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.

Gem-Magic Get-Together

Forget the Tupperware party and have a gem-magic party with your girlfriends instead. Make popcorn, eat pizza, drink champagne, and, most importantly, make magic together. What could be more fun? All you have to do is pick a night and assign everyone two ingredients to bring—one snack and one batch of crystal beads. You provide the thread, tools, glue, and good vibes.

Think about beginning the night by making brooches. A brooch worn over the heart is a symbol of loyalty and love among friends. You’ll need to get some flat-circle brooch pins at a craft store. Give each person at the party a brooch and ask her to choose a partner. Using glue, each gal will encrust the front of her brooch with as many crystals as possible in a color and an array that best represents the personality of her partner. Then, the partners exchange brooches. Your gaggle of girlfriends will be forever bonded by their love brooches, not to mention the glue!

Here are a few other festive and fun projects you can whip up together: birthstone bracelets, bewitching barrettes, pendulum pendants, true-love tiaras, blessing bracelets, bodacious bobby pins, and nights-of-enchantment necklaces. The possibilities are endless; let your imagination (and your friends) run wild!

Support from Afar

We all have friends and loved ones who live many miles away but who need our support. Long-distance magic can be quite effective so, on a Thursday, try this ritual with your group. It has worked really well for my spiritual circle.

Gather together

    * a photo of the friend in need or other symbol to represent that person

    * a small hand bell or chime

    * a vase of yellow flowers

    * a piece of paper and a pen

Take the photo of your friend or the symbol that represents him or her, for example a gift he or she has given, or even a business card, and place it on a pedestal or table. Surround it with a small hand bell or chime and a vase filled with one or more of these “flowers of fortune:” nasturtiums, golden poppies, daisies, yellow roses, or your friend’s favorite happy posy.

Take a piece of parchment and write your friend’s full name. Speak the following spell:

    On this earth and under these stars, I call upon the gods and goddesses to bring great help and good        fortune to ______ [your friend’s name].

Ring the bell or chime.

    In this air and through these waters, speed here in the name of _____.

Ring the bell or chime again.

    Through the fire and through the rain, bring aid, goodwill, and bright blessings to _____ now.

Ring the bell or chime again.

As a group, send the positive energy to your friend across the miles by saying, “We love you, ____”, and ring the bell vigorously one last time.

A Celestial Guide to Companionship

I rely upon my knowledge of astrology to inform me whether a new acquaintance has the potential to become a dear friend (or more). While the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water are a major indicator of compatibility (Earth signs naturally get along with other Earth signs, for example), you should endeavor to have your astrological charts done and compare them. Finding the sun and the moon in the same sign is common among many soul mates. This is known as synastry in astrology. As example, a man with a Virgo sun will be attracted to a woman with a Virgo moon and this is true for every sun and moon combination. It is a true affinity.

    * Fire signs: Leo, Sagittarius, and Aries. People with these signs are bold, courageous, and fun-loving,         and they play well together.

    * Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. These mysterious folks are sensitive, passionate, and                 creative, and they comfortably swim in the same current.

    * Air signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. These smart, talkative, and artistic people speak the same             language.

    * Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. These practical, savvy, and successful types enjoy helping     each other to the top.

    * If you “are born on one of the “cusp” days, then consider it a blessing. You get along with everybody!

The Flame of Friendship

You can further charge the candles on your Loved-one Shrine by scratching your desire into the wax. I use the thorn of a rose for this and write the words of my intention. Many witches use symbols: a moon, the sun, a flower, a heart, a dollar sign, or a number, for example. You can also inscribe a name.

Take a large solar-hued yellow pillar candle anointed with lemon or bergamot essential oil and charge it with positivity toward your loved ones. Scratch your own name into it and write “I love ____” with the name of your friend or family member.

Light the candle and say four times:

I love me. I love ______.

For a daily dose of one-minute magic, light the candle every night and repeat this love charge before bed and every morning when you arise. Your heart will lift and soar, which then emanates outward toward this special person in your life.

New Moon, New Friends

When I moved to San Francisco, I didn’t know a soul, but I used this tried-and-tested trick to fill my life with friends.

Gather together

• 1 candle of any color or size
• your favorite incense

Timing: Try this on a new moon Friday (Freya’s Day, which is ruled by Venus, is ideal for fun, love, flirtation, gossip, and good times).

Light the candle and incense. Breath in the sacred smoke and dance around, arms held upward, joyously. Say aloud:

I call upon you, friend Freya,

To fill my life with love and joy. I call upon you, Goddess,

To bring unto me that which I enjoy

In the form of people, wise and kind.

This I ask and give thanks for, blessed be.

This resulted in me having friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin; I can count on them for boundless love and they bring so much joy to my life.

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

An Oil Blend for Friendship

This blend of oils can be used for anointing candles and dabbing pulse points. It contains oils for the four directions, representing alliance, and will strengthen the bond between you and your friends. To create the blend, have a get-together with some of your best friends.

You will need the following essential oils:

• Lavender
• Rose
• Musk
• Honeysuckle

Mix these oils together in equal parts. Then, have each friend dip a forefinger into the oil mixture and stir clockwise. Raise the bowl of oil and pray together:

    In the name of union,

    in the spirit of friendship,

    I bless this oil as I exalt the bonds that bring us together,

    and so it shall be.

Complete the consecration by dabbing this magical potion on each other’s pulse points: wrists, temples, throat, knees, elbows, over the heart, and behind the ears. Make sure you all leave with your own vial of this companionship essence, which you can use any time a spell requires it.

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Cover-All-The-Bases Crystal

If you are keeping yourself on a strict budget, get one piece of jewelry that will help you in nearly every area of your life—health, wealth, love, family, career, travel, friendship, and creativity. Go to the nearest Chinatown, where the prices are right, and get a bracelet featuring multiple hues of jade. One-stop shopping to a better life now!

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, and
* Images of two butterflies.

Sabbat of Imbolc: A February Festival

Although February is the shortest calendar month, it holds many rich festivals from several cultures. Celtic Pagans celebrate Imbolc, or Brigid’s Day, as the first sign of spring in the Wheel of the Year.

Imbolc translates to “in the milk,” which reflects the lambing and calving season that begins around this time. The idea of purification also runs through February festivals such as Purim, Candlemas and Lupercalia. Take the opportunity to start “spring cleaning” a bit earlier than you usually do to help chase away the winter blues. And of course, February holds Valentine’s Day, a now-secular celebration of affection and friendship.