Something Special

I had originally intended to start officially journaling on Samhain, the holiday that many Wiccans and pagans consider the new year of a different solar (some say Celtic-based) calendar. Last night was a full moon, an Esbat, and I did something a little different that simply must be shared.

One of the lovely ladies I work with and her husband are having a house built. They live on nineteen wooded acres in rural Virginia, and their current home does not leave much room for expanding their family.

I have seen the floor plan and pictures of the home they have ordered, and she tells me they will be taking pictures every step of the way (I would too!). Yesterday, they started digging out the basement. As she was explaining this too me, she said they have two pennies (one dated 2004, the year they were married, and one dated 2007, the year the house is to be finished) that they will bury in the soil just before the concrete is poured. I very much like this idea of theirs, and I told her that I would put a charm for peace and protection in my house, where I having one built. She told me that sounded like a good idea but wouldn't know the first thing about making one. Then, suddenly things lined up. I offered to make one for them, that they could bury with their two cents.

I really enjoy making charms like this. When I do, everything is significant, down to the color of the thread I use. Since this is a charm for their new home, the main focus is protection and tranquility, with a little bit of prosperity thrown in for good measure.

The first step was to find what I wanted to use, gather them, and cleanse them (just as you would do if you were making a meal in the kitchen). After that, the work begins. I started by cleansing my aura and creating a sacred space in which to work. I haven't been in the best of spirits lately and needed to be sure that what has been bugging me did not get put into this gift for my friend.

I sat facing the East, for all things begin in the East and this was certainly related to a beginning. I used a brown cotton, brown being the color for homes and cotton a natural fiber that will do no harm to the earth it will be buried in, and started sewing it into a bag with blue thread, blue for its tranquility. I also sewed in a blue hemp drawstring, hemp for, again, it being a natural fiber. During this, the part that takes the most time, I was thinking of my friend and her husband, and how their life together will change and grow in a new home of their choosing.

When the bag was completed, it was time to add the ingredients. I placed five stones in the bag, one by one, naming the properties for which they were chosen. A Carnelian to promote relaxation, a Citrine for peaceful sleep and to burn away negativity, a piece of Hematite to absorb what doesn't get burned away, a Snowflake Obsidian (with one bright spot) for its powerful protective properties, and a Clear Quartz for balance and keeping the other stones clean. Next, I added the herbs. Sage for protection and to keep the energies clean (burning sage is often used to clean spaces in the home or around people, called smudging), Rosemary to lend strong protective energy, and Red Rose Petals, which also have their own protective energy, but I really added it to give my friend and her husband a happy-home boost with the properties of love that are often associated with red roses. Then there were two little extras to add. The first was a pinch of a special blend of ritual incense, used to bring about success.

The second was a last minute addition: I thought about it as I was gathering my supplies and it was just perfect. Years ago, when I first started on this path, my brother and I made a charm for our home. I had always had a fear of my house burning down, or getting struck by lightening, or some other horrific end to the place I lived and loved. We took our instructions from Scott Cunningham's Earth Power; he had an anti-fire charm, and I wanted to make it. Even then, I was adjusting other people's recipes to suit me. I, with my brother's help, took a piece of oak and burned it to ashes. We then dowsed the ashes in water. When they dried, we tied them up in a blue bag (blue being the color of water, which quenches fire) and hung that in the heart of the house, the room that is used the most. Its presence has served me well, especially during thunder storms of which I used to have a terrible fear. It has been hanging there, undisturbed, for fourteen years. Yesterday, I added a pinch of ash from that charm to the one I was making for my friend, for its additional protective properties.

The charm, being complete, was tied up and then cleansed and charged with Reiki. I set it on my windowsill overnight to absorb the energy of the full moon.

I presented my friend with her little gift this morning, who was very happy to receive it. I can't think of a better way to have spent my Esbat. As I said earlier, the timing was perfect. They had just started digging, it was the night of the full moon, and my friends were going to bury the tokens this weekend. I even left the bag closed but not tied, so they may add their coins to it if they wish. My friend seemed very excited about the prospect of putting it all together.

I'm very excited about their new home. I suppose homes are an exciting thing, but this one isn't even mine. I am just so happy for them. And I really enjoy making charms like this for others. I had mentioned how I haven't been in the best mood lately. While what was upsetting me is still upsetting me, it feels very distant today. And I slept well last night, better than I have in a long time.

You never know what doing something for others can also do for you. Let a little magick in your life.