I live in a city, immersed in a sea of humanity at all times. I love the din of sound and energy this creates, but sometimes you just want to have a private conversation somewhere like a crowded restaurant or coffee shop. This ritual makes that possible. It is one of the absolute easiest acts of magick you can perform, and it’s also a perfect example of how to use magick in daily life.

You can do this as an “empty hand technique”—meaning we use nothing but our own ingenuity and the energy we draw from the universe around us—or we can incorporate a component of natural magick to boost its effects. In this case, the component that adds the extra kick is nothing more than table salt.

Throughout recorded history, magicians have used salt for protecting themselves, others, or the space where they’re doing magick from outside energies of all kinds. Salt is basically millions of tiny crystals that can be held in the palm of your hand.

• First, just take the saltshaker and sprinkle a pinch of it in the center of your table.
• Then close your eyes and begin to take slow, steady inhalations. With each indrawn breath, envision that you are drawing in energy from the universe around you in the form of white light. It passes through your body and into the earth. As you exhale, know that the air may be leaving your lungs, but the energy remains in the earth.
• Focus on building that energy as powerfully as you can, seeing the earth fill with more light with each indrawn breath. When you feel like you’ve accumulated enough energy, use the first finger on your right hand to draw the rune known as “Berkano” in white light at the center of the salt crystals.

• Berkano is most commonly known for its connection to things like growth and rebirth—but it also corresponds to things like secrecy and privacy.
• As you draw the rune in light, hold the intent that you’re doing it to shield your table from the world around you—closing out the energy of other people who surround you, and giving you the privacy needed to carry out your business without notice. You’ll discover that those around you take no note of your conversation.