A Spring Equinox Ritual: Creating a Charm Bag for Energy, Creativity, and Abundance

A friend asked me to make her a charm to increase her physical and creative energy, and I thought, "Man, I need one of those too." And then I thought, "And the Spring Equinox is the prefect time to tap into that kind of energy," so I made it part of Blue Moon Circle's ritual, which we did earlier today.

Then it occurred to me that some other folks might find this useful too, so here it is. As always, if you don't have some (or even most) of the supplies, you can substitute things you do have that feel right to you, or just do without. The reason I threw in SO many ingredients, more than I usually do, is because I needed this to be uber-powerful. And it was.

Happy Ostara, folks!

Spring Equinox Ritual

Energy, Creativity & Prosperity Charm Bag

Supplies: Quarter candles, god/goddess candles, small containers of salt & water & small bowl, sage smudge stick, cakes & ale, matches

Plus: [one each for each person taking part]

Medium sized bag—mesh, silk, leather, fabric, or whatever suits your fancy

GEMSTONES – Amber (good fortune, strength, healing, heightens magical work), Amethyst (healing, happiness, de-stressor/lifts spirits, sharpens the mind), Aventurine (healing, prosperity, creativity), Tiger-eye (prosperity, strength, confidence). Use as many as desired.

HERBS – Cinnamon (stick form is easiest, energy, creativity, success, healing), Rosemary (energy, healing, sharpens the mind), Sage (protection, wisdom, lends power to wishes)

A piece of paper & a pen – I like to use pastel colors for spring, and if you can find them, paper imbedded with seeds (I found a wrapping paper in pastel colors with seeds in it, to plant later)

Optional, to represent the powers of the elements – a feather (air, also creativity), salt (I like to use chunks of sea salt, earth, grounding, purification), shell (water, potential), a tiny candle (I used a small purple beeswax rolled candle; beeswax for prosperity and energy, purple for creativity and spirit)

Optional – magical oil (I used a homemade energy/strength oil made from cinnamon, ginger, lemon, and orange—but any oil for energy or creativity or prosperity will do)

Pass sage, salt and water to purify circle.

Call quarters. Invoke god and goddess:

“Great Brigid, Bright Lady, we gather at your cauldron for wisdom and bounty, in celebration of the joyous spring. Be with us now and send us your gifts of creativity, energy, and growth. So mote it be!”

“Great Herne, Lord of the Beasts, we welcome back your creatures to the greening world, and rejoice at your return. Send us your gifts of strength, prosperity, and abundance. So mote it be!”

Today is the beginning of spring and the time for new growth is upon us. May the start of the light half of the year bring inspiration to our spirits and hearts. Today is also a day of balance between light and dark, when we release winter's frozen immobility in favor of growth and new energy.

This makes it the perfect time to recharge our physical and spiritual bodies, which are often left drained by the cold and dark of winter, as well as the never-ending hustle and bustle of our own busy lives. We will tap into the energy of spring, full of abundance and growth, and use that potential to create a charm bag that will increase our spiritual, physical, and creative energies, while also bringing prosperity and abundance in positive and helpful ways.

On the paper, write your desires for the seasons to come—start with energy, creativity, and prosperity, if those are your goals, and then add anything else you want. Into the bag, place the gemstone(s) and herbs, focusing on their properties as you work. If using the extras to represent the elements, add those, speaking their names and powers out loud if you wish. Tuck the paper inside and anoint with magical oil, if using. Consecrate the charm bag by holding it over each element’s candle (away from the flame) and say, “I consecrate this magical charm for energy, creativity, and prosperity (or your goals) with the power of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.” Then hold it over the god/goddess candles and say, “I consecrate this magical charm with the power of the god and goddess, for the good of all, and according to the free will of all. May it work for my benefit from this day forward. So mote it be.”

If desired, raise energy and direct it toward your magical working by chanting or drumming.

Blue Moon Circle used this simple chant: “Earth my body, Water my blood, Air my breath, and Fire my spirit.” Then say the following spell:

Spring energy flies through the air on the wings of the birds and the freshening breeze

And flows up from the ground with the blooming flowers and greening grass

May this energy be mine. May this power for creation be mine. May this abundance be mine.

So mote it be.

Cakes and ale:"I ask you now Shining Deities, to give of your many blessings. I call forth your gifts into these cakes. May your energy infuse this food, and thus infuse me with your magic."

"Make sacred the liquid within this chalice. Put into it your light and love. Into it pour your blessings to me. Within me may your gifts shine bright!" 

Pass speaking stick. Dismiss the quarters. Thank the gods.

I thank the lovely Shining Ones for their gifts and many blessings. Herne and Brigit, I thank you again and again. To the ancestors and spirits of nature who have also joined us this day, I thank you! And I thank as well the Earth Mother, Gaia, for this land, your bounty, and my body, the vehicle through which I am able to give you honor.

Place your charm bag on your altar, or wherever it will be safe and nearby.

Spring has Sprung--Time to Reboot!

You know how sometimes you have a problem with your computer or some other electronic gizmo, and you can fix it by simply turning it off and on, or unplugging it and plugging it back in? Don’t you wish it was that easy to reboot our own lives? I know I do. Of course, life doesn’t exactly work like that. But there are times when it is easier to give the process a jump-start, and this is one of them.

The Spring Equinox arrives this year on Thursday, March 20^th—not a moment too soon for those of us who have struggled our way through a tougher than usual winter. And while spring on the calendar isn’t always reflected outside our windows, the energy of the season makes this the perfect time to reboot your body, mind, and spirit.

The energy of the natural world varies with the seasons, and different times of the year can give our endeavors a boost if we work with that energy instead of against it. We’re just coming out of winter, which tends to be a slow and quiet time, where the land rests and the light is dim. This can make trying to get things done pretty difficult if your to do list doesn’t say: eat, nap, eat, read, go to bed.

The spring, however, is an entirely different story. The energy in this season is all about coming up and out of hiding, new beginnings, and growth. It is the perfect time to start new endeavors, or to give yourself something of a personal reboot, if you will.

Most of us have issues or goals we aren’t making as much progress on as we’d like. You know, things like losing weight, quitting smoking or other bad habits, devoting more time to friends or family or spiritual activities so that our lives are more balanced. (Coff:get more exercise:coff). Try taking advantage of spring to give new energy to old ambitions, or come up with brand new ones instead. As the world around us wakes up from its long winter’s sleep, we can hit the reboot button on our lives and wake up too.

Take a look at your life and decide which aspects of mind, body, and spirit could use a jumpstart from spring’s vibrant inclinations towards growth and rebirth. Then push the reboot button, and give it all you’ve got, while spring is bursting out all around us.

What will you reboot this year?

Happy Spring Equinox!

Today is the first day of spring--and after a long, tough winter, I couldn't be happier to see it arrive! Here in upstate New York, it is still cold (and they are calling for an inch or so of snow tomorrow), but the sun is shining and most of the gigantic piles of snow have melted. The red-winged black birds are out in force, the geese have returned to the creek across the street, and buds can be seen on a few of the bushes. Spring is here! Huzzah!

Most cultures have traditionally observed both equinoxes and solstices throughout recorded history. For modern Pagans, the Spring Equinox (also known as Ostara) is one of the eight Sabbats, and a time to celebrate with ritual and feasts.

The spring equinox is one of two days during the year when the day and night are in perfect balance, which makes it an especially good day for working on balance in your own life. It is also a time to plant the seeds (metaphysically speaking, if not actual seeds) for the plans and goals you intend to work on in the year ahead.

Here is an Ostara ritual from my first book, CIRCLE, COVEN AND GROVE. It is written for a group, but can easily be adapted for use by one person.

Spring Equinox Ritual

For many of us, it is still too cold to celebrate the Spring Equinox outside. This ritual is designed to be performed indoors. If you are lucky enough to be able to do it outside, just skip the part about walking through the curtains.
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Supplies needed:
2 curtains or large pieces of cloth—one white (sheets works fine), one flowered.
A bell or gong.
Seed packets (enough for everyone in your circle to get two or three, unless it is a large circle—then one each is good)—20 to 30 total
Slips of paper to attach to seed packets (write on each a different way to grow: see list at end of ritual)—one for each packet
Oil for anointing
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Note: You can decorate your altar with fresh flowers, and decorated eggs. We used chocolate malted eggs that looked like robin eggs…fun, and you can eat them when you’re done!
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ALL gather in an outer room
Circle member sits in an inner room with a bell. (At my house we went from the dining room into the living room, but you can enter from any space large enough for you all to gather into any space large enough for the ritual)
One by one, participants walk toward two curtains hung in doorway (first white, then flowered). HPS or HP pulls back white curtain and says: “Pass from winter into spring, and blessed be,” then pulls back flowered cloth so that participant can enter the next room.
As people enter the room, a circle member anoints them with oil, saying: “Enter into this sacred space, and blessed be”
he circle member already in the room rings altar bell as each enters. (This is to signal that they have moved into a sacred space.)
Once in circle, participants drum quietly until everyone has entered the circle. (If you have a large group attending, it is not a bad idea to have a circle member go in first and start drumming to set an example)
HPS or HP enters last, is anointed, and then anoints the circle member who anointed her/him. Drumming stops, and all stand.
HPS: “Welcome to our celebration of the Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara. This is a time of hope and renewal, growth and rebirth. As the wheel of the year turns again to bring us out of the darkness of winter, and into the light of spring, we are given the chance to start fresh, and welcome new energy into our lives.”
Pass sage to consecrate and cleanse the circle
Pass salt and water around the circle
HPS/HP casts circle: (walks around circle with /athame) “I cast the circle round and round, from Earth to Sky, from Sky to Ground. I conjure now this sacred place, outside time, and outside space. The circle is cast, we are between the worlds.”
Call the Quarters
HPS/HP invokes God and Goddess:
Great Goddess, Bright Maiden, Lady of the Growing Things, bless our circle with your presence as we celebrate the coming of Spring. Lend us your wisdom and your grace as you help us to grow to our full potential. Welcome, and blessed be.
Great God, Green Man, Lord of the Wild Things, bless our circle with your presence as we celebrate the coming of Spring. Lend us your strength and your determination and help us to become all that we wish ourselves to be. Welcome, and blessed be.

HPS: “Spring is a time of growth. Not just for the grass and trees, but for us as well. Tonight we turn our energy and the energy of this circle to the goal of growing in all the positive and beneficial ways available to us. In this circle, our intent is focused, our power immeasurable. And together, we can invoke positive change, not only in our own lives, but in the world surrounding us.”

Pass a bowl filled with slips of paper that are attached to seed packets. Each person should take a seed packet, read the slip aloud, and pass the bowl to the next person. The HPS starts. (Ex.: “May we grow in spirit” “May we grow in health” – May we grow in…prosperity, wisdom, courage, faith, love, community, forgiveness, power, joy, openness) When the bowl has gone around once or twice (depending on the size of the circle) the HPS finishes, saying: “May we grow in peace” So Mote It Be.

HPS/HP or circle member leads meditation (feeling growth come up from the earth):
Close your eyes. Take a slow deep breath. Feel the peace of the circle surround you. Take another slow breath and let go of the tensions of the everyday world. These things have no place here. Here there is only calm, and silence and love.
Listen to the slow breathing of those around you. If you listen carefully, you can hear the breathing of the earth as she awakens. The birds call. The trees rustle. The earth stirs.
Send your awareness down. Down through the floor, down beneath the house. Move into the earth. Feel the roots of the trees shifting deep within the earth. Feel the small, subtle stirrings of the bulbs and seeds. They have lain dormant all winter, storing their energy, waiting for their time to grow and blossom.
Now that time has come. All around us, the earth is coming back to life, rising, stretching, growing. Reach out for that energy. Feel it with all your senses—full of potential, unlimited, positive and powerful.
Open your whole self to this beneficial energy. Let yourself be filled to overflowing with the potential for change and growth, health, prosperity, abundance and joy.
Send gratitude out to our mother the earth for this gift, and feel yourself filled with the bountiful energy of spring. Feel yourself begin to blossom and grow, and know that all things are possible.

Take a moment of silence, then starts drumming to wake up the earth, and get that energy flowing -- if you want, you can do a chant [“She changes everything she touches” is a particularly good one for this ritual. See Chapter 17 for more chants.]

When drumming has reached its peak, take the energy deep within, and send what is left out into the universe. Ground any excess energy by putting your hands on the floor and sending it down into the earth.

Pass Cakes and Ale (pomegranate juice is perfect for this ritual, because of its associations with the myth of Persephone, devilled eggs or seed cakes are good too)

Pass the Speaking Stick—each person can talk about how they want to grow or mention some practical plans for self-improvement
Dismiss the Quarters
Thank the God and Goddess
Open the circle

Have a feast!!! (Don’t forget to include spring food and your decorated eggs, if you have them.)


Happy spring, everyone! What are you doing to celebrate?