Cleansing Your Stones and Why it's Important

A lot of the time us Pagan, Witchy, etc. mineral lovers will get a stone and forget to do one crucial thing... cleanse the stone. We are just so excited that we want to automatically start working with it, creating crystal grids, creating things with it, etc. The thing is, we need to take to take the time to stop and cleanse. You honestly don't know who has held the stone before you, what day they may have been having, the energy the could have accidentally poured in the stone- good or bad. Heck, even if you think that no one has touched the stone before you, someone actually had. The person who mined it, the person who is selling it, etc. It goes through many hands before your own. (Unless you mined it yourself!)

Which brings us back to the importance of cleansing the stone of any previous unwanted energy. If you want your energy workings to go the way you want them to, the stones should start off with a fresh energy palette. So there are several simple ways you can cleanse your stones:

1. Smoke Cleansing- by far the most popular, and often used with White Sage. Just do your best to make sure the Sage is responsibly harvested. However, you can always burn Frankincense and Myrrh resin (and other herbs/resins) to help purify your stones. Simply run your stone through the smoke stating your positive intentions.
2. **Sea Salt Cleanse- Salt is at the core of purification, healing and blessings. It is one of the few substances that can enhance, transform, and neutralize substances. So there are 2 ways you can go about using it:

A. Sea Salt by itself- bury the stone point down into the salt (in a glass dish), allow any negative energy to flow out into the salt, which neutralizes it. (Let it sit for as long as you feel necessary.)

B. Sea Salt with Water- Mix about a tablespoon of salt into a small glass dish of water. Let the stone soak in the water for 24 hours. Rinse off and dry with a soft towel.

**Keep in mind not all stones react well to salt or water. Research your stone before you do so.

3. Moonlit Cleanse/ Charge- moonlight helps cleanse a stone, so, simply let your stones sit in a windowsill or outside to soak it all up! Don't let them sit out past noon to limit sun exposure (and possible damage.)
4. Earth Cleanse- like the Salt, the earth helps bring the stone back to it's original natural state. So place fresh dirt into a glass container and set your stone in the center (or you can bury it outside.) Let it sit for as long as necessary. Just make sure your dirt doesn't have many extra stones or water that could scratch or damage your stone.
5. Running Water Cleanse- place the stone under running water (in a sink or a stream) and visualize all the negative energy going down the drain.

So those are just a few quick cleansing methods! All of these can be adapted for even stronger cleanses just by adding herbs into the procedure. Not to mention it always make you feel good too because half the time when you cleanse your items you end up purifying yourself!

I hope this helps some of you!! Bright Blessings!

~Brittany 

How to make Talismans and Amulets

About Talismans and Amulets

Before we begin, it is important to distinguish between the two! So what is an Amulet exactly? An Amulet is a “natural” object, that can be used (when consecrated) for many purposes- like protection, luck, health, etc. also to attract and repel things. While a Talisman, on the other hand, is a “man-made” object that also has a similar purpose to those previously stated.  Note that Amulets, a lot of the time are used to prevent/repel things while talismans are often used as transmitters/ projectors/ attractors of some sort.

How to make an Amulet:

Like mentioned before, an Amulet is made from a natural object, so we won't be making it per say. What we are doing is simply making it wear-able!

An excellent example of this is a Hag stone! (For those who don't know what a Hag stone is, it's basically a stone that has been naturally worn away with water to have a large hole (or holes). Like this:

(image source:https://www.etsy.com/listing/119139600/natural-heart-shape-rock-with-hole)

Then, to be worn as an Amulet, you can do this with cords:

(source of photo, here: http://leijonstedt.com/general/creative-inspirations/stone-talismans

But in the creation process of making the Hag stone wearable (or which ever natural object you have), you need to cleanse it and consecrate it. So for this example, the Hag stone, known for it's protective qualities, it can be first cleansed is water with salt. Also it can be passed through the smoke of burning herbs (like lavender or etc.) or incense. After purified, as you are charging it with your energy, you can request that your deities bestow their protection onto it so that it's wearer will be protected as well.

Also, it's handy to know that you don't have to leave the “natural object” in it's original state. You can carve or paint onto it as well for increased magical potency!

Now to move on to Talismans...

How to Make a Talisman-

Like previously mentioned before, talismans are “man made” for the most part. You can include parts made from nature- like crystals, but it will still be considered a Talisman.

This is an example of a talisman necklace that I made! (The pendant came from the head artist of Green Girl Studios.)

Anywho, so here is what you need to do:

1. Get the main special object- it can be a pendant like mine, or it can be something as simple as a ring. You can even make it from clay or metal (having a special sigil or symbol on it can play an extremely important role in the talismans function.) But ultimately a talisman can be made from any material.
2. Determine what the talisman's purpose is. Will it be used for healing? To draw love? Protection? Also choosing the right “time” to do it is also helpful. (Like paying attention to the phases of the moon for increasing strength/effectiveness, etc)
3. Place that object on a chain. You can put semi-precious stones on the strand like I did to further promote the intended desire of the Talisman. (Further, it's helpful if you are in a semi-meditative state when you do this.)
   a. Another note: if you place stones along the chain or certain objects, you can use it as a way to place more spells on it, and activate them whenever you need them.
4. Charge the Talisman with your energy. (Feel your energy build inside of you then allow it to flow through you and into the talisman. You can also ask for your deities to bestow their blessing, protection etc. onto it as well.) When you feel it is “full” you can stop.
5. If there is any residue energy left over in you, just ground yourself.

That's it my friends! That's how you make Amulets and Talismans! Pretty easy huh?

One Witch's Way- Incorporating Paganism or Witchcraft in your daily life!

Hello my Pagan and Witchy Friends!
It's been far too long since I have last written, even though this blog is constantly on my mind! This latest entry is going to be about incorporating your faith and practice into your daily life!

As a college student, there is simply never enough hours in the day it seems for anything but homework. Not to mention having a job on top of that! And when there is a brief free moment all we really want to do is just take a deep breath and just... relax.
The problem with this is, we are so physically invested that we neglect our spiritual selves. Quickly, we begin to forget to live our faith. Whether it be to call upon our Gods and Goddesses for inner guidance, seasonal festivals, meditation and reflection, and the reasons WHY we are Pagan and (or) Witches.

I will freely admit where there has been times in my life that I had been slacking in some departments of my faith, but how I got eventually out of it was by creating art.

Art to me is a reflection of my spirituality. My art is the deepest part of me. Whether is be painting, beading, wood-burnishing, sewing and bookbinding, my blood hums with the energy that I pour into that object.

With the opening of my online pagan store, it allowed to reach depths of my faith that was unexpected. My creations forced me to further research each Pagan or Witchy object- symbols, spells, history, herb lore, crystals, everything.

I found myself doing more guided meditations and talking to and calling upon my patron Goddess, Danu. I became more active in my spiritual practice. So what I learned is that you need to find something that you are passionate about and weave faith within that action.

For example, say you are passionate about gardening. Start growing a small herb garden! With each herb you will learn their name, their magical and medicinal properties. You can harvest the herbs and use them in your spellwork~ and they will have even more meaning because you nurtured them to fruition.

Say you are not sure what exactly your passionate about but you do want to start being more active in your faith but time is a huge factor for you. There are a few things you can do while on "the go" or incorporate into your daily practice.

1. Incorporate Nighttime magic- create your own anti-nightmare spells, peaceful sleeping, healing, herbal sachets or magical pillows, rituals etc...
Two useful resources for this sort of thing can be found in:

A.) Wiccan Spell a Night by Sirona Knight.
For those of you who are all like "HEY, I'm not Wiccan I'm (insert a Pagan branch here)!" Well, neither am I, but it is a handy resource for nighttime magic. You can always adjust and adapt the spells to suit your needs or make your own!

B.) The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes
This book is truly invaluable, and  be on any Witch's shelf. This is probably my favorite books because there is so much information in it! This book can help spark magical crafty ideas! 

C. Make your own magical teas and sleep herbal blends! Pretty self explanatory!

2. Start Chanting.
Learning chants are beyond handy!! You can compose your own, find them in books or on the internet.  Most importantly, you can do them anywhere- on the bus or in a car, as you walk, you can do them when you are about to do something important. Eg. I always chant to the Goddess to guide my fingers right before I an about to perform a piece on my harp, because I get nervous playing in front of people. This allows me to have the Goddess calm me down and center myself.

3. Wear a symbol of your faith- 
This doesn't need to be some gaudy pentacle or anything, just something that is important to you that you can directly link to your faith as an affirmation of your spirituality. You can make a bracelet braided from yarn that are the colors of the phases of the goddess- maiden, mother, crone. Be creative, and it will mostly have more meaning!


4. Start a Pagan Journal- 
This doesn't need to be a Grimoire or a Book of Shadows. What you would do is go about in your daily life and collect fallen leaves, flowers. Write about what you find and what drew you to them. If you happen to know what the object's name is (like an oak leaf or maple leaf) do a bit of research about it and write it down. 


5. Start Scrying- 
You would be surprised to find how helpful and relaxing it is. To make it time efficient before (or after) you eat your lunch (breakfast, dinner etc.) Fill a dark cup (or a coffee mug) with water. Relax and let the world melt away, if you so desire you can chant! Allow images to rise to the surface of the water and fade away. This is a great way to develop your "sight" and gain greater insight about yourself.


6. Hit the Books-
The best thing about a book is that you can take it virtually anywhere. If you are still in the broom closet and don't want the world to know what you are reading, you can get a stretchy textbook book cover to put over the book. You can learn wonderful things while in line at a convenience store, in a doctors office, or if you are in school~ between classes.

A great book to read for everyday magic is a book literally called: "Every Day Magic: Spells and Rituals for Modern Living" by Dorothy Morrison.

7. Make Sigils!
To learn how to, see my video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaLnrntjHeA


These are just a tiny bit of what you can do to. There is always meditation, beading, knitting and more. Create practices that work best for you!

~*~ I really hope that I have been able to spark a few ideas with this post! So I would love to know what all of your thoughts are, and would love to know how you incorporate Paganism or Witchcraft in your daily life!

Bright Blessings!
~Brittany