How to: Making a Yuletide Spell / Charm Bag
One of my Yule traditions for the past decade or so is to make a spell bag (or charm bag or spell sachet) filled with herbs, crystal chips, colors, textiles, and words for the next year. The bag can be something I sew together or simply tie up. I sometimes embroider decorations on it, but often it’s just plain.
GWV’s 2023 Yule set includes supplies for making your own spell bag, so I thought I’d share how I make mine using some of these components. I decided this spell bag would be for emotional strength in 2024—I can always use more of that—and chose the following components:
Red velvet fabric—red for strength & courage, velvet for emotional control
Green silk ribbon—green for growth & acceptance, silk for transformation & magickal insulation
Cinnamon chips—for strength
Peppermint— for recharging energy & overcoming adversity
Cloves—for banishing negative forces
Mini-pinecone—for emotional regeneration
Garnet—for strength & fortitude
Green aventurine—for confidence & renewing optimism
Citrine—for removing fear & regeneration through the earth
Frankincense resin—as a Yule offering
Normally, I would use our household altar, but it’s occupied with a crystal grid right now, so I’m using the dining room table, which you see in most of our product photos.
First, of course, gather your supplies.
Light your resin/incense and/or candle to burn while you work. I suggest breaking off a chunk of charcoal for work like this so your don’t waste charcoal or make your house too smoky.
Lay out your fabric and add the components in the center.
As I add these herbs and stones to the bag, I keep my intention fixed in my mind. I like to write a little something about that intention to help me clarify it, then fold it up and add it to the bag as well—if this isn’t your thing, then skip it or perform an invocation (these spell cards can be useful to that end).
Bring the four corners of the cloth together and wrap the ribbon around it. This can be more awkward than it seems, but gets easier with practice.
To complete, I usually put the bag under my mattress at the head of the bed, under the cushion of my chair, or tucked away in the kitchen—somewhere I’ll be around it often all year—and burn last year’s bag in our Yule fire. You can finish your spell bag however you like—burn it, bury it, send it down the river or cast it to the wind. In all those cases, be sure all the contents are all biodegradable.
You don’t need to be a green witch or pagan to make a spell bag—it’s a good way to practice gratitude and visualization for anyone, regardless of inclination.
