by Melanie Marquis
Often when we turn to spellbooks, we’re directed to head to the closest metaphysical supply shop to stock up on fancy herbs, oils, and other suggested tools, whichcan carry a hefty price tag. Now, I like a good witchy shop as much as anyone, but I don’t always have money in the budget for lots of high-end magickal equipment. Luckily for me, I’m a folk witch, and I know how to “make do” with whatever magickal supplies I have on hand. Second only to the kitchen cupboard, the place where I most frequently acquire my magickal ingredients is my own backyard. Wherever you live, most likely your yard or a nearby park will have a ton of great stuff you can use for your magick. If you need to do some spellwork but payday’s not till Friday, there’s no need to fret. With just a few natural items found outdoors, you can cast an effective spell for nearly any magickal goal. Let’s take a look at some of these powerful spellcasting tools and ingredients you can find free of charge any day of the week, right outside your door.
Dirt
Dirt is filled with the power of the earth, and it also absorbs the energies of the surrounding environment, making it a very versatile ingredient for a variety of spellcasting purposes. Dirt has the magickal attributes of strength and wealth, but it can have additional properties depending on where you gather it. Dirt from a riverbank, lakeside, or other area prone to erosion is useful for transformative magick, while dirt gathered from a sunny, grass-covered hill will contain a good dose of solar energy. Graveyard dirt is great for conjuring spirits or communicating with the dead, and it’s also useful in magick intended to cause a termination or a waning of power. Dirt found near large, old trees or dirt found in an agricultural field or garden is especially excellent for magick to bring wealth or to increase fertility. Need something different? Add a bit of water and make some mud. Depending on the consistency, mud can be used as paint or as a clay for fashioning magickal dolls, amulets, and other items.
There are lots of ways to use dirt magickally. You might empower a pinch of dirt with an energy of strength and then discreetly dusting a bit of it over your body, your magick wand, or wherever else it’s needed. Alternatively, you could tie the dirt up in a cloth and make a sort of “grit-grit” bag intended for personal protection. You might mix up a batch of magickal mud, concentrating as you stir on bringing out the dirt’s wealth-bringing propensity. You could then paint a big dollar sign with your magickal mud, perhaps decorating a dollar bill with the symbol and carrying it with you as a charm to attract more of the same. You can also use dirt right where it’s found—to make use of erosion, simply cast your spell for transformation or reduction into a dirt-covered area with high erosion, and let your worries wash away with the next rain.
Rocks
Rocks are also a great ingredient for magick. They totally rock! We all know that the pretty clear quartz crystals they sell at the stores have amazing magickal properties, but did you know ordinary stones like granite and sandstone can also be powerful spellcasting additions? Rocks are classified into three main categories: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed from heat and fire, sedimentary rocks are formed from particles being pressed together over time, and metamorphic rocks are formed when a sedimentary rock or an igneous rock changes form due to pressure and/or heat. Igneous rocks contain properties of both fire and earth. One common type of igneous rock is granite, a very hard stone. Magickally, granite can be useful in spells for defense, protection, tenacity, and lasting passion. Sedimentary rocks are great for spells intended to combine energies, as they’re comprised themselves of many layers of particles, all united into a single stone. Try sandstone for general combining magick, or limestone (formed from the skeletal remains of sea creatures) if you want to give your spellwork an ocean theme or a dash of underworld flair. Metamorphic rocks are good for metamorphosis, naturally—use quartzite (a common rock formed from pressurized and heated quartz sandstone) for magick intended to cause a change or transformation. Because of the quartz content, quartzite is especially potent for magick intended to boost psychic abilities, magickal power, or creativity.
There are many ways to use rocks for spellcasting. You can fill a rock with the power of a magickal charm and carry it with you as an amulet or talisman or discreetly place it near the place or person the spell is meant to affect. You might draw an image of your magickal intention, then place rocks over or around the image so they can lend their power to the charm. If protection is needed, you might place a large, heavy stone over an image representative of the threatening person or unwanted situation, using the stone to crush and/or contain whatever ails you. Like dirt, rocks pick up the energetic vibrations of the surrounding landscape. Look for rocks in places you find special, sacred, or beautiful, and they’re sure to pack a magickal punch.
Sticks
Perhaps even more versatile than dirt and rocks is the mighty stick. With just a twig or a small branch, you can craft and cast spells for movement, swiftness, union, progress, banishing, binding, transformation, and more. While selecting sticks based on type of wood will add an extra layer of power to most any type of magick, virtually any stick will do. Need to join together disparate energies? Empower two or more sticks to represent the forces, people, or resources you’d like to unite, then tie the sticks together into a single bundle. Want to shed the old and welcome the new? Peel the outer layer of bark off a small twig as you think of your intention, then decorate the newly revealed inner layer with symbols to represent the “new you” that has come into being. Need something in your life to get moving a little more quickly? Cast your intention into a small stick, throw it into a river, and think of circumstances quickening as you watch the stick speeding downstream. Need something completely out of your life? Charge a stick to represent the object of banishment, then cast it into a river, bury it, break it, bind it tightly with string, or burn it.
Plants
While more exotic plants like mandrake and belladonna are certainly powerful, everyday plants like grass, dandelions, and clover can be highly useful in magick, too. Grass is a fine ingredient for (nonedible) cheering potions and powders, and it’s also great for adding a dash of speedy growth to any spell. Dandelions have a high concentration of solar energy—try using that power for magick focused on success, happiness, friendship, strength, luck, action, or courage. Clovers are perfect for potions and powders designed to bring good luck, prosperity, or creative inspiration.
Other common plants can be used magickally, as well, even unidentified specimens. Just don’t ever ingest a plant with which you’re not familiar, and avoid plants you suspect might have properties contrary to your spell goal. For instance, if you’re trying to attract peace and harmony, you wouldn’t use a thorny briar. Use your intuition when choosing plants. What does the plant’s appearance suggest? For example, plants with thorns or spiky leaves can be useful in defensive magick—just place a few sprigs around the perimeter of the place in need of protection. Likewise, roots can be used to bring a grounding energy, or to help you connect with underworld deities or even with your own ancestral “roots.” Green leaves can be useful in attracting and magnifying energies, or causing growth. You might make a sachet of leaves, empowered to draw to you what you seek, or you can write your wish directly on a living leaf, letting photosynthesis further magnify the charm.
In Your Own Backyard
Lots of other everyday natural objects can also be used for magick. Take a walk around your own backyard and see what sort of ingredients you find. Might a pinecone be useful in a fertility spell? Could a feather be used to add air energies to your magickal blends? How about that maple branch that just broke off the tree—might it actually be your new magick wand? Start exploring, research the ingredients you find, and have fun with your backyard magick. It’s economical and practical, and it honors the traditions of folk witches everywhere who use their everyday environment to craft extraordinary magick.