With one simple wave of her silver star wand, Glinda the Good Witch gifts Dorothy the red ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz. Glinda tells Dorothy that the magical heels have special powers and that if Dorothy ever wants to return home, she just needs to close her eyes, click her heels together three times, and say the incantation, “There’s no place like home,” until she is transported back.
Did you know that those iconic ruby red slippers are the most valuable item of film memorabilia in the world? Perhaps that’s because we all have a secret wish to return to the simple concept of “home”—and we love the idea of having an actual item like a pair of (very glamorous) shoes to magick us there!
What if I told you that you could create your own version of the ruby red slippers that would magically transform your world? Because you can. In this lineage witch’s world, I can tell you that those ruby red slippers are a talisman—that is, a magical object that brings good fortune to the wearer or is designed to magnetize a specific intention to her. In the case of Dorothy, her talisman was specifically enchanted to help her return home.
Step into my parlor and allow me to become your very own version of Glinda the Good Witch. But instead of just granting you the magick, I’m going to give you the secret behind crafting your own talisman-enchanting spell!
As you arrive at my parlor in New Orleans, the bell at the door clinks against the cypress wood frame. Deep red and vibrant purple fabrics drape from the high Victorian ceiling to the floor. You hear the sounds of soft 1920s music gently drifting through the room like ghosts. The air is scented with lavender and sandalwood as waves of smoke curl out of a cauldron in the corner. The room is softly lit by an antique brass chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling and by various dimly glowing fringed lamps around
the room. In the center of the space is a round fortune-teller’s table with three legs. Upon it sits a crystal ball and two 1940s pastel-colored teacups with steam rising from them. You take a seat in the emerald velvet Victorian chair that I’ve pulled out for you. I open your right hand gently and trace orange essential oil on the lines of your palm to calm you and bring you happiness. The moment the orange sinks into your skin, ten orange monarch butterflies float into the room, gently soaring in circles above your head. The small winged goddesses of transformation have arrived and a question arises:
“How would you like to transform your life?”
You sit for a moment. You sip the warm delicious tea. You know that this parlor is a safe space for you to dream and envision your most vibrant life path. What is a dream of yours? What is something that you would like to manifest by this time next year? Allow your thoughts to form into pictures, or even draw or doodle words or ideas in your grimoire to really focus your intention!
When I was writing my first book, Bohemian Magick, I wanted to enchant a talisman to help me with my writing process so I could craft a magick book that I’d be proud of. I found an old skeleton key and strung it on a cord necklace, then set the clear intention that every time I wore this key, it would open the door to writing a book that would vibrate with the radiance of my soul, one that was raw and real and in which the right words flowed easily.
Think about what your intention is and what object would resonate with your wish. I love working with old keys as talismans to “open doors” in my life. You might also want to use an old key, but maybe you have a necklace or a ring you feel called to imbue with your purpose. Allow yourself to let your creativity flow when choosing what form your very own “ruby red slippers” might take to aid you in your gorgeous life transformation! Below is the exact spell I created to turn this key into a powerful talisman.
Enchanting Your Object as a Personal Talisman
Tools for this spell:
The object that you wish to enchant
A small bowl of water 3 tablespoons of salt
A beeswax taper candle A taper candleholder Matches
A bowl of dirt from the land you’re on
(or a special place nearby like a park, beach, or historic space)
Begin the enchantment by setting your object in front of you on a table or the floor. To the left of the object, place a small bowl of water and add 3 tablespoons of salt to it. Stir the salt in the water three times clockwise with the pointer finger of your dominant hand. To the right of the object, place the beeswax taper candle in its holder. Light the candle. Place the bowl of dirt on the left side of the object next to the bowl of water.
Once these objects have been set before you, it’s time to perform a visionary charm for your object. The folk magick from my Grandma Helen is strongly rooted in visionary charms (visions that you see in your imagination and transfer into an object with your breath). Close your eyes, hold your hand on your heart, and visualize your manifestation coming true. Breathe in and out three times and allow yourself to really see yourself achieving your manifestation.
The moment you feel the electricity or excitement within you, cup your hands before you as if you’re gathering water and then blow your breath into your palms three times while thinking of your vision. My Grandma Helen’s folk magick taught me that this action “attaches” your vision to your life breath and puts it into the lines of your palms. This action enables a palm reader to actually “read” this vision in your hands!
Clasp your hands shut in a prayer position, pressing palm to palm, and start moving your palms against each other, each going in the opposite direction to start making heat and drawing energy into your palms. Once you feel like your hands are burning with energy, grasp the object and imagine transferring your energy and enchanting it with your purpose.
Now say the following word charm three times while you’re performing the ritual below:
To summon my will, I ignite the flame,
Talisman enchanted with the dream I claim.
Salt to purify, water to flow,
I bury in the land like a seed to grow.
For three full days and three full nights
The charm is empowered by this sacred rite.
Take the object and put it as close to the flame as you safely can to bless it with passion and fire. Then dip your fingertips into the saltwater and flick it at the object three times in a blessing. Kiss the object and then bury it in the bowl of dirt. Alternatively, if you have a yard or a
secret place in a park where you can bury and leave your talisman for three full days and three full nights, that is also a very powerful option!
Finish casting the spell with either the words or hand signal for “See it. Be it. So be it.”
Return after three full days and nights and dig up your talisman from the bowl or from the land. Wash with water if need be and as you put it on or have it on your person, chant three times:
Talisman charmed, summon my desire.
Enchanted. Bewitched. A magnetic amplifier.
By water, by earth, by fire, by air, Increase my powers,
each time that I wear. See it. Be it. So be it.
Say the charm to re-enchant your talisman anytime you wear it. This magical object is meant to magnify the powers you’ve had within you all along!
