Fill Your Life with Enchantment

We are experiencing a witchy renaissance here in the early years of the twenty-first century. I get frequent requests from friends and, thanks to the quick connections of social media, questions via Facebook about how to handle the stress, strain, and busyness of modern life. I am honored to be able to help in any small way and am constantly seeking new methods for healing magic and insights and spells for sacred self-care.

One thing I do know, both from my personal experience and from my circle, is that spellwork and habitual ritual can be healing in and of itself. Rites and ritual gatherings regulate our lives, individually and as groups. Anthropologists, psychologists, and other students of the human race have shown that ritual has existed since the dawn of humanity and has always played an important role in culture. Scholars of the psyche, including Freud, who eloquently addressed the role of ritual, speak of the power of ritual and how it brings people together physically and emotionally. Ritual creates “communities” from which spring a sense of unity, harmony, and belonging.

These magical moments are very important; they signify that we have stepped out of the routine of the ordinary day to day and are exploring a higher consciousness. I believe a moment spent in ritual is embracing life itself. Even 5 minutes of sacred time can change your life for the better. And that is my hope for you: a life enriched through these easy enchantments and simple spells. May you enjoy much peace of mind, prosperity, love, and sheer joy!

Blue Lace Agate—Earth Stone

Ever since the famous photograph was taken from Apollo 8 in 1968 of Earth juxtaposed with the Moon, blue lace agate has gained an unprecedented popularity for its resemblance to Earth as seen from space. This stone is relatively new, discovered just forty years ago. Most agates are common, but the blue stones are rarer. Formed from liquefied silica and crocidolite, this stone gets its lace pattern from fractures and layers caused by centuries of heating and cooling. there is one great source for this pale blue treasure in Angus, Scotland, and it occurs rarely in North America.

This cool blue stone is a calming agent and can be used in meditation to achieve higher consciousness. It is believed to be able to open the third eye and therefore promote greater spirituality and attunement of the crown chakra as well as the throat and heart. It can also assist in disorders of the pancreas, capillaries, and nerves. In powdered form, in an elixir, it can help with bones, too, and can be worn to heal fractures and breaks more quickly and relieve symptoms of arthritis.

Written in Stone: Stones, Signs, and Numbers

As we know, many crystals and gems have specific relationships with different astrological signs, many of which were determined by the Chaldeans of long ago. All you have to remember is that the stone’s optimum effect will take place if it is related to the correlating astrological sign. For example, Cancers can wear pearls to express and protect their sensitive inner natures. The effect will be even greater when the Sun is in Cancer, and greatest of all when the Moon is in Cancer, too. Scorpios will be even more powerful than usual when sporting rubies during their birth month, and so on.

By the same token, gems and crystals vibrate to different numbers. This all has to do with energy. Each letter of the alphabet is associated with a number, as indicated by this chart:

1. 1:  a, j, s

2. 2:  b, k, t

3. 3:  c, l, u

4. 4:  d, m, v

5. 5:  e, n, w

6. 6:  f, o, x

7. 7:  g, p, y

             8: h, q, z 9: i, r

So, my best friend’s name is Brenda, which adds up to 26, which adds up to 8 (2+6). Thus, she should work with and try wearing jet, the stone corresponding to the number 8.

Number 1

Aquamarine corresponds with Aries, Gemini, Pisces

Beryl corresponds with Leo

Copper corresponds with Taurus, Sagittarius

Obsidian corresponds with Sagittarius

Turquoise corresponds with Scorpio, Sagittarius, Pisces

Number 2

Garnet corresponds with Leo, Virgo, Capricorn, Aquarius

Sapphire corresponds with Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius

Tourmaline corresponds with Libra

Number 3

Amber. corresponds with Leo, Aquarius

Amethyst corresponds with Virgo, Capricorn, Aquarius,Pisces

Aventurine corresponds with Aries

Herkimer Diamond corresponds with Sagittarius

Lapis Lazuli corresponds with Sagittarius

Ruby corresponds with Cancer, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius

Number 4

Bloodstone corresponds with Aries, Libra, Pisces

Emerald corresponds with  Aries, Taurus, Gemini

Moonstone corresponds with Cancer, Libra, Scorpio

Quartz corresponds with  All

Sodalite corresponds with Sagittarius

Tiger’s-Eye corresponds with Capricorn

Number 5

Amazonite corresponds with Virgo

Carnelian corresponds with Taurus, Cancer, Leo

Peridot corresponds with Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius

Number 6

Apache Tear corresponds with Aries

Bloodstone corresponds with Aries, Libra, Pisces

Carnelian corresponds with Taurus, Cancer, Leo

Cat’s-Eye corresponds with Aries, Taurus, Capricorn

Citrine corresponds with Aries, Leo, Libra

Moldavite corresponds with Scorpio

Onyx corresponds with Leo

 Peridot corresponds with Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius

Number 7

Agate corresponds with Gemini

Pearl corresponds with Gemini, Cancer

Peridot corresponds with Leo, Virgo, Scorpio, Sagittarius 

Rose Quartz corresponds with Taurus, Libra

Number 8

Chrysolite corresponds with Taurus

Jet corresponds with Capricorn

Opal corresponds with Cancer, Libra, Scorpio

Number 9

Hematite corresponds with Aries, Aquarius 

Malachite corresponds with Scorpio, Capricorn

Chrysolite is both 8 and the master number 55 and is under Taurus rulership. (The master number represents a high potential for growth and understanding.)

Diamond is the master number 33 and is ruled by Aries, Taurus, and Leo. 

Fluorite vibrates to every number and corresponds to Capricorn and Pisces.

Jade vibrates to the master number 11 and relates to Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Libra.

Calcite

Calcite, or limestone, is one of the more plentiful stones, coming in a range of colors from black to white, with every shade in between. Approximately 4 percent of Earth’s surface is made up of calcite. Calcite gets its name from chalix, the Greek word for lime. Marble is limestone formed from heat and pressure, and calcite is the cement in many sandstones and shales. Calcite is the basis for many formations found in caves, such as cave veils, cave pearls, stalactites , and stalagmites. Environmentalists are heartened by this because this oceanic biological activity can act as a carbon-dioxide filter and help stem the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.

The crystals in calcite can take on a thousand different shapes by combining the forms of rhombohedrons, scalahedrons, prisms, and pinacoids, to name but a few. More than 300 forms have been noted in calcite, and the symmetry is nearly unmatched, with many twins.

Calcite is all over the world, but certain conditions have made for very special specimens. In Cornwall, England; Pugh Quarry, Ohio; and Elmwood, Tennessee, are beautifully clear, amber-orange pyramid shapes called dogtooth spar. Mexican onyx, banded with orange, red, tan, brown, yellow, and white and having an appealing marble-like smoothness, is a very common type of calcite used in carvings sold in gift shops around the globe.

Calcite is helpful to bones and joints and is a memory booster. In addition to aiding in retaining information, calcite is a calming agent that can bring clarity to decision-making processes. Green calcite is a terrific support to people in transition, bringing about positive energy in place of the negative. The yellow and gold calcites are quite useful for meditation due to their association with the sun and with light, the sign of the spiritual path and higher knowledge. It is said that these sunny calcites can even help with astral projection. Calcite is a healing stone and is highly recommended for physicians, nurses, and healers to keep at their offices.

Agate

Agate, which comes from the chalcedony group of stones, was beloved by Egyptians for its side-by-side stripes. These stripes occur because of tiny crystals lined up in bands. Agate has a translucent quality and is found all over the world. It is used for grounding and balance and is said to enable higher consciousness. Agate is a stone of confidence and can make the wearer feel a better sense of self and engender more self-understanding. An agate necklace or ring is a powerful centering stone to wear at important meetings or presentations.

Botswana agate is named for the region in which it is found. Botswana agate is gray in color and looks smooth and waxy. This is a powerful tool for anyone dealing with smoke—whether a firefighter or a smoker who wants to quit the habit. Botswana agate is good for the skin, the lungs, and the respiratory system and can also fight depression.

Moss agate is usually a dark color: brown, black, or blue. Moss agate comes from India, North America, or Australia. it is named as such because it has patterning in light-colored clusters that resembles moss. This is a cleansing stone and can bring balance to both sides of the brain, therefore reducing depression or emotional ailments. Moss agate is also useful for treating hypoglycemia. It is the stone of farmers, botanists, and midwives—those who work with the earth. It also aids intuition and creativity and can reduce inhibition and shyness. If you are a speaker, singer, or performer who occasionally suffers stage fright, moss agate us your gem to wear.

Celestite—Angel Stone

Use this stone to get in contact with your guardian angel. The lore about this sky blue stone is that it is a star seed from the Pleiades and that those 100 million geodes were sent to Earth. It is a truth-telling crystal, rendering anyone holding it unable to tell lies.

Angelite is a condensed form of celestite with a highly unusual pattern of striping that looks like angel wings. Both forms of the magical stone will put you in touch with spirits and helpful energies from the angelic realm.