Adapted from Sacred Medicine Cupboard
Magic is an attempt to understand, experience, and influence the world using rituals, symbols, actions, gestures, and language. Magic can include storytelling, imagination, intention, touch, and ritual. In pagan traditions, a spell is literally linking letters together to make words that spell out your intentions; this pure prose expresses and shapes your understanding and experience of the world. This perception, in turn, influences the outcome of your experience. And that is magic—right?
What are you doing when you pray? You are sending words up to your god/goddess for help or assistance. Praying is something of a lost art in our busy world, but it is a sacred and important one. When we pray, we are in communication with Spirit. We are sending our thoughts and therefore our intention out (or in, as the case may be) to connect with Source—the energy of all life, which is pure, divine, abundant, and life-affirming.
Crystal Care: Grounding, Balancing, and Programming Basics
It’s time to create some everyday magic with these vibration-raising goodies.
We recommend and use crystals regularly. Crystals are wonderful at supporting you in your deep work; all you really need to do is request specific help from a crystal that resonates with whatever energies you are working with.
When you find a crystal that resonates with your intention, you can ask it to help you in some specific way. This kind of crystal task-assignment is called “programming,” much as the silicon crystals in computers get programmed. Here are some top tips for working with these guides.
Basic crystal cleaning and programming instructions
- Clean your crystal. Cleaning is not for washing away negative energy; it is for helping your crystals to return to their own natural, harmonious vibration. You can help your crystals retune to this natural vibration by leaving them in the sunlight, or placing them in a bowl of salt, or burying them in the earth. Not all crystals should be washed in water, either; a good rule of thumb is never to wash any crystal whose name ends in “-ite,” as these tend to be porous and can be damaged by water.
- Sit with your crystal in a quiet place. Hold your crystal in your hand, and bring it up to your heart. Close your eyes and, with an exhalation, say your intention to your crystal. 3. Hold your crystal until you feel a connection. This relationship can be perceived through warmth, images, or feelings—it is different for everyone.
- Maintain the connection. Carry your crystal with you, and every time you touch it you will be reminded of your path.
Conjuring and Crafting
Here are some spells and potions to diversify your medicine cupboard stores. Infuse each ingredient with the soft whispers of your soul. Layer actions, intentions, and words together in the time-honored practice of spellcraft, to bestir the most potent magic of your creations.
Black Salt
Black Salt has been used for centuries as a protection against all forms of negative energy. It can also be used for banishing toxic folks you truly do not want in your space. Salt is a crystal, and therefore is able to form and hold energy. An old wives’ tale is that salt bends to our will, and will do anything we ask of it.
Black salt is extremely easy to make, and it takes only a couple of minutes to throw together
a batch to last you for a while. This is ceremonial salt, so while you are making it, hold the intention of protection for your home, your family, and yourself.
- 1 cup sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ cup finely ground charcoal
- ½ cup finely ground black pepper
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
Use a mortar and pestle to grind all of the ingredients together. Store in a jar.
Sprinkle Black Salt along the threshold of your doorway to keep your home safe. The idea is that it will keep bad energies and people from wanting to enter your home. You can even sprinkle it along the edge of your yard, if you want your entire property to be protected. If you need protection from bad dreams, or wish to rid your bed of negative energies, sprinkle a little black salt under your bed, or keep it in a bowl near or under your bed.
Once your black salt has served its purpose, be sure to throw it out. It has already used up its charge, and therefore holds no more protective energies. If you try to reuse it, there is no guarantee that it will work.
Marigold Tea
Marigolds are the flower of the season, and are filled with marvelous healing properties as well as brilliant beauty! The marigold flower is amazing for overall health. The tea purifies the blood, and the plant also has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, and is excellent in healing burns, corns, and calluses.
- 2 teaspoons dried marigolds
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 whole clove
Dry out the buds in a well-ventilated area (don’t dry them in the oven, even on low heat). Hang them upside-down and keep them out of direct sunlight—after a couple of weeks, they will have dried thoroughly. (If you do not want to dry them yourself, most health food and herbal remedies stores carry dried marigolds.)
Boil 1 liter of water. Put 2 teaspoons of marigolds in the boiling water, add spices, turn o the heat, and cover. Allow the petals to infuse for 10 minutes. Cool, then drink 2–3 cups a day.