Pirate’s treasure, a dragon’s hoard, a genie’s cave . . . There’s something about a pile of tinkling, twinkling gold and silver that gets my greedy little heart a-fluttering, and it’s exactly what I felt when the five-pound box of milagros I ordered from Mexico arrived on my doorstep. You read that correctly. Five pounds. These shiny bits of magic are sold by weight (at least when you’re buying lots of little ones)—which is a good thing because when it comes to working with milagros, quantity can be key, and there are an awful lot of milagros in five pounds.
The word milagro literally means “miracle” or “surprise” (of the good variety) in Spanish. You’ll find the charms in Mexico, the Southern United States, and parts of Latin America, where they were brought over to from Europe, specifically the Iberian peninsula. The concept, however, is actually much older than that.
The milagro is an ex voto (Latin for “from the vow”)—a token of devotion, offering of gratitude, or petition for intercession. The custom is cross-cultural and dates back to ancient Greece. The pinax, a small devotional plaque with figures painted on it, was placed in the temple to thank deities for their power or as a plea for help, a prayer in graphic novel form. Later on, votive paintings called tamata, were created by practitioners of Eastern Orthodox religions. These were (and are) images of saints and other holy intercessors to which metal is applied, a means of glorification as well as making the portrait an offering.
Milagro Glossary
Milagros come in hundreds of shapes (that alone makes them an intricate and complex system of symbols), and a single milagro can have many associations: a tiny leg can be used as a petition for healing a broken bone or other leg ailment, just as much as a prayer for safe travel or anything else one might associate with a leg and what it does. Some saints have body parts associated with them (in St. Roque’s case, a wounded leg), and so milagros can be representative of their spirits. Essentially, it comes down to the user and purpose. Hold a milagro in your hand. What does it mean to you? What memories does it stir?
The most recognizable milagros are the flat charms—large and small—in gold or silver. Some are actually cast in precious metals, but most are tin and tinted gold or silver. Milagros can also be made of other materials; wax, wood, and clay beads that take the shape of birds, flowers and other icons with symbolic value. On the next page are some typical milagros you might encounter and some traditional and suggested uses. When working with them, think of what the images say to you or what you feel when you touch them and go with that. Prayers, petitions, and magic are most powerful when they come from the heart.
Being raised Catholic, I gravitated to milagros just as I had to other familiar tools: candles, altars, images and statues of saints, and sigils. I work with saints because through them I’ve found a comfortable connection to sacredness, the universe, and God and Goddess—but I don’t believe that milagros belong exclusively in their realm. Do your guiding deities and spirits love milagros? Take some time to meditate and ask them. (I’ve learned not to take this detail for granted!) Even if they’re not a part of your personal history, if these lovely charms make your eyes sparkle with delight, try incorporating them into your magical practice.
Milagros are often seen as a form of folk art and crafting, and I’ve come to see that as an essential aspect of working with them magically. When you use milagros in spell, devotional, or ritual work, you find yourself making something. Working with them engages the whole person—mind, hand, heart, and soul—and therefore makes for incredibly potent magic: miracles made manifest.
|
Milagro |
Traditional Meanings |
|
Car |
Travel, transportation, getting a new car, finding and fixing an issue with a car |
|
Dog |
Loyalty, getting a dog or a pet |
|
Eyes |
Sight, clarity, healing a problem with the eyes, protection from the evil eye |
|
Heart |
Love, physical and/or emotional troubles with the heart, courage |
|
House |
Finding or purchasing a home, home protection, a happy home, shelter, a safe haven |
|
Leg* |
Troubles with the limb, such as a muscle pain or broken bone; travel |
|
Praying Man or Woman |
Making a petition, hope that prayers will be heard |
|
Pregnant Woman |
Children, family, fertility, a healthy pregnancy |
|
Star of David |
The Jewish faith, someone of the Jewish faith, struggle |
|
Virgin Mary |
Blessings, intercession from Mary, protection, anything to do with mothers and mothering |
* The same concepts can be applied to other appendages, body parts, and organs: healing wounds in that area or enhancing what the part is used for. For example, an arm can be a petition for strength, a hand, and a helping hand.
Miracles Brought to Light
Beeswax sheets are the perfect medium to wrap, fold, and mold around milagros—and so are perfect for candle magic. I use small metal milagros in my magical work. Working with milagros is all about intention, what you wish to accomplish and whose help you’re seeking. Think about that before you begin, and then acquire sheets of beeswax pressed into a honeycomb pattern. The sheets come in different sizes and colors, and while size isn’t important, color is, as color embodies its own special energy. For example, if your intention is about love, traditional pinks and reds might be the first colors that come to mind to use. Equally powerful are personal color associations. If you always feel your best—and so find love—when you wear blue, perhaps that would be just as good, or maybe better, to employ. Search your heart to determine what works for you.
You will need:
Sheet of beeswax
Candle wicking
Chalk or permanent marker
Milagros (Think of your intention, and who you would ask for help or to whom you would want to express gratitude.)
Hair dryer or heat gun
Unroll a sheet of beeswax so that it lies flat on your workspace. Using the chalk or marker, write out your petition, wish, or statement directly on the wax.
Place a candle wick at one end of the sheet so that the end of the wick lines up with the sheet’s edge; this will be the bottom of the candle. The other end of the wick should extend past the other end of the sheet; this will be the top of the candle. Press down on the whole length of the wick to secure it to the wax.
Starting at the bottom of the candle, press a milagro into the wax and say,
Dear (name of saint, deity, etc.) . . .
State your intention or thanks.
Visualize your intention and intercessor. Then, keeping the top and bottom of the candle even, roll the candle once, keeping the wax tight to the milagro. Place another milagro a little above where you placed the first one. State your intention aloud again, visualizing your intention coming to pass or your gratitude being received. Roll the candle again. Continue until you’ve used up the whole wax sheet.
When you’re finished, press the end of the sheet into the candle to secure it. Use the hair dryer or heat gun to soften the wax to make it stick better. Because you’re folding the wax around the milagros, you may end up with a triangular, square, or angular candle rather than a round one. If you wish, you can roll another sheet, perhaps in another color, around the first to make a larger, rounder candle.
Alternatively, you can stud a store-bought pillar candle with milagros. Write your intention on the top or bottom of the candle. Use the hair dryer or heat gun to soften the wax on the shaft of the candle; you want the wax to be pliable, but not liquid. When the surface of the candle gets a bit shiny, it should be soft enough to press a milagro into the wax and hold it in place.
Burn a milagro candle on a saint’s or deity’s special day to add power to your spell. Of course, if your need is urgent, you can burn it right away. Repeat your intention each time you light the candle.
String of Hope
Not all milagros are created equally. Some are simply shapes, while others are cast with bales on top so that they can be nailed to an offering or strung on chains or cords and worn as jewelry.
I like the idea of impermanence; after all, change is the only constant we live with. Create a piece of milagro jewelry to wear your wishes on your sleeve (or elsewhere) and help them come to pass. Again, what you will use will be determined by your intention.
You will need:
A wish or intention. What is your heart’s desire? Think about it. Write about it. Search your heart and puzzle out what it is that you really want (or need). It can be an actual, physical thing or something intangible like confidence or friendship. You may also wish to express gratitude or honor. What moves you to create this magic?
Embroidery floss in a color appropriate to your wish. Try using what you personally associate with your intention or use your favorite reference to determine what colors to use.
Milagros that express your intention or honor your deity or spirit of choice. You can use several different charms or multiples of the same. Your jewelry can have a single milagro or a string of them.
Optional: Crystal chips, stones, or beads (with holes drilled through) that support your intention. For example, rose quartz promotes love, jade promotes healing, and tiger’s eye promotes success. Use your favorite reference and your intuition to determine what to use for your jewelry.
The jewelry itself is easy to make. Cut an overlong length of embroidery floss (24 to 30 inches) to work with, as you will be knotting each milagro into place. Thread your first milagro onto the floss. When it’s positioned where you want it, tie a knot to secure it in place.
Infuse the thread with your intention as you knot it and pass it through your fingers. Imbibe each charm with your desires by stating your intentions aloud as you add it and knot it in place. Ask your deity or guiding spirit for his or her assistance. Continue to thread and knot milagros onto the strand (interspersing them with the crystals if you wish), until you feel it is complete. See this jewelry is an incarnation of your intention, a poem made manifest to enhance your spell—but like a spoken word, it becomes a memory. The point of this jewelry is to lose it; when it leaves you, you know that change will soon be afoot!
Tie the string around your wrist, ankle, or neck so that you’re comfortable (depending on the length, you may need to wrap it once or twice), and wear it until it drops off. The string will be picked up by birds and the milagros will be found by those who need them (or perhaps by those who will make your wishes come to pass—the universe works in mysterious ways!).
A Portable Prayer
What are the words you live by? What words move you? What are the words you repeat to yourself when you need to be reminded of your own strength and power? Craft them into a portable, tangible talisman with the help of a handful of milagros.
You will need:
Square of thin cardboard, 9 by 9 inches (A recycled cereal box will work nicely.)
2 pieces of cloth, 9 by 9 inches, in colors and patterns that make you happy
Craft glue
Milagros that relate to your quote (see below)
Heavy sewing needle
Embroidery thread in a color that coordinates with your fabric
Velcro button
Short inspirational quote, prayer, or mantra that holds personal meaning to you printed on a piece of paper or embroidered on a piece of fabric
Glitter glue
Cut a 3-inch square from each corner of the cardboard square to form an equilateral cross. Each “arm” and the center square should be 3 inches tall by 3 inches wide.
Using the cardboard as a pattern, cut two equilateral crosses from your fabric.
Score (don’t cut!) the inside square on your cardboard cross so that each arm can be folded down over it.
Brush one side of the cardboard cross with glue and cover it with one of the fabric crosses. Smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles and allow it to dry completely.
Sew a milagro or two to each side arm and the bottom arm on the fabric-covered side. You can also glue them, but a stitch is stronger. Tie off your thread on the milagro side so that the blank cardboard side of the cross remains flat.
Glue one half of the Velcro button in the center of the top arm. Glue or sew your quote to the center of the cross.
Brush the other side of the cardboard with glue and cover it with the other fabric cross. Smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles and allow it to dry completely. Trim any excess fabric.
Fold the side arms in and then the bottom. Glue the other piece of Velcro to the blank side of the bottom arm (there should be a milagro on the opposite side). Before you secure it, make sure that it lines up with the other portion of the button that you attached previously. To close the talisman, fold in the right arm, then the left, and then the bottom. One piece of the Velcro button should be facing up. When you fold the top arm down, the Velcro buttons will connect and hold it shut. Once all of the Velcro is in place, outline the buttons with glitter glue.
When all the glue is completely dry, outline the cross in glitter glue to cover any seams and blank spaces and seal the fabric to the cardboard. Allow the talisman to dry completely before folding it up.
Carry your portable prayer with you and look at it any time you need a word of encouragement.
More Little Miracles
Milagros can also be incorporated into traditional magical practices. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
• Making a mojo bag, charm bag, or herbal pouch? Add milagros to your blended ingredients or tie a milagro when you knot the pouch to seal it, to add that energy to your working.
• Incorporate milagros into crystal grids to channel and raise energy.
• Do a bit of divination with milagros: place all the milagros you have into a pile or pouch and draw some out. What is their message to you?
Bright blessings!
Resources
Egan, Martha. Milagros: Votive Offerings from the Americas. Albuquerque: Museum of New Mexico Press, 1991.
Thompson, Helen. Milagros: A Book of Miracles. San Francisco: HarperOne, 1998.