The Subtle Art of
Magic in the Workplace
by Mickie Mueller
It’s Monday morning and you grab a cup of coffee as you hit the time clock. A million mundane thoughts begin to swarm into your mind about deadlines, company cutbacks, or that big inspection you have to get ready for. It all makes you wonder, as you clock in for work—do you really have to clock out the witch? As magical practitioners, we walk between the worlds, therefore that answer would be a resounding “no!”
Remove Negativity
Without Creating a Stir
Negative energy has a way of lurking around the workplace due to difficult customers and coworkers alike. Since negativity tends to build upon itself, it is wise to neutralize it before it gets out of hand. If you try the following little trick, pay extra attention throughout the day and see if the place feels nicer and tempers cool.
Purchase an ammonia-free glass cleaner with a vinegar base and pour out just a bit. If you can’t find a vinegar-based product, just add a little white vinegar to regular glass cleaner. At home, place the following herbs in a hot cup of water: basil, lavender, sage, and just a pinch of sea salt. Feel free to substitute your favorite cleansing and protection herbs. Allow the mixture to steep for at least five minutes, strain through a coffee filter, and pour a small amount into the glass cleaner. (Really strain it well: any little chunks of herbs will clog up your sprayer.) Holding the bottle in both hands, raise energy by repeating the following chant and sending it into the bottle:
Herbs and vinegar do your best
A cleansing mixture I request.
Destroying negative energy
As I spray and as I clean.
When you arrive at work the next day, clean your work area with your enchanted cleaner as you repeat the chant in your head to reaffirm your purpose. Your boss will think you are quite industrious. Keep your magical spray at work and use it anytime, or when you feel the place is bogged down with negativity.
If negativity has already gotten the better of you, here are a couple ideas to magically blow off some steam. If you work in an office, it’s time to shred some documents. As you hold the papers in your hands, shove all your angry, hurt, or frustrated feelings into the documents. As you drop them one by one into the paper shredder, feel all that psychic sludge destroyed with the sheets of paper. If you work in an environment with a box crusher, volunteer to take the boxes back to crush. As you place each box in the crusher, lightly blow your anger or bad feelings into the boxes. Visualize them as clear glass bubbles. Then hit the button and let the big machine crush those bad feeling to oblivion. Do you work in a restaurant? Easy! Just throw all your daily angst into a dish of leftover food and toss it right down the garbage disposal, followed by a slice of lemon and some salt. There are probably other ways you can come up with at your place of business to create the same result.
Computers, Machines, and Gadgets: We Love ’Em, We Hate ’Em
Most of us have to deal with some kind of machinery at work, be it a cash register, computer, pricing gun, or possessed coffee maker. When these workplace gadgets are functioning, they make our lives easier—but when they get fussy, they can make our workday very difficult. I currently work with a lot of problematic machinery, and I like to jokingly blame it on gremlins.
Sometimes equipment just seems to go haywire for no apparent reason, and while magic won’t keep you from having to regularly care for equipment and call in the technician sometimes, you can keep problems to a minimum by sending positive energy into the machinery you work with. When we think about equipment, it is important to remember that everything is filled with energy, and that goes for both living and inanimate objects. Therefore, what you need to do to keep your mechanical devices going is basically noncellular healing.
Depending on your work environment, you may be able to bring a pretty crystal to work to set near your computer. If you can, it works great. Quartz crystals boost energy and raise positive vibrations. You can clean the crystal first at home by holding it under running water and visualizing all the negativity being washed away. My favorite method is to leave it outside in a rainstorm. Then you can magically charge it to boost your computer. Here is a simple chant you can use to charge your crystal, and you can also use it to boost the crystal at work if something seems to be going awry:
Shining stone, bright and clear,
Support machinery that lies near.
Protect and heal each circuit too,
And keep them running smooth and true.
If you’re not in a situation where you can place a crystal near your workspace, try a penny. Copper is a magical metal that helps boost energy flow. But don’t just grab one out of your pocket—it needs to be prepared first. A penny has gone through many hands and will need serious cleansing. Run it under cold water in the same manner as for a crystal, then bury it in some earth or a dish of salt for one month. If you choose to bury it in dirt, place a marker over it so you don’t forget where you left it.
Now you can magically charge your penny. Anoint the penny with sandalwood or olive oil, and place it under a white candle. A tea light works great. You can use this chant:
Bright copper, metal of the earth,
Boost my machinery for all it’s worth.
Good metal by all the elements cast,
Keep it all running and make it last.
Then place the penny in an inconspicuous place near or even under the computer or other equipment.
Another subtle method is the use of a magical symbol or rune. Good choices for symbols for healing your office equipment would be an equal armed cross, the “ansur” rune for communication, the “eolh” rune for protection, an infinity symbol, or any healing symbol you like. You can draw the symbol or symbols of your choice on the sticky side of a piece of opaque tape or sticker and then stick it to the problematic piece of equipment in a place you can easily reach, but that won’t be obvious. Silently use this chant:
Magic symbols, powers stick,
Brightest blessings do the trick.
Place your hand over the tape to add to the charge any time you feel the need.
Personnel Communications
Sometimes interactions with those at work can become difficult due to stress, or even personality clashes. You may experience difficult coworkers, clients, or customers, but before you try to set that pricing gun to “stun” let’s discuss some ways to keep personal relationships at work from getting out of hand.
First let’s start with something that nearly everyone has experienced. Have you ever had a day at work when it seems like everyone is acting erratic, crabby, or just plain weird? Then suddenly a coworker says, “What’s up with everyone today, is there a full moon or something?” Little do they know that you are all too aware of the moon’s phase, and sometimes on those days it is indeed full.
You won’t usually notice that it is the kind of day where everyone is a little “off” until you have gotten well into the day. The minute that you realize, “Man, everyone is so crabby today,” it is time to act. Make any excuse to head for the front door, and as you walk toward it, chant the word “balance” in your head over and over. The walking will raise energy, so feel it build in the center of your chest. When you reach the door, touch it and release the energy as you repeat “balance” once more in your head, followed by “So mote it be.” Most people who walk through that door will feel that balancing energy and be less likely to fall under the influence of whatever is causing personality anomalies. You can also do a similar kind of spell by raising the “balance” energy and sending it as you do a page over the loudspeakers. Most people within the sound of your voice will feel a soothing effect, and things should calm down a bit.
You will notice that I said “most people.” That is because this is not manipulative magic. Most people really don’t want to be crabby and unbalanced, so they will benefit from their own wish to take the opportunity to find balance. There are a few people who are so attached to their anger that they are not willing to give it up. That is their choice, but to try to force the issues would be manipulative and unethical. When dealing with others it is very important to remember to act ethically.
Perhaps you have been in a situation at work where you feel that your voice is not being heard. You have a great idea, or want to discuss a raise or promotion, but you feel that your words just aren’t getting through. Before you go to work that day, spend a few minutes on this simple meditation. Lie down on your back and place a blue stone of your choice at the base of your throat. Close your eyes and visualize a beam of bright, warm light coming down from the sky and shining down into your throat chakra. Your throat chakra is the energy vortex that enhances communication and expression. Feel it filling with energy, becoming stronger. When you feel the energy in your throat chakra is glowing and strong, you are done. Carry the stone in your pocket when you go to work, and let the communication begin.
Don’t Take It Home with You
Okay, you had a rough day at work, despite your efforts to keep things running smoothly—hey, it happens. You have a lot on your mind and all you want to do is go home and relax. But everything you had to deal with is still on your mind. There is no reason to take it home with you—what’s done is done.
So find a place to pull the car over safely for about five minutes (a well-lit gas station works fine). Lock the doors and relax. Visualize a red balloon on a string before you. As you inhale slowly through your nose, exhale through your mouth and “blow” all that anxiety into the balloon. See it getting larger and larger as you fill it with everything that bothered you that day. When everything you wish to rid yourself of has gone into the balloon, imagine a lovely pair of scissors in your hand, decorative and magical. Reach out with your hand and cut the string with the scissors as you say “snip” and see it float away. It passes through the atmosphere and into space as the gravity of the sun catches it and pulls it in. All your anxiety is incinerated in the blazing sun and will be turned into neutral energy. Now take a deep breath, go home, relax, and recharge. Tomorrow is another day.
When you get to work the next day, take your inner witch with you. When you form a true relationship with your magical self, you can take that part of yourself everywhere. Remember that the kind of magic that is most effective at work is subtle. Intention is very important, and this kind of magic helps to train your mind to work without all the bells and whistles. The magic is always in you.