The Priestess. There was something about her that drew me in the moment I laid eyes on her. Her ornate cradle holds a faceted Bolivian ametrine, while a sphere of clear quartz crowns her and a beautifully raw Uruguayan amethyst extends beneath.
Bolivian Ametrine - A union of amethyst and citrine, embodying balance, intuition, and personal empowerment.
Uruguayan Amethyst - Spiritual awareness, protection, and inner stillness.
Clear Quartz - Clarity, amplification, and the directing of intention.
Together, these stones speak to me of spiritual awareness, balance, protection, and personal strength.
The Priestess is more than a beautiful addition to my collection. She has already found her way into my practice, accompanying me during a working that came from a place of vulnerability.
Following an episode that left me frightened, I felt an overwhelming need to create a talisman for myself. Something I could hold, something I could carry, something into which I could pour my intentions for protection, strength, and good health.
And so, my Samhain charm bag came to be.
I began with my own black salt, placing it within a small purple embroidered pouch alongside amethyst, lapis lazuli, smoky quartz, amazonite, clear quartz, and obsidian. Each stone was chosen with intention, bringing its own energies to the working.
I included a beautiful piece of red jasper (one of my favorite stones) for strength and grounding, smoky quartz (another favorite) for protection and stability, and a silver pentacle as a symbol of protection.
Into a small muslin pouch, I placed my Witch’s New Year herbal blend, bringing the energies of the herbs into the working as I prepared to cross the threshold into a new year.
But perhaps the most personal element of this charm bag was my witch's ladder.
With a length of silver cord, I tied nine knots, speaking my incantation as I worked. With each knot, I bound my intention into the cord, giving form to the words I spoke. When the ninth knot was tied, I wrapped the ladder around the purple pouch, encircling its contents with the intention I had woven into it.
I also wrote the incantation upon a small sliver of parchment, folding it away with the other elements of the charm bag. The words themselves remain private, though I have shared a glimpse of the working as recorded in my grimoire.
The Priestess rested beside me throughout the working, her stones lending their energies to my ritual. Her clear quartz amplified the spell, her ametrine brought balance and personal strength, and her amethyst offered protection and a sense of inner stillness in a moment when I needed it most.
There are times when fear leaves us feeling powerless. For me, my craft offers a way to take that fear into my own hands, to give it shape, to transform it into resolve.
This charm bag was born of such a moment. Within it are the herbs, stones, salt, words, and knots that I brought together with purpose. But it also holds something less tangible - the determination of a witch who, in a moment of fear, reached for her craft.