Cupboard Cure: A Ritual for Cleansing and Vitality

Salts from the sea have been used to decontaminate the body by way of ritual rubs since ancient times in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. From Cleopatra to Bathsheba, these natural salts have been used to exfoliate the skin and enhance circulation, vital to overall body health. While there are wonderful imported Dead Sea salts readily available at most bath and beauty stores, many witches prefer whipping up their own healing beauty magic. To create your own cupboard cure, combine the following:

• Three cups Epsom salts
• One tablespoon glycerin
• Four drops lemon essential oil
• Two drops jasmine oil
• Two drops vanilla
• One drop neroli oil (made from orange blossoms)

The beauty of this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your mood. For example, if you are feeling romantic or preparing for a big date night, you could perform the same ritual using rose and amber oils.

To prepare for your body glow session, light a white candle, step out of your clothes and into your tub or shower, and hold the salts in the palms of both hands, praying:

    Aphrodite, in your wisdom, help me reflect your image;

    My body is a temple to thee, Goddess.

    Here, I worship today with my head and hands, heart and soul.

    Blessings to all, blessings to thee, blessed be me.

Use the salts with a new loofah sponge and scrub yourself vigorously during the waning moon or new moon at midnight.

Flame of Restoration: A Long-Distance Healing Spell

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.

Bless Your Body Meditation

Whenever you have made a batch of salts, scrubs, or magic potions, whether for your own use or as a gift, you should stop and count your health blessings with this mindfulness practice.

Sit in a comfortable position with your bottle of potions placed in a bowl or dish in front of you. Think about the blessings in your life and what gifts your particular item offers; visualize your skin and hair gleaming with vitality. Picture your loved ones wearing a big smile as they use your handmade remedies. 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 potions. Now, the blessings are there any time you or a loved one may need them.

Dioptase—Beauty and Balance

Dioptase is a vitality stone that cleanses all the chakras, giving vigor to the mind, body, and spirit. This beautiful emeralds green mineral is usually found as crystals massed together in Iran, Namibia, Peru, Chile, Madagascar, Russia, and South Africa. While it is fairly unknown, it is one of the best healing stones of our time, emanating very calming energy. People have also been experimenting with it for pain relief and lowering high blood pressure. The latest discovery about dioptase is that it can be useful for cellular disorders and immune problems; it is said to activate the production of T cells. It also gives respite to those with Ménière’s disease. Dioptase is one of those very rare stones that both calms and energies at the same time, making energy dense, soothing mental stress, and alleviating migraines. A wonderful aspect of dioptase is that this stone triggers past-life recollection and also enables people to live in the present moment— two opposite and extremely positive occurrences. But my favorite aspect of dioptase is that it helps with matters of love. The stone heals a broken heart and opens it to higher love.

Sylvan Spell: Planting Magic

This is a lovely spell to do if you are given a small tree as a gift, to wish for strength and good health for you and your love. Before you plant the sapling, tie a bow in some colored ribbon, and plant the bow with a small heart symbol in the soil under the roots of the tree. After you have planted the tree, water it well—especially with one or two tears of love, if possible! Make a wish that both you and your love will grow strong and enduring as the tree takes root and begins to flourish. When the tree bears its first leaf, press it in a book associated with the one you love. As long as you tend your tree with love, you will both enjoy blooming health and vitality.