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Sand and Glass Spells

Sand Magic

Sand is essentially moveable rock, a collection of tiny crushed minerals and other organic substances. According to the International Sand Collector’s Society: “Stones are primordial matter. Sand is matter ground by the infinity of time. It makes one mindful of eternity. Sand is matter which has been transformed and has almost become liquid and spiritual.” Yes, there are sand collectors—a testament to the fascinating qualities of sand. Ground by time, sand is ancient and can be a powerful magical ingredient.

Look closely at sand; examine it with a magnifying glass. It’s made up of tiny bits of ground stone and minerals. Like soil, sand is associated with the Earth element. Stone and crystal magic includes sand because it’s made up of these tiny particles. You can combine sand and stones or simply use sand by itself in a spell.

Sand is fun to play with—what child, or even adult, can resist playing in the sand at the beach or in a sandbox? We like the way it feels under our feet and in our hands. We can mold it, shape it, and then crumble it and start over. Its fine grains are smooth and relaxing to touch.

Of course, sand has long been used in many types of art—it’s a creative medium to work with. Colored sands can be layered in containers or used to create images such as the detailed mandalas of Tibetan Buddhists that are ritually destroyed after they are so painstakingly created. Zen gardens (Japanese rock gardens) use lines in sand to represent ripples on water, surrounded by the artful arrangement of plants and rocks. Beautiful sand castles and other sculptures have been made on beaches only to be washed away—such is the temporary nature of sand, reminding us that nothing lasts forever.

If we consider sand’s many practical uses—it’s an ingredient in concrete, in mortar to bind stones and bricks, and in making glass and computer chips—we know it’s just one more way that stone is a vital part of our lives. Sand is often overlooked in magic, or reduced simply to a base material in a dish for burning incense or candles. And while it is an excellent choice for candle holders and incense burners, try to remember it can have magical significance.

You can buy sand at garden shops or other decorating outlets—beach sand may be polluted so use caution! It may be safer to buy landscape or decorative sand. Not only do decorative sands come in many colors but they are usually available in fine- or coarse-grain. If you’re just beginning to work with sand, I recommend starting with a bag of white or natural-colored sand, as well as the black variety. This way, you’re prepared for any type of spell. I usually use natural or white unless I’m banishing or binding. Buy one bag of fine-grain and one bag of coarse-grain so you can experiment with each type.

When it’s time to dispose of sand you’ve used in a spell, avoid dumping large amounts into your yard (unless you’re using it for a landscaping project). Sand is easy to recycle—you can use it in a dish for snuffing out matches or incense sticks. Remember, too, that when you layer sand it cannot be “un-layered” so if you remove it from the container it will be mixed. Again, find a way to recycle this sand if you no longer wish to use it for spells. I keep several containers reserved only for “used” sand—I use these mainly for burning non-magical candles and incense; I have one outside that is used as an ashtray for guests who smoke.

Since sand can be messy, work with it outside, if possible, or cover surfaces with newspaper. If you spill some, just vacuum it up. Aside from washing your hands, don’t rinse sand down the drains inside your home. For storage, use glass jars with screw-top lids or large zipper-seal plastic bags. If you use bags, be sure the seal is tight—it’s a hassle to clean up after a leaky bag of sand!

Other Magical Uses

Generally, I don’t recommend using sand in spells for fertility or abundance, since very few things will grow in sand. While it’s associated with the element of Earth and it can be a good additive for some soils (depending on the sand’s mineral content), it’s not particularly fertile. Rather, it is best used for burying, banishing, protection, spells involving impermanence, or in meditative spells involving creating something with sand or drawing in it.

First of all, sand is an excellent medium to use as a bed for stone grids (see chapter ten). You may wish to use damp sand for grids, especially if you’re outside on a windy day. In addition, it’s easier to draw lines and shapes in damp sand. Another method of drawing in sand involves setting a tray of dry sand outside and waiting for the symbol you created to blow away. Or, you can follow the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and ritually destroy what you created in the sand. Ceremonies of this type acknowledge the impermanence of things and can be used for dealing with grief or to affirm life.

To create objects, use a bit of water to dampen your sand as if you were going to build a sandcastle. Instead, pack your sand into cookie cutters to create shapes that pertain to your spell such as a heart or star. Remove the mold—this can be tricky. You’ll need to practice to find the perfect amount of water so your sand isn’t too wet or too dry. Take your sculpture outside and leave it until nature wears it down, either by rain or wind. You could also destroy it yourself in an act of banishing. Alternatively, use cookie cutters to make impressions in a bed of damp sand. When the sand dries, pour it back into a storage container. You may have to crumble it with your hands or sift it to remove clumps.

Have fun and be creative! You may already be familiar with sand art projects such as layering colored sand in bottles. Floral designers, too, know how pretty a design can become by combining sand, stones, shells, and glass beads or sea glass. You can design magical works of art or simply continue using sand as a burning base, knowing this can add to the magical significance of your work. Experiment with different grains and varying amounts of water. If you have kids, take them to the beach and do some “research” or build a sandbox. Even if you don’t have a beach nearby or a sandbox, you can buy some sand, get some containers, and play!

Other Tips for Using Sand in Magic

Cleansing and Charging Sand

To cleanse sand, simply put it in a dish and cover it with enough water so it sits on top of the bed of sand. Let it sit in sunlight for a day, then pour the water off. Then, to complete the process and charge it, spread the damp sand onto a tray (you can use a cookie sheet or even a large plate) and let it dry in the sun for another day or until it’s completely dry. This will clear it of any previous energy and you can dedicate it strictly for magical use. To charge dry sand, place your containers of sand in the sunlight or moonlight. If you purchase new sand from a craft store, you may skip the cleansing process the first time you use it; however, depending on what you use it for, you may wish to cleanse it before using it again. If you use the same sand for the same purpose over and over again, you don’t need to keep cleansing and re-charging it—it’s similar to the process of dedication. For example, keep a jar of black sand to only use for banishing and binding.

Cleansing Chant:

Sun and Water, clean this sand,

Clear the touch of other hands.

Charging Chant:

Sun/Moon and Air, charge this sand,

Manifest the goal I’ve planned.

Sand and Stone Offering Bowl

Use this technique to create a special place to burn a candle or incense as an offering. Find a transparent glass dish and add sand, or layers of sand. Place one clear quartz point in the sand, along with a candle or a stick of incense to burn as your offering. You can use a tea light or votive in a glass cup, or you can simply place a votive candle in the sand. Cooled candle wax can be removed from sand easily.

Variation:

Use coarse sand, and pour water over it. Float a candle on top. Here’s a general offering chant:

This offering I give with thanks,

Grateful and sincere.

For what I ask and have received,

For all that I hold dear.

Accept this gift, small as it seems—

Let my intent be clear.

Sand Spell for Banishing or Binding

You can use this spell for banishing, binding, or both. Remember that banishing is removing something from affecting you and binding is more like securing movement. Perform this spell during a waning moon.

Stones:

Your choice of the following: obsidian, or other type of volcanic glass or lava stone, black onyx, or lead (galena).

Other Items:

Sprinkle a thin layer of sand in the bottom of the jar. The stone will represent that which is to be bound or banished (or both). Place the stone on the sand. Then, slowly, let sand fall from your fingertips (or use a funnel) onto the stone, eventually covering it.

Repeat this chant while visualizing your intended outcome:

That which causes me distress
That which keeps my mind from rest
For highest good be bound from me/
for highest good I banish thee
As I will, so mote it be.

When the stone is covered, place a black candle on top of the sand and light it.

Chant:

By sand and stone, I cast this spell,

Air and Fire aid as well.

Hear my plea and heed my call,

I ask this for the good of all.

Allow the candle to burn out. Then, discard the wax and cleanse the stone. You can reuse the sand, but it’s a good idea to only use it for future banishing or binding spells.

Sand Spell to Forget

Sometimes when a relationship is ending, we want to symbolically “erase” it from our lives. For this spell, create a “broken heart” shape in damp sand—you can either make a mold and draw a break across the center, or draw the entire shape in damp sand. For whatever method you choose, the goal is to create the symbol, then destroy it while visualizing any pain associated with the relationship being wiped away. Sand represents impermanence—nothing lasts forever. Your pain will heal with time. After you destroy the broken heart, by either using your hands or washing it with water, you can create a new, healed heart shape, if you wish.

Take some time and care creating your symbol. After all, you invested time in the relationship. Visualize being free and healed as you begin destroying your symbol.

Chant:

Like wind and water on the sand,
Time brings changes to the land.
Pain and tears are wiped away—
Heal my heart; begin today.

Optional: Create a new, whole heart in the sand. Leave this one in place as long as you like.

Sand Protection Bottle

For this spell, get as creative as you like with the container and sand. Find an interesting bottle and use a funnel to pour differently colored sand in layers. Use any combination of colors you’d like or just stick to natural or white sand, if that’s all you have available. Layering red, white, and black is one combination to try. You may wish to display this as a decorative item, or you can keep it hidden.

Somewhere in the bottle, place 9 grains of sea salt and a clear quartz point. You can put these on the bottom or in between layers.

Chant:

With this bottle I prepare

Keep my home within your care.

All within and all without,

Everything I care about.

Harm to none I ask of thee,

As I will so shall it be.

Sacred Sand Spell

I once had the good fortune to witness Tibetan Buddhist monks create and destroy a sand mandala. It took them nearly a week to build it, and then it was ceremoniously wiped away. You can create your own similar ritual to honor life’s magic and mystery. When the monks destroyed the mandala, they saved some of the sand. Most of it was dumped in a lake, but some was given to those of us who attended the ceremony. This sacred memento is a reminder that life is precious.

This spell assumes no level of artistic skill—I’m not going to ask you to create a sand art mandala! But, you can create a work of sand art and then destroy it. You can customize this spell based on your level of skill but this basic version is quite simple. It’s the intent that matters.

Supplies:

Begin this project at the full moon. Filling the container by alternating dark and light, making as many even layers of sand as you can (depending on the container’s size). You can use a small votive cup or a large jar. Think of this as the symbolism of yin and yang—universal balance. As you add each layer of sand, chant:

Balance of life, dark and bright—
To make a shadow there must be light.

When the container is full, you can display it with a clear quartz point on top, seal the jar with a lid, or both. If possible, allow the jar to sit in moonlight on the first night. The next day, allow it to receive some sunlight so it can be charged this way as well. Then, place the container in a location where you can see it every day until the new moon. Chant these words over the container after you set it in place:

Massive stones can become sand,
Tiny grains can build a world.
Meaning found in simple things—
Let the magic be unfurled!

On the night of the new moon, repeat the chant above and pour the sand onto a plate. Swirl it around, and mix it in a counterclockwise direction.

Chant:

To end is to begin again—
balance, swirl, mix, and blend.
Now I know and will transcend.
Understand: there is no end.

After the sand is mixed well, set some aside to keep. You can add a pinch of this sacred sand to other spells or just display in a decorative fashion. Discard the rest in a body of water.

Variation:

If you have coarse and fine sand, you can only make two layers, fine, then coarse. You can even make this on a tiny scale using a glass tealight cup and one layer of each color.

Glass Magic

While glass may seem commonplace to us today, it was once a product only for the wealthy. Making glass has become ordinary, although we still appreciate its beauty, especially in hand-blown works of art. We shouldn’t forget how special hand-crafted items can be. I have several pieces of Murano glass jewelry I purchased on a trip to Italy, and even though they’re not “natural” glass, they feel magical to me. Remember: glass comes from sand and sand is crushed minerals. While glass may be primarily manmade, it’s still a natural, earthy substance. Many different kinds of glass are made today by adding various minerals to enhance the appearance.

Even though modern glass is manmade, nature makes glass as well. Specimens called fulgurites occur when lightning strikes sand (or a combination of sand, soil, and rock) and causes it to melt, creating a glasslike rod of fused minerals. If you are fortunate enough to have one of these, treasure it. Use it for glass magic if you like, but be careful—they’re fragile. Obsidian and tachylyte (not as common) are types of volcanic glass that occur when magma cools by flowing into water. A formation called Pele’s hair is a threadlike form of tachylyte.

Lead crystal is created by adding lead oxide to the mixture when making glass. This process originated in England in the seventeenth century. Waterford Crystal, made in Ireland, is one of the finest forms, but affordable lead crystal is easily obtained.

Remember that the terms “lead” crystal or “Austrian” crystal are used to describe types of glass and they have no crystalline structure. However, these manmade substances still have their place in magic. They’re made of natural materials and are excellent choices for containers. Lead crystal prisms are easy to find and you can hang them in sunny areas to catch the light and throw rainbows around a room.

You probably already use glass for magic all the time—candle-holders are a primary example. They’re affordable, attractive, and are available in all colors. We have glass dishes in our homes, glass beads for making jewelry, and don’t forget about mirrors! Glass is everywhere, so it’s easy to forget its magical significance. Charge your glass candleholders and mirrors as you would a stone or crystal, and continue to use them only for magical purposes. Dedicate specific containers for quarter candles and use specific jars and dishes for spells.

Sea Glass

While sea glass was originally a term specifically for water-worn bits of glass that washed up on seashores, it is now mostly manufactured for decorative purposes. If you happen to have some real sea glass, consider yourself lucky. If you don’t, go ahead and buy some—it’s lovely and can be used in glass magic.

Sea glass can be combined with sand and stones to create decorative containers that can also be charged for magical use. Select corresponding colors for your particular need—sea glass is often sold in bags of mixed colors.

Sea Glass Spell for Love

Use this spell to draw love into your life; perform on a Friday during a waxing or full moon.

Items Needed:

First, cleanse your dish and sea glass as you would a stone, clearing the pieces of previous energy. Place the sea glass in the dish and add enough water to cover. Use sea water if you have access to it, or try to find other clean water collected from a spring, lake, or stream.

After you have added the water, close your eyes and imagine feeling in love. Avoid thinking of a specific person—focus on the feeling of loving and being loved. Imagine this love is on a distant island separated from you by the sea. Then, sense the love coming closer to you like a bit of sea glass washed up on shore. See yourself walking on the beach, waiting, knowing this love is going to find you very soon. Hold your palms over the bowl of glass and water and say these words:

Love may be far or near—
When it’s time, bring him/her here.
Water dries from this dish,
bring me love, grant my wish.

Place the bowl on your altar or in a windowsill until the water has evaporated. Begin watching for signs that your spell is manifesting.

Austrian Crystal Sun Catcher

The goal of this spell is to create a decorative sun catcher intended to promote happiness and a positive attitude. Austrian crystals are faceted to sparkle in the light—choose any shape you’d like—a star, heart, snowflake, pyramid—you will most likely find dozens to choose from; they’re typically drilled with a hole at the top to be hung or used in jewelry.

Three Methods:

  1. The simplest way to use the crystal as a sun catcher is to thread a piece of string through it, tie the ends of the string in a knot, and hang it in a window. That’s really all you need to do. But, since it may be difficult to add additional beads to string or ribbon (depending on size), you may want to just use the crystal. Done!
  2. If you want to incorporate additional beads, the easiest way to string beads is to use bead wire. But, if you do this, you can’t just tie a knot in the end, you’ll need to use crimp beads to secure it. Still, this is one of the first steps to learn in jewelry-making and it’s an easy technique. You only need to buy one tool, some crimp beads, and bead wire. Just visit your local craft store and they’ll be happy to assist you. You could also purchase a book or look up techniques online.
  3. If you’d like to experiment with jewelry-making techniques or you already have all the tools and supplies, try the Bead and Crystal Star Sun Catcher described here. And of course, you can create your own design.

These techniques and this project are by no means intended to limit what you can do—rather, I want to show you three basic projects so you can create your own version.

After selecting your crystal, choose additional beads based on your need and/or numerological influence (see chapter nine). You don’t have to follow this design, it’s just a suggestion.

Bead and Crystal Star Sun Catcher:

This example is based on fives: five of each bead and a five-pointed star. In numerology, five is the number of life itself. Another variation would be to use four different colored beads that correspond to the elements, and let the Austrian crystal piece represent the Spirit.

When I made this one, I used a strand of bead wire and put the crystal star on first, then pushed the bead wire back through it. I added a silver crimp bead to secure the star in place. Then, I had a double-strand of wire to use for the other beads—I alternated red and clear. After adding all the beads, I put another silver crimp bead at the top, leaving a loop so I could hang this piece from a chain.

I added some other decorative touches to the one I made—I put a silver tube bead over the top crimp bead to hide it and attached a large silver loop at the very top so I could easily change the sun catcher is hung. I can string a silver chain through it or use a cord or ribbon. The crystal star I used is only about half an inch wide, and since this sun catcher is small, it could even be hung from the rearview mirror of a car.

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Austrian Crystal Star Sun Catcher

Remember—if you don’t have all the tools and supplies, simply hang your crystal from a string or ribbon. Charge your sun catcher in sunlight, on a Sunday, if possible. Here’s a general chant to empower it:

Crystal, catch the light of sun,

sparkle in the air,

keep the brightness in my life,

with me everywhere.

Let me always see the light,

let it be my guide,

knowing hope will shine for me,

show me the bright side.

Visualize the crystal and beads soaking up the sun’s energy. Allow it to catch the rays and sparkle and reflect—see if you can get rainbows to project on the walls. Imagine the sunlight being kept in these beads and crystal bringing you joy and happiness when you look at it, even on a cloudy day.

Of course, you can also further customize your sun catcher for a specific goal. They’re also fun cat toys—they love to chase the rainbows!

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