Love Baubles (Or Is that Boggles?)

Many people spend years chasing after love, perhaps the most elusive of emotions, and when they get it, they expend even more energy and effort making sure it’s really theirs. The Goddess has watched this ongoing game of tag, and she knows the human heart well. She, and her magic, are the perfect helpmates to increase the amount of love in and around our lives. This includes self-love, which many people lack.

When you feel lost in the sea of humanity and really need a warm, caring anchor, call on Astarte, the Assyro-Babylonian goddess of love, marriage, sexuality, and oddly enough, war! She has a fighting spirit to aid your efforts to find love and to keep it safe once discovered.

CONDOM SENSE:

These days, practicing safe sex often goes hand in hand with searching for love. So why not modernize our magic by using condoms for a component, since both men and women can easily transport these? Leave the package of condoms in sunlight for three hours (to encourage sound thinking) and in moonlight for three hours (for romance). Then, energize them by saying,

Astarte bless this little spell.
To my words, pray, listen well.
Love and passion, bring to my heart,
and with them wisdom, now impart.

Carry one or two of the condoms in your wallet or purse, or leave them in another easily accessible location. After you use them, get another from the package and put it in your purse or wallet so that desire is always balanced with discretion.

BREATH MINT MAGIC:

Want to make your conversation smoother and your words sweeter when approaching a companion? Use breath mints or mint gum as a component! Mint generates interest, arousal, and fresh energy.

Charge several packages in a southerly wind (for passion), so you have replacements ready when one is used up. If you like, add an incantation such as this one:

Let words be sweet, let words please,
let them encourage, invite, and tease!

Keep the candies with you as a talisman for improved communications.

CHAPSTICK CHARM:

To make yourself more “kissable” and desirable to your date or significant other, begin with Chapstick. Choose a flavor that is associated with love, like cherry. Hold the container in the hand that you normally extend when accepting an object from someone else. Symbolically, this extends an invitation to an intended individual. Repeat this incantation three times while thinking of one particular person:

When you look at me, you shall not miss
an opportunity to steal a kiss!

Put a little of the Chapstick on each time you’re going to see this person, and repeat the incantation—then pucker up!

RELIEVE IT OR KNOT:

This charm begins with a piece of red thread (or use another color you associate with love). Bind it with five knots (one for each point of a pentagram). As you tie each knot, focus wholly on your intention to find a companion or improve your current relationship, saying,

With this thread of red I wind
magic for love, of a special kind.
Woven in each knot I make
feelings that cannot be faked.
When released, these will spark a fire
of trust, adoration, and desire.

Keep this thread with you and untie one knot whenever you feel you need more love. Take care, however, not to undo too many knots, too quickly. If love burns out of control, it will also burn itself out.

TAVERN TALISMAN:

In the dating game, we can’t always be sure of the players. This token will keep away people who do not have your best interest at heart, while attracting those who might. For this talisman you’ll need a small jar of avocado skin cream (for attractiveness); add to this a drop of rose-scented oil (for love) and a myrrh tear (for protection). If possible, add the myrrh and oil when the moon is in Gemini, to help bring diverse factors into agreement. Stir the cream clockwise, saying,

Let the beauty within shine without.
Astarte, erase my fears and doubts.
Let those who care little, quickly depart;
to those who care much, I extend my heart.

Keep this container with you. Rub a little on your hands (before shaking hands) or on your face (for physical comeliness) just before meeting someone new.

IMAGEINATION:

One of the hardest things in relationships is being able to see ourselves through the appreciative eyes of others. Most people are their own worst critics, never truly recognizing their inner and outer beauty. This charm is designed to increase your awareness of positive personal attributes, and to accentuate those to the people you meet or care about.

You will need a small mirror (the size of a compact) and four tiny tumbled cat’s eye stones that have a flat side. During a waxing moon, go out into the night and glue the four stones on the mirror at the four compass points. As you place each one, repeat the appropriate incantation:

Keep this nearby as often as possible. When you feel your self-esteem slipping, or others’ opinions of you are hurtful, look into the mirror and see the truth.

Alternative Components:

Take love foods with you each day for lunch to internalize and welcome love. Possibilities include peaches, plums, raspberries, and tomatoes. Wear more pink or red clothing and carry stones like pink tourmaline or rhodocrosite so that you vibrate with loving energy.

To draw love into your life, work during a waxing to full moon, on Fridays, during the month of June, or when the moon is in Scorpio.