HedgeWitchery
Within and Without

All of the recipes in this section use organically grown herbs. Your formulas will be especially powerful if you have grown most or all of the herbs yourself in your own herb garden, but if this isn’t possible, look for the highest-quality herbs and spices during your magickal shopping. Use primal language to find the best selection!

HedgeWitch Brews

A HedgeWitch brew is a combination of herbs, spices, salts (sometimes), essential oils, and water. These brews are for cleansing the body and freshening the air—they are not for ingestion. You may wish to empower the herbs with the following charm, written in primal language (remember, primal language uses the fewest amount of words possible, still gets the point across, and is positive in nature):

Remember, remember, the oldest of herbs

The fruit of the vine, the root and the words.

You have the power of infinity.

You have the power of healing and good health.

You have the power to attract abundance and good fortune.

You have the power to move in any direction.

Awaken, awaken! Bring my will to perfection!
It always works. Always a blessing!

Sunshine Brew

This amazing formula has many uses! The liquid can be added to soaps and floor washes, and the dried herbs can be included in your own incense recipes or burned alone on an incense charcoal tab. I created the formula to vibrate to good health, wealth, and success. Be sure to empower the finished brew with your magickal bell (tuning forks) and your own special prayer.

2 tablespoons dried chamomile

2 tablespoons dried bergamot

2 tablespoons dried ginger

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

Mortar and pestle

1 cup distilled water

1 paper coffee filter

1 clear glass bottle or jar

Grind the herbs with mortar and pestle just enough to break them up and release their aroma, not enough to pulverize them. Boil one cup of distilled water. Take one half of your herbal mixture and place in center of a paper coffee filter. Twist filter tightly. Place filter in the cup of hot water. Remove after one hour; throw soaked herbs away. Refrigerate sunshine brew, and be sure to label do not drink. To use, empower at sunrise or at noon. Add a crystal to the brew for more power.

Ginger, chamomile, rosemary, and bergamot are all considered body-safe herbs; however, anyone can have an allergic reaction to an herbal additive. Always check a small area of your skin first before using any herbal product.

Spring Sunshine Brew Floor Wash

To one gallon of warm water, add:

1 cup sunshine brew

Juice from one squeezed lemon

Juice from one squeezed lime

1 herb bouquet of your choice
(see page 254)

Excellent as a spring-cleaning floor wash to encourage good fortune and harmony in the home.

HedgeWitch Tub Teas

Relaxing in a warm, magickal bath does wonders for the body and mind! Tub tea formulas consist of botanicals, bath salts (sometimes), and a large tea bag made for the bath (these are available from many herbal suppliers on the Net and in some health-food stores). If you don’t have these paper bags, use a small, clean cotton drawstring bag. Here are some great recipes to encourage magickal stress relief!

Aura-Cleansing Tub Tea

Lavender

Rosemary

Lemongrass (shred to release aroma)

Chamomile

6–10 drops lavender essential oil

Sea salt

Mix equal parts of dried lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, and chamomile. Add lavender essential oil, and fluff herbs. Fill remainder of bag with sea salt. This is an excellent recipe for aura cleansing, especially for a ritual bath before an important ceremony. This mixture can also be used in a cleansing ritual.

Healing Salts & Minerals Tub Tea*

¼ cup Epsom salts

½ cup sea salt**

½ cup European mineral salts

**Note:To scent any sea salt mixture, add twelve drops of body-safe fragrance to one cup of salt mixture.

iamge5.eps

Body Toning Tub Tea

1 cup dried chamomile

½ cup dried peppermint

¼ cup dried comfrey

¼ cup dried lemon peel

¼ cup dried rose hips

¼ cup dried rosemary

¼ cup dried sage

¼ cup dried, crushed ginger

Note: In some areas of the United States, comfrey is considered illegal because, if taken internally, it is now thought to damage the liver. It is still sold for topical use in many states. Substitute dried rose petals if this applies to you. For more power, scent with body-safe patchouli fragrance.

Zen Tub Tea

½ cup dried lavender buds

½ cup chamomile

½ cup oatmeal

½ cup green tea

¼ cup orange peel

¼ cup rosemary

¼ cup lemongrass (shred to release aroma)

8 bay leaves (minced)

HedgeWitch Soap Making

Making your own soaps with empowered herbs can be an extremely rewarding and magickal experience. The recipes in this book rely on melt-and-pour soap bases that can be purchased at your local craft store or online. This type of easy carrier allows you to make lots of fragrant soaps in a single afternoon and can be a great magickal project practiced with a circle of friends or your children (as long as you monitor the hot soap and you do the pouring). When shopping for a glycerin soap base, look for formulas that permit good suspension of herbs, as most herbs will sink to the bottom of the mold unless the soap is poured just at the moment of setting (which can be tricky). Here are the general supplies you will need for all of the recipes:

Soap cauldron (can be purchased at local craft store) or microwave (if soap directions say you can use this)

Desired fragrance (sweet scents help to instill good feelings and harmony within the body)

Small plastic baggies or shrink-wrap system for packaging after soap has cooled

Sharp, smooth-blade knife (for cutting soap base into small, 1-inch blocks)

Pyrex measuring cup (4-cup size)

Wire whisk (only to be used for soap)

Droppers (for adding scent and color)

Rubbing alcohol in spritzer bottle (removes bubbles from the poured soap)

Ladle (if using a soap cauldron)

Mortar and pestle or spice grinder

Soap molds (you can also use silicone muffin molds)

X-Acto knife (for trimming soaps if you over-poured the mold)

Wire curing rack (for handmilled soaps)

In soap making, timing is essential. If you whisk too long, then your soap will begin to gel in the measuring cup to the point where you won’t be able to pour it. If this occurs, it must be re-melted before pouring. Re-melting soap with fragrance can destroy the integrity of the aroma. Expect to make a few mistakes when first learning to make your own soap; however, you will quickly get the feel of this super-simple process! Goat’s milk, coconut, and shea butter bases do not have good suspension and require that you whisk your formulas until they thicken but are still warm enough to pour.

Basic Melt-and-Pour Soap-Making Instructions

HedgeWitch Body-Safe Dried Herbs for Soaps

There are a large number of body-safe dried herbs that you can include in your soaps, although some of them, such as chamomile, sage, and teas, will bleed over time. This doesn’t hurt the soap but may make your soaps unsightly. Adding ¼ teaspoon of vitamin E to each pound of your soap mixture will help to retard this process by preserving the herb. Although some individuals add rose petals to their soaps, I don’t recommend it because rose petals have a tendency to turn black over time. Here’s a list of herbs you can include in your magickal soaps!

Allspice

Almonds

Barley

Basil

Bergamot

Bladderwrack (sea kelp)

Brown sugar

Calendula (marigold)

Cardamom

Chamomile

Chocolate

Cinnamon (just a bit!)

Coffee

Coriander

Cornmeal (for garden and deep grime removal soaps)

Dill

Eucalyptus

Ginger

Ginseng

Green tea

Juniper berries

Lavender (might bleed)

Lemongrass

Lemon peel

Lemon verbena

Lime peel

Mints

Neem

Nutmeg

Oatmeal

Oregano

Patchouli

Rose hips (purchase only those sold for health and beauty products)

Rosemary (finely ground)

Safflower

Sage

Thyme

Note: Take special care when making soaps for allergy-sensitive individuals. Ingredients like almonds, cinnamon, and honey may have adverse effects on some individuals.

How Much Soap Base to Melt?

If you don’t want to melt as much soap base as the recipe calls for, fill your soap mold with water. Pour the water into a measuring cup and mark the water line. That’s how much soap you’ll need! Pour out the water and dry the cup and the mold. Cut your soap base like cutting a block of cheese and place in Pyrex measuring cup. If you need only a small amount, cut a few pieces of base at a time and heat. If you are using a microwave product, wave first at fifteen seconds and then nine-second intervals. Once the soap is melted, adjust your other ingredients (dye, fragrance, botanicals, butters, oils) to match the amount of soap you are using.

Note: Do not overheat the soap base. If a base is cooked too long, it will smell funny and most likely crack when cooled.

Charming Soap and Other Beauty Products

Intoning prayers and charms during any project focuses the mind on a positive future and fills the item you are working on with clean, bright energy. How you empower these items is entirely up to you, as your good will is the primary catalyst. Here are a few magickal tips on project empowerment:

General Soap and Beauty Product Charm

As surely as beauty fills the world with blue skies and sunlight

With vibrant colors and fragrant flowers

So, too, will this project be filled with love, good health, and beauty.
It always works. Always a blessing!

Remember to smile! Repeat this charm nine times as you are working, or as many times as you feel necessary.

Sunshine Brew Glycerin Body Soap

4 cups melt-and-pour glycerin soap base

2 tablespoons sunshine brew (p. 136)

Ground sunshine brew herbs (dried)

Yellow soap dye (optional, but if you do not use dye for this recipe,
your soap will appear a faint, murky yellow-green)

Soap molds or square Pyrex dish

4 vitamin E gel capsules

Grind sunshine herbs into a finer mixture—especially the ginger; this should be powdered. Follow soap-melting instructions as given on the package. Once soap has melted, with ladle, transfer soap to your Pyrex measuring cup. (If you melted the soap in the cup in the microwave, transfer won’t be necessary.) Whisk in desired amount of color and scent by following instructions given with those products. Add the two tablespoons of sunshine brew, and whisk. Add desired amount of herbs. Some individuals like very few herbs in their soaps, where others like a more generous amount—just remember that herbals can clog your drain if they are too large or you use too much. Break vitamin E gel capsules and add the liquid to your soap mixture. Vitamin E will help to preserve the chamomile. Makes approximately ten 6-ounce soaps.

Brown Sugar Soap

A favorite harvest and Yuletide gift, this soap smells luxurious and encourages good fortune! Soap will be a country-prim brown color due to the brown sugar.

2 cups goat’s milk soap base

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons toasted oatmeal, finely ground

Vanilla fragrance

1 teaspoon jojoba oil

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 vitamin E gel caps

Toast oatmeal on cookie sheet in your oven. Allow to cool. Grind fine. Melt soap base. Add all ingredients except gel caps. Cut gel caps and pour liquid into mixture. Whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Pour into molds. Cool. Remove from mold, and allow to air-dry for at least twenty-four hours. Package. Makes approximately five 6-ounce bars of soap.

Garden Soap

This excellent soap mixture is perfect for cleaning up after a day of gardening, messing with your favorite car, or playing a hard game of softball!

2 cups goat’s milk or coconut soap base

1 tablespoon cornmeal

½ teaspoon chamomile

½ teaspoon lemongrass

½ teaspoon lemon peel

½ teaspoon orange peel

¼ teaspoon rosemary

Gardenia or chamomile fragrance

4 aloe vera gel caps

Grind ingredients as finely as possible. Melt soap base. Add herbal ingredients. Cut aloe vera gel caps and add liquid to mixture. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into soap molds. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry twenty-four hours. Wrap.

Honey Oatmeal Goddess Soap

2 cups coconut soap base

½ cup toasted oatmeal

½ teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Spiced apple fragrance

Toast oatmeal on cookie sheet in oven. Grind fine. Melt soap base. Add ingredients. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into soap molds. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry twenty-four hours. Wrap.

Kitchen Witch Hand Soap

This soap recipe is a great formula for kitchen cleanup! The mixture of tea tree oil and botanicals provides a wonderful, natural anti-bacterial formula.

4 cups glycerin soap base

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 teaspoons dried sage

10 drops tea tree essential oil

4 vitamin E gel caps

Lemon, lime, or orange fragrance

Dye to match fragrance

Grind herbals together. Melt soap base. Add tea tree oil and desired fragrance. Add dye. Cut gel caps and pour liquid into mixture. Add herbs. Whisk until near gel. Pour. Cool. Remove from mold. Wrap after one hour.

Come to Me Love Soap

2 cups goat’s milk soap base

2 teaspoons dried patchouli

¼ teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon jojoba carrier oil

Equal parts of jasmine and rose fragrance

Red or pink soap dye

Finely grind patchouli herb. Melt soap base. Add herb, honey, jojoba, fragrances, and dye. Whisk until near gel. Pour in love-themed mold. Cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry on rack for twenty-four hours. Store in Saran Wrap to help hold the scent.

Cleopatra Beauty Soap

2 cups goat’s milk soap base

1 cup shea butter soap base

2 tablespoons fine sea salt

1 tablespoon powdered milk

Frankincense and jasmine fragrance

4 drops cypress essential oil

Melt soap base. Add ingredients. Whisk until near gel. Pour into heart-shaped molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for twenty-four hours on rack. Wrap.

Goddess Caffeina Glycerin Soap

The coffee and chocolate provide their own aroma and coloring to the soap. This makes a great kitchen hand soap.

2 cups glycerin soap base

1 tablespoon bergamot

2 tablespoons fresh, finely ground coffee beans

1 teaspoon powdered chocolate

Grind coffee just before making soap to capture the magnificent aroma! Melt soap base. Add coffee, chocolate and bergamot. Whisk until near gel. Pour into molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for one hour. Wrap.

Medicine Woman Formula

I created this formula for healing work of all kinds. A bit complicated, it employs nine herbs, two fragrances, and two essential oils. The formula can be used for soaps or healing sachets.

Herbs: Rosemary

Ginseng, powdered

Eucalyptus

Calendula

Lemongrass, shredded to release aroma

Chamomile

Thyme

White Sage

Neem

Fragrances: Body-safe nag champa and evergreen

Essential oils: Tea tree and lemongrass

Mix equal parts of dried herbs. Grind. For soaps, grind to a powder as much as possible. For sachets, grind just enough to release aroma. Add fragrances and oils, just enough to lightly scent. Toss. Store in air-tight container until used in soaps or sachets.

Lime & Roses Victorian Love Soap

1 cup goat’s milk or coconut soap base

1 cup shea butter soap base

1 teaspoon rosemary herb, ground fine

1 teaspoon lime peel, ground fine

½ teaspoon body-safe rose hip powder (don’t grind your own,
purchase specially formulated rose hip powder specifically for
the body, as some rose hips will cause severe itching when ground)

10 drops lime essential oil

Rose fragrance

Green and yellow dye (just enough to color the soap a lime green)

Rose petal sachet (for packaging)

Melt soap bases together. Add herbals, essential oil, fragrance, and dye. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into heart- or rose-shaped molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for twenty-four hours. Wrap with a sachet of dried rose petals.

Honey - Rum Prosperity Harvest Soap

2 cups goat’s milk or coconut soap base

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon jojoba oil

½ teaspoon patchouli, ground

¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground

¼ teaspoon allspice, ground

⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, powdered

Bay rum body-safe fragrance

Orange soap dye

Melt soap. Add ingredients. Whisk until just about to gel. Pour into pumpkin-shaped molds. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry on rack for twenty-four hours. Wrap.

Yule Wassail Glycerin Soap

Wrapped in festive paper with ribbon, this makes a great Yule gift.

4 cups glycerin soap base

1 teaspoon dried orange peel

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

Red dye

Apple fragrance

Cinnamon sticks, whole (do not grind)

Rubbing alcohol in spritzer bottle

Grind herbs and spices into a fine powder. Melt soap base. Add herb mixture, red dye, and apple fragrance. Whisk. Put one cinnamon stick in each soap mold. Spray lightly with alcohol (this will allow the soap base to adhere to the cinnamon stick). When soap is just about to gel, pour into each mold. Allow to cool. Remove from mold. Air-dry for one hour.

If you want to suspend a cinnamon stick in the mold, try the following:

  1. On first pour, fill mold only partway.
  2. Let soap cool in mold until it is lukewarm but not cold. If the soap is too cold, your second pour will split off when you take it out of the mold.
  3. Put one cinnamon stick in each mold.
  4. Spray cinnamon stick and soap surface with alcohol.
  5. Completely fill the mold with reheated soap base.

When the soap has cooled, the cinnamon stick will appear suspended inside the soap bar, making for a very pretty and unusual soap.

Basic Handmilled Soap

Handmilled soaps are often expensive due to the amount of curing time. They are called handmilled because you stir the mixture by hand with your whisk until the mixture gels slightly, which can take from ten to fifteen minutes. Some soap makers use a hand-held, battery-operated mixer to make the soap mixture fluffier. Handmilled soaps take at least two weeks (or more, depending on weather conditions) to dry. The soap mixture is usually poured in a loaf pan and then cut with a sharp knife after curing. The basic recipe is very simple:

½ cup soap base (coconut, goat’s milk, shea butter, or a mixture of the three)

2 tablespoons distilled water

2 tablespoons olive oil or jojoba carrier oil

Color, fragrance, and botanicals are added as desired. To make enough to pour into a loaf pan, increase:

4 cups soap base

12 tablespoons distilled water

12 tablespoons olive oil or jojoba carrier

Handmilled soaps are harder, which means they last longer in the bath or shower. This is due to the inclusion of the water during the soap-making process. Unlike other soaps, they are not packaged in plastic, as this destroys the integrity of the soap. Instead, they are wrapped in paper or placed in a cardboard soap box for gift-giving.

Handmilled Zen Soap

Make the basic handmilled formula (smaller ½-cup size). Add:

¼ teaspoon dried lemon grass (grind to release aroma)

¼ teaspoon dried sage, ground

¼ teaspoon powdered lime peel

4 drops lime essential oil

Lavender fragrance

Whisk until just about to gel. Pour in soap mold. Allow to cool. Remove from mold and place on wire rack. Let cure for at least two weeks.

Note: For a very unique gift, place a lucky Chinese coin in the mold before pouring in the soap base. Spray coin with rubbing alcohol before pouring the soap to help the coin adhere to the soap. When ready for gift-giving, tie decorative raffia or a green ribbon around the soap.

HedgeWitch Body Powders

Soothing body powder is super easy to make—all you need is cornstarch, essential oils, and maybe a body-safe fragrance or two! Body powders may also be used in magickal applications such as loading candles, sprinkled in conjuring bags or strewn on your doorstep to welcome health and good fortune. Simply fill a jar that can be tightly capped with one of the recipes below. Cap. Shake. Allow to sit for three days. Each day, repeat an affirmation or chosen prayer while holding your hands over the jar. Shake. By the third day, you’ll have a delightfully scented body powder! Powdered herbs can also be added to the cornstarch base. Use the body-safe herbal soap list on pages 141–142 to whip up your own designer powders. What’s great about HedgeWitch powders? You know exactly what’s in it, because you made it! The recipes below can also be turned into matching magickal soaps by omitting the cornstarch and using one cup of melted soap base, or by factoring ten drops of essential oil to one four-ounce bar of soap. Blend essentials first and then add to melted soap in the desired quantity.

Haunting Witch Body Powder

10 drops patchouli essential oil

10 drops body-safe rose fragrance

10 drops body-safe jasmine fragrance

2 tablespoons cornstarch

To make this recipe more powerful, add an additional tablespoon of cornstarch and a body-safe pheromone oil blend that can be purchased over the Internet.

Summer Spice Body Powder

10 drops ylang-ylang essential oil

5 drops sandalwood essential oil

5 drops clove essential oil

5 drops nutmeg essential oil

5 drops orange essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Woodland Nymph Body Powder

15 drops pine essential oil

5 drops cypress essential oil

5 drops patchouli essential oil

5 drops sandalwood essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Aura-Cleansing Body Powder

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops lime essential oil

5 drops rosemary essential oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sunrise Glow Body Powder

15 drops grapefruit essential oil

10 drops lime essential oil

5 drops allspice essential oil

5 drops tangerine essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Healing Glow Body Powder

10 drops eucalyptus essential oil

10 drops lime essential oil

5 drops myrtle essential oil

5 drops sandalwood essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Money-Drawing Body Powder

10 drops spearmint essential oil

5 drops chamomile essential oil

5 drops calendula essential oil

5 drops patchouli essential oil

5 drops sweet bay essential oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons finely ground chamomile

Stitcher’s Charm

Needle up and needle down
Bringing thought to form

Bless this work and guide these hands
Harmony is born.

Love Potion Body Powder

15 drops allspice essential oil

5 drops patchouli essential oil

5 drops clove magickal oil

5 drops honeysuckle fragrance

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Steady Income Body Powder

10 drops peppermint essential oil

10 drops spruce magickal oil

5 drops bergamot magickal oil

5 drops sweet bay magickal oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

HedgeWitch Stitchery

Whether you’re into needlepoint, cross-stitch, knitting, crochet, embroidery, crewel, quilting, or making clothes and household goods with your trusty sewing machine, the art of stitchery creates an incredible energy that can be focused in a specific direction with little effort. HedgeWitch stitchery definitely falls into the category of love, health, and beauty: stitching for yourself or someone else is truly an act of love through your dedicated time; stitching puts you in a meditative place that is conducive to good health and healing; and your work is an act of beautification for yourself and others. When stitching, your mind infuses the project with your special magick with every movement of the needle. The repetitive nature of the work allows you to slip into a light, meditative state, soothing the nerves and allowing a field of harmonious opportunity wherein anything can be manifested. Whether you are making a small project, like a gris-gris bag to hold your HedgeWitch herbal sachet, or something that will demand a lot of time and effort, such as designing a marriage quilt for your son or daughter, here are a few ideas on how to make your sewing projects the most powerful they can be!

Empower Your Tools with Primal Language Intent

Needles, scissors, seam guides, pins, and the like may occasionally be blessed with a holy water spray or smudged with a fragrant herbal incense. If you have a large family, sewing supplies are not considered solitary ownership, no matter how loud you proclaim it so. Anyone in any mood could have used your tools prior to your magickal project. Even if you tell your kids that those thirty-dollar scissors for paper crafts or embroidery are off-limits, frankly, they are too hard to resist (so small and handy, you know?). For some reason, teenagers think those razor-sharp points are really screwdrivers and try to use them as such—that, or “What do you mean I can’t cut that bamboo skewer for roasting my marshmallows? It worked, didn’t it?” Keep your tools free of negativity as best you can, and put them away after each use. Remember to empower your tools with primal language intent, as explained earlier.

Organize Your Supplies

Yarn, thread, canvas … many stitchers collect a compendium of odds, ends, unfinished projects, and supplies for proposed projects (it’s a shopping weakness, like when you went in for one spool of thread at your favorite store last month and came home with the most darling pattern and of course all the supplies for it). Take a lazy, rainy afternoon and organize what you have. Give away any project that you know you will never do. Throw out old, unfinished projects that brought a great deal of frustration. This item will only attract continued anxiety and create stress every time you happen to run across it. Any project that has gathered dust is also a magnet for negativity. If you still want to keep the project but the original bag is discolored and yucky, place the items in a new bag, clearly labeled. Throw out tangled thread and yarn. Again, these tangles will trap negative energy. If you really want to save it, sit down and untangle it, then store it neatly.

Where You Stitch

Most of us do not have dedicated sewing rooms, but, even if you do, you may wish to try some of these helpful hints. One of the many advantages of stitchery is that it is very portable. Therefore, you may find yourself anywhere (bus, train, subway station, waiting in a doctor’s office) while working on your project. Before you begin to stitch on the road, take three deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Close your eyes, and surround yourself with white light. You might try saying the stitcher’s charm three times before you begin:

If you are working at home, try to stitch in a clean area. An environment free of dust and clutter promotes the movement of positive chi, surrounding both yourself and your work with harmonious energies. Stitching by an indoor fountain is very soothing and encourages healing energies. If you can’t stitch by a real fountain, try listening to meditative music or music that promotes the type of energy you wish to capture in your project.

Although soft lighting is preferable for most magick and meditation, it is not so in enchanted stitchery! You need excellent light, both for color choice and the good health of your eyes. Straining will actually muddy your work in terms of energy.

If it doesn’t present a hazard, try working by a highly scented candle chosen to match your intent, or place a bowl of herbal potpourri or a scented oil burner near your working area. Fresh flowers are also an option; however, as soon as they begin to wilt, remove them, as dead flowers symbolize dead chi. Working near a hearth fire in the wintertime promotes the cozy feeling of safety and security. Stitching outdoors in the summer brings the harmonious spirit of nature right into your work, especially if you sit in a garden or sacred site.

Stitching with Others

Group stitchery falls into the environmental category. Whether you wish to devise a particular ritual that can be used every week or month, or wish to flow with the seasons, a mini rite before stitching and a nice closure when everyone is finished for the evening promotes magickal togetherness. An enchanted stitching circle of friends and relatives weaves you into the tapestry of this time-honored activity.

Your Good Health While Stitching

Take numerous breaks: Get up and stretch every thirty minutes, especially if you are lucky enough to spend the entire day stitching. Move around, do a little deep breathing, exercise your hands to avoid future problems. By taking breaks, your body, your mind, and your magick will be fresh when you resume.

Placement of your stitching chair: Yep, the actual placement of the chair can affect the energy of the project. Your back should never be facing a doorway or open shelving, as both can affect your personal chi. If you plan to expand your magickal library, a few feng shui books on magickal placement will be very helpful, not only in setting up your craft or sewing room, but also in placement of your chair, and the eventual hanging of your special craft pieces. If you do a lot of stitching, I believe there are two things you must be willing to buy the best of: your chair and good lighting.

Choosing Projects, Designs, and Colors
to Match Your Intent and Your Time

Stitchers always take extra care in choosing just the right project for just the right person, but now I want you to think of the process of attraction and hone your choice from there. Let’s say you want to make a purse for your daughter. You know she’s having money problems, so choose colors or fabrics that are rich in texture and design—reds, purples, golds, greens, and yellows are well-suited to prosperity magick. Toads, frogs, and goldfish have been traditionally linked to good fortune, as have sunflowers, marigolds, chamomile, and maples. Granted, you will want to follow her taste, but sometimes presenting something just a bit different than the norm is welcomed by the recipient, especially if that person understands magickal energy and knows the gift was made specifically to draw something special into their lives. Shapes, too, have their own magickal significance. For example, a circle is for unity, a triangle for focused energy (which way will it point in your design? To the center pulls from the outside in; from the center out pushes energy outward). Oak leaves symbolize good health and longevity. Willow symbolizes relieving the mind from stress. A waterfall symbolizes healing. The rites you performed in Section 2, as well as the tea-leaf-reading information in Section 5, list several shape and symbol correspondences that you might like to use.

Let’s say your husband loves cars—maybe he fixes them or even races them. You’ve found the design for a cross-stitch for his office wall, and you want to make it more magickal. Why not design a bind rune or your personal symbol for success, and draw it on the unworked canvas? When the project is finished, you won’t see the symbol—but you will know it is there. If you have a flair for designing patterns yourself, you can even incorporate the symbol right into the design.

If you are extremely busy, yet you really want to make something for your ailing aunt, you can look longingly at that afghan pattern or sixteen-by-twenty-inch cross-stitch all you want; but … sigh … don’t go there. You know your schedule and how much time you can invest. It is far better to stick with smaller projects that can be completed quickly, rather than fuss and stress over that knitted scarf that seems to be taking forever because you decided to use a complicated pattern with many colors! Remember, if you add frustration to the work, you’ve actually stitched frustration into it!

Holiday Stitchery Tips

Plan ahead. Here are a few simple tips for beginners and experts that will help to ensure your projects are finished by the intended event or holiday:

Beginners

Let’s say you want to cross-stitch a cool design for your mother, and you’ve even found what you want to do—but you’ve never cross-stitched anything in your life, or if you have, it was twenty years ago. Do at least two small projects first, before you jump into the big one. These “test-drive stitcheries” will teach you a number of things, including:

For example, over the summer I taught myself to knit. I had grand designs on my first project and became frustrated quickly (and with sore fingers to boot) because I wanted a beautiful finished piece the first time by a particular day. After a few days of ripping and re-knitting, I decided that I would just knit. No project, no intent—just knit. And purl (tough for me at the time). And knit some more. I knitted for two weeks with different yarns, needle sizes, etc., sitting on my back porch—no television, no DVDs—just nature, me, and the stitchery. No project in mind, just learning and enjoying the meditative feeling of knitting. By the third week, I was ready for my first project, and this time I finished it in a few days. During my practice knitting, I realized I needed a few supplies I hadn’t picked up when I started, such as a knit gauge, rubber ends to secure my knitting when I wasn’t working on it, a stitch counter, and additional needle sizes. I also realized that I disliked working with plastic or wooden needles—my work flowed better with the metal ones. Sure, I had some mistakes, but I was able to fix them and produce something very nice. With counted cross-stitch, I chose small designs—a bunch of smiling carrots on a baby’s bib, a bookmark for success. From there, I stitched a larger project with little trouble. Again, I discovered supplies I needed that I didn’t have—a good pair of scissors, tapestry needles in various sizes, a seam ripper. I found I didn’t like working with the hoops like I had learned long ago—this time I invested in stretchers when it came to working a bigger project.

Now that you know about how long different-sized projects take you, we can go on to the more advanced tips.

For the Experienced Crafter

Buy a magickal calendar or almanac showing moon phases and astrological events (Summer Solstice, etc.) that is reserved only for your craft or stitching projects. Write in all your personal important dates (or highlight them), such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Put stars on the dates that apply to projects you wish to complete. Let’s say that this year you would like to needlepoint Yule stockings for various members of your family. Choose a “to be done by” date for this project. This date would be at least two full weeks before the special day—more if your item must be sent out to be blocked or finished. Since Yule is around December 21, we should have our stockings completed at least by the end of the first week of December. Yule being so busy, you might want to back that date up even more—say, the last week of November. Now, consider how long it takes you to normally do a particular project. Three weeks? A week? Six weeks? Only you will know by your schedule. Count back that number of weeks on your calendar, and then check the astrological correspondences around that date—anything cool nearby for magickal planning? Select your start day, and write: begin yule stocking for family. Or you could do something like this: afghan for charlie—prosperity.
I realize this sounds elementary, but you’ve just added more power to your work by listing a start date and the intent, and you’ve allowed yourself plenty of time for the project. If you do many projects, keeping a calendar will help you to remember what you bought for whom.

Rule of stitchery thumb: always give yourself plenty of time to complete a special project.

For Big Projects, Learn to Work Two Seasons Ahead

I realize this can be a pain. The problem with working way in advance lies in specialty supplies and, perhaps, your mindset. For example, let’s go back to those Yule stockings, and let’s say I know the size I want to make, but I want a unique design. Given my time allotment, this means I have to start in June to be sure that I’ll have this project done by the first week of December. Here’s where we run into a problem or two. First, few local stores will start showing patterns for Yule in June. Instead, the stores will be filled with designs that match the current season. Secondly, you may not be in the mood to deal with Yule—heck, you just finished paying the bills for last Yule! To solve the first issue, either shop on the Net or, at the end of any given season, pick up projects for the following year. You can also go to trade shows featuring stitchery that are held throughout the year in various parts of the country. To keep the Grinch out of your work (since it’s June), change your perception on the flow of the seasons. Remember, each season seamlessly slides into the next and builds on what has gone before. This means that if you want to dedicate your Yule stocking on Summer Solstice, all the better! You’ll find that if you get into the habit of thinking two seasons ahead, other projects in your life will finish quickly and easily as well. The psychological upside to this way of planning allows you to skip over worrying about current issues in your life that have managed to root themselves in the current season. Instead, you are looking ahead and creating positive thought patterns for the future.

Here’s a quick rule of stitchery thumb for seasonal work:

Big Projects

Small Projects

Embellishments and Accents

Although you may choose some of these items (buttons, zippers, charms, ribbons, etc.) when you first design or purchase your materials, leave room in your budget to review the project when almost completed. By then, you’ll be able to “feel” if something extra-special is needed. Remember, your thoughts during the stitching process have changed, enhanced, or possibly negated your original intention. Hold the piece in your hands, and think about what you wish to attract. Then go shopping or digging in that sewing stash of yours. What you need will be there. The great thing about stitching is that you can add items not associated with sewing to the lining or incorporate an unusual embellishment. Let’s say you knitted a purse for your daughter, and you choose to line the inside with a colorful cotton print so that it will last longer for her. You can stitch a packet of dried herbs (just a bit) in the lining (cinquefoil, marigold, and chamomile for money and prosperity) and add lucky Asian coins as a fringe or as part of the closure. Perhaps you made a special project for a new baby that will be framed and hung in the baby’s room. Sew up a small bag containing life everlasting herb, lavender, and rosemary, and attach it to the back of the framed project. If you don’t have a compendium of magickal herbs handy, no problem! Dried organic teas can be a quick and easy choice for empowerment. There are so many blends on the market, you’ll be able to find something that closely matches your intent.

The Day to Begin Your Project

General timing applies to enchanted stitchery just as it affects any other magickal work. Choose which pattern of timing works best for you. Some people like to work with the moon phases, others the days of the week, and some with astrological timing. Rather than fret about which timing is best, work with the timing that is most comfortable to you. If you need to learn more advanced timing, the opportunity will come, and you’ll integrate the information easily. Trust the design of the universe to bring you what you need when you need it. If you are unfamiliar with any timing vehicle, try the days of the week:

Sunday Success

Monday Intuition, emotion, women, children

Tuesday Action

Wednesday Communication, knowledge

Thursday Expansion, spirituality, legal issues

Friday Love, fast cash, education, beauty

Saturday Structure, closure, senior citizens

Although this explanation is brief, it will get you started. You’ll find more information on magickal days at the beginning of Section 5. The best timing to set that first stitch is dawn of your chosen day.

Your Very First Stitch

Okay, so you’ve chosen your project, picked your day, and have all your supplies. Should you just start stitching? You can, but try this and see how it works for you:

On a flat, cleaned, empty table, lay out your supplies (instructions, tools, thread, material, embellishments), placing the main piece (such as your cross-stitch Aida cloth) in the center of the table. We use the clean, flat table to signify the vast universe of opportunity.

Ring a bell or chime eight times, signalling the mastery of the physical plane. Tuning forks are super great for this, too. The idea here is to remove all negativity from your tools and supplies—from the manufacturer to the clerk at the store or even to family members who have fingered through your things. By removing the negativity, you have presented a fresh vehicle to the universe.

Light a white candle and pass the light over all the items on the table. This is done to connect your project with Spirit (that which you feel runs the universe). You can intone your favorite prayer or just say a simple blessing. If the project is for someone other than yourself, say: “This project is for (whomever). May they receive the purity of unconditional love through my work.”

Close your eyes, and visualize the finished project. Then see yourself giving the project to whom it is intended. Visualize yourself and the other person smiling happily. Envision the person using the item with a smile on their face, then physically smile yourself, open your eyes, and say: “It is done! It always works. Always a blessing!” Smile. You are now ready to stitch the magickal way!

When you have completed your project, follow the exact same formula. Clear and clean the table. Place the finished item in the center of the table (wash and block first, if necessary). Ring the bell eight times. Pass a new, lit candle over the item for the renewed connection to Spirit. Intone your prayer, charm, or statement. Visualize yourself and the recipient happy and empowered. End with a physical smile. Say: “Thank you! It is done!” Your item is ready to be given to that special person.

Stitching the Magickal Way

When the needle points to the sky, you are pulling in the energy of Spirit. When it returns to the cloth, you are bringing that energy down into the project. When the needle points down to the earth, you are drawing in earth energy (extremely powerful when you wish to manifest things on this plane). When it comes back up through the cloth, you are bringing that energy into the project. Likewise, when knitting, your needles are working with sky energy, but your yarn is a representation of earth energy—together, just as in stitching cross-stitch or needlepoint, you are creating balance in the work.

When Beginning a Project

Cleanse and consecrate all tools, threads, canvas, yarn, and so on, with either holy water or sacred smoke. Bless everything with your overall intent. By intent, I mean love, money, health, success, or you can be more exact. Remember, magickal stitchery works only on attraction. Refrain from negative wording or intent. Think of what you do want, not of what you don’t want. Infusing your stitchery with negative intent will only boomerang. There is no escape.

Create an affirmation or short stitchery poem to match your intent—something that can be said quickly and easily at every stitch, or if this is too much, at the end of every row. Keep your language simple, direct, and straightforward. Use nouns or single-action verbs (your best bet), such as healing, success, prosperity, happiness, serenity, peace, tranquility, harmony, love, security, joy, compassion, safety, luck, unity, opportunity … even a simple thank you carries great power.

During Your Project

Try to stay as upbeat as possible. If things are going well for you, concentrate on the positive aspects of whom the project is for. People suffering from terminal illnesses and depression can find great solace in needlework due to its meditative qualities. Take advantage of this energy if you are in this situation, working the stitches to promote healing for yourself and for others. Sharing positive thoughts and actions is the epitome of caring.

If you become frustrated during the construction of a project, renew the process you first used when you began your work—the clean table, the white candle, the bell, the prayer, the visualization, etc. When you open your eyes, laugh, and say: “This is so easy!” Surprisingly enough, this works wonders! If the problem seems particularly testy, just set the piece aside for a day or two. Begin again when you are in a better mental place.

Sometimes your frustration may have nothing to do with the piece itself, but revolves around a problem in your own life. For example, let’s say you are knitting a simple shawl, but your yarn keeps tangling, to the point that you are sure you will scream, scream, scream! Stop! This is the universe telling you that you have some tangle in your life you aren’t paying attention to, and this is the shortest and best way to show you. Think about what this might be, acknowledge the fact, put the project down, and take a walk or do something physical that does not relate to your project. In this way, you won’t be weaving negativity into your work. Come back to the project when your mind is clear and focused. You may be delighted that you have also thought of a solution to your present “tangle.”

Big Projects

To me, big projects are items that take more than five days to complete. This could be crocheting an afghan, knitting a sweater, sewing a quilt, stitching a large cross-stitch pattern, etc. It doesn’t hurt to burn a lovely candle while working, occasionally ringing the bell or tuning forks and repeating your prayer of intention. This will keep you and the work in the mindset of opportunity.

Storing Your Project While Working

At the end of each stitching session, take a few moments to relax. Bless the project before you put it away. Repeat your original intent and visualization, and remember to thank the universe for the time you were able to spend doing something you love.

Stitchers have a variety of ways in which they store their projects while working. Some have fancy, special bags, where others just put the project back in the original plastic bag from the manufacturer. I do something a bit different. I purchased ten inexpensive canvas bags to use for various projects. Before I begin a project, I launder the bag and include the bag on the table during my original blessing. If the project is for someone else, I will put their picture in this bag. If I don’t have a picture, I write their name on a three-by-five-inch card and place that in the bag. Sometimes I add a potpourri pillow or herb sachet to the bag, along with a charm or two. When I’m not working on the project, all supplies and the project are stored in the bag. I also store this bag in the area of the room that relates to my intent—a feng shui principle. For example, if I decided to make a quilt for my granddaughter, then I might place the bag in any of the following positions: for her education, northeast; for her prosperity, southeast; for her general success and artistic abilities, south; for my love for her and her mother, or a good relationship with her (grandmother to granddaughter), or marriage possibilities, southwest; help from good mentors, northwest. Too complicated? Just remember to store the work with love—your intent is absolutely the key.

I Really Should Be Doing Something Else!

Sometimes allowing ourselves time to actually enjoy working on our creative stitchery can be very difficult. Right now I’m knitting a healing shawl in soft, baby blue yarns. Yet when I sit down to knit, I think: “I should be doing the dishes. I should be finishing that writing project. I should be doing laundry. I should be sweeping out the basement. I should pay that phone bill. I should be cleaning the bathroom shower (ugh!),” etc. It’s never just one “should-be”—your mind will create quite a dance line if you let it. To appease this nagging, before you begin stitching, do one thing you’ve been putting off all day (or even all week), and then settle in for some happy stitching! Stitch for a half-hour, then get up, move around, and do something else you’ve been putting off. Now that you’ve taken a healthy break, go back to stitching! By releasing the tasks you must do, you are actually creating a mind-healthy, magickal time slot that can be filled with what you desire—stitching!

Integrate Your Family

This is a big one. Whether it is just you and your partner, or you have rooms bulging with kids—few, if any, humans can tolerate your attention to what you are doing if they believe it is taking away attention from themselves. Rather than suffer for years in silence, here are a few tips to better integrate your family and your crafting:

Your Signature Is Your Seal of Positive Chi

Don’t forget to sign your work. Although it may not be a big deal to you, it may be something forever cherished by the recipient of your work. Your signature, or designer logo, carries your personal chi and the intent of the piece. During the final blessing, be sure to lay your hand over your signature and fill it with white light.

The Finished Project

Before you hand over your hours of work stitched with thoughts of love and success to the intended recipient, present the project to the rising sun on the day of giving. Thank the universe for your time and skill, and reaffirm the intent of the piece along with your visualization. This is an important closure for you and takes only a few moments of your time, allowing you to connect with Spirit in a celebratory way. If the project is for yourself, ask for continued blessings, and enjoy the beauty of your creation!

Raise Your Energy By Learning a New Type of Stitchery

A great way to welcome new, fresh, dynamic energy into your life is by learning something new. Turn an old magick in stitchery into a powerful vehicle of change! Whether it be photography or stitchery, fixing a car or learning to speak a new language, knowledge always brings new opportunities.

Last fall and winter, I taught myself to knit. As the winds howled and the snow swirled, I knitted and knitted and knitted! Such a wonderful, magickal way to spend those cold winter days and nights. I made several blankets, three mohair shawls, purses, a baby sweater, scarves, hats, a shopping bag, neat cell phone carriers, a stuffed rabbit, a pillow, and a huge, snuggly warm kimono coat. In the spring, I took a trip to Mannings outside of East Berlin, Pennsylvania. What a marvelous place! Yarn, yarn everywhere! Looms, spinning wheels, and books galore; I was in textile heaven! Among my treasured purchases snuggled a “learn to crochet” kit. I’d conquered beginning knitting, and now I wanted more, though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to learn to crochet—it seemed like such an old-lady type of thing. Did I really want to go there? Yet there were patterns I’d seen that looked so neat, new, and retro-hip … hmm … dare I? Did I want to invest the time it took to learn to knit into learning to crochet? I’d already tried once over the winter—I spent two days and got nowhere with the crochet thing. Did I want to try again? Maybe this type of practice just wasn’t for me …

Yet that crochet pattern … it called to me. Truly, it did! And I have a thing about patterns and energy …

So this time I started on a new moon, and I just tried making a block using a single crochet stitch. I didn’t have any particular project in mind, just the idea of learning the stitch. I used a bigger hook than called for so I could see the mechanics of the stitches … and lo and behold, I did it! On my first real project, I had trouble keeping the edges even, so I used a big, fat safety pin to mark where I should be making the last stitch and the turning chain; after that, it was onward and upward! In no time at all, I’d made two pillows, a purse, two belts, and started on a big ripple afghan for my granddaughter. In just two days, I’d finished my first project and moved on to the others.

Okay, I had the mechanics down … now for the magick. For me, I’ve found in most cases crochet goes faster than knitting, which means I can make more things for more people in the same amount of time if I crochet rather than knit. Granted, knitting works specifically well for some things, but when it comes to creating a fast magick item, such as a healing gris-gris for a friend, crochet seems to work up quicker. Here’s how I now begin all my crochet projects:

1. Focus on the intent. I write down on a notecard specifically what I desire, along with the person’s name. For example, if I wanted to make a gris-gris for Sharon, I’d write her name, along with the energy I wish to draw into the work, such as healing of her right elbow after surgery. Or, if I were making a blanket for a child, protection and good health all year through, and so on. I keep this card with the project until completion, then burn it with sacred herbs after the project has been washed and prepared for the blessing ritual.

2. Choose the pattern and the yarn to match the intent and the person. Let’s say Sharon’s favorite colors are pink and green, and she loves heavily textured things. I’d go with her favorite colors, a unique, textured yarn, and perhaps a more intricate pattern. Waved afghan patterns are perfect for drawing in the positive flow of the universe and so are especially nice for sleep-oriented magick for children as well as adults.

3. Cleanse the yarn and the hook you will use, and dedicate them specifically to the project at hand. Use the procedure that is most comfortable to you.

4. Begin the project with the timing that suits the intent. Use the moon phase and the moon in the signs as your guide.

5. Consider the foundation chain number. Use the magick in numbers if at all possible. For example, a three-count ripple pattern is perfect for almost all projects. Eleven count makes a nice larger ripple and is very magickal as well. What will your foundation chain number factor down to on the scale of one through nine? Is this the energy you wish to instill in the project? If necessary, can you possibly change the foundation chain number without ruining the pattern?

6. Each time you sit down to crochet, light a white candle to acknowledge the light of Spirit, and place a glass of empowered water close to the project. This water should be filled with your blessings and intent. Give the water to a plant when you are done with the project for that day or evening.

7. Use the simple HedgeWitch formula on page 40 before you begin the project. Be sure you have your statement of intent ready before you do this.

8. Finish the HedgeWitch formula with the chant below. Say the project chant nine times, and then begin to work.

Crochet Project Chant

Magick circle

Pull it through

Loop the thought of (healing, prosperity, good fortune, protection, etc.)

To bring to you

Handle hook

To catch the thing

Manifest in sacred ring of (healing, prosperity, good fortune,
protection, etc.)!

9. When laying down the foundation of the project, try this chant, to be repeated nine times:

Foundation Chain Chant

Sacred fiber

Spun to make

Unfolding path

That I (she, he) will take.

Lines of (hope, joy, healing, prosperity, happiness, etc.)

Loop to bring

A chain of (hope, joy, healing, prosperity, happiness, etc.)

From thought to thing!

10. Remember that the turning chain with every row represents the slowing of energy that occurs when a thought manifests into a thing! The turning chain helps to “set the work” each and every row you make and therefore becomes the most powerful stitch of the row. Say special prayers on this loop to add additional energy to the piece, and then end with “It always works! Always a blessing!”

Finish the project as I recommended on page 169 or choose your own magickal way to complete the item. You can use the above chants for knitting as well as other stitchery projects by changing the wording to fit your activity. By mixing this type of stitchery and magick together, I found peace of mind and a contemplative, relaxing way of using some of my spare time. Best of all, my efforts brought joy to the recipients, which is by far the most exquisite benefit of all!

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