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.

Money Magic Bath

You can almost seal the deal before a job interview with this prosperity ritual. This spell is most effective if practiced on a new or full moon Thursday night, but can certainly be used whenever you need.

Pour 6 drops of mint, verbena, or apple essential oil into running bath water. You can also use all three. Turn off all lights, step into the tub, and bathe by the light of a single green candle. As you close your eyes, meditate on your true desires. What does personal prosperity mean to you? What do you really need and what do you really want?

When you are clear about your answers, focus on the candle flame while whispering:

    Here and now, my intention is set.

    New luck will be mine and all needs will be met,

    With harm to none and plenty for all.

    Blessed be. So mote it be.

A Home for the New Soul: Baby Blessing

If any ritual is meant to be swift, it is the blessing of a new baby into the family and tribe. The baby will often quite vocally let everyone know when time is up and even that just adds to the fun!

Gather together

    * a bright blue cloth for swaddling

    * a vial of water that has been blessed

You don’t need any other supplies, just loving, happy people with the new parents and their child. A priestess or elder conducts the ceremony and begins by welcoming all and speaking a personal intention for the new parents and the baby. She then carefully swaddles the baby in the blue cloth and begins singing this song:

    We all come from the Goddess

    And to her we shall return

    Like a drop of water,

    Flowing to the ocean.

    As below, so above.

    Mother, father, daughter, son,

    Wisdom’s gift shall be your own.

    Crone and sage, youth and sage

    We welcome you with all our hearts of love.

Gently pour a drop of the blessed water on the baby’s head and chant the blessing again.

At this point, the little one will doubtless be ready for a nap and the tribe should go for a joyful feast.

Kiss My Ring

Rings represent eternity, unity, reincarnation, safety, union, power, and energy. They symbolize the eternity of the circle shape and its summation—the universe. Wearing rings was believed to help ward off any kind of malevolence through their continuity. Nothing could get past this strong, flawless circle. A ring binds you with the energy of the stone. In dream psychology, a ring represents the desire for reconciliation of the different parts of your being and personality; it shows you want to be an integrated whole, which is the first step in making it happen. If you want to deepen a friendship, exchange amber rings with your friend to bind you together forever. Why do you think Native Americans wear turquoise rings? They know it is a guardian stone; its power is doubled when it is in a ring.

When wearing a ring, be sure the bottom side of the stone is open to allow greater connection between the stone and your skin. On your left hand, wear ring gems that awaken and release emotions, and, on your right hand, wear stones that will enhance your career and your personal goals in life. I know that thumb rings have become a big trend, but you should know that wearing them could block the energy of the thumbs or, even worse, bring out egotism and selfishness.

Your index fingers are indicators of achievement, and wearing the proper gem on that finger can really aid you in striving for your dreams. For wisdom, wear lapis lazuli. For greater love of yourself and others, try pearl, moonstone, or garnet. For success, wear carnelian. For a quiet mind and greater calm, wear sodalite, chrysocolla, or turquoise.

Your middle fingers are about ideas and insights, as well as intuition; the left hand represents the receiving of ideas, and the right hand represents action and achievement in your life. Wear stones on the middle finger only when you want to get a lot of psychic input from the world around you. For greater sensitivity and creativity, wear amethyst. To awaken your inner and outer beauty, wear ruby. To access your higher good and know your life’s purpose, wear sapphire or quartz crystal.

The ring finger is about creativity, and, of course, the ring finger on the left hand is your love center and a direct connection to your heart. For deep and loyal ties of love, wear diamond. To express your love, wear moonstone. To inspire creativity, wear emerald. To meet creativity goals, wear tiger’s-eye or cat’s-eye. For practicality in your work and art, wear turquoise. For service to your community and the world, wear opal. For both inner and outward serenity, wear ruby.

Pinkie fingers represent change. The right gem on your little finger can help you find and pursue new opportunities and change the direction of your whole life. This is a lot of power in one little ring! For better organizational habits, wear pearl. For unwinding and simplifying, wear turquoise. To bring new energy and new prospects, wear aventurine.

Vessel of Abundance

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.

Herbal Amulets: Handmade Gifts of Caring and Curing

You will experience years of enjoyment from tending your garden, as Voltaire taught us in his masterpiece, Candide. You can share that pleasure with your friends and those you love by giving gifts from your garden. Your good intentions will be returned many times over. I keep a stock of small muslin drawstring bags for creating amulets. If you are a crafty person, you can make the bags, too, sewing them by hand before stuffing the dried herbs inside.

• For courage and strength of heart: Mullein or borage
• For good cheer: Nettle or yarrow
• For fellow witches: Ivy, broomstraw, and maidenhair fern
• For safe travels: Comfrey
• For fertility: Cyclamen or mistletoe
• For protection from deceit: Snapdragon
• For good health: Rue
• For success: Woodruff
• For strength: Mugwort
• For youthful looks: An acorn

Amulets should be kept on your person at all times, either in a pocket, in your purse or book bag, or on a string around your neck.