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

City Stones
Tools of the Trade

Gemstones have a long colorful history in magick. The most famous probably comes from the mythic high priest’s breastplate containing the twelve birthstones, each one corresponding to a zodiac sign. All magical cultures have used stones in spells and healings. Quartz crystal points direct energy. Scryers use balls of crystal to gaze into the future. Turquoise and jade are used for healing. The magical value of metals and gems made them valuable, causing them to be used as the foundation of our monetary systems. Why was gold so valued in the ancient civilizations, and even in our modern world? It couldn’t be used for weapons or tools. Even though it can be beautiful, society has placed an outrageous value to it. Gold is valuable because it is the metal of the Sun, full with life-giving powers. Even though we have forgotten that, unlike our Sun-honoring ancestors, modern society still places great value on it. We still use crystal magick disguised as traditions. Diamond rings as tokens of engagement carry their own spell for fidelity and a long-lasting relationship.

As cities are alive in their own way, so are all stones are alive. They are animated by spirit and energy. Each has its own personality. The chemical composition of the stone, along with its color, determines the uses of that mineral. Each stone has unique powers to heal and make magick. These systems of magical correspondences have generated many volumes on crystals and stones. They are all valuable and a great resource. Books like Love Is in the Earth by Melody (Earth-Love Publishing House), and Cunningham’s Encydopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic (Llewellyn) are wonderful, but don’t forget the resources on your own street.

If all stones are alive, they all have magick, regardless of whether they are found in a deep Brazilian mine or on your street corner. You can find magical stones on a walk through the park, at a construction site, on the sidewalk, or at the beach. You do not need to get expensive mined stones. If you are called to work with them, then do so. I have a rather large mineral collection that I use in crystal-healing sessions. Many of the stones come from places near my home.

When working in the magical vortex of the city, some of the most powerful stones you can obtain are those that have been dwelling in the city’s energy. You need look no further. Go on a city walk, paying attention to the worlds between worlds. Go with an intention. If you need help with a material spell or meditation, think about that intention. Basic spells can be for healing, prosperity, protection, love, or happiness. Tailor the intention to your specific needs before you go out walking. Ask to find a mineral spirit to aid you in this intention. Be aware and allow things to happen.

On your journey, you may find a stone that catches your eye. These are your power stones. Don’t pick up every pebble you see, but only the ones calling out to you, activating your psychic senses. Walk along your magical streets and park pathways. If you live near a river, lake, or ocean, search the banks or shores to find an amazing array of stones, usually smooth and polished. They are wonderful for magick.

Let the mineral spirit connect with you once you put your intention out into the universe. Some say you will only pick the stones who want to work with you. Practice hearing their voices. Some stones will not be able to help you, but may, rather, need your help. When stranded with a broken-down car on a New England highway, my friend and I waited for the tow truck on a hill by the side of the road. We both “heard” a stone. It was a small, rough fragment of quartz, probably from the granite abundant in the area. It was unhappy. It was not until we picked it up that we realized it wanted to be near its companion, a rock a few feet up the hill. It must have rolled down. We moved it and it seemed happy. At the same time, I found another piece of quartz that wanted to come home with me. I just knew it did. I asked it in my mind and got a yes to confirm it. Be open to the answers, in words, in pictures, or just by knowing. The stone is still on my altar and I meditate with it.

EXERCISE 16-STONE QUEST

Do Exercise 9, Sidewalking, but with the intention of finding a power stone (see page 79).

As you walk, pick up the first stone that truly calls to you.

Carry it with you and see if your sidewalking experiences and feelings give you an indication of the stone’s use.

Return home and quietly meditate with it.

Use your intuition for determining the use of the stone. Many city stones may not be easily identified mineralogically. There is no real place to look them up, because you don’t know what they are. They are rocks, plain and simple. So keep it simple and use your senses, psychic and physical. The shape of the stone may suggest something to you. Some stones break in a heart shape, suggesting love magick. If the stone is more round or disc-shaped, like a circle, it may remind you of the protection of a magick circle.

Color is a great key for decoding the powers of stones. Even common street stones come in various shades. We each have our own color chart from personal experiences. Some colors mean love, while others mean peace. Use your own beliefs regarding the stones, as with all color magick. Look at any stone you find to discover color and shape combinations. Then use your nonverbal communication skills to connect with it and forge a bond. Here are some common minerals you may find and identify in the city, chipping off from building foundations and street corners.

Quartz

City quartz is usually found where granite has been used. After some weathering from the local elements, quartz will look like small white stones, sometimes semitransparent, but more often an opaque white color. Quartz pebbles are abundant in rivers and at beaches. Because of the color, quartz can be used for almost anything. It cures illness when used in crystal-healing layouts on the body. Others have used this mineral for shamanic journeys, meditation, increasing psychic powers, banishing nightmares, and general protection.

Granite

Granite is a mineral containing quartz, feldspar, and often mica, used in stonework for buildings and for curbs. Granite often chips from weather stress and imperfections in the rock, making a new home for the chips in the street. I happen to live in the Granite State, New Hampshire, where it’s plentiful. Most of the major roads were cut out of granite hills, leaving shards of stone to be found and used in magick. Many ore deposits are found in granite beds, letting the stone pick up a wide variety of vibrations and powers. I see granite as a stone of balance and harmony, mixing different elements. With its quartx properties, it conducts magical energy and can be used for healing. Granite is a stone of foundation, grounding things in material, practical terms.

Marble

Marble is another valuable stone to architects, used in buildings and statues all over the world. As with granite, pieces often wear away naturally and can be put to good use. Limestone plays a major part in the formation of marble. Often, other minerals, including quartz and clay, mix with the limestone during the formation process, creating the different colors and patterns of marble. Because of this, marble is another stone of blending and balance, a stone of synthesis. Traditionally, marble is a stone of protection. Altars are often made of or covered with marble. In India, marble charms are used for protection. Success spells are more potent when combined with this stone.

Slate

Slate is a dark stone that splits naturally into thin plates. Because of this, it’s often cut into rectangular plates and used as roofing material, tabletops, and other flat surfaces. Magically, we use slate in rituals to make a clean break from an old situation, job, or relationship. By using sympathetic magick, we empower the slate to represent the unhealthy connection. By breaking it and separating the pieces, perhaps by burying them, we break the connection. Slate can also be used for spells for organization, since it sections itself off into nice, neat pieces.

Tar, Pitch, and Asphalt

Tar, pitch, and asphalt are similar substances, each being a thick, black, viscous semisolid material. Tar is created from carbonization of coal or other substances like wood or peat. Pitch is made from tar or petroleum through a distillation process. Asphalt can occur naturally, or be created from petroleum. Today, in the cityscape, they are used mainly for roofing and road construction. Bits and pieces can be found broken off from newly hot-topped roads and driveways. They sound like horrible, nasty products, but each has its place. Their first property is that they are waterproof. Wooden ships were tarred to keep the water from seeping into the boat. Water is the element of emotions, and if you need to get some measure of control over your emotions, these substances in a spell can help you. This doesn’t mean that I recommend blocking out or cuting off your emotional nature. On the other hand, it is not always fun to have a breakdown from your personal life seep into your job. If you feel the need to keep these things private, charge a piece of asphalt to help keep your emotions from overwhelming you. Carry it to work. Keep it in a plastic bag, since heat and pressure may cause it to soak through your pocket or purse. Plastic, vinyl, or some other nonporous container should help you transport it. Remove it when you get home and experience your emotional release. Don’t carry the stone all the time or it will overload and cause an even greater emotional breakdown where you least expect it. Give yourself time to heal.

These substances often carry and absorb a dark vibration because of the way they are made. Some builders mix in all manner of construction rock and refuse. Neutralize any harmful substances in them. Definitely do not work with them for long periods of time. Use new pieces, and neutralize and return the piece you are working with before getting another. As similar vibrations gather together, they can be used to draw and remove dark energy from a home, office, or other place. Charge the tar or asphalt to be a magnet, absorbing, holding, and neutralizing harmful energy. Let it work in your apartment for an hour, then remove it, putting the neutralized stone back where you found it. Complete the clearing using sage, copal, or frankincense incense. If you have any adverse reactions to using these dark substances, discontinue the practice.

Construction Rubble

Stones of any type gathered from a construction site have a very strong power stored in them, due to the world around them. They have been in an area where the old is being destroyed to make room for the new. They are strongly connected with the planet Pluto, a planet of elimination and transformation. Gather a small stone from a construction site when you need strong transformational action in your life. Make sure the small stone or pebble will not be missed. It’s often best to wait until the construction is over. When you are ready to make these life changes, when you need to clear out the old to make way for the new, charge it in a ritual with your intentions. Obstacles will be removed, even obstacles to which you may be attached and that you may use as excuses in your life. Be specific in what you ask. Keep the stone on your altar as a reminder of its power working for you. Watch all that does not serve, and I mean all, fall away as new support systems come into your life.

Neighborhood-Clearing Spell

Magick can be used for personal gain, but it can also give back to the community around you. Giving back to others with your magick is a good habit to acquire. The more help you give, on any level, the more you will receive when you need it most.

Here is a spell to cleanse your living space, including your neighborhood. Eventually, it can be expanded beyond your neighborhood, to your district and the entire city. The cleansing occurs on all levels. First to be cleared is the physical, including the pollution we have created. Magick has a definite effect on reducing pollution levels, particularly if you work in a creative partnership with the devas of that area. This cleansing will help clear all pollution, not only the physical, but energy and astral pollution as well. You will cleanse the entire “vibe” of the place.

You will need a small quartz stone. A rounded river stone is best, but use any one you can find. Cast your magick circle. As you call upon your guides and guardians, call upon some additional beings. Call upon Mother Earth, the goddess Gaia. You should always be in contact with her when doing any form of Earth healing. Ask her permission to do the work before continuing. Wait to receive an affirmative answer. If you get a “no,” there are other forces at work here, and it’s best to leave things alone. If you get a “yes,” ask to connect to the deva of the city and the devas of your neighborhood. Ask their permission to carry on. If you get an affirmative response, you will be in harmony with the city vortex. You may see it or the energy lines in a map in your head. You may not. You should only go forward if you feel you have Earth’s and the devas permission to do so. Ask them to work in harmony with you and to help this ritual.

Charge the quartz stone at the center of your circle. Charge it for cleansing on all levels, in a manner correct and for the highest good, harming none. Put a lot of energy and intent into it. Feel the four elements enter and balance the quartz stone. Feel all the beings gathered in the circle there empower the stone.

The stone grows larger in your mind. Visualize the quartz moving out. It cleanses and neutralizes any harmful or unwanted energy it touches. Dark energy dissolves like fairy dust, like sugar in clear water. The stone expands farther out. It soon fills your circle with its cleansing energy. It moves past the circle into the entire apartment or home. It grows to fill the entire building. At this point, it will probably start to contract. With some further practice and subsequent ritual, it may expand to cover the block. Eventually, it may be used to clear the city. Be sure to ask permission each time you do this ritual.

Once it has contracted, thank all the powers gathered, one by one, and release the circle.

Protection Charm

By wearing a good luck or protective charm, you let the magick infused in the charm work with you, unconsciously, to fulfill your objective. The fact that you have put on an amulet of protection, however, doesn’t mean that you won’t get hurt if a truck runs over you. The amulet works by subconsciously alerting you to danger, or helping you to avoid the situation in the first place. This magick is preventive.

Most spells casters use some form of protection magick. They may say daily affirmations or activate their protective shields, as discussed before. You can make a protection amulet for yourself or a loved one. Gather up materials that have protective powers and seal them in a charm bag.

Take a small, black, cloth bag, or make one by cutting a circle of cloth, gathering the ends, and tying them once all the materials are inside it. Charge each of these ingredients for protection before adding them to the bag.

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon chili pepper

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon sage

Juice of 1 aloe vera leaf

1 power stone

The aloe juice acts to bind the herbal mixture. The power stone can be a piece of quartz or another stone found on your journeys. Charge the whole thing for protection and seal the bag. Carry this charm with you to increase your powers of protection, or give it to a loved one. Keep it in your car for protection when traveling.

Healing Spell

Healing is an important magical art. Each ritual and working is as individual as the “patient.” The illness or injury often determines the course of action on physical, as well as magical, realities. Here is an overall healing spell, great for a cold, flu, or other temporary illness. You can adapt it to suit your needs. Place the following herbs in a large pouch. A small pillowcase will even do. The goal is to spread it out over an area of the body that is afflicted, usually the throat, chest, or abdomen.

1 part bay

4 parts coriander

3 parts dill seed

1 part orange peel

3 parts peppermint

Also put several power stones in the bag. They can be traditional quartz points, rounded stones found on your citywalk, or any other minerals you are drawn to use. Charge them all for healing and place them in the bag with the herbs. Imagine the sack filling with healing energy, bright, healthy-colored lights inside, glowing with health and vitality. Then place the bag or pillowcase on the person in need of healing, and visualize the body absorbing the energy, taking it in, and becoming more healthy. “Recharge” this pouch several times during the illness with your visualization. When done, throw out the herbs and cleanse the stones by dabbing them with your ritual oil, or smudging them with purification or temple incense. If they have absorbed any harmful energies, you do not want them to remain with you until they are cleansed.