Our love-able goats are unbelievably strong, but that can lead to never stopping (even when rest is really needed) and burnout. Capricorns also try to do everything on their own, drawing too much on their own can-do spirit, yet this can be a grueling path to getting to your goals and achievements. Oak is a marvelous flower essence helps with boundaries, energy preservation, and maintaining and not draining yourself while you get to the top of that mountain.
You could say that thyme is a classic herb, so much so that the venerables, Virgil and Pliny, sang the praises of this medicinal mint relative over two thousand years ago. While thyme loves Mediterranean weather, it can grow elsewhere from seeds and cuttings. Good for the stomach and especially effective as respiratory relief, thyme induces sweats to remove toxins and reduce fever. Thyme honey tea is truly a sweet way to make the medicine go down, so much so you will find you drink it even when hale and hearty. Thyme is also a culinary plant, making it a delightful additive to savory dishes. When I lived in a warmer clime about ten years ago, I planted wooly thyme in among the flagstones of my front yard and let it spread as much as possible. By the hour when I came home from work, the sunny eighty-plus degree sunny weather had warmed the thyme, creating a perfumed walkway; coming home was a heavenly experience.
It has been believed for centuries that thyme brings courage and both inner and physical strength. Even when you are facing seemingly insurmountable odds, spells and smudging featuring thyme can get you on track and bring you to your goal. I think the greatest of all aspects of thyme is to rid your home and family of melancholy and overcome despair after extreme difficulty and loss. If your loved ones have experienced a catastrophe, try thyme for rituals of magic and restitution. I have no doubt that practitioners of green witchery will be singing the praises of thyme for at least two thousand more years.
Sleepy Thyme
This herb improves your quality of sleep; gather and dry thyme it to use in sachets so the divine fragrance freshens linens and laundry. A little bag of this dried “thyme tucked in your pillowcase makes for sweeter sleep. As if all that is not enough, the plant itself also repels bugs and pests but attracts honeybees! As we all know, deep sleep is a great healer.
Flint is probably not thought of as a crystal, let alone as a healing crystal, but it is a variety of quartz whose crystal structure is not visible to the eye. Flint most commonly occurs in the form of rounded nodules in a grayish black color. If it is found near chalk, it will have a white coating. Flint can also be red or brown in color, and it is found all over the world.
Early humans in the Stone Age cultures of the Pleistocene era appreciated the hardness of this practical crystal, and they used it to make crude tools and spearheads. More-modern men used flint to set off the gunpowder in flintlock guns. It is unfortunate that flint came to be so relied upon for weapons, as its energy can actually be very beneficial to the tissue of the human body. Flint gives an allover sense of well-being, not just in the body but also in the mind. The special gift flint gives is a renewed sense of strength and gentle healing power to those suffering from degenerative diseases. Flint in your home will ground you and create a sense of safety and comfort.
When the economy starts to slide, secure your job with petrified wood. This security stone will be your bulwark when the marketplace sands begin to shift. As an added bonus, it can make you physically stronger. Keep it on your desk and touch it when you feel worries and you will immediately feel calmer and more grounded.
Beryl, a blue, green, white, red, or yellow prismatic stone, comes from India, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Norway, France, Russia, and North America. The aforementioned aquamarine is a beryl, as is the precious emerald. These two members of the beryl family are much better known than beryl itself, but it is one of the most important gem minerals. Beryl is colorless in its pure form, called goshenite, but gains the lovely colorations through impurities. So, when one is talking about emerald, it is simply green beryl; aquamarine is blue beryl. Pink beryl is morganite, and yellow-green beryl is heliodor. To confuse the issue (or perhaps not), red beryl is referred to as red beryl, and golden beryl is called exactly that.
Beryl has a most unusual and important healing asset—it prevents people from doing the unnecessary. Further, it helps the wearers focus and remove distractions, and therefore become calmer and more positive. Beryl also strengthens the liver, kidneys, and intestines, as well as the pulmonary and circulatory systems. It is especially effective for the throat, and pulverized beryl can be mixed into an elixir specifically for this reason. Some crystal healers use beryl along with lapis lazuli as a sedative for nervous conditions. If you get overwhelmed at work or have a huge task ahead of you, efficiency-enhancing beryl will get you through it.
Bronze is also an alloy of zinc and copper and has the same healing power as brass but with one exception—bronze is said to give greater strength of character. My favorite aspect of bronze is that it helps folks conceive of and achieve their goals.
This “floating” crystal choker seems magical because the gems appear to hover around your lovely neck all by themselves. And maybe sometimes they do! The secret, aside from the magical gems, is the invisible thread, easily obtained at any craft store. The purpose of the Choker of Charm is to make you simply irresistible to whomever you wish to attract. Wake your boyfriend up with this enchanted choker, or hit the town with your friend and notice how a crowd develops around YOU!
You’ll need these ingredients: twenty-one crystal beads, 22 inches of invisible thread, a lobster-claw clasp, and glue.
First, tie one end of the invisible thread to the loop in the lobster-claw clasp, also readily available at any craft store and most jewelry stores. Knot the thread twice, add a drop of glue, and allow the thread to dry. Clip off the extra thread after the glue has dried. Then, string three beads onto the thread about three- quarters of an inch from the clasp and tie a knot in the thread beside the beads.
Repeat until you have used all the beads. There will be seven groups of three, and each group of crystals should be evenly separated. At the last bead, tie the end of the thread to the clasp ring.
Here are a few irresistible crystals to consider using in your Choker of Charm:
Amazonite makes you hopeful
Amber boosts your spirits—you will feel good!
Aventurine creates good opportunities
Banded agate attracts a lover of strength and courage
Brown jasper makes you confident and emotionally secure
Opal enhances beauty and makes you more psychic
Pearl augments femininity
Beryl has a most unusual and important healing asset—it prevents people from doing the unnecessary. Further, it helps wearers focus, remove distractions, and therefore become calmer and more positive. Beryl also strengthens the liver, kidneys, and intestines, as well as the pulmonary and circulatory systems. It is especially effective for the throat, and pulverized beryl can be mixed into an elixir specifically for this reason. Some crystal healers use beryl along with lapis lazuli as a sedative for nervous conditions. If you get overwhelmed at work or have a huge task ahead of you, efficiency-enhancing beryl will get you through it.
• Citrine for stronger communication skills
• Lace agate for happiness with your job
• Lapis lazuli for mental brilliance
• Moonstone for self-love and self-expression
• Red coral for good health and physical strength
• Rose quartz or opal to make you appealing to others
• Turquoise for calmness and protection from the earth
To clear and purify your space and infuse it with as much of your personal energy as possible, perform a ritual sweeping with a favorite broom. I use a sweet-smelling cinnamon broom. These are actually made of pine straw coated with divine-smelling cinnamon oil and set aside to dry for three weeks. Many a grocery store sells them in the fall and holiday seasons. My favorites are the tiny Trader Joe’s whisk-brooms, which are adorable. These make lovely gifts and altar adornments. I ornament mine with cleansing crystals by taking a colored silk cord and stringing quartz beads on them or gluing them to the base of the handle. These gems and crystals are superb for space-clearing and purification:
• Amber for positivity and happiness
• Blue lace agate for serenity and a peaceful home
• Coral for well-being and good cheer
• Jet absorbs bad energy from your environment
• Onyx is a guardian stone and protector
• Petrified wood for tranquility and a sense of security
• Clear quartz is wonderful for peace of mind and space-clearing
• Tiger’s-eye protects from “psychic vampires,” energy- draining situations or people
• Turquoise creates calm and relaxation
