Blessing Bag: Herbal Good Luck Charm

Many plants have abundant inherent magic that creates abundance, good fortune, and great good luck. Harvest these herbs and you will hardness the blessings growing in your own back yard.

Gather these supplies:

• Small muslin pouch that ties
• Teaspoon of basil
• Teaspoon of pine needles
• Teaspoon of nutmeg
• Teaspoon of rosemary
• Fennel seed pod
• 1 vanilla bean pod
• 3 cinnamon sticks broken into pieces

Take the pouch and stuff it with the herbs. Add the fennel seed and vanilla bean and, lastly, the cinnamon sticks. Tie up the bag, hold it in both hands, and speak the following spell:

    I hold in my hands these herbs of providence.

    I hold in my heart, these herbs of destiny.

    Blessings to all for the good of all.

    And so it is. So mote it be.

Tie the bag to the back door of your home or wherever is closest to your plantings. Every time the door opens or closes, the little bag will deliver more good luck.

The Good Life Altar

To prepare the way for letting new opportunities enter your life or to focus your attention on existing friendships, set up an altar where you can concentrate your energy and clarify your intentions. If you already have an altar in place, incorporate some if the following elements to enhance your relationships with others as well with yourself. The more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be.

Your altar can be a low table, the top of a shelf, or even the shelf itself. First, purify the space with the smoke of a lit sage bundle. This is called “smudging” and is an essential part of witchcraft. You can use wild sage or purchase it in any herb store. Once you have smudged the space, cover your altar with a pink-colored scarf or cloth, and place pink and white candles in each of the four corners (Pink is the color of affection and White represents purity intention). Place rose quartz and calming fluorite stones around a vase of fresh flowers often with poppies, daisies, whatever connotes fun and friendship to you.

As a centerpiece, place on the altar a photograph of your friends or an image that represents abundance for you in your life.

Light the candles, kneel before your newly created altar, and say:

I light the fire of loyalty

The heat of heart and the flame of friendship.

Brightest blessing, Great Goddess bring,

The spirit of friendship will surely sing.

As the fates do dance, I welcome the chance

To share my love and my life.

So mote it be.

Your Abundance Altar

An important first step to money magic is to make an area in your home that is dedicated to abundance. To create a prosperity altar, cover a low table with green and gold scarves; then select a candle to match. Each day “recharge” the blessings with an altar gift, such as flowers, quartz crystals, gorgeously scented amber resin, or coin-shaped pebbles.

On the new moon, light your candles at midnight and burn frankincense and myrrh incense. Make an offering of tiger eye or citrine crystals, a golden apple or a peach, and anoint your third eye (in the middle of your forehead) with a corresponding essential oil – myrrh or frankincense, apple or peach.

Pray aloud:

    This offering I make as my blessing to all,

    Comfort and earthly gifts upon us shall fall.

    Blessed be.

Let the candles burn all night and dream of everyone you love, including yourself, receiving a harvest of material and spiritual wealth.

Your Personal Pot of Gold

Cauldron magic is less about the eye of a newt than it is about purification by water and pungently perfumed herbs. For a money-attraction brew, fill a big pot with fresh water and place it on your altar during the waxing moon. Place an offering bowl nearby filled with a tablespoon of honey mixed into a cup of milk. Toss a dry palmful of chamomile, woodruff, moss, and vervain into the cauldron.

Head uplifted, utter:

I call upon you, Gods and Goddesses of old,

To fill my purse with gold.

In return, I offer you honey’s gold and mother’s milk.

With harm to none and blessings to thee,

I honor you for bringing me health and prosperity.

Place the bowl outside as your offering and leave it overnight. Whatever the ancients have left behind, pour it into the ground and bow in gratitude for the generosity of the Gods towards you.

Here's a sweet bit of alchemy available to all, handed down from medieval times. Wise women of old taught their children to watch for falling leaves. To catch one in midair is the best kind of luck, direct from Mother Earth herself. Carry it with you for a season and you will be kept safe from harm and receive unseen rewards. If you are especially blessed and catch more than one falling leaf, share it with the one closest to you. You will be bound by both love and fortune.

Health is Wealth

Throughout your practice, make sure to maintain a sense of personal abundance and acknowledge the great spirit within you. Be grateful for your body and your health. Stand in front of a mirror, preferably naked, and drop all self-criticism. Concentrate on your real beauty and envelop yourself with unconditional self-love. Wrap your arms around yourself as you say:

    In Her/His image, I too, am a Goddess/God.

    I walk in beauty; I am surrounded by health, wealth, and love.

    I walk a path of blessings.

    And so it is.

Celebration of Plenty: Morning Meditation

True abundance comes from looking at what you have, rather than focusing on what you lack. This spell is a celebration that will begin each day with magic. Upon waking, take time to reflect on the good things in your life. After meditating upon the blessings in your life, say this spell aloud:

    Today and every day,

     I see the richness of life.

    I thank you, Goddess,

    For all the gifts and beauty in my world.

    Today, I will share my blessings in others and honor you.

    I see plenty for all. Blessings to all

    Conclusion: May You Live in Abundance

Sundays are for Basking in the Warmth

Sunday is the day of our greatest star, Sol, otherwise known as the sun, with colors of gold, orange, and radiant white. This is the time to rest and renew, indulge in creativity, and enjoy the fruits of this life. Sunday is the time to make spells for fame and fortune.

Magical Affirmations

Sundays are an ideal time for boosting your confidence and esteeming yourself.

On a Sunday morning after your ablutions, when you are your most well-rested, freshly scrubbed, shiniest self, speak these powerful words:

    I am amazing and awesome

    I grow in wisdom each day.

    I am succeeding.

    I am prospering.

    Blessings to all and blessed be me.

Feel free to create your own affirmations, if you are so inspired. This Sunday ritual feels simply divine and truly is empowering. If it works as well for you as I suspect it will, you may want to incorporate it into every Sunday morning. Blessed be!

Celebration of Plenty: Morning Meditation

True abundance comes from looking at what you have, rather than focusing on what you lack. This spell will begin each day with magic.

Upon waking, take time to reflect on the good things in your life. After meditating upon those blessings, say this spell aloud:

    Today and every day,

    I see the richness of life.

    I thank you, Goddess,

    For all the gifts and beauty in my world.

    Today, I will share my blessings with others

    and honor you.

    I see plenty for all. Blessed be.

Happy Ever After Housewarming

When you have settled into your new home, invite your friends and family over to bless the rooms and ensure that you are surrounded with good energy.

Timing: The optimal time for a housewarming is during the new moon.

Take a bowl or cup of water and add a sprinkle of salt. Stand in the front room, near the front door. Dip your fingers in the water and sprinkle droplets on the threshold. Now turn to the east and say:

    Powers of the East,

    Source of the sun rising,

    Bring hope and inspiration.

Sprinkle some water in the east, then turn to the south and say:

    Powers of the South,

    Source of summer’s warmth and light,

    Bring joy and bounty.

Sprinkle some water in the south, then turn to the west and say:

    Powers of the West,

    Source of oceans and rivers,

    Bring the power of the waves.

Sprinkle some water in the west, then turn to the north and say:

    Powers of the North,

    Source of the winter, place of the mountains, and the polestar,

    Bring security and sight.

Now bring out the wine, mead, and sparkling cider and celebrate because you have now blessed this house!

Predictions for the New Year: Divination Conjuration

Gather a group of women together around a large table you can use as the altar. Ask them to bring feast books to share and offerings of fruit, flowers, or vegetables as altar offerings to the Goddess.

Gather together

    * 13 candles

    * a black bowl filled with water

Timing: January 1.

Place the offerings and the 13 candles on the altar around the bowl filled with water, which is to be used as a scrying mirror (to foretell the future). Light the candles and turn down the lights and say aloud:

    Fruit, flower, and Goddess’s herb,

    Perform for me enchantment superb.

    You give us grain and bread.

    Foretell for me the year ahead.

After placing the offerings on the altar, one at a time, each woman should kneel over the mirror and look upon the water. Some people may see images, but oftentimes the information comes as an impression, a thought, or meditative reflection. People should only share their visions if they feel the need to do so.

After each woman has had a turn, everyone should chant and sing together:

    Daughters under this sun

    Sisters under this moon

    Tonight we receive your blessings

    Goddess great and good—

    We thank you for the year to come.

Invoking Your Inner Goddess: Divine Essence Oil

This relaxation remedy is an excellent way to create personal space after a hectic week.

Gather together

    * 2 drops cedar essential oil

    * 2 drops sandalwood essential oil

    * 2 drops amber essential oil

    * 2 drops lavender essential oil

    * 4 drops carrier (or base) oil, such as sesame or jojoba

    * a small bowl or vial, preferably heart-hued red

Timing: This tincture is most potent on goddess Freya’s Day, Friday evening.

Mix together the essential oils with the carrier (or base) oil in the bowl or vial.

Touch one drop of the Divine Essence Oil on each pulse point: on both wrists, behind your ear lobes, on the base of your neck, and behind your knees. Wait a few moments and let the power of the goddess fill your senses as your mind, body, and spirit are renewed. Close your eyes and recite:

Freya, eternal and wise, give your strength to me now.

As I breathe, you are alive in me for this night.

Make sure to thank the goddess for all the blessings in your life.

Witch Craft: Angel Accessing Charm for Protection

In your travels along the sacred path, you doubtless have gathered up many natural treasures, such as seashells, driftwood, crystals, and small pebbles. You can create a simple “Angel Accessing Tool” from your collection of nature’s blessings. Make an amulet any time you want to gather up the good energy of those unseen who can help and protect you (and drive away the not so helpful energy). Here’s how to make an amulet you can hang whenever you need to call upon angelic aid.

Gather together

    * sections of string, at least 6 inches (15cm) in length, one for each crystal

    * small chunks of crystal (celestite, amethyst, aquamarine, muscovite, morganite, and selenite can all         help you make contact with your guardian angels)

    * a stick (a small piece of sea-smoothed driftwood is perfect)

Tie a piece of string around each chunk of crystal. Attach each string to your stick of wood so the crystals are hanging from the stick. Hang your amulet anywhere in your home you want to “make contact.”

Once you have crafted your magical tool, you should store it in a safe place and bring it out when you really need angelic intervention. When I lived in a big city that had lots of car break-ins, I made one for my car and the era of broken windows ended for me. I recommend one for your office space, too. We all need work angels! You can welcome unseen and benevolent spirits into your home and life with this conjuring charm.

Rite for Welcoming Spirits

We can all use more benevolent energy in our lives. Some angels may take human form, such as a friend who is always there in a crisis. Others are hovering above in the ether and can be invoked with a few words and a focused intention. Use this spell when you need a guiding hand and angelic assistance.

Gather together

    * 1 white and 1 blue candle (these are angelic hues)

    * rosemary essential oil

    * frankincense and myrrh incense

    * celestite, a sky-blue crystal associated with angel energy (amethyst can substitute)

Anoint both candles with the rosemary essential oil. Light the white candle and use it to light the incense. If you were unable to acquire any frankincense or myrrh incense, you can use rosemary incense or light a rosemary branch in a fireproof glass or clay dish. Now light the blue candle with the white one and place them on either side of the crystal. Breathe deeply and speak this spell aloud to invoke the celestial guardians.

    Guardians, I call upon you now

    To bring aid and angelic blessings

    By earth and sky, I invite you now

    To point me to all that is good

    And protect me from all that is not.

    With gratitude to the heavenly host.

    So mote it be.

Gratitude Prayer Spell

Gratitude is not only uplifting but feels wonderful. There is powerful magic in recognizing all that you possess.

Timing: When moon or sun is in the sign of Taurus it is the time of prosperity and security. Time this ritual for a Thursday during that lunar or solar sign as Thursday is “Thor’s Day” and the day of abundance. It is also the perfect time to acknowledge the gifts of life.

Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Think about your blessings. What are you grateful for at this moment? Breathe steadily and deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly for a few minutes. Now pray aloud:

    Good gods and Goddess, giver of all the fruits of this earth,

    Thank you for 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.

    Blessings upon me. Blessings upon we and thee.

    So mote it be.

Record your blessings in a journal or in your Book of Shadows. You should perform this gratitude prayer spell periodically and look back at your blessings and reflect upon them. This is also a wonderful grace to say at the family meal to offer thanks for all we are given.

Crystal Power

With crystal power, you can improve your life in ways large and small. You’ve discovered the stones that are special to you, and how to fully utilize these birthstones and karmic crystals. You have received advice for crystal healing and stress-dispersing. You’ve heard how gems and statues positioned in strategic places around your home or workspace can help accelerate the positive vibrations you are activating in your life. Using what I have called crystal feng shui, you can place a crystal, geode, or appealingly shaped rock in the appropriate position in your home or workspace to facilitate change. Having different gemstones or crystals within easy reach can bring you clarity, patience, and inspiration when you need it the most.

Yes, through the power and positive energy of crystals, anything is possible. With the information in this book, I hope you can gather together the stones and crystals that sing the loudest to you and integrate them into your life. May this glittering and magical realm make you welcome, and may you and your loved ones enjoy the many blessings of these sacred stones!

Pagan New Year: A Solo Ritual for Samhain

Samhain, also known as the Celtic New Year, is the most profound, important, and best known of all pagan sabbats. Samhain is perhaps the favorite Celtic high holiday of all. After all, it is the witches’ New Year celebration and the time to honor and commune with your elders and family members who have passed on to the other side, as well as the time to celebrate the passing year and set intentions for new blessings in the new year to come.

Supplies:

• Altar space
• 8 candles
• Powdered incense
• Bread
• Salt
• Wine

1. Prepare for this most holy night and rite by setting up an altar. Place three candles on a stone altar to represent the Triple Goddess and five to represent the points of the pentagram. The star of the pentagram should be drawn with powdered incense of the self- lighting variety to be lit later. Gather together bread, salt, and wine for the sacrament.

2. After you have made your preparations for the altar, ready yourself by bathing and meditating. Anoint your body before dressing in a robe or gown befitting this night when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. As you ready your body, mind, and spirit, consider what has taken place in the preceding year. Cleanse your mind and heart of old sorrows and most especially of angers and petty resentments. Bring only your best into this night. After all, this is New Year’s Eve for witches, and you want to truly connect with those who have gone on to the other side.

3. Walk alone to the place of the ceremony and kneel before the altar. Before lighting the candles on the altar, say aloud:

    This candle I light for the Maiden’s brightest glory.

Light the candle and bow to the Maiden.

    This candle I light for the power and passion of the Lady, the Queen.

Light the candle and bow to the Queen.

    This candle I light for the unsurpassable wisdom of the Crone.

Light the candle and bow to the Crone.

4. Light the incense, and then gazing at the candles on the altar, say:

    These do I light in honor of the Triple Goddess

    on this sacred night of Samhain.

    I create this holy temple

    in honor of the Goddess and the God

    and all the ancient ones.

    From time before time,

    I pay my tribute and my devotion

    In love and greeting to those beyond the veil.

5. Now light the candles that represent the power of the five-pointed pentagram. Rap three times on the altar with your hands or with your wand. Then say:

    This is a time outside of time

    in a place outside of any place

    on a day that is not a day

    between the worlds and afar.

6. Pause and listen to your heart for thirteen beats, then hold your hands in benediction over the bread, salt, and wine. Now say:

    For this bread, salt, and wine,

    I do ask the blessings

    of our Maiden, our Queen, and our Crone

    and of the God who guards the Gates of the World.

7. Take the bread and sprinkle a bit of salt over it, saying:

    I ask that I and all whom I love

    have health and abundance and blessings.

Eat the bread, and hold up the goblet of wine, saying:

    To a spirit that remains strong and true!

Drink the wine and declare:

    By the Triple Goddess and her godly consort, so mote it be!

8. At this point, a danse macabre to any dark folk or Gothic music of your choosing can end the ritual—I suggest any music by the band Dead Can Dance. You should also spend time meditating or allowing yourself to ease into a trance state to communicate with your beloved dead. Hear the messages they have for you and let them know you.

9. When you feel the ritual has ended, quench the candles, and then say:

    Though these flames

    of the material world

    be darkened,

    they shall ever burn

    in the world beyond.

    This rite is ended.

Whispers of Hopes and Dreams: A Ritual to Bless Your Engagement

Engagement is a monumental occasion in a person’s life, and so of course it should be celebrated with a little magic to bless your union! The important thing to remember in the engagement process is to make sure you share similar ideas about the path of life. Being engaged is a time to make sure you are compatible on many levels as you enjoy the romance. You will need to have frank discussions on career, home, health, children, sex, and the expectations you have for yourself and your partner in all these areas.

Sometimes when we are in love, we expect people to simply “know” what we want. Magical people expect that even more, feeling that their partner is so intuitive that they should be able to anticipate each other’s actions and opinions on these aspects of life. Though it would be ideal, that’s not realistic thinking. Sometimes it can be hardest to read those with whom we are closest. A good relationship requires good communication. This formalized engagement ritual involves dream sharing, and therefore, it should only be done after such frank discussions so that nothing comes as a shock. Preparing to perform this ritual is a good way to initiate such talks. It can be done right after the acceptance or at any point later in the engagement process. Just make sure you are both aware of each other’s ideas of the future before you begin your life together. When you are ready to move forward and begin the ritual, first go someplace comfortable where you will not be disturbed. This ritual can be done in your home or even at a quiet restaurant or coffee shop. Perhaps you’ll want to take your love to the place where you first dated.

Start with your favorite drinks. I like a good wine or champagne, but it doesn’t have to be alcoholic, just something you both enjoy and can share. Have three glasses ready. Light three candles: one of your favorite color, one of your betrothed’s favorite color, and the third of a color you both like. Unless you choose the same color for all three candles, the third candle should be different from the first two so that neither of you dominates in the energy of the relationship. When in doubt, three white candles work well. Each of you light your candle, and together light the flame of the third with your two candles.

Pour the drink into two of the three glasses, making each about half full. Hold the two glasses near the fire. Don’t get too close—you don’t want to shatter your glasses. The light, not the heat, is the important part. Speak close to the mouth of the glass, and whisper into the wine your hopes, dreams, and blessings for the marriage. What do you feel? What do you want to do? What do you want to create together? Envisioning a long, healthy, happy life together, you can talk about home, family, and careers. See yourselves supporting each other in separate goals and working together for your joint dreams. You each should speak your words into the liquid. Then pour both drinks into the third empty glass, combining your hopes and dreams. Share that one glass, savoring its flavor and reflecting on your future. Do not speak until you have both finished the combined drink. Look into each other’s eyes, and kiss. The ritual is complete.

New Year Prophesies : The Feast of Carmentalia

On January 11, gather a group of women together. Ask them to bring pens and paper and offerings of fruit, flowers, or vegetables to the goddess Carmenta. Use these to build an altar, with the bounty placed around a black bowl filled with water that will be used as the scrying mirror. Place candles around the room and turn down the lights. Form a circle around the bowl and altar, and as each woman places her most special offering beside the bowl, she must speak aloud the name of her offering:

    Pomegranate (or orange or lily, etc.), Goddess’s herb,

    perform for me enchantment superb.

    You give us grain and bread.

    Foretell for me the year ahead.

After placing the offering to Carmenta on the altar, each woman should kneel over the mirror and look upon the water. Some people may see images, but oftentimes the information comes as an impression, thought, or meditative reflection. People should only share their visions if they feel the need to do so, but do make a little time available for each woman in case she wishes to speak what she has seen.

After everyone has had a turn, everyone should chant and sing together:

    Daughters under this sun,

    sisters under this moon,

    tonight, we receive your blessings.

    Carmenta, goddess great and good—

    we thank you for the year to come.

Now open the circle and sit in silence for at least ten minutes so that everyone present can record her impressions and visions from Carmenta in a journal or on the paper each woman brought. In years to come, if you and your circle of women decide to observe the Feast of Carmentalia annually, as I recommend, you can share and compare notes from prior years. This is a wonderful way to process the passages of your lives. Afterward, a feast is called for. The fruit and veggies from the altar should be consumed, and the flowers should decorate the dining table. Make sure to cleanse the space very well with incense smoke at the end of the evening, as remaining energies should scatter and not stay in the home. Water from the scrying bowl should be poured into the earth outside.

Early Rising Ritual to Instill Your Day with Blessings

How you begin your day can often set the tone for the entire day, and sometimes even longer. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us all to start the day out right! If you are not an early riser by nature, get up a half-hour earlier to instill enchantment into your morning. Gather up:

• 1 green candle
• 1 yellow candle
• 1 orange candle
• A sprig of fresh peppermint
• Peppermint essential oil
• Small dish for the plant

Immediately after you rise, place the items on your altar and dress the candles with the peppermint oil. Touch each candle with the plant for just a moment. Light the candles, then pick up the sprig with your left hand and hold it to your face so you can breathe in the fresh and elevating fragrance and speak aloud:

    This is a blessed day, bright with possibilities.

    Healing starts with this new day.

    My body, mind, and heart are ready.

    All good things are coming my way.

    So mote it be.

Spend a few moments in contemplation and reflection and just breathe in the essence of the mint plant and oils. Visualize good things happening to you on this day and picture yourself brimming with energy and exuberance.

Chimes of Change Charm

If you have a dear friend, as I do, whom you occasionally drive crazy, you may sometimes receive the silent treatment. Try this charm to break the tension by literally breaking the silence.

Buy a wind chime, or, even better, make one from odd earrings, old keys, brass bells, and any other potentially musical objects you can find. Bless the chime by smudging it with sage smoke.

While you speak this spell, jangle your chime energetically:

Silence no more;

we’ll be as before.

We’ll laugh, talk and sing;

good times, this chime shall bring.

So mote it be.

Keep repeating and ringing until you practically hear the echo of your friend’s voice. Wait a full twenty-four hours before you call her. Chances are, though, she’ll call you first.