Horse Magick: Spells and Rituals for Self-Empowerment, Protection, and Prosperity - Lawren Leo 2020
The Jade Horse
In China, jade possessed a function that superseded its decorative value. In the 4,300-year-old city in the Loess Highland now called Shimao (its original name is unknown), the builders ritualistically placed jade artifacts between the blocks of all the city's structures. Together with skulls from human sacrifices buried in key spots, the jade was probably thought to give Shimao enduring power and spiritual protection.
Although there is evidence that there was a proper civilization in China as early as 9000 BCE, the domesticated horse was probably introduced there around 3000 BCE. We can ascribe the invention of the stirrup (around 322 CE), the horse collar, and a harnessing system based on the breast strap to the Chinese. Horses were held in such high esteem in China and were so important that both they and the chariots and carriages they drew are regularly found in tombs along with their owners as early as the Shang dynasty (around 1600—1100 BCE).
In Chinese religion and mythology, the horse was combined with the dragon and thought to have the mystical gift of flight. The Tienma (Celestial or Heavenly Horse), a combination of myth and reality, was most likely the ancestor of today's long-legged, silvery-coated Akhal Teke, a breed that originated in modern Turkmenistan. The Han emperor Wudi, who ruled from 140 to 87 BCE, began a war to acquire these horses for his cavalry, and various poets deemed them “waterborn,” just like dragons.1 An understanding of the Chinese veneration of both the horse and jade are important in order to understand the way in which you can apply them to broaden your spirituality and strengthen your magick. That veneration can be seen clearly in this Chinese folktale, in which both the subject and the medium bestow meaning and power on a small statuette.
Tienma (Tian Ma), the Celestial Horse
Richly embroidered silk robes hissed, and precariously high headdresses sighed in the building wind as the sun began to set over the funeral celebration. Dense incense smoke floated out of bronze censers; rows of impeccably dressed soldiers and aristocrats stood to attention; and groups of horses fidgeted nervously, their gilded bronze trappings jingling and gleaming. Finally, the shaman spoke. Pointing his bony finger, he intoned: “My Lord of Khotan, the omens are most auspicious. Observe! The sky is parded over with white clouds like the coat of the snow leopard and dappled like the celestial horse! Take heed! They begin to flame like the scales of a fiery dragon as the sun ends its course and sets in the west. Surely your child has passed over peacefully into the celestial realms.” No tears were discernible on the ruler's wizened face, but a mother's sob emerged from deep inside the enclosed chariot.
The Lord of Khotan said: “Have the court artist make a likeness from the finest white mutton-fat jade that shows my child dressed as a warrior riding the winged celestial horse and place it in his tomb. Thus, he can rightly join his ancestors in the realm of the immortals.”
And so, it was done. To this day, the precious statuette resides in the Shanxi Xianyang Municipal Museum, depicting a warrior grasping the mane of a horse flying over clouds.
SPELL TO WED YOURSELF TO GOOD LUCK
The old adage, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” plays a role in this spell to bring good fortune. In it, an old plate or bowl covers the first item—something old; a borrowed plate or bowl covers the third item—something borrowed; jade is something new; and periwinkle (also known as Sorcerer's Violet) is something blue. The spell draws on the special powers of jade to bring good fortune.
What you need:
At least four ounces of periwinkle2 (the blue flower, not the leaf); a piece of jade that you can wear or carry (tumbled, necklace, bracelet, ring, etc.), preferably in the shape of a horse; a borrowed small plate or bowl and an old plate or bowl large enough to hold your piece of jade. You'll also need a small amount of timothy hay.
Instructions:
Place the “borrowed” small plate or bowl to the left of your jade and the “old” plate or bowl to the right. Fill the “borrowed” small plate or bowl with the timothy hay as an offering to the spirit that presides over your piece of jade. Now, with reverance, place your piece of jade on or in the “old” plate or bowl to its right. Cover it as much as possible, using all the periwinkle. Begin to slow your breathing as you calm and center yourself. Hold your hands over the periwinkle and jade. Imagine light-blue flames the color of the periwinkle pouring forth from your palms and into the jade. Say:
Spirit of the Sorcererw's Violet, cleanse the stone that finds itself
under your leaves, then bind it to me—my soul to its soul, its
soul to mine. So mote it be.
While still holding your hands over the jade and while still feeling the blue, fiery energy emanating from your palms, chant this spell as many times as you like, but not fewer than three:
Hurtle over your obstacles,
Jump over the stick of the broom;
Smash the glass and say I do.
Something is old;
Something is new;
Something must be borrowed;
Find something blue.
Work your magick;
Cast the spell.
Forever, good luck,
I'm wed to you.
Leave the jade under the periwinkle for twenty-four hours. Then remove the jade from the flowers. Throw the periwinkle back to Mother Earth and say:
Thank you, kind spirits. You are released.
Do the same with the timothy hay.
The jade is now ready to be placed in an area that holds significance for you, or, if it's tumbled, to be carried on your person (pocket, purse, brazier, etc.). If it is a piece of jewelry, it is ready to be worn. Please read the rules below, however. They are an important part of this spell and you must follow them for it to work properly.
Some rules:
· The jade will prove to be more potent if it is in the shape of a horse, but will still work nicely if it is tumbled or shaped otherwise.
· If the jade is in the shape of a horse, you do not need to carry or wear it. Instead, you can place it somewhere special or in an area of your home, office, or workspace that holds importance in some significant emotional or magickal manner.
· You do not need to carry or wear the jade every day, as long as you pay attention to it at least two or three times a week—cleanse it magickally, rub some good luck oil on it, dust it, talk to it, etc. I like to clean mine with a mixture of essential oil of mugwort and water on the new moon, full moon, or both. Most of the time, I just pat it on the head and say: “Bring me good luck.”
· The jade should only be worn, carried, or placed by itself. The jade is married to you. It will be jealous if you carry it in a mixture of other stones or if you wear it with other jewelry adorned with stones. It will be very jealous if you place it in an inconspicuous place or next to another precious or semiprecious stone.
· If your jade breaks or is lost, you must repeat this spell using a new piece of jade. But there's a caveat: the jade must be given to you by someone else. You may not purchase another piece for this spell the second time around, or the third, fourth, or fifth for that matter. Your first piece of jade broke or was lost because it was finished serving its purpose. When it is time for you to repeat this spell, another piece will present itself. Once it does, then you may purchase another piece in the shape of a horse if you like, or use the piece that somebody gave to you.
· When using this spell, only enchant one piece of jade at a time.
Why did I choose periwinkle? Periwinkle is used to enhance the sex life, and for marital bliss, fidelity, and protection.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For an interesting study of the metaphysical and geological properties of jade, see: Nicholas Pearson, The Seven Archetypal Stones: Their Spiritual Powers and Teachings (Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2016), pp. 38—81.
For the background on the Akhal-Teke, see “History of the Akhal-Teke” on the official website of the International Association of Akhal-Teke Breeding (MAAK), http://maakcenter.org (accessed 12/26/2018).
Secondary sources
Cooke, Bill, “The Horse in Chinese History.” In Cooke (2000), pp. 27—62.
————, dir. Imperial China: The Art of the Horse in Chinese History, exh. cat. (Lexington, KY: Kentucky Horse Park; in conjunction with Prospect, KY: Harmony House Publishers, 2000); cat. no. 120, p. 137, “Winged Horse and Rider,” Jade, Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE—8 CE), Shanxi Xianyang Municipal Museum. With thanks for the reference to Stacy Pearson at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies, University College, London.
Jaang, L., Z. Sun, J. Shao, and M. Li. “When Peripheries Were Centres: A Preliminary Study of the Shimao-centred Polity in the Loess Highland, China,” Antiquity 92 (364) (2018), pp. 1008—1022. Retrieved from doi:10.15184/aqy.2018.31 (accessed 11/29/2018).
Jarus, Owen. “Massive Pyramid, Lost City and Ancient Human Sacrifices Unearthed in China,” Live Science (August 23, 2018). Retrieved from https://livescience.com, with thanks to David Nishimura.
Ni, Xueting Christine. From Kuan Yin to Chairman Mao: The Essential Guide to Chinese Deities (Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2018). For the story of the horse-headed goddess, Lei Zu, see pp. 148—151; on Ma Shen, horse deities, see pp. 217—219.
NOTES
1 Cooke, “The Horse,” pp. 41—44; Ni, 2018, p. 218, writes that the mythical dragon-horse, ancestor of all horses, is Long Ma.
2 Please be sure to increase the amount of periwinkle to suit the size of your piece of jade. You need enough to cover it.