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.

Saturday Spell for Contacting Spirits

Outside of the witchy world, it is not well known that Saturday is the optimal day for contacting those who have passed from this realm to the next. When Samhain, to mark the end of the harvest season, falls on a Saturday, it gives a big boost to our ability to make contact through the veil between the worlds. After nightfall, you can speak to lost loved ones or others with whom you desire contact.

Gather together

    * an amethyst of the deepest, darkest purple, obsidian, and/or rainbow moonstone (see spell)

    * your Book of Shadows and a pen

    * strong-smelling incense, such as frankincense, nag champa, or sandalwood

    * a fireproof clay or glass dish

    * sage for smudging

You can either use one of each of the three crystals, or three of the same kind of crystal. Sit in a comfortable position on the floor or on a pillow with your Book of Shadows and pen nearby. I learned from High Priestess Z. Budapest that “the dead love incense, the stronger the better and it will call them to you.” Light the incense in the fireproof dish and pass the crystals through the smoke. Then touch your third eye with one of the crystals for a moment and picture the person you want to contact. Place that crystal by the dish of sweet-smelling smoky incense. Take the other two crystals in your hand and speak this spell aloud:

    Great Goddess, I call ___ [speak the name of the spirit] forth now.

    From this side, to you, will I bow.

    Words of wisdom, we need here and now.

    Peace and love is here, I vow.

    With harm to none, Blessed be thou.

Now pass your Book of Shadows through the incense smoke and start writing down the messages. Whatever comes into your mind is what you are meant to know. After a few moments, thank the spirit and say goodbye, directing it back to its side of the veil. Extinguish the incense and light the sage and give a very good smudging to the area. Place your Book of Shadows on your altar and consider the message this generous spirit has given you.

Making Relationships Sacred: Loved-one Shrine

This sacred space is dedicated to the special people in your life: friends, family, and your partner. Your shrine can be a low table or even a shelf and provides a place to put gifts you have received from your loved ones, which might include crystals, jewelry, art, and lovely objects along with all their photos in frames. Every time I see my own special Loved-one Shrine, I smile. It fills my heart with love. 

Gather together

    * sage for smudging

    * a pink cloth or scarf

    * 2 pink candles and 2 white candles

    * a small rose quartz and fluorite crystals

    * a vase of fresh cut flowers of your choice (daisies, for example)

To set up your shrine, purify the space by lighting the sage bundle and letting the smoke waft around the area. 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 sacred space with the scarf or cloth, and place the candles in each of the four corners. (Pink is the color of affection and white represents purity.) Place the crystals around the vase of fresh flowers—whichever ones connote fun and friendship to you. Then add gifts or other trinkets that remind you of your loved one.

Light the candles, kneel before your newly created shine and say:

    I light the fire of loyalty

    The heat of heart and the flame of love and 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.

Twenty-Two Healing Herbs: Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet Part III

Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis)

While it may seem like this is another “candy as medicine,” marshmallow is a time-tested plant long employed in field medicine rather than a sugary pillow. It is highly valued as it contains a lot of mucilage, the same substance which coats our mouth and throat as well as the stomach and gut. Minced fresh, dried root, or the leaves are equally healing in quarter cup quantities; an infusion of the leaves may be drunk after it has steeped for four hours covered. Strain out the stems and drink hot, cool, sweetened, or however you like this gentle herb. If you choose marshmallow root, simmer low covered for twenty minutes, then let cool; the brew may be taken at any temperature you prefer.

Milk Thistle (Silybum manianum)

Healers love milk thistle for its ability to protect the liver from toxins, harsh medicines, alcohol, and unseen environmental pollutants. It can be obtained as either an extract or in standardized capsules at any health food store or upscale grocery or pharmacy. There is some evidence it can also help heal the kidneys. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, find a source of organic milk thistle seed, then thoroughly clean out a coffee grinder as the seeds must be broken open in order to be bioavailable via digestion. The milk thistle seeds need not be ground to powder; instead, grind them small enough that when sprinkled on a soup, stew, or salad it isn’t too chewy—their taste is pleasant. A tablespoon or two a day can be a real lifesaver!

Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus)

Here is an herbalist’s favorite for healing any respiratory ailment involving congestion, coughs, sore throats, and supporting lung function and clear breathing. Take one heaping tablespoon of the leaves and steep in one cup of boiling water covered for no more than ten minutes. Once you take mullein as a tea, you’ll feel better soon. Mullein flowers infused in oil are also used to aid earaches.

Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Nettle has been used as a healer for untold centuries; it relieves allergies, it is an immune booster, and it can even help with a distended prostate. It is also a superfood and beloved for its nutrients. If you are working with fresh nettles, wear gloves to avoid the stinging. Cooking or drying removes any irritant. Any herb or health food store will have dried nettle both in bulk and capsule form. Make nettle tea by steeping two teaspoons of leaves for ten minutes covered or take the capsules in recommended doses of 300 to 500 mg twice a day.

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

We know sage is great for as a smudge or incense for clearing spaces as well as a savory for soups, roasts, dressing, stews, and much more, but it is also a highly regarded treatment at European spas for sweating, menopause, hot flashes, night sweats and accompanying discomfort. It is also an excellent remedy for colds, coughs, and sore throats. Simply make sage tea with one teaspoon of the dried leaves which you can drink or gargle to amend a sore throat.

Note: Pregnant women should not use this.

Slippery Elm Bark (Ulmus rubra)

Slippery Elm Bark has even been approved by the FDA as a remedy for the irritation of sore throats and other sighs of an impending cold, including coughs. This herbal can also help with stomach upset and help with heartburn. A powdered version of the bark can easily be obtained at any health food store or upscale greengrocer, which can be made into a tea; use one to two teaspoons of the powdered bark, and you can drink it twice a day.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

This is one of the most relied-upon of all herbal treatments for mild to moderate depression, PMS, perimenopause symptoms, and general immune and mood boosting, It is so popular now that you can find the extract in capsules at most pharmacies, grocers, herbal supply stores, and the like. Take three to six hundred milligrams per day to brighten your days. You can also find St. John’s Wort as a tincture if you prefer a liquid extract.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Thyme has so much to offer, including relief for colds, coughs, and congestion; above all, it is an antimicrobial and antispasmodic. One cup of tea made from a teaspoon of dried thyme leaves steeped in boiling water will bring much healing energy to you and your family.

Crush the Crush: A Spell for Unrequited Love

To transform the object of your desire into your partner in passion, try this powerful attraction spell. Get together the following elements for this spell:

• Plain muslin cloth
• Dried sage
• 1 pink seven-day candle
• Red thread and needle or stapler

Take the plain muslin and cut it into two heart shapes of the same size. Sew (or staple, if you are in a hurry) the two hearts together, leaving a hole so you can stuff it with dried sage. Then sew it shut, and either write, or if you are really crafty, embroider the name of the object of your affections onto the muslin heart. Put it on your altar.

Each night at midnight, the witching hour, light the pink candle for thirty minutes beside the heart sachet and say aloud three times:

    To [crush’s name] I offer affection.

    To [crush’s name] I offer attention.

    To [crush’s name] I offer joy.

    And in return, I shall have the same.

    So mote it be.

Now, your crush will turn their attention toward you and be ready to return your affection.

Serenity of the Setting Sun: A Spell for Mondays

To clear energy and prepare for a week of calm clarity, find a blossom of your favorite white flower—iris, lily, rose—one that is truly beautiful to your eye. Monday’s setting sun is the time for this spell, enacted immediately after the sun goes below the horizon. Anoint a white candle with clary sage oil and place it on your altar. Take your single white blossom and add that to your altar in a bowl of freshly drawn water. Place sage leaves on a glass dish in front of the lit candle and speak aloud:

    This fire is pure; this flower is holy, this water is clear.

    These elements purify me.

    I walk in light with nothing in my way.

    My energy is pure, my spirit is holy, my being is clear.

    White light burns bright in me and all the words I say.

    So mote it be. And so it is.

Burn the sage in the fire of the candle, then put in the glass dish where it can turn into ash, smudging your space with consecrating smoke as it burns. Stand in front of your altar and breathe in slowly and deeply six times. On the last, strongest exhalation, blow the candle out.

Making Wonderful Wands

Most likely, you will use a wand in many of your daily activities. I recommend making your own wand, though you can find beautiful pre-made wands in metaphysical shops.

To make your own wand, you should find a tree branch that has fallen to the ground on its own (no pruned branches!). Sand and polish the rough edges of the stick. The smoke of burning sage will nicely smudge the wand if you pass the stick through the smoke. You’ll need a variety of crystals to complete your wand. Affix large quartz near the handle. You should then find crystals with properties that will complement your magic to the wand. I recommend using citrine as the pointer for the wand, as it aligns your self-identity with your spirit. Refer to the table for more on stones you can use to harness various powers.

Stones for Your Wand

Amber—Grounding

Amethyst—Balance and Intuition

Aventurine—Creative Visualization

Bloodstone—Abundance and Prosperity

Calcite—Warding Off Negativity

Fluorite—Communicating with Fairies and other Unseen Beings

Garnet—Protection From Gossip

Geode—Getting Through Periods of Extreme Difficulty

Hematite—Strength and Courage

Jade—Wisdom to Interpret or Realize Powerful Dreams

Jasper—Stability

Lodestone—Bringing a Lover Back into Your Life

Mahogany Obsidian—Feeling Sexy and Emanating Sensuality

Moss Agate—Powers of Persuasion and Healing

Quartz Crystal—Divining Your Dreams

Rhodochrosite—Staying On Course With Your Life’s True Purpose

Rose Quartz—Love 

Turquoise—Safety When Traveling

Watermelon Tourmaline—Help with Planning Your Best Possible Future 

Garden Your Way to Gladness

For dispelling negative energy, plant heather, hawthorn, holly, hyacinth, hyssop, ivy, juniper, periwinkle, and nasturtiums.

For healing, plant sage, wood sorrel, carnation, onion, garlic, peppermint, and rosemary.

Both farming and working with plants are guided by the moon and should take place during the waxing moon in the signs of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Capricorn, and Taurus, while weeding is ideally done during the waning moon.

Sage Wisdom

Every kitchen gardener should grow an indoor pot of sage, if not a big patch in your garden. Sage is a must to have on hand for clearing energy. It also increases psychic potential. Whether your passion is growing an artful garden, throwing pots, cookery, or music, you can stay in better touch with your personal muse or guardian spirit with an aromatic sage wand. Head out to your garden or the sunny spot on the deck where your hardiest sage grows. Take three large and extra-long sticks of your favorite incense and bind strands of sage around the incense with purple thread. Tie it off, let it dry, and you have a sage wand. Before any creative endeavor, you can light this wand and wave it around your workspace, filling the area with inspiration. (Use a medium-size shell or bowl to catch any ashes or loose sage leaves as you cense your space.) Close your eyes and meditate upon the healing work you will begin.

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

We know sage is great for as a smudge or incense for clearing spaces as well as a savory for soups, roasts, dressing, stews, and much more, but it is also a highly regarded treatment at European spas for sweating, menopause, hot flashes, night sweats and accompanying discomfort. It is also an excellent remedy for colds, coughs, and sore throats. Simply make sage tea with one teaspoon of the dried leaves which you can drink or gargle to amend a sore throat.

*Pregnant women should not use this.

Abalone

Abalone is the beautifully iridescent lining of a seashell—a product of our oceans and the end result of a living thing. Abalone is fished in California and in the warm, tropical coastal waters of Japan, China, and South America. Abalone is used to heal the heart and the muscles tissue, and to aid digestion. Use abalone as a dish to hold your sage smudging-stick for clearing energy at home. This gorgeous organic gem is a beautiful and sacred token for your altar or shrine at home. Just looking at abalone gives a sense of inner peace.

New Moon Crystal Shrine

To enchant all of your jewelry, you need to create an altar for this express purpose. You can prepare the way for letting crystal and gem magic into your life, and focusing your desires and dreams, with a crystal-magic altar. If you already have an altar in place, incorporate some of the following elements. The more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be.

Your gem-magic altar can be a low table, the top of a chest, or even a shelf. First, you must purify the space with the smoke of a sage bundle. This is called smudging, and is essential in clearing energy to make way for magic. You can use wild sage or purchase it at any herb store or metaphysical five and dime.

Once you have smudged the space, cover your altar with your favorite fabric; I recommend the color white. Place a candle in each corner. I prefer candles of many colors to represent the rainbow array of gems. Place gems and crystals of your choice around the candles. Rose quartz is a heart stone, and fluorite is a calming crystal, so these are good choices for grounding yourself, particularly if your altar is in your bedroom, as many are! Add to the altar fresh flowers, incense you simply love to smell, and any objects that have special meaning to you. Some folks place lovely shells or feathers they have found in their paths or on the beach, and others use imagery that is special, like a goddess statue or a star shape. The most important point is that your altar be pleasing to your eye and your sensibilities. You should feel that it represents the deepest aspects of you as a person.

Ideally, you will bless your altar on a new moon. Light the candles and incense, and say aloud:

Here burns happiness about me,
Peace and harmony are in abundance, 
Here my happiness abounds.
Gems and jewels—these bones of the earth 
Bring love, prosperity, health and mirth.

Be it ever thus that joy is the light 
That here burns bright.
Blessed be!

You have now consecrated your altar. It will ease your spirit anytime and become your power source. Your altar connects you to the earth of which you and all gems and crystals are a part. Your altar will connect you to the crystal magic that has now entered your life. Whenever you want to add a dash of magic or a supernatural sparkle to a stone or piece of jewelry, you can place it on your altar for seven days. On the seventh day, wear the jewelry and bewitch everyone you encounter! Remember that your level of clarity and concentration will be reflected in the jewel’s power.

Now, enjoy your sacred stones.

Clary Sage Clarity Incantation

Here is a handy spell for physical well-being as well as a self-esteem boost. For this witchy approach to preventive medicine, take a green candle on a Friday, dress it with clary sage oil, and speak the following three times:

My health is mine, under this moon divine.
I choose to be well in this healthy body I dwell.
No more pain and strife, vital breath of life.
Harm to none; health to me.
So mote it be.

Keep Your Moon Goddess Close

Whether you’re passionate about writing code, cooking, growing plants, painting, or writing music, you can stay in touch with your favorite goddess by using a special tool that will draw her to you with the sweet-smelling smoke of sage.

Sage is hardy and sun-loving, so keep a pot of it on the windowsill. There are very simple steps to take to create a sage wand to use when you need inspiration. First, you will want to create a tight braid of materials. This braid will consist of a long fennel stalk, a twisted bundle of sage, long sticks of incense (I prefer cinnamon), and purple (for power) and gold (for money) string or thread. Before your prayers to the goddess, simply light one end of your wand and gently wave it around your head to clear your environment. Your mind will be cleared in the process, freeing the way for abundant ideas. A little sage smoke goes a long way, so you will not want to burn the entire wand at once. Keep a cup of water or a small bowl of earth on hand to extinguish your wand when you are done. Always express gratitude to the goddess for all she does for all of us.

Sunday Spell for Welcoming Benevolent Spirits

We can all use more angels in our lives. Some angels take human form such as helpful friends or a thoughtful co-worker who are always there when you need them. Still others hover above in the ether and can be summoned with the right spell. Use this incantation when you need a guiding hand or angelic assistance. What you need: wind chimes, sage.

Moon Cakes and Ale: Full Moon Festival

Here is a pagan ritual I have performed on weekends, when the full moon shines bright. Over the years, I have added many embellishments, such as astrological or holiday themes. This basic ritual, Moon Cakes and Ale, however, is a timeless and powerful classic.

Gather a group of friends either outdoors under the moon or in a room large enough for dancing, drumming, and singing. Have the guests bring a cake of their choice as well as a cider, mead, beer or juice to share. Place the offerings in the center, on an altar table. Then light a sage leaf and green and brown candles for home and hearth.

Once everyone is seated, the host or designated leader intones:

Gods of nature, bless these cakes, 
That we may never suffer hunger. 
Goddess of the Harvest, bless this ale, 
That we may never go without drink.

The eldest and the youngest of the circle rise and serve the food and drink to everyone in the circle. Last, they serve each other. The ritual leader pronounces the blessing again. Then everyone says together, “Blessed be.”

The feasting begins, ideally followed by a lot more ale and lively dancing. A wonderful way to keep a group of friends connected is for a different person to host the circle one Saturday each month.

Light Your Own Fire: Sage Wisdom (New Moon is Optimal)

Every witch should grow a pot of sage or a big patch in a garden. Sage is a must-have on hand for clearing energy. It also increases psychic potential. Most pagans are highly imaginative and very inventive folk. Whether your passion is growing an artful garden, throwing pots, cookery or music, you can stay in better touch with your personal muse. Call her to you anytime, day or night, by your own design. This is especially important if you are feeling uninspired or struggling with a bout of writer’s block.

Head out to your garden or the sunny spot on the deck where your hardiest sage grows. Take three large and extra long sticks of your favorite incense and bind strands of sage around the incense with purple thread. Tie it off and you have a sage wand. Before any creative endeavor, you can light this wand and wave it around your workspace, filling the area with inspiration. Close your eyes and meditate upon the work you will begin. You have cleared your space and invited the muse; your work will be superb, worthy of notice from the gods and goddesses.

Western Winds of Change Rite

Gather these herbs and stir together into this highly effective clearing incense:

• 1 part sage
• 1 part sandalwood
• 3 parts myrrh
• 3 parts copal
• 3 parts frankincense

This is an optimal mixture of essences to purify your home or sacred working space. Negative energies are vanquished and the path is cleared for ritual. Open windows and doors when you are burning this clearing incense so the “bad energy” can be released outside. It is also advisable to use this clearing incense if there have been any arguments or other energetic disruptions in your home. After a family squabble or, goddess forbid, a break-in, or some incident that makes your office or home or temple space feel violated or less safe, you can dispel the bad with this holy incense.

Peace and Healing Potpourri (Waxing or Full Moon is Optimal)

Sometimes, we all need a quick fix and this is exactly what this herbal mélange can do for you. Draw some fresh water and simmer this mixture on your stove whenever you feel the need to infuse your space with protection or do an energetic turnaround from negative to positive. A bad day at work, family squabble, an unfortunate incident in your neighborhood: instead of just muddling along, you can do something about it and your creation of the positive will help you and your loved one as well as your neighbors. This powerful potpourri will also safeguard from outside influences that can be disruptive. Set your intention and gather these herbs from your stores:

• 7 cinnamon sticks
• ¼ cup rosemary
• 4 Bay laurel leaves
• 1/8 cup sage
• 1 teaspoons juniper berries

Mix the herbs together by hand. While you are sifting, close your eyes and visualize your home protected by a boundary of glowing white light. Imagine the light running throughout you to the herbs in your hand, charging them with the energy of safety, sanctity and protection. Add the herbs to slowly simmering water and breathe in the newly charged air.

Pendulum of Truth Invocation (New Moon is Optimal)

Many witches carry a pendulum with them at all times to help make the right decisions. I sometimes see pendulums twirling over herbs and produce at the farmers market or hovering over restaurant menus. They have recently become available at most metaphysical stores, but a lovingly handmade pendulum is imbued with more personal energy. An easy DIY way to make your own pendulum is to take a strong string or length of leather and tie a ring, gemstone, or crystal to the end. By the light of the new moon, take a bundle of sage, light one end and pass the smoke over your pendulum, “smudging” and purifying your space.

Wear the pendulum around your neck for seven days. Each night, light black candles on your altar to absorb negative energy and, holding the pendulum still, chant:

Guide me to the path of truth, O goddess hear my song.
This pendulum I charge with my energy, to judge right from wrong. 
So mote it be.

On the seventh day, you can begin using your new tool. Any time you need advice before making a decision, dangle the pendulum and observe its movement—swaying from front to back means yes, left to right means no.