When you or a friend move into a new home, place a wreath or bundle of dried hops and eucalyptus on the front door. Walk through the door, light your favorite incense and a brown candle, and lie down in the center of the front room. Whisper:
House of my body, I accept your shelter.
House of my spirit, I receive your blessings.
Home to my heart, I am open to joy.
And so it is. And so it shall be.
Having an attitude of gratitude lends a sense of satisfaction and generosity of spirit that will ease your way through the world. Here’s a supremely easy way to give and receive by acknowledging what you already have.
Take the prettiest and biggest glass bowl, vase, or jar you can find, and place it on a hallway table or somewhere you pass every time you enter your house. Light a green candle beside it and chant to charge the candle with your intention:
Pot of gold, full of grace,
bring good will and gifts to this place.
So mote it be.
Each time you come home, empty your pockets and purse of change. You will be amazed at how quickly the coins multiply. Whenever the vessel fills, take it to the bank and get the coins rolled. Take half and treat yourself to a spirit-raising indulgence, and then take the other half and give it to your favorite charity, perhaps a homeless shelter or a sanctuary for survivors of domestic violence. Just like power, generosity of spirit grows and returns to you tenfold. Be prepared for all forms of wealth to come your way.
Your altar is the heart center of your home, holding the energy of your sanctuary. Yet the world is constantly coming in and bringing harmful energy over your threshold—problems at the workplace, financial woes, or bad news about new virus mutations or the climate crisis. All this negativity wants to get in the way and stay. While you can’t do anything about stock market crashes, the rate of inflation, or a coworker’s divorce, do not allow this bad energy to cling to you. Instead, you can do something about it with a home-keeping spell. The best time to release any and all bad luck is on a Friday the 13th or during any waxing moon. As you know, Friday the 13th is considered a lucky day on the witch’s calendar.
Get a big black candle and a black crystal, a piece of white paper, a black pen with black ink, and a cancellation stamp, readily available at any stationery store. Go into your backyard or a nearby park or woodland and find a flat rock that has a slightly concave surface.
Using the pen, write down on the white paper that which you want to rid yourself and your home of. This is your release request. Place the candle and the black crystal on the rock, and light the candle near an open window. As the negativity is released outside 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.
Go outside and place the rock altar on the ground and visualize a clear and peaceful home filled with only positivity as the candle burns for thirteen minutes. Stamp the paper with the cancel stamp. Snuff the candle, fold the paper away from your body, and place it under the rock. Speak your thanks to the moon for assisting you. If you have a truly serious issue at hand, repeat the process for thirteen nights and all will be vanquished.
If you have any doubts about a friend’s intentions or actions, try using a pendulum to help you determine the truth. I take my pendulum, a lovely striated quartz, everywhere I go to answer those tough yes-no questions that crop up daily. Pendulums are available with many different stones and crystals, but you can make one from any number of herbs, as well.
Take a twelve-inch length of string and choose one of the following herbs. Experiment to see which one works best for you:
Your best bet would be a string of natural fiber. If you can, take a needle and poke a hole through your root, bark, or seed to ensure that your pendulum is secure. Start out by asking, “Show me yes,” and “show me no.” Then, ask a question for which you know the answer. Don’t be surprised if the pendulum appears to have a mind of its own. Now you are ready to use this divination tool in all interpersonal matters where questions arise.
At the next full moon, make a vow, alone or with your partner, to bring forth all your inner erotic powers. Begin with a blissful bath in oil-scented water; this essential oil must be the one that makes you feel sexiest. For me, it is an equal mix of vanilla and amber; my vamber has never failed me. When I wear this unguent, I feel as if a cloud of sensuality surrounds me.
Sit in a darkened room, encircled by flickering jasmine, musk, or “vamber” candles. Raise a cup of jasmine tea or a glass of wine from a vintage that represents a lucky year for you, and speak this spell aloud:
Now I awaken the goddess in me.
I surrender to love’s power.
Tonight, I will heat the night with my fire.
As I drink this cup, my juices flower.
I am alive! I am love! And so it is.
You will radiate passion and be intensely drawn to your lover.
In olden times, it was believed that wearing a moonstone during the waning moon would offer prophetic abilities. The people of India have held moonstone as holy for thousands of years, but they had a superstition against displaying the sacred stone except on a cloth of yellow, the most spiritual color in their culture. The Indians also believed moonstone was very potent in the bedroom and not only aroused enormous passion but also gave lovers the ability to read their future together. The only problem was that they had to hold the moonstone in their mouths during the full moon to enjoy these magical properties.
Instead of discarding lemon halves after you’ve used their juice for cooking or lemonade, save them to use as scrubbers for cleaning wood cutting boards without damaging them. You can also use fresh lemon juice mixed with baking soda to brighten white tiles, sinks, or tubs, or make natural wood polish for floors by mixing a little fresh lemon juice with olive oil. This citrus fruit is a natural lightening agent that you can use in place of bleach, which should be used sparingly, if at all. Throw discolored white socks, towels, or shirts in a stockpot with water and a few used lemons; simmer for a little while to lighten. If you hang them outside to dry, the combination of sunlight and your low-cost lemon whitener will refresh your laundry until it is practically gleaming!
Make cleaning a cheese grater a snap: Take a lemon cut in half and rub it on all the surfaces of a cheese grater. The lemon’s acid breaks down the fatty cheese residue on the grater. If cheese is really stuck, here’s an extra technique to try: set up a small plate with a layer of table salt on it, then dip the lemon in the salt. Like commercial scrubbing powder (but without all the chemicals), the salt will increase the friction on your grater; together with the lemon, it will effectively remove most stuck-on food.
Takes tarnish off your metal jewelry: Use two tablespoons of lemon juice concentrate to three cups water, then rub jewelry well with a soft cloth. The acidity of the concentrated lemon juice will work to remove tarnish.
Add lemon to food to reduce bacteria: Since bacteria require an alkaline environment to stay alive, add lemon juice or fruit to produce, meat, or even water to slow down microbial growth.
Sanitize your cutting board: Want to deep clean your cutting board without running it through a dishwasher? Putting a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher is just not a good idea, but especially after preparing meat, a natural antibacterial treatment is in order. Rub a cut lemon on your cutting board and let it sit with the lemon juice on it overnight, then rinse it well in the morning. Bacteria will be banished, and your cutting board will have a lemon-fresh aroma.
Restore wooden furniture’s natural shine: Combine equal parts of olive oil and lemon juice with a little mayonnaise and stir well. This mixture will both remove previous polish buildup on wood furniture due to the acidity of the citrus and will also condition the wood.
Keep rice from sticking together: Set up your rice pot; while the water is heating, put a teaspoon of lemon juice into the pot and your cooked rice will come out in nice separate grains. Other types of citrus fruit can also be used depending on what type of dish will be served with your grain. Believe it or not, citrus juice also enhances the whiteness of the rice itself.
Degrease pots & pans and stovetop or grill: Cut a lemon in half and dip it in salt as described above for cleaning a cheese grater. When you scrub a copper-bottomed pot with it, tarnish will be removed so quickly you’ll swear it’s magic. It works wonderfully well to clean the stovetop and barbecue grill, too, as well as stainless steel pots and pans.
Natural weed killer: Don’t give in to the marketing of chemical herbicides; besides exposing you and your family to dangerous toxins, they are bad for the planet as well. Combine one part white vinegar with four parts lemon juice in a spray bottle, then give it a good shake and spray your plantings, whether in indoor pots or your garden.
Some people swear by scouring pots, pans, and cooking surfaces with salt. It absorbs oil and grease, making it great for the stovetop, which can have cooking splatters that can be tough to remove. Sprinkle it on and scrub away with a sponge or enamel-safe scrubber.
Instead of toxic, chemical-laden wipes you get at the store, make your own to have handy for spills as well as for scheduled cleanings. Mix one cup of white vinegar, half a cup of lemon juice, and eight drops of tea tree oil. Soak clean washcloths or paper towels in the mixture and store them in a sealable bag; they can last a month for on-the-go spills.
Want to get away from the chemicals, foaming agents, and synthetic fragrances found in most laundry detergents? Using a box grater to grate a bar of pure natural soap into a powder. Freeze the soap for super-fast grating, and then mix the grated powder with one cup of Borax, one cup of washing soda, and a few drops of lemon juice (optional) for cold and warm water loads. Use one to two tablespoons per load.
Combine the following in a big bowl:
Mix everything together, preferably in a glass bowl, and pour into a clean spray bottle. As always, use caution even with these homely, organic ingredients and avoid getting vinegar, lemon juice, Borax, or any of your eco witchery concoctions in your eyes. Simply aim the spray at your floor and mop with a clean damp mop. Follow by mopping with hot water. Allow the floor to dry a bit and buff with clean dry cloths into which you have sprinkled a few drops of lavender oil. Your floors will look really good and smell even better.
If you spill coffee or red wine on your couch, carpet, or tablecloth, pour plain table salt into the spill and it will soak the staining liquid right up. The salt turning purplish blue as it soaks up red wine is truly spellbinding! Vacuum it up and the stain will be gone.
Stained clothes, linens, and such should be soaked in cold water with either baking soda or white vinegar, and then washed in cold water only to avoid setting the stain.
There is no need to use bleach in your laundry; for white fabric, use a cup of Borax in your load.
The minute you walk into someone’s home, you can almost immediately tell how happy a household it is. Much of that is determined by the smell. A home with the fragrance of sugar cookies or a freshly baked pumpkin pie is one you may well want to visit often. Similarly, a space redolent of the bouquet of lilies or tea roses is one where the residents take care to make their home beautiful to both the eye and the other senses. There are lots of small things we can do in regard to “energy maintenance” for our home. To sweeten any mood, this recipe works wonders on you or anyone in your environment who might need a lift. Combine the following essential oils:
Add the mixture to a quart of distilled or fresh spring water and spray the air for an easy home makeover!
Onyx has a lot of earth energy. This stone can come in many colors—from white to black with every shade in between, including pink, red, yellow, and brown. It is so common that it is often used as building material. I would think it would be interesting to live in a building material. I would think it would be interesting to live in a building made of onyx since this stone holds memories and secrets! Onyx retains the physical record of what happens around it; therefore, it is a story stone. Onyx is super stable and shares this strength with people who need it. It is particularly good for athletes and people who do physical labor. Healers recommend that onyx be worn only on the left side of the body or on a chain so that it hangs at the center of the body in the heart and solar plexus area. Onyx is best at reliving stress and quieting the mind.
This is a generous rock in that it creates goodwill and self-confidence. If you have an occasion that makes you nervous, or a very thorny and difficult task at hand, you should adorn yourself with an onyx ring, bracelet, or pendant, and things will go much better and you will feel more optimistic about them. Onyx is good for issues with the skeleton, the teeth, and the bones. Be careful about wearing onyx as a choke
Named after J.P. Morgan, one of the richest American men of his time, this is really a pink beryl and occurs in Brazil, Russia, and North America. It deserves its own mention since it is a crystal with powerful love energy. Morganite is also wonderfully beneficial to the nerves and is a calming crystal. But the greatest gift this gem can give you is to bring love into your life and keep it there.
This milky, bluish white feldspar gemstone cut from albite is beloved of the world over for its pleasant and somewhat mysterious smooth surface. Moonstone is quite obviously connected to the moon and is as soothing to the psyche as it is pleasing for the eye. The gem is associated with sensitivity, psychic ability, loyalty, sleep and dreams, emotional balance, and femininity. Moonstone is related to all the feminine organs and also the cleansing organs, especially the skin. This stone has a very rare ability to help with eating disorders, particularly overeating. it can calm the stomach and adjust the vibrations so you are directed to eat the proper amount in the future. Moonstone opens the heart chakra and, very importantly, helps overcome any anger or hard emotions toward the self. Pagans have seen this as a Goddess crystal for millennia and see it as a source for nurturing, wisdom, and intuition. A moonstone is a powerfully protective and loving talisman for pregnant women. In India, moonstone is sacred and very lucky, but is even more valued in the subcontinent because it helps make you more spiritual. Moonstone is at its very best on your behalf if worn in a ring with a silver setting.
I received a beautiful malachite heart from my mother and father for Christmas this year—how I treasure it! Malachite has always been a connection to the Divine, especially divine inspiration. Malachite, named for the Greek word mallow (green herb), is formed from copper ore and frequently occurs in conjunction with chrysocolla and azurite. Malachite is a lovely green blue in color and has endless patterned bands. No two pieces of malachite are ever alike. Malachite was associated with royals and high priests and priestesses in ancient times. They loved to adorn their bodies, their homes, and their temples with this special stone. They would have entire tables and chairs and altars. One would certainly feel like a king of queen when dining from a malachite table! Even still, some of the largest sheets found in South Africa, Zamia, Zaire, Russia, and Romania are fashioned into small boxes, bowls, and obelisks.
Malachite can help you connect to your place in the Divine Plan. Malachite draws out old patterns and thoughts. It will aid in clearing away the deadwood from your life and your psyche. It offers psychic protection, too. This green grounding stone will also get you more in touch with the earth and more grounded as a person—more stable. As with most green stones, it has to do with prosperity, abundance, and money. Malachite will awaken your creativity. If you are allowing others to benefit from your creativity, this stone will help stop that draining in its tracks. Malachite requires extra care in its use because it amplifies whatever energies are already there. If anger, suffering, and deceit are present, these qualities could inadvertently be increased by malachite. Basically, malachite is really useful only for people who are typically helpful and happy. It is best for children, really. One theory is that malachite is still evolving and is becoming a master key for the future.
Malachite helps with maintaining boundaries and comes highly recommended for that purpose by many healers. Malachite can help restore anyone who is suffering from burnout. Those who do psychic work and healing are among those who are affected by this most severely, so they need to keep malachite nearby for rejuvenation. Malachite opens the heart and throat chakras and rebalances the solar plexus, enabling realignment of the psychic and etheric bodies. Malachite is best used as a ring on your right hand. Malachite is used to ward off insanity and has been used both as an eye remedy and as a cosmetic by the unstoppable Egyptians. I shudder to think of the Egyptian elixirs involving malachite, many recipes for which they left behind on papyrus; they are likely extremely toxic. Please avoid any malachite elixirs!
This gray or dark brown stone is also known as lodestone, a poetic name I much prefer. It has a major quantity of iron and is, as the name implies, very magnetic. The ancients called it lodestone, although Plato himself wrote that it was the “heraclean stone.” All iron-based crystals are considered to be very helpful to the blood and circulatory system. Magnet therapy has come into vogue in the last twenty years and is becoming pretty commonplace nowadays. Even athletes and physicians are trying magnetic therapy, and any controversy about this onetime New Age healing method is fading thanks to the many positive endorsements.
The power of lapis lazuli distantly reflects the energy of the person who wears it. I suggest keeping a record of what happens in your life when you wear it, a sort of lapis lazuli progress report. It might end up being a series of extraordinary stories!
Keep a magic wishing box on your desk. Every so often, look at it and make a wish for your heart’s desire. It’s easy to make: Take a bowl or small box and fill it halfway with sand. Place these suggested wish stones in any arrangement you find pleasing.
• Agate for a new home
• Amethyst for spirituality
• Carnelian or lapis lazuli for a job
• Coral for wanting children
• Fool’s gold for money
• Rose quartz for love
