Making the Tools of the Magical Trade Part I

Just as you can design your own rituals, you can create your own ritual accessories and tools. Your intentions and personal energy are the driving forces behind the enchantments you create, and the same is true of crafting magical tools.

Charm Boxes

Native Americans, Greeks, Celts, and Egyptians all used magical boxes during ceremonies and for storing sacred objects. Christian religions followed suit—the famous biblical Ark of the Covenant was, in fact, a magical box. Spell work during medieval times involved boxes for love, health, fertility and home and in the fields, prosperity, and changes of luck. In more modern times, a young woman’s “hope chest” contained her wishes, intentions, and materials for a happy marriage.

You can make charm boxes, also known as spell boxes, very easily. A job spell box should contain aventurine or peridot stones, patchouli incense, green candles, and ferns. You can make a psychic spell box with cloves, rosemary, and amethyst and quartz crystals. A good love spell box contains a pink candle, rose petals, two pieces of rose quartz, and two copper pennies. These are just some of the examples; more suggestions are in the appendix in the back of this book.

Mirrors

Throughout time, people have been looking for answers in mirrors, gazing balls, pools, and even using bowls filled with ink to peer into another dimension. Primitive people used obsidian and other shiny rocks to communicate with spirits. Surfaces that are shiny, smooth, and reflective have always lent themselves well to scrying and other intuitive work. Because of their use in scrying, mirrors came to be seen as magical portals to promote psychic awareness to other worlds.

It is possible to create your own scrying mirror and empower it with energy and intention in a variety of ways. First, find
a round mirror with a frame that will make it easy to apply crystals or other objects with glue (I like to use wood or plastic). The frame should have a lot of surface area on which you can affix your magical objects. There are many objects that are suitable for your mirror. If you collect sea glass or shells and pretty rocks, those will suffice. If you don’t have any objects on hand, visit a rock shop or a New Age store. You can purchase seashells and fifty to a hundred small crystals. The crystals can be various quartzes and semiprecious stones of similar shape and small in size.

You can use a rainbow of colors or you can stick with just one kind of stone. I prefer to use all amethysts on my mirror; I feel more connected to this lovely purple gem because it is my birthstone.

Before applying the clear-drying glue to your frame, clean it with a soft, dry cloth. Take your crystals, shells, glass or other items and affix them one at a time, in any pattern you like. Some examples of mirrors I’ve come across featured concentric circles of color, following the spectrum from dark red garnet to clear quartz, and gorgeous spirals and paisley prints all across the frame.

Different kinds of questing and querying may call for several different magic mirrors. 

Different Gems to Use for Your Mirror

Peridot—Issues relating to self-image and matters centered upon you

Rough Rubies—Matters relating to love

Jade—Money matters

Sea Glass and Seashells—Effective for Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces), especially if gathered during a walk on the beach while searching for answers

Anyone who feels drawn to the ocean will benefit from a seashell magic mirror. Many of us go for walks along the water to think. Using seashells on your mirror can help you be twice as effective in finding your answers. 

Tips ’n’ Tricks: Moonstone Mirror

Moonstone is a psychic mirror, especially for females. Wise women of ancient India were the first to figure this out. If you are feeling out-of-sorts or off-center turn to this lovely stone, sacred to the shining orb in our night sky. Under moonlight, gaze fires at the moon and then at your smooth, round moonstone and look for the answer to your personal mystery. A message will come to you in the form of a dream this night.

Mirrors of Mystery

Mirrors have been tools of magic since time immemorial. Shiny, smooth reflective surfaces have lent themselves so well to the imagination and intuition. It is little wonder that these portals to another world promote psychic awareness. Obsidian and other types of shimmering rocks and volcanic glasses presented themselves to primitive peoples as opportunities to communicate with unseen spirits, which is what we modern folk do when we are accessing energy.

When Harry Potter famously looked into his magic mirror, he awakened the masses to this tradition, and I have heard that sales of magic mirrors have skyrocketed. Throughout history, people looking for answers have used mirrors and even bowls filled with ink to peer into another dimension. Gazing balls and pools have also served for dealing with the divine.

You can make your own magic mirror and power it with crystals. First, get a round dime-store mirror, preferably with a plastic or wooden frame for ease of gluing appliqués. Make sure the frame has a lot of surface area on which to affix your gems. From any New Age store or rock shop, purchase fifty to 100 small crystals—various quartzes and semiprecious stones of a similar shape and small size. You can use a rainbow of colors unless you have a particular affinity for any certain stone. For example, amethyst is my birthstone, so I prefer to use an all-amethyst magic mirror. I simply feel more connected to this lovely, purple semiprecious gem.

Clean the frame with a soft, dry cloth and spread clear drying glue onto it. One at a time, place the crystal pebbles into the glue in any pattern you desire. I have seen lovely versions of concentric circles of color following the spectrum, beginning with deepest, darkest red garnet stones inside and circling out to the palest purple pebbles and finally a layer of the clearest quartz. I have seen gorgeous pebble spirals and paisleys, and so many other patterns.

I know some gem magicians who have several magic mirrors for different kinds of questing and querying. A mirror of peridot, the birthstone of Leo, is good for looking at issues of self-image and matters centering around you. A ruby mirror (made of the highly affordable rough rubies) is perfect for matters relating to love, and a jade mirror will aid in money matters. Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) would do well to make magic mirrors from sea glass and seashells they have gathered during walks on the beach. Anyone who feels drawn to the ocean will also benefit from a seashell magic mirror. Many of us go for walks on the beach or along water when we are searching for answers. A magic mirror of shells can be twice as effective at helping you find your answers!

Amethyst is still tops in my book, and I recommend a mirror adorned with this stone as a very dependable tool of magic. Amethyst is a good balancing stone and is also one of the most intuition-boosting of all gems.