Rather than chasing money or possessions, a wise witch will simply draw them to her. A tiny green pouch filled with the herb vervain, for positive change in your life, is a powerful tool for attracting all nature of good fortune.
Prepare your attraction pouch during the waxing moon (ideally in Taurus). Hold it over frankincense incense and let the smoke bless the bag as you speak aloud:
The moon is a golden coin, Cybele.
I carry your abundance with me.
Perhaps you have been overwhelmed recently by a series of unfortunate events – problems with work, finances, etc.–seemingly beyond your control. Do away with these burdens as quickly as possible. This spell requires paper, a black candle, a flat rock with a hollow in the center to set the candle into, a black ink pen, and a “cancellation” stamp, readily available at any stationary store. Anoint your candle with a drop of peppermint oil. Dress your altar with a peony blossom, the luckiest of the flower family. The consummate time to release bad luck is immediately after the full moon. Write what you wish to be freed from on a piece of parchment or stationary; this is your “release request.” Write this same request onto the candle as well. Ideally, this is scratched into the candle with the thorn of a rose you have grown yourself. Light the candle near an open window so the negative energy will leave your home. While the candle burns, intone:
Waxing moon, moist wise Cybele, from me this burden please dispel. Upon this night so clear and bright I release __ to the moon tonight.
Burn the candle for thirteen minutes. Take your stamp and mark the paper “canceled.” Put the candle out, fold the paper away from you, and place it under the candle stone. Repeat this process for thirteen nights. On the last night, which should be the beginning of the new moon phase, burn the paper and bury the candle, paper ashes, and rock far from your home. Give thanks to the moon for assisting you, and let go of the bad luck.
Sit in a comfortable position with your birthstone placed in a bowl or dish in front of you. Think
about the blessings in your life and gifts your particular stone offers. What are you grateful for at this
moment? There is a powerful magic in recognizing all that you possess and in having an attitude of
gratitude. Breathe steadily and deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly for twenty minutes. As you meditate,
send the positive energy into the bowl containing your personal gem. Now, the birthstone blessings are
there any time you need them.
Gems and statues positioned in strategic places around your home can help accelerate the positive vibrations you are activating by practicing crystal and gem magic.
Using what I call crystal feng shui, you can place a crystal or a geode or an appealingly shaped rock in the appropriate position in your home to facilitate change. For example, amethyst will promote healing and release any negative energy that is clinging. Clusters of citrine will activate vibrations of abundance and creativity.
So, if you want to bring more money into your home or office, place a big chunk of citrine on the left side of your desk, and the money will begin to flow! If you have a dark hallway that feels spooky or an area in your home or office where the energy feels very static or low, place an obsidian ball there, perhaps on a pedestal, to absorb this negative energy. If you want your bedroom to be a place of bliss and unconditional love, rose quartz will create this all-important atmosphere.
If you are preparing a major presentation to the team at work, showing your paintings to a curator, practicing for your dance performance, or pitching your book idea to a publisher, you can wear a talisman of your own making to ensure a positive outcome. Many performers, athletes, and musicians have lucky pieces of clothing or some token that gives them the courage to put themselves forth in the best possible manner. I have a Big Sur jade pendant on a length of leather that I wear on auspicious occasions such as these. Jade is about abundance and it is so smooth to the touch that it doubles as a soothing worry stone for me. I highly recommend you carry a jade talisman as it can be a major magical tool that can bring good fortune to you for many years.
To maximize the power of your jade talisman, consider the following tried-and-tested suggestions. Keep in mind that this will work even better if you place the item on your altar to imbue it with the right energy.
* For a speech, presentation, performance, or show, wear a red garment.
* If you are preparing for a potentially lucrative deal, you must wear green.
* If you are trying to empower someone to see and share your creative vision, blue is the right hue for you.
I learned the art of intention-setting some years ago and quickly incorporated it into my morning rituals. Upon waking, sometimes even before I open my eyes, I set my intention for the day—it only takes a minute! It can be about work, financial challenges, a problem I am dealing with, relationships, health, hopes and dreams— anything, as long as it is also for the good of all. It has become a morning prayer for me, quick and quiet. I simply state my intention, such as, “I intend that my presentation today at work will go really well and I will feel joy as it is happening and set the stage for success for this product launch, for the good of all. I am grateful for this wonderful day. And so it is.” During the peak of my money woes, I would get very specific and set intentions for the exact amount of money I needed to make the mortgage payments, pay credit card bills, etc. Granular detail is good when manifesting so it is fine to say how much you want when intending with money.
Keep these other tips in mind:
* Avoid using words with any negative charge to them, such as “can’t,” “but,” and “won’t,” and amplify your intention with a statement of gratitude immediately after.
* Always state your intention as if it is happening now and not in the future. Be specific and intend without limit.
* Your intentions do not always have to be personal to you and intending for the greater good of all contributes to a positive global shift.
* By setting intentions every day, you will soon become a master manifestor. I intend that for you!
I had a very scary financial situation in 2008, right before the “credit crunch,” which became known as The Great Recession. I had moved in with my fiancé and we bought a home together at the very edge of San Francisco with a teeny Pacific Ocean view. He worked in tech and his earnings were much more than mine but we never gave it a second thought. It was a modest home but we loved it and I threw myself into gardening, sowing herb beds, arranging sacred shrines and all the lovely aspects of Wiccan nesting.
He passed away unexpectedly before our marriage and before the shock of that even subsided, I was hit with bills for funeral arrangements, house payments, hospital bills, and myriad unforeseen expenses that left me close to broke and going underwater on the mortgage. I was deep in grief but knew I had to get myself out. I needed to sell the house as quickly as possible, find an affordable place to rent in the San Francisco Bay Area, pack up and move and also earn more money.
In times like these, group magic is called for. I asked a group of girlfriends who had been very supportive during all the “travails if they would meet with me once a week for Intending. They were happy to help and curious, too. The first time we met, we all set an intention for a desired outcome or need—I couldn’t help but notice that all their intentions were more achievable than mine—and brought potluck food to share.
We began our group ritual by going round the circle and stating our gratitude for all we do have in our lives.
Next we each set our intention regarding our desired need or outcome. Kara said, “I need a free bookcase for my baby’s books and toys. I ask this for the good of all. And so it is.”
Our circle was a small and loving group of five women so it took less than 5 minutes for us to set our individual intentions. Afterward, I spoke my deep thanks for their support and we shared the food.
The next morning, I got a call from Kara. She said, “You are not going to believe this but I walked outside of our apartment building and there was a bookcase. It looks new and it’s white and exactly what I had in mind. Wow, that intending stuff really works!” Kara is exactly right. The group magic of setting intentions that are good for you and also for everyone on the planet really does work. It took a month but I got everything on my list, too. Goddess is good. Friends are great.
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.
The sign of Cancer is very much oriented toward love of home and family as well as security. Mixed dried flowers, otherwise known as potpourri, are now a popular household staple. It was a medieval custom to have them in the house, revived by the Victorians. Use different combinations for desired magical results; they help create sacred sanctuary space.
Gather together
Timing: Either sun or moon in Cancer is a perfect time for this offering to the goddess of happy homes.
Put all the dried posies in the basket or bowl and sprinkle them with the essential oils. Place the mixture on the south point of your altar for the duration of a moon cycle. The sweet and spicy scent of the potpourri will spread a positive and protective energy to your home and your magical workings. A wreath of these same flowers with garlic cloves added will protect you from harm and illness. If you are a working witch, a small, sweet-smelling bowl of potpourri on your desk will provide constant comfort. If you have a fireplace, keep some on the mantle as an offering to the domestic goddess Vesta, she who keeps the home fire burning. When the scent has faded, burn it in your cast iron cauldron or a fireplace as an offering to her. Speak this invocation when making the offering:
Vesta, goddess of home and hearth,
Stand guard over this place I love.
Keep safe the ones I love.
This night, we breathe in peace.
These flowers are my offering to you.
So mote it be.
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!
The name simply means “rose-colored,” and the color is astounding. This stone looks as if it is lit from within. It is one of the newer crystals on the scene, coming from Russia and North America. Rhodochrosite is imminently appealing, with its stripes of pink and sometimes orange.
Rhodochrosite is a love stone that will enable anyone who believes they have never truly felt or experienced real love to find it. I heard and read about some people gleaning much good from it during the aftermath of September
11. It functions as a heart-chakra opener that brings compassion and expands consciousness. One fascinating legend associated with rhodochrosite is that it can connect you to your soul mate if used in meditation. This is a crystal that helps with the healing power of forgiveness. It also helps overcome irrationality and can prevent a mental breakdown. However, I think my favorite feature of rhodochrosite is that it overcomes a poor memory. So, this rose-colored beauty banishes forgetfulness and promotes forgiveness—what a nice combination! Healers also work with this stone for respiratory diseases. It has a warm energy that is very good for the body.
This striking stone is also invaluable for overcoming fear and paranoia (mental unease). Rhodochrosite abets a more positive worldview. One of the simplest and best aspects of this crystal is that it will help you to sleep more peacefully, shoving apprehension, worry, and woe out of your mind so you can heal body and soul. Your dreams will be positive, too. This is a remarkable stone for affirming the self, allowing absolute self-acceptance and self- forgiveness. Rhodochrosite brings together the spiritual plane and the material place. The crystal is important because it permits the heart to feel hurt and pain deeply, and this processing of emotions nurtures growth.
I am sure you will find this to be true: certain crystals can be true touchstones in your life and bring multitudinous benefits, both emotional and spiritual. Find a spot in your workspace or office where you can incorporate gemstones into your each and every day. My desk is where my crystals are placed, so I can see them often. This can be your special corner of the world where you can renew and connect with your spiritual center. Picking up and holding your touchstones can be one of the most soul-nourishing small acts of self-care you can do.
Here are different crystals to rock at work and what they will do for you:
Inspiration: amazonite, aventurine, carnelian, chrysolite, chrysoprase, citrine, green tourmaline, malachite, yellow fluorite
Love: amethyst, magnetite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz, twinned rock crystals
Abundance: bloodstone, carnelian, citrine, dendritic agate, diamond, garnet, hawk’s-eye, moss agate, peridot, ruby, tiger’s-eye, topaz, yellow sapphire
Intuition: amethyst, azurite, celestite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, selenite, smoky quartz, sodalite, star sapphire, yellow calcite
Protection: amber, apache tear, chalcedony, citrine, green calcite, jade, jet, smoky quartz
Self-belief: azurite, chalcedony, chrysocolla, green tourmaline, hematite, rutilated quartz, tiger’s-eye
Serenity: amber, aventurine, blue jade, dioptase, Herkimer diamond, jasper, kunzite, moonstone, onyx, peridot, quartz, rhodonite
Confidence: carnelian, obsidian, quartz, selenite, sodalite, topaz
Positive Energy: agate, aventurine, bloodstone, calcite, chalcedony, citrine, dioptase, emerald, garnet, orange calcite, ruby, topaz
Deep Wisdom: emerald, fluorite, Herkimer diamond, moldavite, serpentine, yellow calcite
To clear and purify your space and infuse it with as much of your personal energy as possible, perform a ritual sweeping with a favorite broom. I use a sweet-smelling cinnamon broom. These are actually made of pine straw coated with divine-smelling cinnamon oil and set aside to dry for three weeks. Many a grocery store sells them in the fall and holiday seasons. My favorites are the tiny Trader Joe’s whisk-brooms, which are adorable. These make lovely gifts and altar adornments. I ornament mine with cleansing crystals by taking a colored silk cord and stringing quartz beads on them or gluing them to the base of the handle. These gems and crystals are superb for space-clearing and purification:
Lepidolite should be called the letting-go stone. It’s like a fresh breeze coming into a room filled with stale air. In elixir form, it’s a wonderful way to deal with addictive behavior or to rid yourself of old patterns that no longer serve you or are potentially unhealthy. This uncommon mica, an ore of lithium, has only recently come onto the gem and mineral market. It is shiny and plate-like in appearance, usually occurring in a pretty, pearly pink or purple color. On occasion, it appears white, and, very rarely, it shows up in gray or yellow. This mineral occurs in Brazil, Russia, California, and a few spots throughout Africa. My favorite specimens are the single, large sheets of the lovely mica, which are called books and are an unforgettable violet.
Lepidolite is a great stone for getting a handle on anger issues. It soothes unresolved resentments, hatred, and frustrations. It is another mental stone and amplifies thoughts. Lepidolite is almost like a fairy stone in that it attracts positive energy, brightens spirits, and increases intuition. This is one powerful chakra healer, particularly for the heart and root chakras. One of the most important uses for this stone, albeit with great care, is for healing issues resulting from incest. Lepidolite is so powerful that it can be a tool for those dealing with manic depression.
Hematite shores up self-image and self-belief. It also transforms negative energy into positive. Hematite is considered to be yang, a more male energy. My favorite aspect of this shiny wonder is that it assists with both legal problems and astral projection. Hematite is a creativity crystal and a marvelous mental enhancer, increasing the ability to focus, concentrate, think with logic, and remember more clearly and completely. Hematite draws anxiety out of the body and creates calm. In addition to all of these aspects that project outward, hematite contributes to inner work: self-knowledge, deeper consciousness, and wisdom. Like the iron in the earth from which it is formed, hematite grounds. If you feel spacey or disconnected, you should wear hematite.
This fire element ritual might become a regular practice for you, as it is fortifying to your spirit and feels simply wonderful. Gather the following:
Take the large pillar candle, anoint it with bergamot essential oil, and charge it with positivity toward yourself. Scratch your own name into it and write: “I love [your name].”
Light the candle and say four times:
I love me. I love [your name].
Light the candle every night, and repeat this spell before bed and every morning when you arise. Your mood and sense of self will continue to grow in positivity.
As a healer, you will sometimes perform spells for those who are not present. You can set up another altar to represent the recipient of your magic or where you can have candles dedicated to the ailing one.
Begin by setting up two altar candles—one in the northeast and one in the northwest. Light them, then place three red candles on the east side of the altar and one orange candle on the west. The red candles stand for health and strength, while the orange candle lights the way for optimism and encouragement.
Light the orange candle and concentrate on attracting good health and good feeling for the sick. Next, light all three red candles and think of vitality and increasing the flow of energy while you recite:
Power of Light, Power of Love,
the fire burns and we heal.
If you are presenting your paintings to a curator or pitching your book to a publisher, you can wear a talisman of your own making to ensure a positive outcome. Many performers, athletes, and musicians have lucky pieces of clothing or some token that gives them the courage to put themselves forth in the best possible manner. I have lucky scarves that I have woven with golden thread and scented with my personally auspicious aroma of amber.
To maximize the power of the talisman, consider the following suggestions, which I have used to great success. Keep in mind that this will work even better if you place the item on your altar to imbue it with the right energy. On a new moon night, or at least seven days before you perform or present your work, place your lucky scarf, glove, sock, or kerchief on your altar. Now, here is where a bit of candle magic comes in. Light a green, red, or blue candle, depending on your intention. Green is for abundance, red is for fame, and blue is for creative vision. Burn the candle for one hour every evening. When the big day comes, you will be ready.
For a speech, presentation, performance, or show, wear a red scarf. If you are preparing for a potentially lucrative deal, you must wear green. If you are trying to empower someone to see and share in your creative vision, blue is the right hue for you.
Emerald is truly a heart stone, offering benefits on physical and emotional planes. I prefer emeralds above all other stones for engagement rings. This is your ultimate gem for happiness in a relationship. In fact, emerald has been called the stone of successful love and can engender utter felicity, total loyalty, and domestic bliss in a willing couple. The emerald is at its most powerful if worn as a pinkie—or ring—finger ornament or in a bracelet on the right wrist. But wearers, be warned! Do not wear emerald at all times or its super-positive force starts to reverse. A little emerald luck goes a long way.
