Rejuvenate Your Spirit: A Garden Witch's Spell

I advise any witchy gardener to have a rain barrel to make the most of stormy weather; you can use it to water your pots of herbs and your garden during sunnier days and dry spells. On the first day of seasonal rainfall, place a blue glass bowl outside as a water-catcher. Once it has filled with water, bring it inside and place on your altar beside a lit candle. Speak:

    Water of life, gift from the sky,

    we bathe in newfound energy, making spirits fly!

Dip your fingers in the water and touch your forehead. Meditate upon the healing work you and your garden can do, thanks to the nurturing rainfall. Pour the water into the ground of your garden, speaking the spell one last time.

How the Four Directions Relate to the Four Elements

The four directions we invoke in modern magical circles and ceremonies correspond to the four elements. Calling out to the four directions creates the sacred space of the circle, the center of ritual work. In doing this, you are also calling forth elemental entities and energies. Here are some general modern associations for the directions. Be aware that these associations are not universal. They can vary from culture to culture, as well as among traditions and from practitioner to practitioner within a spiritual path.

North

The north corresponds to earth and wintertime. Brown and green are the traditional colors and the totem animals are elk, wolf, and the mighty bear. The tarot suit of pentacles is associated with both earth and the north.

South

The south corresponds to fire and summertime. Gold and red are the traditional colors and the totem animals are lizard, snake, and the lion. The tarot suit of wands is associated with both fire and south.

East

The east corresponds to air and springtime. Yellow and pink are the traditional colors and the totem animals are all birds, including eagle, hawk, and raven. The tarot suit of swords is associated with both air and east.

West

The west corresponds to water and autumn. Purple and blue are the traditional colors and the totem animals are water beasts, including swans, whales, and dolphins. The tarot suit of cups is associated with both water and west. 

A Coven of One: Rituals for the Solitary Practitioner

 

Ritual can take many forms, from a huge number of people participating in a community celebration to one person seeking deeper understanding of himself or herself. Our lives are basically a search for meaning. When you hold a memory dear, it is because the original event meant something to you. It was relevant, shedding light upon your soul and touching your heart in a special way. Creating and performing rituals on your own will help you define and strengthen your own identity and customize your desired outcome according to your individual will and intention. Performing rituals by yourself means you are your own priest or priestess, a solo seeker progressing along the spiritual path at your own pace. Ideally, you will also participate in rites involving groups of people. In this way, you can get all the benefits of staying in touch with your community by continuing to learn from others and receive the stimulation of being with like-minded people. If you are a loner, it is even more important for you to stay tied to a special community.

However, for many folks, doing ritual alone is incredibly powerful and enhances their personal evolution. While group ritual is about service, connection, and change, individual rites are powerful inner workings that kindle soul development and spiritual expansion. Group rituals are frequently tied to events, such as holidays, or a community crisis, such as an illness. Solitary ritual comes from your deepest inner rhythms. It comes from your own needs, your own questing, and your own psyche. With solitary rituals, you can also addresses more private matters that you would rather not share with others or broadcast to the community.

Personal rituals can be a major force in your personal development. I have known many people who are going through a rough time for whom ritual was a touchstone and an aid. Ritual will help you not just get through something but also learn from it and come out the other side transformed. As the author of Women’s Rituals, Barbara Walker, says, “Meaning develops out of doing."

The human spirit loves ritual and needs it. Observe your own children or those of your neighborhood and notice how they create their own spontaneous rituals. Ritual seems to be an important part of human development. The inclusion of ritual and celebration in our lives not only enriches us, but can also make us healthier and happier people.

Here is your opportunity to explore yourself through ritual. Ultimately, there will come a time when you need to design your own ritual as it springs up from the depths of your soul. Use the tools described for rituals of examination of your deepest inner self. 

Seasonal Altars

There are many reasons to create personal altars, and four of those reasons are the seasons of the year. You altar helps you to maintain balance in your life and deepens your spiritual connection to the world around you. A seasonal altar is your tool for ceremonies to honor Mother Nature and connect with the deeper wisdom of the earth. A seasonal altar enshrines the natural world and blends the energies of flowers, stones, shells, leaves, and any and all gifts of the season. I think of my seasonal altar as the middle ground between earth and sky, the meeting point of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Creating a seasonal altar is a life-affirming act. It is my way of honoring our ecology and our planet.

Spring

You can create a wonderful outdoor altar for spring by planning two seasons ahead and planting tulip or hyacinth bulbs in a circle. When the flowers begin to bud, place an image or statue in the center. It could be a bust of the Greek youth, Hyacinth, immortalized in myth and in the gorgeous flower itself. Throughout the spring, you can stand inside your circle and pray or chant for the rebirth of the world all around you.

Summer

During this season of sun and heat, th fullness of life and growth can be celebrated with colors of yellow, green, and red. As you travel on vacation, bring back shells and stones and create an altar devoted to this season of joy.

Fall

The leaves are now falling and the harvest is here, calling for a gratitude altar that reflects the bounty and continuance of live. An arrangement of pumpkins, acorns, multicolored branches, and a handsome bouquet of leaves will honor the natural changes that characterize autumn.

Winter

White and blue represent snow and sky. Star-shaped candles and a bare branch on your altar symbolize this time to go within, explore the inner reaches of self, and draw forth the deepest wisdom for the coming spring. In The Blessed Bee, a Pagan family magazine, Selene Silverwind writes on the subject of setting up a candle-free children’s altar. She emphasizes the importance of changing the altar for every season and holy day, specifically for Samhain, our modern- day Halloween, and Yule, the precursor to our Christmas. In so doing, Silverwind points out that you are “teaching children to connect with faith at a deep level,” helping them participate in their religion in a physical way instead of trying to stand quietly at a ritual. You are also teaching them the meaning of the seasons and how they affect us.

Opal

This gem can light the inner fire of your spirituality. One of the seven sacred stones of the Cherokee people, opal is a favorite of many for its fiery and glinting opacity. The milky white stone seems to have an ever changing rainbow of colors inside; this is due to a high percentage of water in its makeup. This gem has one of the best spectral displays of any stone, and the opalescence is the result of many layers of precipitated silica balls in a jelly-like watery mass.

There are three different kinds of opals: precious opal, with the telltale flashes of fire; fire opal, in the reddish yellow color; and common opal, with the rather unfortunate-sounding name of potch. Black opal is the rarest and most desirable of the precious opals, and the highest grade comes from one place in Australia, Lightening Ridge.

Although opals are semiprecious gems, their name comes from the Latin word opalus, meaning “precious stone.” They are among the more sensitive gemstones. They need TLC and can be irrevocably damaged by exposure to heat and chemicals. In addition, they can lose their large water content if they are cracked or damaged. Opals need to be approached with very nearly the same level of caution in terms of using them for energy and healing work, as the can easily diffuse personal energies.

Opals can help if you want to get the special attention of a certain someone or if you have to give a speech or presentation. Opal is one of the rare stones that has both male and female energies within; it contains the energy of the sun and the moon. The fiery flashes generate flashes of intuition and of inspiration. Opals can facilitate wonderful dreams and positive change. They can bring submerged feelings and trapped emotions to the surface and can help uptight individuals get in touch with their emotions and loosen up.

Full-Moon Stone Invocation

The full moon is the most powerful time of the month and the perfect time to celebrate with special people in your life. The ritual will heighten your spirituality, your friendships, and your connection to the powers of the universe. As I write this, it is a full moon in Libra, and I look forward to getting together with some of the sisterhood, some fellow Wicca chicks, and kicking up our heels in celebration of life and asking for what we need from the universe. We will wait until midnight, the traditional witching hour. We will gather in one of our favorite spots near water under the spring moonlight.

Here is our recipe for ritual: We place a large crystal—usually a geode, an amethyst chunk, or a big quartz or rock crystal—in the middle of the altar. We place a goblet of wine before an image of the Goddess. We all bring candles in sturdy, tempered-glass votives to light out way, and we perform a rite we learned from our elders. Each of us holds a crystal that is our touchstone.

You can perform this ritual in your home or garden or a sacred place of your choosing. Designate a leader who will perform all the incantations as the group forms a circle. Begin with the appropriate chanting:

“Oh, lady of silver magic, we honor you here,
In this place, sacred and safe.
This circle is in your honor.”

The person in the northern point of the circle places her candle and her crystal on the ground as the leader chants:

“Blessed one, all earth is yours.
May we all heal,
May we all draw strength,
May we grow.”

The person in the eastern point places her candle and her crystal on the ground while the leader chants:

“Oh, lady of laughter and joy, so is the sky yours, too.
May the air be clear and pure,
And the clouds sweet with wind and rain.”

The person at the southern point lays down her crystal and candle while the chanter speaks:

“Oh, lady of summer, each season is yours.
May each spring bring flowers and crops for all.”

The person at the western point lays down her candle and crystal while the chanter speaks:

“Goddess of the waters,
The rivers and the ocean are yours.
May they once more flow crystal clear.
Lady, we have built this circle in your honor.
Be with us here now.”

Now each member of the circle goes to the altar and kneels, placing her candle and crystal on the altar. Each takes a sip from the goblet of wine and says:

“I toast thee, bright lady,
In your honor. Blessed be.”

Then, they all pick up rattles and drums and sing and dance under the sparkling crystals in the sky.

Talismans

A talisman is decorative object, or objet, that also provides protection and has magical properties. A talisman can be any article or symbol that you believe has mystical qualities. As we know, many gems and crystals have special innate powers. With a talisman, the special powers can be naturally present or instilled during a ritual. People often confuse amulets with talismans, but they differ in this significant way: Amulets positively protect the wearer from harm, evil, and negativity. Talismans actively transform the wearer to have certain powers. For example, the supernatural sword Excalibur, imbued with supremacy by the Lady of the Lake, gave King Arthur magical powers.

Grimoires (spell books) offer instruction on making talismans. The reasons for using talismans are many—for love, for wealth, for luck with gambling, for the gift of a silver tongue, for a good memory, for the prevention of death. Whatever you can think of, there is probably a talisman for that exact purpose!

Living the Magic

Now you have been initiated into the art of crystal and magic. You can make yourself a true-love tiara, a seductive toe ring, or a bewitching bracelet, to name but a few of the crystalline projects you have in your new bag of tricks. Gem magic is a merry way to make magic, but it is, in essence, all about improving the quality of your life. These gorgeous gems and sacred stones are all around us, with enhancing energies that you can apply consciously to bring a sense of well-being to your job, your family, your friends, your love life, and your deepest spirit and psyche. Use this special kind of magic to create wonder, fun, fantasy, and fulfillment in all areas of your life.

Wear This at Work

 Geode jewelry can bring you success at work. At my favorite metaphysical five- and-dimes, I have been seeing baby geodes that can easily be glued to a fabric choker band or are already in pre-made pendants. If you are feeling like you are in a slump at work or want to impress the boss, begin wearing a pretty and professional geode necklace and things will be looking up soon! If this style is not for you, just buy a geode, set it on your desk, and look at it while picturing yourself climbing the ladder of success.

Headdresses

It is no accident that kings, queens, and emperors wear crowns. The ancients wanted their leaders to be wise, and bejeweled crowns brought the energy of gems to bear on their brows. While you might not want to wear a tiara to the office, you can wear hair clips and barrettes with crystals and stones attached for some of the same reasons. Why not be smarter and smartly accessorized? I love it when bindis (the “dots” traditionally worn by Indian women on their foreheads) came back into vogue, because jewels on the third eye (an invisible organ of spiritual perception) stimulate intuition and compassion. Wear bindis in moderation, however, to avoid exhausting your center of intuition.

Chains Enchantment

Chains represent links between people, the ties that bind you to another. Other mystical associations for chains are happiness and justice; prayer; reason and the soul; communication and command. Plato referred to a chain of being, a golden chain linking the earth to the heavens above, a bond between humans and immortals. Socrates tied our human happiness to the concept of justice with a chain of steel and diamonds. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite compared the practice of prayer to an infinitely luminous chain going from Earth to heaven. An astral cord, akin to a golden chain, binds the spirit to the psyche and binds reason to the soul.

Charging Your Jewelry with Magic

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 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 and altar for this express purpose. You can prepare the way for letting crystal and gem magic into your life, and focusing your desires and dreams, with a gem-magic altar. 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 the smoke of a sage bundle. This is called smudging and is essential in clearing energy to make way for magic. You can use wild sage or purchase it at any herb store or metaphysical five-and-dime.

Once you have smudged 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, an 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—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 ease your spirit anytime and 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.

Sacred Stone Shapes

Ankh-shaped stones represent the key to life. Use this ancient Egyptian symbol to develop creativity, wisdom, and fertility.

Clusters are among the most common natural crystal forms and bring balance and harmony into your life.

Diamond-shaped stones bring the energy of wealth and abundance and are said to attract riches.

Egg-shaped stones denote creativity and give new ideas to anyone wearing them

Heart-shaped stones bring love energy. They promote self-love and romance.

Holes that form naturally in stones are very auspicious and magical. If you look through the holes by the light of the moon, you should see visions and spirits.

Human body-shaped stones bring good energy to the body parts being depicted and strengthen those areas.

Obelisks are four-sided, pyramid-topped shapes and are wonderful energy activators, or manifestors. Write your wish down on paper and place it beneath an obelisk to bring that hope into reality.

Octahedrons, eight-sided stones, bring order to chaos and are great for analysis and organization. They are also terrific for healing. Carry an octahedron crystal in your pocket if you are unwell, so you can feel better soon.

Pyramid-shaped stones carry energy upward, toward their pointed tips. I have a beautiful little malachite pyramid that I keep on my computer simply because I love to look at it. When the need arises, however, I can place a dollar bill underneath it and visualize positive money energy flowing up out of the stone.

Rectangular rocks and crystals represent the energy of God. In addition to symbolizing male energy and the phallus, this shape is symbolic of energy itself and electrical current. It also denotes protection. Rectangular stones are great for love and sex spells.

Round stones represent the universe and the Goddess. They are symbols of spirituality, connection to the universe, femininity, and, of course, pregnancy. Round crystals can be used in all love spells to cause attraction.

Square stones represent the earth and are harbingers of plenty and prosperity.

Triangular stones are guardian stones and protect the wearers.

Crystal Feng Shui for Love and Happiness

Place these objects in your home to attract loving energy— new friends and relationships:

• Two crystals of rose quartz of equivalent size

• Pink, orange, or red fabric

• Two red candles

• Images of two butterflies

Tranquility Touchstones: Crystal Cairns

I am sure you will come to find this to be true: certain crystals can be true touchstones in your life and bring multitudinous benefits, both emotional and spiritual. Find spots in your home or office where you can incorporate them each and every day. Whether it is a shrine, your nightstand, or stacked in a corner on your desk, a sort of crystal cairn. This can be your special corner of the world where you renew and connect with your spiritual center.

Picking up and holding your touchstones can be one of the most soul-nourishing small acts of self-care you can do.

The following is a table of different crystals and what their presence will bring you:

• Inspiration: 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

• Abundance: bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tigers-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire

• Protection: amber, apache tear, chalcedony, citrine, green calcite, jade, jet, smoky quartz

• Self-belief: 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

• Confidence: carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz

• Positive Energy: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz

• Deep wisdom: emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite

Crystalline Calm For Your Happy Home

To begin enjoying the powers of crystals in your home, you must first set the stage: the perfect environment where you experience comfort and joy. You’ll do this by building a stone shrine, which will become your touchstone for daily conjuring and contemplation. By preparing your home and sparking your inner flame, you can clear away anything blocking positive energy. 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 can ponder both their power and their beauty. This is your energy source where you can renew yourself and your spirits every day.

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 your favorite incense and place it in a quartz crystal bowl at the center of the rainbow. Amber is good for creativity and healing and 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 your shrine space that reflect your personal power and spiritual aspirations. I was born on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces, so I keep fresh wildflowers in a vase beside a statue of a young goddess pouring the 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 you’re 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 calcite

• 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

Creating Your Stone Shrine

To begin using your magical powers, you must first set the stage, the perfect environment 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 you 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.

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Self-Esteem Stones: Raise Your Spirits with Rose

If you want to jump-start your life and bring about positive change, tap into the power of rose and red stones. Stones of this side of the color spectrum contain life’s energy and can help you become more motivated, energetic, and vibrant, as well as give you an appealing aura. 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.

Soul Stones: Aquarius

First Half: January 20–February 3

Olivine is the soul gem of choice for first half Aquarians, and it is a stone with a royal heritage. The Egyptians believed this peridot to be the stone of the gods. The long, convoluted, and quite bizarre history of this stone entirely suits Aquarians, who are ruled by Uranus, the planet of chaos and unexpected change. Wear a dark-green olivine on momentous occasions to mark them as special in

your life.

The heart stone for this group is moldavite. With its otherworldly meteorite origin, it is perfect for the Uranian bolt-from-the-blue these scientist-philosophers represent. Moldavite is a mysterious and powerful crystal with many mist-shrouded legends and theories. No doubt, an Aquarius will get to the bottom of them all, one day. Moldavite will add to your Aquarian brilliance and boost your personal creativity to new heights.

Second Half: February 4–February 18

Diopside is the beautiful blue soul stone for later-born Aquarians. This stone has ties to both Uranus, the official ruling planet of Aquarius, and Saturn, the sign’s ruler before Uranus was discovered. In 1964, star diopside, an included type, was found; it is a magical and stunningly gorgeous stone that has a quality of electric enlightenment, just like these February-born inventors, artists, and visionary businesspeople.

The heart stone for second-half Aquarians is charoite, a purple mineral that corresponds with Venus, Saturn, and Uranus. This is a fairly recent rock, perfect for the modern- minded February-born, who are generally fifty years ahead of everyone else. Chaorite was discovered circa 1947 near the Chara River in Russia and was immediately greeted as a very special stone for modern history.

Soul Stones: Capricorn

First Half: December 21–January 6

For power stones, first-half Goats have both lazulite and jet, gems that have a dark and shadowy appearance representative of Saturn, Capricorn’s ruling planet. Jet is one of the oldest stones known to man, fitting with the longevity of the slow and steady Capricorns, who are reputed to grow more youthful as they get older. Wear jet to live long and prosper!

Citrine and smoky quartz are the heart stones for this sector of the zodiac and will ground this hardworking earth sign. Keep citrine at your place of work and wear citrine rings and necklaces frequently to remain in touch with your feelings.

Second Half: January 7–January 19

Tanzanite is the sacred soul stone for these Capricorns. A gorgeous purple stone found in 1967 Tanzania, it corresponds to the ruling planet of Saturn. Appropriately regal and rare, it is as serious as the sign it signifies. For important meetings and moments in your life, a tanzanite jewel will make you a shining star!

Lucky Goats in the latter half of Capricorn get to have lapis lazuli as their talismanic power crystal. This crystal was absolutely revered by the Egyptians and other Mesopotamian cultures. A bright blue, this stone connotes wisdom, accomplishment, and value. I highly suggest lots of lapis boxes, jewelry, and figurines.