My Magical Sand Garden

I honestly wasn�t certain where to put this or even what to call it, but it�s an idea I think witches at any age or level might enjoy.

One of my favorite things on my altar is a giant bowled-dish I have in the center of my altar filled with sand. I use it to caste spells, to offer thanks, and for meditation. I took the idea tangentially from Buddhist sand paintings and Zen gardens, although my garden is more permanent than a sand painting.

When I sit at my altar to caste spells, instead of writing the spell or the desired outcome on a piece of paper and burning it or burying it, I use my athame (which in my case is a glass pen) and write the appropriate words, symbols, or names into the sand. I then can incorporate crystals, herbs, or even candles and incense directly into the sand with the spell when casting. I like the feel of making the spell three dimensional and being able to put all of the elements of the spell in a single body is more powerful to me.

As most of the magic I caste would best be classified as kitchen witch magic, I like knowing that I can use the sand garden over and over again for a cumulative effect. I feel that I am building spell upon spell as oppose to performing separate rituals. On the occasions I caste something entirely different, I take the sand garden off of my altar altogether. Sometimes, I find myself sitting at my altar drawing patterns into the sand and adding stones, simply relaxing.

To me, this literally is a garden of magic. It�s one of those things that feels right to me, and I wanted to share the idea with you all. It�s a discreet and safe way to practice magic. I think it is a good idea for all ages of magical practitioners and it is the sort of thing people reading this board may enjoy trying.

Kat, I've never heard of a Zen board. I might have to track one down.

Thanks Stacey, I love the idea. May be one I put into practice. I am very much enjoying your posts, the are very interesting and some great ideas.

Kath

thanks for the great idea ;P

Bri

Hi Stacey, I really like this idea....it seems very effective and also very enjoyable to just go and play in when you need to get clarification or just to vent......

Kay I love the board idea too.....

Now it's just the decision as to which one to incorporate into my life....

Dang I hate decisions like this....

Just very wonderful ideas ladies!! Thank you both so much for sharing!

Blessings Bright and Dark

I like this idea of the sand.  I have also read somewhere, that in a deep bowl, you can use sand to hold stick incense and it catches the ashes rather nicely.  I think this would not only be effective, but also quite attractive, as you could put it in a beautiful bowl, leave it out, decorate it for the seasons, or whatever, whenever it is not in use.
Reading Kat's response about the Zen board (I've never heard of it either, it sounds rather interesting!), it made me wonder if we could simply use a small white board and marker for the same purpose, writing out negative issues and then taking it one step further and physically erasing it ourselves, thus symbolizing our own effort in "erasing" negativity in our lives.

that is an absolutely wonerful idea!!!!  thanks for sharing this!

Hello everyone,

I use to put the entire ritual process in the bowel, but the incense got a but messy, so I keep in a separate bowl with sand.  It works wonderfully.  

There are a couple of things I really like about the sand bowl.  For one, the sand is an actual magical component in my work.  I infuse it with herbs, small crystals, and evern some of my hair and nails.  When I perform magic, I layer symbols associated with the spell into the bowl, thus charging the sand with intent.  In general, I use the same sand for all of my spells, as they all tend to be positive and linked to prosperity, and I feel that doing this subtley accumulates energy.  If I do a cleansing type spell, I remove it from the altar.  

Another thing I like is that when I move, I can bottle up some of the sand and use it as a base when setting up a new altar.  You can also bring a small bottle of it to work or just carry it around with you, and you are in a sense carrying your altar with you everywhere you go.  

Seamonster, the idea of the white board is a good one.  Usually, for a cleansing or banishing of negativity, I write what I want cleansed on paper, a bay leaf, or a piece of birch bark and burn it.  I like the finality of the action, and then once cooled, I take the burnt pieces and empty them in the forest.