Zee Meditation

Find a place that has a comfortable feel for you, a spot that feels welcoming, preferably outdoors. It is good to lie on the grass, or lean against a tree or rock, but sit on something comfortable if that feels better. If it is more convenient to be indoors, try to fill your room with harmony and life. Have growing things about you. Burn pleasant incense or oil, maybe a candle or two if that pleases you. The main thing is to feel relaxed.

Don't try to clear your mind of thoughts: to try to do so consciously often has the opposite effect of making one tense. Let your mind range where it will. If you feel like looking around, look around! Notice the flowers, the sound of the birds, the wind through the leaves, the distant noise of traffic and people. Gradually your thoughts will quieten.

As your mind becomes still, imagine your body becoming less solid, your skin - the barrier between you and the outside world - melting. Imagine the zee energy shimmering all around you, permeating the earth beneath, the air above you. Feel the zee tingling around your body like electricity.

Take slow, deep breaths, drawing the air down into your stomach. With each breath visualise the sparkling zee being drawn into your body through every pore, through the soles of the feet, palms of the hand, and crown of the head.

Continue in this way until the zee fills your whole body with vibrant glowing energy, and you feel yourself bursting with light. Now gradually close the barriers between you and the world again, to enclose the zee energy within your body. Feel your skin become solid again. Gradually the light drains from the extremities towards the torso. then concentrate the light into a glowing ball situated in the region of the solar plexus. Concentrate your mind for a few moments on the reassuring feel of this ball of light, your own power house of energy, then darken it with an imaginary cover that will keep it safe, deep inside yourself until it is needed.

Do this exercise whenever you can, ideally every day. Don't worry if you can't complete it every time; don't worry if you fall asleep half way through; just sitting quietly for a while is of great benefit to the psyche, so the time is never wasted.

~from Gypsy Magic
by Patrinella Cooper

The First Step

The first step towards performing any magic, or fortune-telling, is to recognise and harness the zee. This needs much less effort than you might expect, in fact it takes complete relaxation.

On a village green in Norfolk, there is a bench carved with the words,

"Sometimes I sits and thinks,
sometimes I just sits."

The Gypsy people spend much of their time doing hard physical work, but when given the chance they are very good at both the above-mentioned activities, or should I say inactivities. You may wonder what this has to do with magic, but it is surprising what great ideas, what insight and inspirations spring from the subconscious when you sit for ten minutes without the distraction of radio or TV.



Gypsy Magic

The Zee Energy

The life force, the first primeval god, has been rediscovered several times in recent years. It has been called by various names: prana, chi, viril, telluric energy, earth energy, the ether, among many others. Just as the blood in our bodies permeates every corpuscle of flesh but is concentrated in the veins, so the god energy is concentrated in ley lines, or the dragon paths of feng shui. These currents of energy are known to most cultures of the world by various names.

The Romany name for the life force energy is "mi douvals zee". Which means the heart, or life, of God.

Gypsy Magic

Attracting Romance

If you wish to attract romance to your life, choose a night when the moon is new or full. Stand outside next to water - a stream, a well, a river, or even a garden pond.

Holding a rose or blossom from a fruit tree in your left hand, and a sweet apple cut in half in your right hand, recite the following:

Here is a rosebud pink and sweet.

Here is an apple ready to eat.

Here is a flower ready to open.

Here is an apple, true love's token.

Here is a rose seeking a thorn,

Here is a love yet to be born.

Come hands, come truth, come thorn.

Throw half the apple over your left shoulder without looking back. Stick your flower into the ground, and eat the other half of the apple.

Found in:
Gypsy Magic by Patrinella Cooper

Image by Francene Hart

Getting Unstuck

Here is a great spell to get energy moving and good things happening in any area of your life that feels "stuck".

You will need:

• Soft butter (margarine will do, but real butter is better)
• Powdered ginger
• Nutmeg
• Sugar
• A bowl you often use when cooking
• Wooden spoon
• Paper
• Red pen, pencil, or marker

Take some time to think about what it is that feels stuck in your life. Do some journaling if it is helpful. This is a very powerful spell, and it is important to be really clear about what it is that you really want.

Now, write a sentence that defines what you want the "stuck" area of your life to be like. For example, if you feel that your are stuck in a bad relationship, your sentence might read. "I am enjoying a loving, comitted, and healthy relationship with a really nice person."

Using the soft butter and your finger, write your sentence on the inside of the bowl. The butter will smooth the way, so be liberal.

Now, on separate and small pieces of paper write down all the attributes, qualities, possibilites, and potentialities associated with your goal. They might look like this: "I am happy." "My relationship is solid." "I have a great relationship." "Love is in my life." "I am loved." "My lover is kind." "We have a healthy relationship." "My lover respects me."

Write these smaller affirmations in as many different ways as possible. Be specific, be creative, be inventive. Put them into the bowl. No need to fold them up, but you can if you want to.

When you have all of your affirmations written and added to the bowl, add a pinch of ginger, a generous dash of nutmeg, and a teaspoon of sugar.

Now take your wooden spoon and mix it up. As you mix, say the following spell three times:

Ice into water
The winds bring change
Wood becomes fire
Nothing stays the same

All is well
All is well
All is well

Every day for 7 days, mix up your affirmations and repeat the spell. At the end of 7 days, burn the affirmations in a fire. As you do this, say thank you to the invisible world for the changes that have already begun.

This spell courtesy of Madam Fortuna

The eye of protection

Pure Clove Bud Essential Oil has a strong protective influence, and the "eye" is an ancient symbol of protection that has been used for centuries to protect boats, horses, wagons and carts, homes, and people. Put the two together and you have a powerful protective spell.

Here's how to do it:

To protect your car:
With a finger dipped in the clove bud essential oil, draw an eye on your front bumper, your rear bumper, and on each door of your car. As you do this, visualize the eye shimmering with a golden light.

To protect your home:
Draw the symbol on the front of every entry door to your home, including the garage door (if you have one). The symbol can be painted on your front gate. Simply add a few drops of clove essential oil to the paint that you use.

This spell can be refreshed and redrawn at any time.

This spell, courtesy of Madam Fortuna

Winning the lottery

The Romanies often like to gamble, and they advise using this spell for the lottery.

Light one green candle for each of the numbers to be selected. Sit quietly and ponder the flames, allowing each flame in turn to suggest a number.

Fill in the form according to the numbers that come into your head. Sprinkle the sheet with nutmeg and then snuff out the candles. Leave the form dusted with nutmeg for a day before thoroughly brushing it off.

Found in:
The Good Spell Book by Gillian Kemp

Making friends with money

On a day during the new or waxing moon, take 5 one dollar bills, arrange them in a fan shape. Each bill should be face up and they should all be facing the same direction.

Put them under the doormat at your front door. Place them, with the fanned (widest) side facing inward. Sprinkle cinnamon over them and say:

Money in, money out

Money is my friend.

Money comes, money goes

Money comes again.

Each time visitors, family, and friends come to your home they will enliven this spell. Leave the money there for as long as you like. If you decide to refresh it, do so only on the new moon, and if you decide to remove it, do so only on the full moon or you may cause unexpected cash flow problems.

This spell courtesy of Madame Fortuna

Amulets and Talismans

Many gypsies carry amulets and talismans as good luck charms.

In gypsy lore an amulet is an item from nature that is either naturally, or artificially (through ritual), charged with magical power. A typical amulet would be a stone with a hole through it or a rabbit's foot.

Talismans, on the other hand, are manmade objects charged with magical power by the gypsy sorcerer. A typical talisman would be a piece of parchment or a coin, which has been inscribed with specific symbols, or words of power.

Amulets and talismans are usually carried on the gypsy's person in a cloth or leather pouch, known as a "putsi" or "parik-til". You might see a gypsy woman wearing a putsi hanging from a cord around her neck. To the non-gypsy this looks like nothing more than an accessory to her colourful dress, but in fact it would likely contain amulets and talismans, and other magical items.

Carrot, Onion and Lemon Soup

Ingredients:

• One and a half pints of vegetable stock
• 1 Carrot finely chopped
• 1 Small onion finely chopped
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 Sticks of celery chopped
• Salt and pepper (a pinch of each)
• A sprig of thyme

Method:

• Add all this to a saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the scraped rind of a lemon (just the yellow part) to the soup, along with half the juice of a squeezed lemon.
• Serve straight away with a garlic roll/stick.

From: Journey Folki

Recognising the Power of the Universe - part 2

Science has worked hard to uncover the secrets of the universe. Through modern techniques, what once was mysterious has become open, even commonplace. As a result the world has become rather two-dimensional, lacking the hidden depths that the human psyche needs to grow and flourish. For too many people life has lost its purpose; it has no meaning. they work hard, overeat, worry too much about their diet. They may take a holiday once or twice a year, and bring up children, but too often there is an empty space where their souls should be.

They try to fill the gap with frantic activity, sports, hobbies, buying ever more expensive consumer goods, but there is a lack of respect and consideration, first for the environment, and then for each other. This leads to an increasingly selfish, crime-ridden society, and an earth that is slowly dying.

Although scientists would like you to think that they know just about everything there is to know about the workings of nature, the so-called solutions proffered often leave many more questions unanswered. For instance, the theory that the universe started with a 'big bang' doesn't explain where the original matter that exploded into the stars and planets came from in the first place. The mechanics of how a seed grows into a tree, or an egg into a bird can be explained but not how or where the spark of life that provides awareness comes from.

Don't forget that even something as accepted as Darwin's theory of evolution is still just a theory and may be disproved by further research. Scientists are constantly reassessing and discarding old truths as new data becomes available. Once you start to question the recognised dogma of our time you will have taken the first step to regaining awareness of the life force that is sometimes called the power of magic. (read part one)

~from Gypsy Magic
by Patrinella Cooper

Recognising the Power of the Universe - part 1

In order to use the great power that permeates every atom of the universe and breathes life into the world around us, we must first learn to recognise it. Too often we take the workings of nature for granted and ignore, or are ignorant of the everyday miracles that enable life to continue on this small planet of ours.

Living and working as we do in the controlled atmosphere of houses, offices, factories or shops, travelling in the comfort of motor vehicles, we lose touch with the rhythm of the seasons and phases of the moon that are so important to us all for food and growth. Even people engaged in agriculture are in a constant battle against nature instead of working with her, especially since intensive livestock rearing and the growing of engineered vegetable crops are now the norm.

Because civilisation has moved so far from the natural world, a conscious effort must be made to regain the sense of wonder that comes from observing the vitality in plants and animals, to feel the undercurrents in the air as subtle changes occur throughout the year. (read part two)

~from Gypsy Magic
by Patrinella Cooper

Rumanian Money Spell

Place a small bowl or cup in a place you will see it every day.

Hold 3 coins of any denomination in your dominant hand and say:

Toss the coins in the container. Repeat the spell daily, tossing 3 coins in the dish each day for nine consecutive days. Then continue doing the spell once a week until you have the money you need.

Spell by Madame Fortuna

Trinka Five, Trinka Five,
Ancient spirits come alive.
Money grow and
money thrive
Spirits of the Trinka five.

Gypsy Names

Each gypsy had three names:

The first was a secret name whispered into the baby's ear shortly after birth and again when the child reached puberty but never spoken aloud at any other time and never told to anyone else.

The second was a gypsy name, used between gypsies only.

The third was a local name, usually chosen to reflect the general names being given to non-gypsies in the country where the gypsy resided. This was the name the gypsy was to use publicly,with a gadje (non-gypsy), or for on official documents.

The Power of the Universe

In order to use the great power that permeates every atom of the universe and breathes life into the world around us, we must first learn to recognise it. Too often we take the workings of nature for granted and ignore, or are ignorant of the every day miracles that enable life to continue on this small planet of ours.

Living and working as we do in the controlled atmosphere of houses, offices, factories, or shops, travelling in the comfort of motor vehicles, we lose touch with the rhythm of the seasons and phases of the moon that are so important to us all for food and growth. Even people engaged in agriculture are in a constant battle against nature instead of working with her.

Because civilisation has moved so far from the natural world, a conscious effort must be made to regain the sense of wonder that comes from observing the vitality in plants and animals, to feel the undercurrents in the air as subtle changes occurring through out the year.

Science has worked hard to uncover the secrets of the universe. Through modern techniques, what once was mysterious has become open, even commonplace. As a result the world has become rather two-dimensional, lacking the hidden depths that the human psyche needs to grow and flourish. For too many people life has lots its purpose; it has no meaning. They work hard, overeat, worry too much about their diet. They may take a holiday once or twice a year, and bring up children, but too often there is an empty space where their souls should be.

They try to fill the gap with frantic activity, sports, hobbies, buying ever more expensive consumer goods, but there is a lack of respect and consideration, first for the environment and then for each other. This leads to an increasingly selfish, crime-ridden society, and an earth that is slowly dying.

Although scientists would like you to think that they know just about everything there is to know about the workings of nature, the so-called solutions proffered often leave many more questions unanswered. For instance, the theory that the universe started with a 'big bang' doesn't explain where the original matter that exploded into the stars and planets came from in the first place. The mechanics of how a seed grows into a tree, or an egg into a bird can be explained but now how or where the spark of life that provides awareness comes from.

Don't forget that even something as accepted as Darwin's theory of evolution is still just a theory and may be disproved by further research. Scientists are constantly reassessing and discarding old truths as new data becomes available. Once you start to question the recognized dogma of our times you will have taken the first step to regaining awareness of the life force that is sometimes called the power of magic.

From: Gypsy Magic