As individuals, we are constantly being bombarded with negative news, fear, screen fatigue, toxic polarization of opinion, and anxiety. Worse of all, these updates are in our pockets! On our smartphones, our tablets, and even on our non pocket devices. We are currently saturated with information! And not all of it good…

One of the things I teach when leading talks and workshops on Psychic and Spiritual Protection, is the importance of News and social media boundaries. Why? Because anything that negatively impacts our emotional wellbeing also impacts our spiritual wellbeing. And anything that impacts our spiritual wellbeing can attack or intrude upon us. Not all psychic intrusion is magical, or from the odd wayward Witch who insidiously casts an evil eye upon another. Sometimes psychic intrusion or attack can come from a personal lack of boundaries too.

This restful mind charm uses Lavender, Liquorice and some other natural plant medicine to help bring about a calm mind before sleep, as it’s often the fact that our mind is overactive and busy that keeps us awake, as opposed to the mind not being able to shut down due to a more physiological reason.
This charm is used alongside personal grounding techniques, daily spiritual practice and of course, the implementation of personal boundaries. All of these are crucial for spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing, as it is often when we are neglecting the nurturing of this sacred trinity within us, that we start to struggle.

Below you will find the complete working and how to create it for yourself!

Please feel free to adapt it, or put a copy in your own grimoire or book of shadows. However, I do ask that for those of you reading and using the blog/working please do not share it, or copy and paste it on to any other platforms as it is part of my premium content and is subject to copyright.

Tools and ingredients:

·  One bunch of dried lavender, with fairly long stalks.

·  Two sticks of Liquorice.

·  Some blue or green cord (ideally organic cotton or hemp so that it can biodegrade).

·  A table or suitable sacred space to work at.

·  Juniper essential oil.

·  Chamomile essential oil.

. A nail and a hammer.

Instructions

Step one: Taking the bunch of lavender, divide it into four equal bundles. Lay the bundles side by side so that you now have four smaller bunches of lavender.

Hold both hands over the lavender and say the following:

“I call upon the plant spirit of Lavender. Hear my call.
May this first bunch of lavender bring peace.
May this second bunch of lavender bring rest.
May this third bunch of lavender bring healing.
And may this fourth bunch of lavender bring a soothing ease.
Together they shall form the Lavender cross, and work together in complete harmony for me and mine”

Step two: Next, take two of the small bunches of lavender and gently push the stems into and around the stems of the other bunch, so that the stems gently weave together. Repeat this step so that the other two bunches cross over the first two and that they also gently interweave into each others stems (see photograph for example).

Step three: Gently bind the lavender cross together using your organic hemp or cotton cord. See Photo below for example.

Step four: Take the two pieces of liquorice root and hold them so that one is in your left hand and the other is in the right hand. Then say aloud:

“I call upon the plant spirit of Liquorice!
Hear my call.
May you bring balance and stability.
Ward away all that would distract or harm.
Bring in all that would cleanse and ease”.

Step five: Use the two pieces of liquorice root to form a geometric cross and then, using the hammer and nail carefully, gently hammer the nail through the centre of the joined liquorice so that they are secured together.

Note: The nail you use should be long enough to not only pass through the liquorice, but also through the lavender cross and into the wall above your bed. (Please do not use a coffin nail, or, you may sleep like the dead… lol)

Next, use the organic cord, bind over the liquorice to further secure the cross, as well as hide the nail. See photo below as example.

Step six: Take the Liquorice cross and now bind it to the centre of the lavender cross. See the example photo below.

Step seven: Take your juniper essential oil and anoint the centre of the cross with three drops.

Juniper (Juniperus communis) is a wonderful herb that has been used for many years in both Folk Ways and herbal medicine. The scent of juniper has the ability to uplift a person’s mood without overstimulating them, while at the same time, bringing a wonderful grounding effect.

As you add the three drops of Juniper, say aloud:

“I call upon the plant spirit and ally of Juniper! Be with me and within me. Bringing ease of mind and strength in spirit!”.

Step eight: Next, take the chamomile essential oil and use it to anoint each lavender spoke on the cross. Anoint each spoke with three drops. As you do this, say aloud:

“I call upon the plant spirit and ally of Chamomile! Be with me and within me. Bringing peaceful sleep, restful nights and happy mornings to start the day.”

Step 9: Hang the restful mind charm either above or next to your bed. It is important that it is in close proximity to where you sleep.

Completion of the Working.

Once you have assembled the working and it is complete, you will need to do the following.

1) Cleanse your bedroom!

Cleansing is a powerful tool within a Witch’s arsenal. It helps us move on old and stale, or what some may call “negative energy”, and invite more beneficial energies in to our space. I am a big advocate of regularly cleansing living spaces – in fact, it’s the topic of next weeks blog! When we do not cleanse our homes, we leave it open to all types of problems.

One such set of problems are spiritual issues such as psychic attacks, bad luck, hauntings etc.

Another is that it can impact our physical and emotional health. A physically untidy home not only leaves us open to illness and accidents, but also stress, anxiety and depression.

Going back to my first point on spiritual issues that can occur, it is not uncommon for suspected ‘hauntings’ to actually be a manifestation, or conglomeration of negative energies. This can happen when those living in the home have had stress, lost a loved one or are having marital or relationship difficulties. Cleansing a home will not miraculously make all your problems disappear, but it will create a safer, happier and more positive atmosphere which can assist in creating a more peaceful home life.

Our bedrooms should be a place of rest and retreat. Ideally, a place without screens such as TVs and tablet devices. This is because not only does the blue light from screened electronics disrupt our circadian rhythm, but it also creates an active space for the mind. Our bodies will find it hard to shut down and sleep if we are tempted to put the TV on.

Where our bedrooms are certainly a place for sleep, rest and even making love with our partner(s), it can also be a place we retreat to when we need to be alone because we are upset, stressed, or, need to debrief from the day we have had. Now, where it is wonderful to have a quiet retreat place such as a bedroom, it does mean that it needs extra attention when it comes to cleansing.

I often phrase it like this, “When you clean a kitchen counter, you change the cloth fairly regularly.” You do this because you cannot possibly clean a counter with a dirty cloth. Similar holds true for our living spaces. We cannot keep a safe and nurturing environment if we do not cleanse it physically and spiritually.

Next week I shall discuss this in more detail, as well as supply a full house cleansing ritual!

However, for this working (the ‘Restful Mind Charm’) we are cleansing your sleep space, to make it more conducive as a healthy sleeping environment.

You don’t have to wait until next weeks blog if you want to get going on this working! Please feel free to go ahead and use whatever cleansing methods you know and trust.

2) Set boundaries and reduce screen time.

We all use screen technology today – You’re using it now to read this blog! However, it doesn’t mean we have to let it control our lives. Especially as we so often suffer an information overload due to constant updates going off in our pockets, or we see news articles our friends have shared.

Consider implementing set times for using screens and social media. This way you’re not on it all the time and therefore saturated with information overload!

It may also be worth considering how you use both the internet and social media? Is it worth unsubscribing from the news for a few weeks to get some peace? Or maybe temporarily unfollowing that one person who is always being dramatic or ‘vaguebooking’ on Facebook?

Don’t be afraid to implement boundaries to reduce your stress levels. The importance of personal boundaries is the first thing I aim to teach on my workshops and talks around Psychic Protection. It is the foundation stone from which all of our other physical, emotional and psychic protection extends from.

3) Grounding and Centring

You will have worked out by now that alongside actually making this charm, you’re also meant to implement other practical measures to both reduce stress AND create a sleep space conducive for a restful nights sleep.

As well as this, it is also advisable to put in place grounding and centring techniques that you can use on a daily basis. Especially when something may trigger you. When we are grounded and centred we are better able to handle whatever curve balls the world throws at us. How you do this practice is entirely up to you and your personal practice.

Commonly asked questions.

1)  Why does the charm use the plants listed and not others?

Answer: The plants selected in this particular charm were all chosen for their specific aromatherapy, herbal, plant spirit and Folk Ways qualities. Lavender has been long used to help sleep and anxiety, as has chamomile. Both have a soothing effect upon both the mind and the body and can ease both sleeplessness and anxiety. Magically and energetically speaking.

2) How long shall I use this charm for?

I have found that in life, everything has it’s season, the same is true with charms. This particular working is designed to be used for up to six months while you implement other practices to aid in helping any sleep or anxiety issues. This includes addressing how much time you spend on social media, what you follow or do not follow online, creating a sleep routine, practicing grounding techniques etc. When you feel you have finished with this charm, simply compost it. It is earth friendly and there is something truly beautiful about returning magick to the earth.

3) What sort of grounding and centring techniques shall I use?

This will be entirely subjective to you and your preferences. You may like to drum, do a quick visualisation, a prayer or a simple exercise such as the ‘five senses’. The five senses exercise involves focussing on one thing you can see, one thing you can hear, one thing you can feel, one thing you can taste and then one thing you can smell.

My advice would be to play about with grounding techniques and find one that is right for you.

If you enjoyed this blog, please keep an eye out for next weeks post!

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Through the time, mists, and distance between us, blessings from me to you.

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