Power Wand

Prosperity and purification go hand in hand. One of the greatest tools for purification, sage, can be found growing wild by most roadsides and in many meadows. While every metaphysical store has it in quantity, I highly recommend growing and harvesting it yourself. Aromatic sage dries quickly and can effortlessly be bound into thick “smudge sticks” which you should keep at the ready in a fireproof clay dish.

To make a smudge stick, take dried sage leaves and bind them with green and gold thread, wound nine times around the bundles, and knot at each loop. Leave room for a “handle” at the base of the wand.

Know the green and gold threads thrice more. This will honor the muses and please the fates that hold the thread of all our lives in their hands.

Use your smudge stick any time a purification is in order, especially if you’ve moved, started a new job, bought a new car, or purchased any “recycled” clothing or furniture. This will help remove any energy that might be clinging from the previous owner.

Light your smudge stick and, moving clockwise, circle the areas or items to be purified.

Speak aloud:

Great spirit, with this smoke, your blessed protection I invoke. Out with the bad, in with the good. With harm to none.

Your Personal Pot of Gold

Cauldron magic is less about the eye of a newt than it is about purification by water and pungently perfumed herbs. For a money-attraction brew, fill a big pot with fresh water and place it on your altar during the waxing moon. Place an offering bowl nearby filled with a tablespoon of honey mixed into a cup of milk. Toss a dry palmful of chamomile, woodruff, moss, and vervain into the cauldron.

Head uplifted, utter:

I call upon you, Gods and Goddesses of old,

To fill my purse with gold.

In return, I offer you honey’s gold and mother’s milk.

With harm to none and blessings to thee,

I honor you for bringing me health and prosperity.

Place the bowl outside as your offering and leave it overnight. Whatever the ancients have left behind, pour it into the ground and bow in gratitude for the generosity of the Gods towards you.

Here's a sweet bit of alchemy available to all, handed down from medieval times. Wise women of old taught their children to watch for falling leaves. To catch one in midair is the best kind of luck, direct from Mother Earth herself. Carry it with you for a season and you will be kept safe from harm and receive unseen rewards. If you are especially blessed and catch more than one falling leaf, share it with the one closest to you. You will be bound by both love and fortune.

Magic Metals: Copper

This is the metal most consciously worn as a healer, as evidenced by the many copper bracelets you see on wrists. If worn on the left side of the body, copper is thought to have the power to actually prevent sickness. The latest fad I’ve noticed has golfers embracing copper to help strengthen their wrists to improve their swings. Healers place their faith in copper’s power to heal the body and mind based on its power as a conductor. Copper supports and reinforces the mineral content of gems and crystals so they interact better with your body. One school of thought propounds the belief that a crystal wand wound with copper is super-powered. You will notice that some of the healing rocks discussed in this book have copper as a trace element, which greatly amps up their power. Some of these copper-ore gemstones are azurite, chrysocolla, malachite, and turquoise. Copper reacts best with stones containing a lot of metal and reacts very little with stones that lack metal ore in their makeup. Tiger’s-eye, aventurine, rhodonite, and mica are metal-rich stones whose energies combine beautifully with copper. Do not place most crystalline stones in copper; the same holds true with pearls and coral. Amethyst is one of the only crystalline stones that will work well with copper. Copper also cooperates with gold and silver, and a multi-metal bracelet with the right stone is a powerful piece for healing!

Copper is found around the world and has been utilized since ancient times for tools, for decoration, and for jewelry. It has played a significant role in the cultures of the Greeks and Romans, Native Americans, Egyptians, and peoples in India, China, and Japan. Copper, which is ruled by Venus, was believed to be able to protect against evil and is said to attract love, especially if set with emeralds. The Egyptians relied upon copper for the ritual of burying the dead. Copper is deeply ingrained in our human history for its use as sacred knives, candleholders in early churches, Asian prayer diagrams, purification vessels, and countless other holy instruments.

This metal stimulates the flow of energy throughout the body and also the mind. Anyone who suffers from lethargy should wear copper to get out of his or her rut. That reminds me—where are my copper bracelet and wand? Copper is believed to be a helpmate to the body’s blood, soft tissue, immune system, metabolism, and mucous membranes. It has also been credited with being a purifier, lending feelings of freedom and possibility, and having positive effects on self- esteem, communication skills, and confidence levels. Even better, it is known as a lucky metal, and you’ll be twice as lucky if you combine it with cat’s-eye, coral, opal, or Apache tear. Quite frankly, who could ask for anything more?

Mystical Crystal DIY: Sweeping Change

To purify your home, you need this special broom. A home purification is handy for clearing away bad energy after a squabble with your loved one, a bout of the blues, or just about any upset you need to get out of your personal space. I would go so far as to suggest that you sweep the negative energy outside every morning in your life. Bear in mind, this is not white glove-type cleaning; it is a symbolic act that is quite effective in maintaining your home as a personal sanctuary.

You can make your own purification broom from straw bound together and attached to a fallen tree branch, or you can add mojo to a store-bought broom. Wrap copper wire around your broom or use it to bind the straw to the stick, as Venus-ruled copper lends an aura of beauty and keeps negativity at bay. Attach crystals to the handle with glue to boost your broom. Recommend crystals for space clearing and purification are:

• Amber for cheeriness;
  
• Blue lace agate for tranquility; 
• Coral for well-being;
• Jet for absorption of bad energy;
• Onyx for protection;
• Petrified wood for security;
• Tiger’s-eye for protecting your psyche from energy draining powers; and
• Turquoise for relaxation and calmness.

Diwali Ritual to Release Old Resentments and Welcome in the New Light of Hope

Diwali offers us the opportunity to vanquish our own demons and start anew. The symbols of light and sweetness are used here to represent the intention to replace resentment and bitterness with hope and the balm of healing and positive energy. Essential elements of this ritual are plenty of candles, a new piece of clothing (such as a scarf) or a new item of jewelry, and a plate of sweet cakes, confections, or candy.

Light as many candles as you can in the room where you are performing this ritual. Create a circle of candles, and create sacred space by having a symbol of each element in your circle: a dish of salt or earth, a cup of water, incense, and a candle. Sit lotus-style in the center of your circle and relax in the flickering candlelight, feeling the center of your circle. Feel the presence of the four elements and the balance they create. Notice how warm and alive the room feels. Notice how the gentle, flickering candlelight makes you feel safe. Now think back to all the difficult situations you have experienced over the past year, including the people who have angered or hurt you. Imagine them surrounded by the warm, loving candlelight, and say to each of them, one by one:

    I release you. May the lights of Diwali bless you.

As you release each person or situation, visualize their image melting into the candlelight. While the image fades from your mind’s eye, place a bite of the cake or confection in tour mouth. Allow the treat to dissolve, spreading its sweetness across your tongue. Visualize and feel that sweetness spreading through you, counteracting any of the traces of pain or bitterness that might remain. This is the sweetness that your new life holds, untainted by these bitter demons that have held you back. When you have finished releasing your demons to the light, purify the new piece of clothing or item of jewelry by passing it through the smoke of the incense. Put on your new piece of jewelry of clothing, saying:

    With this act, I declare the past gone, and I see the future bright with hope.

Stay within your circle of light as long as you desire. Leave some of the cake or sweets as an offering to the gods in thanks for your new life.

February 2nd Ritual for Candlemas

Candlemas, the highest point of spiritual power between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, is also known as Imbolc, Brigid’s Day, and the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. Many Wiccans use this sabbat (holy day) as the special day to initiate new witches. Brigid, the Celtic goddess and saint honored on this day, is connected with both the elements of fire and water, both powerful powers of purification.

Essential elements for this Candlemas ritual are a cauldron, white candles, a bough of cedar, a small bough of pine, a small bough of juniper, a small bough of holly, incense, red cotton thread or yarn, a stone for an altar, and a bowl of water.

The leader of the circle should purify the circle with the fire of the incense while invoking the four directions to raise power. Place your altar stone north of the circle, and place white candles on and around the altar. Cast the circle:

Face east and say:

    Welcome, Guardians of the East, bringing your fresh winds, the breath of life.

    Come to the Circle on Candlemas.

Face south and say:

    Welcome, Guardians of the South, bringing us heat and health.

    Come to the circle on Candlemas.

Face west and say:

    Welcome, Guardians of the West, bringing the setting sun and nourishing gentle rains.

    Come to the circle on Candlemas.

Face north and say:

    Welcome, Guardians of the North, bringing life-bringing rains and snow.

    Come to the circle on Candlemas.

While meditating on the concept of purification, make a bouquet of the four branches and wrap it near the bottom with the red cord. The red symbolizes Brigid’s fiery aspect, while the four trees stand for purification. Bow with it to each of the four directions. Bow last to the north, over the altar stone, and say:

    Bright Brigid,

    Sweep clean our homes and spirits on this sacred day.

    Purify our souls of the dullness of winter, and help us prepare for

    the light of summer.

    Brigid of the white hands, Brigid of the golden curls,

    Bless us all. So mote it be.

All respond:

    So mote it be!

The ritual leader dips the tips of the branches in the water and sprinkles the circle and each participant, saying:

    Blessed Brigid, may your water heal us and make us whole.

Leave the bouquet on the altar stone as an offering to Brigid.

Let Your Imagination Prosper: A Spell to Dissolve Creative Blocks

Is something getting in your way? Do you feel stalled out and overcome with procrastination? To overcome any blocks obstructing your creativity and productivity, you can dispel the negative energy by going for a walk in the nearest park. Find a round, flat rock, six to ten inches wide. This will become an altar supplied directly to you by Mother Nature, and it will have the purest energy. Begin by charging this stone on the full moon at your home altar. Light a white candle for purification, and then place your hand on the stone and chant three times:

    Obstacles, take flight!

    Goddess of Night, shine bright.

    Moon of tonight, you give us delight.

    Fill this stone with your light,

    imbue it with all your magic and might,

    surround it with your protective sight.

    So mote it be.

Ideally, you’ll want to perform this spell three times on three consecutive full moons before you begin drawing upon its energy. Like your altar, your stone will be a reservoir you can turn to any time you feel stuck or uninspired. This rock will emanate a quiet power you can draw from whenever you need.

Roadside Wisdom

 

Prosperity and purification go hand in hand. One of the greatest tools for purification is sage. While every metaphysical store has it in quantity, I highly recommend gathering or growing sage yourself. Aromatic sage dries quickly and can be bound into thick “smudge sticks,” which you should keep at the ready in a fireproof clay dish. To make a smudge stick, take dried sage leaves and bind them with green and gold thread wound nine times around the bundles and knotted at each loop. Leave room for a handle at the base of the wand, where you wind and knot the green and gold threads thrice more. This will honor the three Fates who hold the thread of our destiny in their hands: Clotho spins the thread of life; Lachesis chooses its length and outcome; and Atropos cuts the thread.

Use your smudge stick at any time purification is in order, especially if you’ve moved, started a new job, bought a new car, or purchased any second-hand clothing or furniture. This will help remove any energy that might be clinging from the previous owner. Light your smudge stick and, moving clockwise, circle the area or items to be purified. Speak aloud: 

Great Spirit, with this smoke, your blessed protection I invoke. Out with the bad, in with the good. Harm to none and blessings to all.

As you travel through your life, you will acquire many sacred things, items which call to you and form part of your ritual equipment. By honoring those found items, you honor also your voyage, and Nature herself. Value these sacred things; they serve as your connection to your past, and your travels. The destination is often less important than the journey itself. The journey is the adventure that enables you to grow and gain in wisdom. Creating amulets and talismans and designing your own rituals are unique ways to fully experience your journey through life.

Preparation Rituals

Tibetan monks perform fairly intricate rituals prior to the construction of the mandala. They create sacred space with rites of purification, and bless the site where the mandala was made. Even the materials such as brushes, funnels, and sand receive blessings. Meditations upon the Buddha and other deities take place as the monks invite them to inhabit the mandala.

Mandala Designs

If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can create the Kalachkara Tantra, or the “Wheel of Time,” which is the sand mandala the Tibetan monks created in San Francisco. This mandala is an example of the Buddha’s teachings that the Dalai Lama now shares with the Western world. However, you might not have days to devote to this ritual, and so you can design your own mandala instead. Other designs for mandalas include:

Sun: Its rays are a representation of light, energy, and life. A sun mandala will represent the positive and celebrate your life, the spark and flame of existence.

Moon: In all its phases, the moon represents the feminine and female power. Moon mandalas are wonderful for women to create in celebration of their own femininity and of womanpower throughout time. Any goddess mandala can include the symbol of the moon.

Heart: A universal symbol of love, this sweet design would make an excellent blessing to a romantic relationship or a gift to loved ones.

Triangle: It represents the Christian Holy Trinity and also Egyptian spirituality and wisdom.

Downward-Pointing Triangle: It represents the “yoni yantra” and signifies the female, the element of water, and also signifies the mother and the ability to create. A mandala blessing for an expectant mother should include the downward-pointing triangle. Water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces would do well to honor themselves with this design.

Double Triangle or Hexagram: In tantra, this represents all of creation, the conjunction of male and female energies. The concept of infinity is also represented by this symbol. A relationship mandala, especially in the sensual realm, will work well with double triangles. If you want to connect to the great universe, the symbol of infinity is essential. This symbol is ideal for creativity mandalas. In India, the double triangle indicates Kali in union with Shiva, and it is also the symbol for the heart chakra. If you want to create a mandala for blessing a relationship or to open your heart, the hexagram is an excellent choice. Combining the heart symbol and hexagram would be a powerful love mandala.

Pentagram: Other names for the pentagram include the Wizard’s Star, the Druid’s Foot, the Witch’s Cross, and the Star of Bethlehem. Wiccans have claimed the pentagram as their insignia. If you want to do a mandala for healing the earth, the pentagram will accomplish this quite nicely.

Square or Quadrangle: It is the sign of the four directions, and also the four elements and the four seasons. The square of the day also indicates the four significant times of day—sunrise, noonday, sunset, midnight. For the ancient Hindus, the square stood for order in the universe. You can use a square to invoke the four directions in this way, to honor the elements of air, earth, fire, and water, and also to mark sacred time for prayer and meditation.

Octagon or Double Square: With its eight points, this is another symbol for divine order and unification It is a good symbol for peace on earth. Essentially an eight-pointed star, the octagon is a symbol for rebirth and renewal and the wheel of the year. The octagon is believed to have magical powers, as does the pentacle or pentagram, when drawn in one line. In this case, they are believed to indicate sacred space. An octagon is a very good symbol to include in a mandala when you are embarking on a new phase of your life—a new home, job, relationship, a “new you”—that can be blessed in this manner.

Knotwork and the “Knot of Eternity”: These are lovely symbols of unity. In Buddhist tradition, knotwork represents contemplation and meditation. Celtic knotwork symbolizes the eternal flow of energy and life.

Lotus: This flower represents beauty, creation, renewal, and in Buddhism, the search for enlightenment. If the lotus has twelve petals, it represents the energy of the sun. If it has sixteen petals, it is the symbol for the moon. The most spiritual mandalas will likely contain the image of the lotus.

If you don’t have access to a Tibetan temple space, you can create a sacred temple space in your own home. Ideally, your windows allow sacred light to fall upon the design. This is an artistic endeavor; you are making sacred art. If you do your best work at night, be sure to have adequate lighting. It is also a good idea to reduce the possibilities of distractions and interruptions. It is strongly suggested to turn off phones and television, to create as peaceful an environment as possible. 

Bless the space in a fashion of your own choosing. Tibetan monks always use Tibetan incense and have images of Buddha to venerate his memory and teachings. 

Banishing Creative Blocks: Nature as Altar

To overcome any blocks of fear obstructing your creative output, you can dispel the negative energy by going for a walk in the nearest park. Find a round, flat rock, six to ten inches wide. This will become an altar supplied directly to you by Mother Nature, and it will have the purest energy. Begin by charging this stone on the full moon at your home altar. Light a white candle for purification, and then place your hand on the stone and chant three times:

Goddess of Night, moon of tonight,
Fill this stone with your light,
Imbue it with all your magic and might,
Surround it with your protective sight.
So mote it be.

Ideally, you’ll want to perform this spell three times on three consecutive full moons before you begin drawing upon its energy. Like your altar, your stone will be a reservoir you can turn to any time you feel stuck or uninspired. Make a pilgrimage to it when you require creative rejuvenation. 

Altar Herbs

Refer to this list whenever you are setting up your altar and setting your intention for ritual work. It is a concise guide to the enchanted realm of herbs, essences, plants and plant properties.

• Benzoin can be used for purification, prosperity, work success, mental acuity, and memory.
• Camphor can be used for healing, divining the future, curbing excess, especially romantic obsessions, and a surfeit of sexuality.
• Cinnamon refreshes and directs spirituality. It is also a protection herb and handy for healing, money, love, lust, personal power, and success with work and creative projects.
• Clove is good for bringing money to you, for protection, for your love life, and for helping evade and deter negative energies.
• Copal should be used for love and purification.
• Frankincense is another spiritual essence that purifies and protects.
• Lavender is a plant for happiness, peace, true love, long life, chastity, and is an excellent purifier that aids with sleep.
• Myrrh has been considered since ancient times to be deeply sacred. It aids personal spirituality, heals and protects, and can help ward off negative spirits and energies.
• Nutmeg is a lucky herb that promotes good health and prosperity and encourages fidelity.
• Patchouli stimulates and grounds while engendering both sensuality and fertility. It also supports personal wealth and security.
• Peppermint is an herb of purification, healing, and love. It supports relaxation and sleep as it helps to increase psychic powers.
• Rosemary is good for purification, protection, healing, relaxation, and intelligence. It attracts love and sensuality, helps with memory, and can keep you youthful.
• Sage brings wisdom, purification, protection, health, and a long life. It can help make your wishes come true.
• Sandalwood is a mystical, healing, protecting essence that helps attract the objects of your hopes and desires and dispenses negative energies and spirits.
• Star Anise is a lucky herb that aids divination and psychism.
• Tonka Bean brings courage and draws love and money.
• Vanilla brings love and enriches your mental capacity.
• Wood Aloe is good for dressing or anointing talismans and amulets you want to use for protection.

Healing Altar: Crafting Well-Being

 Creating a healing altar will safeguard your physical health and that of your loved ones. Your altar is your sacred workspace. It is charged with your personal power. Set up your healing altar facing north, the direction associated with the energy of manifestation. North is also the direction of the hour of midnight, the “witching hour,” and an altar set up facing north at midnight promises potent magic.

To ensure healthful beginnings, find a pure white square of fabric to drape over your altar to make a tabula rasa, or altar equivalent to a blank slate. Take two green candles and place them in green glass holders or votive glasses and position them in the two farthest corners of the altar. Place your incense burner in the center between the two candles and light the incense. Sandalwood, cinnamon, camphor, and frankincense are all powerful purification incenses that are perfect for the creation of a healing altar. Burn one or all of these purification essences to consecrate the space. Adorn your altar with objects that symbolize healing energy to you. You may perhaps choose a candleholder carved from a chunk of amethyst crystal, which contains healing properties; an abalone shell with the iridescent magic of the oceans; a sweet-smelling bundle of sage; a small citrus plant bursting with the restorative power of vitamins; or a bowl of curative salts from the sea.

These symbolic items, and any others that you select, will energize your altar with the magic that lives inside you. It is also important that the altar be pleasing to your eye and makes you feel good when you look at it so that you want to spend time there each and every day. After you have been performing rituals there for a while, a positive healing energy field will radiate from your altar.

Making the Tools of the Magical Trade Part II

Swords and Knives

Swords were used before gunpowder as the weapon of choice for warriors. The concept of a sword to us is that it is wielded within the spirit world to keep bad energy and negativity at bay. With sword in hand, you are the master or mistress of your domain, and you rule your circle of magic with your spiritual weapon. You can make your own sword, or athame. Purchase the metalwork from a New Age store or from a sword specialist. Find crystals that represent what you want your sword to do and affix them to the sword. If your athame already has crystals on it, you can charge them with your energy.

Cauldrons

Iron kettles typically serve as cauldrons. You can make your own symbolic cauldron out of any bowl-shaped object, including large stones or crystal geodes.

Magic Cord

A magic cord is a rope that binds you to magic. Ideally, your nine-foot-long magic cord should be made from strands of red (the color of life) wool, or ribbon, braided and tied into a loop at one end to signify feminine energy, and left loose at the other end to represent male energy. If you are braiding your own magic cord, start your braid with three strands that are fourteen feet long to achieve the nine-foot-long cord. To compound the magical quality of your cord, weave crystal beads into the strands. I recommend using clear quartz crystal beads because they are energy amplifiers. Other meaningful crystals you might want to include are citrine for grounding, amethyst for improved intuition and psychic ability, blue lapis for creativity, rose quartz for love, and jade for prosperity and success in work.

Magic Bottles

Spell bottles, or magic bottles, have been around since the 1600s and were often filled with hair, nails, urine, or blood. Now, they are used to empower us and they also serve a more decorative purpose. Though their popularity has waned since the Elizabethan age when they were known as “witch bottles,” they are still used for a variety of intentions. You can customize your own spell bottle with crystal stoppers. Put one in the garden to help keep your plants healthy. A spell bottle on the mantel will protect your home. One next to your bed will bring love and happiness. A bottle in the kitchen will guard good health. Spell bottles are used for protection primarily, but you can also put symbols of your dreams and desires in them: cinnamon for the spirit of life, a rose petal for peace, or rosemary for remembrance. Make your own magic bottle by filling it with symbolic objects and inscribing the sigil of your choice into the lid or cork top.

For a peaceful and secure home, gather a teaspoon of soil from outside of your house and put it in a bottle with some smoky topaz or brown jasper. Put the bottle into a potted plant near the entrance of your home, and think about the sanctity of your home every time you water the plant. As your plant grows, so will the tranquility of your residence.

A bottle with a rosebud or rose petal, rose essential oil, and rose quartz next to your bedside will help with love. For six days, take oil from the bottle and burn it in a pink candle. On the seventh day your romantic prospects will brighten.

For luck with money, place three pennies and some pyrite or jade in a bottle and put it near your workplace. Whenever you think about your finances, shake the magic bottle and your fortune should improve in three days.

Purification Broom

A purification broom can be used to purify any space, usually a home space. You can use a home purification broom to clear away bad energy after a fight with a loved one, or if you are feeling blue and want to sweep away the sad feelings. Rid negative energy from your personal space with your broom. You can even sweep the “blahs” out every morning to freshen your surroundings. This makes room for good energy you want to bring into your life. You don’t need to clean intensely—just symbolically sweep to maintain your home as a personal sanctuary.

You can make your own purification broom. A broom purchased from a craft fair or broom-maker will serve you fine, as long as you add energy to it. Or, you can bind straw to a fallen tree branch and create your own. Use copper wire to attach the straw to the stick. Copper is associated with Venus, and this will lend an aura of beauty as you brush away negativity. Attach crystals to the handle or to the wire for further energy. 

Personal Pilgrimage—How to Walk the Labyrinth

The labyrinth represented wholeness to the ancients, combining the circle and the spiral in one archetypal image. The labyrinth is unicursal, meaning there is only one path in and one path out. Put simply, it is a journey into the self, into your own center, and back into the world again. As a prayer and meditation tool, labyrinths are peerless; they awaken intuition.

Do your best to relax before you enter. Deep breaths will help a great deal. If you have a specific question in mind, think it or whisper it to yourself. You will meet others on the pilgrim’s path as you are walking; simply step aside and let them continue on their journey as you do the same. The three stages of the labyrinth walk are as follows:

Purification: Here is where you free your mind of all worldly concerns. It is a release, a letting go. Still your mind and open your heart. Shed worries and emotion as you step out on the path.

Illumination: When you have come to the center, you are in the place of illumination. Here, you should stay as long as you feel the need to pray and meditate. In this quiet center, the heart of the labyrinth, you will receive messages from the Divine or from your own higher power. Illumination can also come from deep inside yourself.

Union: This last phase is where you will experience union with the Divine. Lauren Artress says that as you “walk the labyrinth, you become more empowered to find and do the work you feel your soul requires.”

Walking Meditation

This is the simplest of rituals you can do every day of your life. As you walk, take the time to look and really see what is in your path. For example, my friend Eileen takes a bag with her and picks up every piece of garbage in her path. She does this as an act of love for the earth. During the ten years I have known her, she has probably turned a mountain of litter into recycled glass, paper, and plastic. Goddess bless! This is one type of walking meditation. This very simple daily ritual honors the earth and helps preserve life for all beings.

Body Purification Ritual Rub

Since the time of the ancients in the Mediterranean and in Mesopotamia, salts from the sea combined with soothing oils have been used to purify the body by way of gentle ritual rubs. From Bathsheba to Cleopatra, these natural salts have been used to smooth the skin and enhance circulation, which is vital to overall body health as the skin is the single largest organ. Salts from the Dead Sea have long been a popular export and are readily available at most health food stores. You can make your own salts, however, and not only control the quality and customize the scent, but save money, too. The definitive benefits that is far and above cost saving is that you can imbue the concoction with your intention, which is absolutely imperative when you are performing rites of self-healing. Cook up your own “kitchen cupboard cure.

Lavender and Mint Energy Cleanser: Clearing Vibrational Clutter

In order to do any ritual work, you must first clear the clutter that can create blocks. Banish the old, bad energy from your house by following this spell. Make your energy-clearing tea by bringing four cups of water to a full rolling boil; remove from heat and add in four sprigs of fresh lavender and four sprigs of fresh mint. If it is winter and there is no access to fresh herbs, one tablespoon each of dried lavender and dried mint will do nicely. Steep the herbal tea covered for at least four minutes or as long as ten minutes if there is a lot of energetic clutter. Once it cools, dip your finger in the tea and sprinkle it throughout your home. If you feel the need to clear out any remaining clouds of psychic clutter, add diluted lavender mint tea water to your cleanser when you wash floors or surfaces. The scent of calm and clarity will lift the spirits of all who enter your space.

Herbal Clutter Busters

Sweetgrass: Native Americans have burned braided sheaves of sweetgrass for centuries. It is so scentful, it can even be wafted around as a wand to clear “energy without lighting it. Native folks also brew a tea from it to use as an astringent body and hair rinse; you can do this by steeping a tablespoon of the dried chopped sweetgrass for five minutes in a standard teapot or two cups of boiling water. It is also used as an adornment either woven into braids or as a crown. They go by the philosophy that “strong hair means a strong mind.” This power herb cleanses both body, soul, and your home, but its highest use is for rituals when you burn it to call forth the ancestors and send away anything unwanted.

Copal: Mexican and South American tribal healers and modern shamans gather this tree resin to employ as ceremonial incense throughout the year. You can still smell the sweetly pungent smoke of copal on the Day of the Dead as it helps us connect with our ancestors and loved ones who passed to the other side. While burning it is part of the ritual, it is also believed by shamans and healers to help tap into the spiritual realm. Copal also has the power to bring about total relaxation. As with other resins, burn it on a small disc of incense charcoal, which can be acquired at your local spiritual supply shop or botanica.

Palo Santo: This dried wood plays an important role in South American cultures, where it is burned to clear spaces of bad energy. It also activates a higher power in those who use it. Smelling the scent of Palo Santo clears out psychic clutter and purifies both you and your environment. It is said it literally burns away negative thoughts in your mind, a deeply powerful experience.

Charoite—Russian Rarity

It is a testimony to the earth that we are still discovering new crystals and gems. Charoite is a fairly recent discovery in the West, which became aware of its existence in 1978, although the Russians unearthed it in 1947 in the Chara River valley in central Siberia. Indeed, the wavy patterning of this purple stone rather resembles a running river. Charoite is found exclusively in the part of Russia at the northern tip of Lake Baikal. Charoite is an intense purple. Since this is such a relatively recent discovery, we are still learning a lot about charoite, but what we know now is that it is a stone of cleansing and purification. It is also rapidly gaining a reputation as a stone of deep transformation. Charoite is being used for chakra healing, uniting the crown and heart chakras. An aura purifier, charoite grounds and integrates. It may be helpful for treating general aches and pains and issues relating to the heart, liver, eyes, and pancreas. This beautiful purple crystal can create the proper atmosphere for unconditional love. To use charoite effectively, you should place it over your heart.

Quartz

Entire books could be, and doubtless have been, written about quartz, which is actually an entire family of stones. Quartz is made up mostly of silicon dioxide, making it the salt of the earth. Crystals of quartz can be found in every imaginable shape and shade and quite often even have other minerals encased inside them. Quartz is one crystal embraced by the scientific community and is used in a lot of technology and the manufacturing of products from computers to clocks to power tools. Rock crystal, or white quartz, is commonly available and is a truly terrific healer. Light passes through this stone quite easily, making it a balancer and purifier.

Rock crystal has the amazing ability to vibrate with all of the colors of the spectrum and all frequencies, so it can be healing to all seven chakras. Rock crystal will also facilitate personal growth by amplifying whatever energy is already there. Any problems that need to be worked out will present themselves for fixing. Rock crystal clears away blockages that lead to health problems, as well.

Rock crystal is really great for meditation and can guide you on your quest for greater enlightenment. This rock will help you tune into your own vibration and help exclude any interference, so you can reach a deep level of consciousness.

The following stones are members of the quartz family, and many are explained in their own sections of this descriptionary: agate, amethyst, aventurine, basanite, bloodstone, blue quartz, carnelian, cat’s-eye, chalcedony, chrysoprase, citrine, dendritic agate, flint, fossilized wood, hawk’s-eye, jasper, moss agate, onyx, opal, rose quartz, rutilated quartz, sard, smoky quartz, tiger’s-eye.

Thrice-Blessed Crystals

You can perform a blessing on a single stone and keep it with you at all times. I keep an amethyst crystal chunk on my bed stand and another one that is a candleholder in my office. As a Pisces, I want my birthstone energy with me for strength, stability, and a love connection with the universe.

Choose a crystal to become your touchstone. Begin charging your crystal on your altar during a full moon. Light a white candle for purification and then place your hands on the stone. Chant thrice:

“Goddess of Night, moon of this night,
Fill my stone with your white light.
Instill this stone with your magic and might;
Surround it with your loving sight.
So mote it be.”

Perform this spell three nights in a row. Then you can begin to draw energy from it. Your sanctified stone will be a source of strength, wisdom, and love you can turn to whenever you are down and in need of a boost. And, best of all, you can take it with you!

Sweep the Negative Right Out of Your Life- Purification Broom

To purify your home, you need this special broom. A home purification is handy for clearing away bad energy after a squabble with your loved one, a bout of the blues, or just about any upset you need to get out of your personal space. I would go so far as to suggest that you sweep the negative energy outside every morning in your life. Bear in mind, this is not white glove-type cleaning; it is a symbolic act that is quite effective in maintaining your home as a personal sanctuary.

You can make your own purification broom from straw bound together and attached to a fallen tree branch, or you can add mojo to a store-bought broom. Wrap copper wire around your broom or use it to bind the straw to the stick, as Venus-ruled copper lends an aura of beauty and keeps negativity at bay. Attach crystals to the handle with glue to boost your broom. Recommend crystals for space clearing and purification are:

Amber for cheeriness

Blue lace agate for tranquility

Coral for well-being

Jet for absorption of bad energy

Onyx for protection

Petrified wood for security

Tiger’s-eye for protecting your psyche from energy draining powers

Turquoise for relaxation and calmness