Although it?s not even Mabon, Yule/Christmas decorations are in the shops, jostling for shelf space with Samhain/Halloween items. It?s this time of year that many Pagans buy a lot of their gifts for Yule, and special occasions such as birthdays. But money is ever an issue, especially in the current economy and, although working just for money can be tricky, spells for prosperity involving herbs can be a particularly effective way of attracting required goods or money-making opportunities.

In this instance the spell works by combining the personal power of the individual, with the specialised energies released from within the herbs, and earthing it through the actions and beliefs of the person casting the spell. Too many people cast money spells, sit back, and wait for the money to appear without any effort on their part, not realising that it is their actions that provide the conduit for the opportunity for cash to arrive. One of the key effects of casting a spell is that the person will notice previously overlooked opportunities to make money by apparently mundane means, this can include selling an item, or providing a service.

This is not as dramatic as a pile of money suddenly appearing before you, but just as effective. What the spell will do is increase the likelihood of the desired outcome by escalating the chances of the desired event happening. Both having it condense in the desired form from the Astral and Mental Planes to the Earth one, using the energy in the appropriate herbs combined with personal ones , and making you much more likely to notice it when it does.

There are several ways to incorporate herbs into spellwork, including carrying them on your person, or used as incense, but two of the most effective are candle magick and prosperity washes. Candles can be charged with large amounts of energy in one intense moment or ritual that can then be released over a long period of time, enhanced by using the Fire Element. The herbs themselves can be used fresh or dried, depending if the candle is made from scratch or if using one bought from a shop. Candles are relatively easy to make from instructions, either from books or workshops, provided simple safety precautions are used. The herbs can be added to the wax for the candle at the stage where it is being melted in a double boiler or ?bain-marie? and left for ten minutes or longer depending on the volatility of the scent.. Their energies are infused into the wax as, frequently, is their colour which is usually a shade of green ideal for a prosperity attracting candle. Then they can be strained out before the wax is poured into the candle mould, or the wick dipped.

If you use a shop bought candle first it must first be purified, then dedicated to the task you want it to perform, after which it can be dressed either by coating it in oil, then rolling it in the dried herb, until the sides are thoroughly coated. Or the herbs can be infused in oil, then the oil rubbed on to the candle. This last technique is sometimes called ?Dressing? the candle and is an art in itself. Some traditions say that to attract a desired item, amount of money, or situation, the oil must be applied from the wick to the base, while to banish a situation ? such as poverty or bad luck ? the oil must be applied from the base to the wick. Other systems maintain that ?magnetic?, or attraction candles should have the dressing oil applied from both ends towards the middle, while banishing candles are dressed from the middle towards the ends. The only thing that these approaches have in common is that the candle dressing is applied as part of the charging process for the candle.

Effective though candle magick is there are times when it is not appropriate, either for practical safety, or because it might worry others if they thought you were using magick. Then prosperity washes are ideal because they look like a herbal tea, beauty treatment, or green cleaning product when herbs have antiseptic properties in addition to their magickal ones. They can be very simple too, my Mexican Brujo friend Jim always started his day with a cup of coffee, topped with cinnamon empowering the warm brew with focused personal energy he would then drink it while visualising a good day?s business ahead. He would also sprinkle cinnamon and ground nutmeg into his equivalent of a cash box on Tuesdays and Fridays, claiming that the energies helped money to come in throughout the week.

In Mauritius the local shopkeepers used a floor wash made of half a cup of fresh basil leaves which were shredded, then had boiling water poured over them, then left to soak for three days. On the fourth day the leaves were strained out of the liquid, and the water used for sprinkling in doorways, on the counter, and to wash the floor and windows of the business. The actual amount of water to leaves varied depending on the preferences and traditions of the people making the wash. It was usually made on a Thursday, and used on a Monday, and the shops smelling upliftingly of fresh basil on a Monday morning are still one of my most vivid memories fifty years later. This simple wash was also popular in Mexico City as a final hair or body rinse to attract both personal wealth and love but they weren?t as strict about the day it was made.

Sometimes, as part of the prosperity floorwash, actual bits of the building it is intended for are included in the formula. This is not as difficult as it seems because building standards can be pretty lax in many parts of the world, especially with the varying quality of bricks and cement. One of the most effective ones I know of is to combine one teaspoon of red brick dust, with one tablespoon of cinnamon and one tablespoon of brown sugar in a bucket of hot water and either spread with a mop, or spread generously over the floor from the bucket.

In all the examples of floorwashes and body rinses, the floor has been cleaned first and the floorwash is then applied and allowed to dry. The process of cleaning the floor, path, or outside area,, involves scrubbing the area from the furthest point from the entrance towards the door or way in. Then clean the entranceway itself, if there is one, followed by cleaning the interior floors starting at the door and the edges and corners working in a clockwise spiral towards the centre of the room. Applying the floorwash can be done in the same manner to achieve the best results. Some people prefer to use branches made into brooms for the application of the wash, while others are happy to use a special mop kept for the purpose. If this wash is used at a market with a trestle table then make sure you clean the area where the table is to go, then clean in from both ends towards the middle once it is set up. This way the floorwash is activated for maximum effectiveness.