City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells and Shamanism - Christopher Penczak 2001

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Tools of the Trade

Anything can be a weapon if your intent is violent, and anything can be a magical tool if you look at it through magical eyes. If everything is connected and made from energy, as most mystics believe, then everything is magical. You can turn all sorts of mundane items found around your home into your magical allies if you desire. Masterfully handcrafted tools and talismans reflecting the tastes of ancient traditions are wonderful, but mystics of those ancient ages often used what was in their own culture, items made out of the materials available. They seem more romantically magical to us because they are steeped in the mysteries of an age-old past. Perhaps in a thousand years, the telephone will be viewed as a magical device by our progeny, although we consider it a mundane household item now. Everything has an inherent power, and as a practical spell caster, you can use whatever power is available, even if it means raiding your shelves and closets. The only limit is your own willingness and imagination.

The greatest arsenal an urban magician has is right in the kitchen. During the persecution of the European midwives and wise women, these witches hid their magical tools in their kitchens. Spoon, knives, brooms, and bowls became their ritual tools. Everyone had them, so one could not be accused of witchcraft just for possessing them. These wise women knew the herbs that would heal and hurt, and many of their magical remedies and charms came right from their spice racks. You can get many herbs from a holistic center or an organic herb farm. For students of medicinal herbalism, that is probably the best place to go. If you are making magical charms, however, try visiting your spice rack. Look in the refrigerator. Check the cabinets and medicine chest. You will be amazed at what is available. Each herb has a magical energy. Each has a vibration that can be harnessed by burning it as incense, ingesting it, or simply carrying it with you in a small charm.

Here are some kitchen ingredients, followed by some additional tools you can find in your home. For more extensive lists of both household herbs and more exotic varieties, refer to Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn), or The Master Book of Herbalism, by Paul Beryl (Phoenix Publishing Inc.).

Allspice

Allspice is usually burned as an offering, or as incense to attract the forces of good luck. The energies drawn by allspice make things go your way, and align you with the natural flow of the universe. As things are flowing in harmony, money magick and healing work are most favorable.

Basil

This is the herb of love. Basil forms a bond between two people, increasing the chances of a harmonious relationship. It soothes people and can promote fidelity. It is used in love potions and incenses, and in many Italian foods. No wonder my Italian ancestors were noted as such good lovers. Since basil holds such a high level of love vibration, it is also used for purification, protection from evil, and drawing good fortune.

Bay

Bay leaves are an herb of the Sun. The Sun rules physical health and well-being, along with prosperity. Priestesses of the Sun God, Apollo, used bay in their prophetic works. It promotes psychic abilities and can also purify when used before a ritual. It clears your space and energy.

Black Pepper

Pepper is the partner of salt. In many ways, it has properties similar to salt. Its main function is protection. Due to its hot and spicy nature, pepper is a fire herb, and used to ward off evil, including curses and bad spirits. As salt absorbs and neutralizes, pepper banishes and wards off. When used together, they make a powerful protective one-two punch.

Chili Pepper

Like black pepper, red chili pepper embodies the power of fire. Protection is its nature. Red pepper not only protects, it also breaks any harmful energy. Fire is passion, energy, and life. It can be used in love magick to add spice and fire to your relationship.

Cinnamon

On the material level, cinnamon draws money, good luck, and prosperity. When using it, the doors of opportunity open to you. On a higher level, cinnamon raises vibrations in the room, particularly when burned. The first step seems like a grand opportunity, but it also leads to an awakening of consciousness. You open your worldview to encompass others. A sense of unity and unconditional love may follow. As the vibrations rise, harmful energy and spirits dissipate, granting the powers of protection. Cinnamon is a very spiritual herb, associated with both air and water.

Cloves

Cloves and clove incense have effects similar to cinnamon. In addition to raising spiritual vibrations, however, cloves increase psychic powers and tend to attract harmonious relationships, making them useful in love magick.

Coriander

Coriander brings strength to all love and healing magick. Its seeds have protective properties and promote peace. Coriander relieves tension, headaches, and nausea and is related to the elements of fire and water.

Cumin

Cumin seeds are used in lustful potions and magick to promote sexuality. They can be a spicy addition to a love charm. Cumin also promotes fidelity, strangely enough. Like many kitchen spices, due to its fire associations, cumin is an herb of protection.

Dill

Dill is a healing herb, relieving stomach pain and gas when taken as a tea. It is a primary herb of the kitchen, used to bless it and protect the entire home. Due to the numerous seeds each plant produces, dill is used to increase your own finances and fertility.

Food Coloring

Food coloring is an excellent way to add color and light to any potion or oil. Many magical supply shops have colored oils. While some of the expensive ones use natural herbs and minerals for their colors, they often tend to be a bit drab. Those that use bright vivid colors usually use a coloring additive or vegetable dye. You can use the food coloring in your pantry. Add a few drops to whatever you are making. Just remember that, if you are applying it to your skin, it may leave a little dye on it. Think back to Exercise 2 and your own color associations to personalize color magick (see page 20). Reflect on the chakra colors. Here are some traditional magical color correspondences. Love works with the colors red and pink. Green is for healing and money. Blue can be for money and prosperity, but it also invokes peace. Purple and violet are for spirituality and transformation. Yellow brings energy and strengthens the mind. Orange is another strong energy color, used for healing.

Flour

This ground grain, used for making breads, is the essence of the harvest. Most flour comes from wheat, but, depending on the bread being made, other grains may be used. In the ancient worlds, grains were held sacred to many Earth Goddesses, since they were the lifeblood of many societies. Akin to flour and grain are cornmeal and corn. In the Americas, corn is the sacred grain in native traditions, used in offering ceremonies at sacred sites. Both cornmeal and flour can be used in ritual offerings and spirit food. Offerings are particularly powerful if you take the time and energy to bake something yourself.

Garlic

No one can forget the tales of vampires and garlic. The legend comes from the reputation of garlic as an herb of protection, both magical and mundane. Garlic absorbs and neutralizes all harmful energy. Evil spirits, monsters, and disease are warded off. Bad weather is banished. Warriors eat it to dispel fear. On a physical level, garlic is used as a disinfectant and antiseptic. If you have something you want to get rid of, use garlic.

Ginger

In general, ginger is an herb of power. It can be used in any ritual to increase the power available to the spell caster. If you eat ginger, it increases your own personal energy by raising your metabolism. Added to any herbal charm or potion, it boosts all intentions in it. Ginger activates the immune system and wards off disease. Use this root with caution.

Grapes

Grapes, filled with water, resonate with the planet Neptune, the planet of the sea king. They are tools for both love and illusions. The waters of Neptune can bring escapist illusions or unconditional love. Different-colored grapes mark different abilities, so, consult your personal associations with color magick.

Lemon

This citrus draws the power of the Moon, used in feminine, Goddess power, and with emotional healing and past-life magick. Lemon increases psychic powers, like the Moon. You can use the fruit, juice, or peel.

Mace

Mace is linked to the element of air. It can be used, like most spices, as an incense. When activated in ritual, mace will increase mental powers, clear thoughts, perception, memory, speaking ability, and psychic skills.

Marjoram

This herb eases the heaviness of existence, bringing new life to any situation or person. It resolves tension gently, bringing happiness and levity. Marjoram can aid in dispelling depression. Love spells may use it to bring freedom and happiness into a relationship.

Mustard

Mustard seeds have a variety of uses. They are used to aid psychic powers, particularly in astral projection. It is an herb of prosperity and protection. Mustard seeds are also used in fertility spells for women.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is the herb of good luck. It brings an advantage to all spells using it. Money and prosperity spells often use nutmeg to “stack the odds” in the spell caster’s favor.

Olive Oil

Olive oil can be another magical staple. Herbs steeped in olive oils will dispense their magical and often medicinal properties into it, along with their aroma. Leave the herbs in the oil, in either the sunlight, to use its energy, or in a dark cabinet away from the light, depending on the intent of your magick. Olive oil also makes an excellent base for essential oils. Use about half olive oil and half essential oils. Many magical oils are created using both of these techniques.

Onion

The onion is a plant of purification. The tears released when you smell an onion release emotional blocks within your entire body. Often, when you cry for no reason, the same process is occurring. Onions only help it along. Onions are very juicy, filled with water. They, therefore, relate to the emotional realms. The many layers of the onion indicate its protective powers. The many layers of armor in our own lives, however, can be a detriment to healing. To heal, we must peel back the layers. Onion and onion peel are used to treat illness by absorbing the disease, much like garlic. Although fresh onion is good for this, onion powder works well too.

Orange

As lemon is to Moon, orange is to the Sun. The bright citrus fruit invokes the life-giving power of the Sun and its warming rays. Orange is used in general healing and health magick because of its vitamin C content. Usually, such spells are for preventive magick, for warding off colds before they come. Orange can be used for success, wealth, and energy. It makes you shine brightly, like the Sun. You can use the fruit, juice, or peel in your magick, just as with its sister fruit.

Oregano

Oregano is another herb of love and passion. Sprinkled in food, it increases the powers of attraction between two people.

Parsley

Parsley is an herb of both the heart and mind, of air and water. It is used in love spells, but for also seeing clearly in a relationship. It can be used for fertility and protection.

Peppermint

Peppermint is similar in function to both parsley and cinnamon. It is a very spiritual herb, increasing the energy and vibration of an area, promoting mind-and-heart unity. Peppermint is also an herb of healing. When drunk as a tea, it acts as a general tonic and relieves stomach pain.

Rosemary

Rosemary is one of the first incenses. It has many powers similar to those of frankincense, and can be used for a variety of magical works, including protection, purification, love, peace, psychic powers, and increasing memory.

Sage

Sage does exactly what its name implies. Sage imparts wisdom. This herb can be added to any magical undertaking, bringing greater understanding to the work. Sagebrush is burned by the Native Americans to purify an area. Although slightly different from kitchen sage, both have protective properties. Sage fumes definitely raise the energy of an area to a higher level, driving out all harmful forces. It’s used to smoke out unwanted spirits.

Salt

Salt is a mineral of protection, even though we use it to flavor food. Traditionally, salt absorbs discordant, harmful energy. In other words, it sucks up “bad vibes” and other energies that can cause harm or illness. Sea salt is best for magical purposes, but regular table salt has the same properties. A diet high in sodium chloride is not only physically unhealthy, but also spiritually unhealthy, because you become a magnet for unwanted forces. You can use salt in a protection charm by filling a bag with salt and other charged items. Some keep bowls of salt in the four corners of the basement or attic to absorb harm. When consecrating the salt, charge it with the intention to absorb harmful energy. Charge it to immediately neutralize this energy. Eventually, you will have to empty the charm and refill it with some fresh salt. You can similarly charge all your cooking salt to neutralize harmful energies, making the properties of salt work with the natural cleansing powers of your body. Make it a part of a general food blessing, activating all the healing properties of the food you eat, every time you sit down to a meal.

Sugar

The sweet taste of sugar, whether refined white sugar or brown, is a mark of its powers of love. Like milk and honey, sugar represents the loving paradise, euphoria, and cosmic bliss. Sugar and sweet foodstuffs like chocolate are natural aphrodisiacs, used in love magick the world over. Why else would sweets be so popular as Valentine’s Day treats?

Thyme

Thyme increases your sense of peace and tranquillity by increasing your sense of connection to all. It works through the element of water, the conductive world of relationships and emotions. Through this peace, powerful healing or increases in psychic abilities can occur.

Tomato

Tomatoes invoke the fiery powers of the red planet, Mars. They are used to initiate things, to have the courage to face obstacles, to maintain health in adversity, and for protection. Mars is also used for passion and sexuality. The magical nature of the tomato can be called on for these attributes.

Vanilla

The vanilla bean is a powerful bean ruled by the planet Pluto. It is an innocent flavor, loved in ice cream and cookies, but the actual properties of the bean bring transformations and change reality. Pluto is the planet of life, death, and the underworld. Vanilla beans can be found in gourmet shops, but often their properties, in diluted form, are transferred to vanilla extract and vanilla oil. Add a few drops to an herbal charm when you need these strong transformative powers.

Vitamin E Oil

Although less likely to be found in the home, vitamin E oil is becoming more popular. Medical science is discovering the healing properties of the oil for skin irritations, rashes, warts, and burns. Like olive oil, it can be used as a base oil for other magical works.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has become a common daily ritual sacrament for many. It can aid the immune system. As a preventive tonic, it wards off colds and flu. It’s nontoxic and there is little chance you can overdose on it by taking too much. Try using vitamin C in healing spells, catalyzing its natural properties. You can either consume it, or add it to a charm.

Blender/Food Processor

Although I really love my mortar and pestle, I have to concede that, when grinding some of the really tough herbs and resins, the touch of a mechanical blade can ground more finely than my hand, and in a fraction of the time. If we are considering the efficacy of mechanical and city spirits, then we shouldn’t turn down the helping hand our kitchen tools offer. Some say herbs that are processed mechanically will lack power because your personal energy isn’t added in the grinding process. My solution is simple. While the blender is shredding away, I focus my energy and intention toward unlocking the power of the herbs. Intent without the elbow grease can work just as effectively.

Needle and Thread

A needle and thread are another set of invaluable tools. Not only do they come in handy when you lose a button, they can be used in binding and sympathetic magick. If you want to contain something, something causing you harm, you want to bind it. There are many ways to do this. An easy way is to write out the name of the person, place, or thing causing harm on a piece of paper. Then, during a ritual, roll it up and tie it with the thread. I find black thread works best for me, as a color of protection. Keep this talisman someplace where it will not get loose, or bury it. These tools can also be used to make poppets, or dolls, used to represent someone else. These images can then be used to heal. Needles or pins can be placed in the place where the illness occurs, to bind and banish it. The needle is an extension of your will, like a ritual blade or sword.

Newspapers, Magazines, and Catalogs

Periodicals are an endless supply of images. If you are doing magick to gain something, like a good deal on a new car, cut out an advertisement for the car you want. You can then cross out the price and write in your ideal price Use this image as the focus of your spell. Anything you want from new living quarters, to employment, to myriad consumer goods can be found here.

Pillows and Stuffed Animals

For those not ready to make their own voodoo dolls for healing sessions, a pillow or even a plush toy can be used as a surrogate. Reiki Masters encourage the use of surrogates when doing distant healing sessions. It gives the healer something on which to focus. This isn’t just for Reiki, however. It can be used in most magical forms of healing, visualization, and intent. The image of the recipient, the thought form of the one in need, is placed within the pillow surrogate. The pillow is treated just like the recipient, only in miniature. Once the session or spell is complete, the thought form is released and sent to the recipient, bringing healing energy.

Stove, Pots, and Pans

The modern stainless-steel kitchen vessels now replace the bubbling iron cauldron of the witches of old. Mixtures can be created and heated using your own stove. Some find that electric stoves disrupt magical energy and only do magick on gas stoves. I think this is a personal prejudice. Find out if it makes a difference to you.