensive overview of different crystals and what their presence on your altar will mean.

CREATIVITY

Amazonite, aventurine, carnelian, chrysolite, chrysoprase, citrine, green tourmaline, malachite, yellow fluorite

INTUITION

Amethyst, azurite, celestite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, selenite, smoky quartz, sodalite, star sapphire, yellow calcite

LOVE

Amethyst, magnetite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, twinned rock crystals

PROSPERITY

Bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tiger’s-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire

PROTECTION

Amber, Apache tear, chalcedony, citrine, green calcite, hematite, jade, jet, smoky quartz

SELF-ASSURANCE

Azurite, chalcedony, chrysocolla, green tourmaline, hematite, rutilated quartz, tiger’s-eye

SERENITY

Amber, aventurine, blue jade, dioptase, Herkimer diamond, jasper, kunzite, moonstone, onyx, peridot, quartz, rhodonite

SUCCESS

Carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz

VIGOR

Agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz

WISDOM

Emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite

Altar Herbs

Refer to this list whenever you are setting up your altar and setting your intention for ritual work. It is a concise guide to the enchanted realm of herbs, essences, plants, and plant properties.

Benzoin can be used for purification, prosperity, work success, mental acuity, and memory.

Camphor can be used for healing, divining the future, and curbing excess, especially romantic obsessions and a surfeit of sexuality.

Cinnamon refreshes and directs spirituality. It is also a protection herb and handy for healing, money, love, lust, personal power, and success with work and creative projects.

Clove is good for bringing money to you, for protection, for your love life, and for helping evade and deter negative energies.

Copal should be used for love and purification.

Frankincense is another spiritual essence that purifies and protects.

Lavender is a plant for happiness, peace, true love, long life, and chastity, and is an excellent purifier that aids with sleep.

Myrrh has been considered since ancient times to be deeply sacred. It aids personal spirituality, heals and protects, and can help ward off negative spirits and energies.

Nutmeg is a lucky herb that promotes good health and prosperity and encourages fidelity.

Patchouli stimulates and grounds while engendering both sensuality and fertility. It also supports personal wealth and security.

Peppermint is an herb of purification, healing, and love. It supports relaxation and sleep as it helps to increase psychic powers.

Rosemary is good for purification, protection, healing, relaxation, and intelligence. It attracts love and sensuality, helps with memory, and can keep you youthful.

Sage brings wisdom, purification, protection, health, and a long life. It can help make your wishes come true.

Sandalwood is a mystical, healing, protective essence that helps attract the objects of your hopes and desires and disperses negative energies and spirits.

Star Anise is a lucky herb that aids divination and psychism.

Tonka Bean brings courage and draws love and money.

Vanilla brings love and enriches your mental capacity.

Wood Aloe is good for dressing or anointing talismans and amulets you want to use for protection.

Altar Blessing for Plenty

Sit in a comfortable position in front of your altar and meditate. For this meditation, you should have an altar prepared that fills you with serenity. Light a green candle for prosperity, and reflect on the blessings

you already have. What are you grateful for at this moment? There is 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.

Blessing upon me. Blessing upon thee,

Mother Earth and Sister Sky.

So mote it be.