July / Lammas 2002

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Monthly Gemstone

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LODESTONE     (Magnetite/natural magnet/natural iron oxide )

Folk Names:  Magnet, Way Stone, Magnetis (ancient Greek) Loadstone, Shadanu Sabitu (ancient Assyrian), Heraclean Stone Piedra Iman (contemporary Spanish) 

Astrological Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces 
Deities:Venus, Aphrodite, Freya, Hathor, Isis, Ishtar
Energy: Receptive
Gender: Female
Planet: Venus
Element: Water

Associated Herbs: Sandalwood, Rose, Yarrow, Lavender
Associated Star: Polaris (the North Star)
Associated Stone: Coral
Associated Metals: Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold
Powers:
Balances Yin and Yan , Enhances Receptivity, Assists in Relieving Burdens and eliminates confusion. Power, Healing, Attraction, Friendship, Love, Fidelity, Male Sexual Dysfunction, Will, Protection, Business, Money, Games of Chance.
Related to (and works like) hematite for grounding, clear thinking, focus (detail work, decisions, etc.).

Magical/Ritual Lore:  Was used by sailors and mariners to find the magnetic North. The stone was associated with the hero Hercules in times past and so came to be a symbol of strength and invulnerability. In days of old, lodestone amulets were worn to protect one from snake-bites, and it is said that a lodestone placed in the right ear will enable a mortal to hear the voices of the gods. A magickal love magnet, this magnetite will draw two lovers together. It can also be used to draw out one's feelings, if you or your lover have difficulty expressing yourselves.Its use to strengthen virility and to cure male sexual dysfunction (impotency) spans the ages.

Magical Uses:  Lodestone has a natural magnetic quality and the larger the stone the greater its magnetic powers.  It can worn during ritual, or placed on an alter to increase a spell`s strength. It is added to sachets or herbal amulets, placed on the altar, or worn to increase the magician's ability to rouse and release energy. In ceremonial magic of the Middle Ages the lodestone was engraved with the figure of an armored man. This stone was utilized during rituals to empower magic.

Lodestone's basic use in magic is attraction. Because the stone is a natural magnet, it is manipulated in ritual to draw objects or energies to its user. Thus, it can be used in any type of spell. Lodestones have long been used by practitioners of magick to set up energy fields that block out negative vibrations.The lodestone is also worn or carried to attract friendship. If you've just moved to a new city or have started a job among unknown people, wear or carry a lodestone to meet new friends.

The lodestone is also utilized to attract love. It is thought to be a magnet for hearts as well as for iron, especially when worn in a ring. Place a pair of the stones within a circle of pink or red candles while visualizing yourself involved in a relationship. Feel the strong contact, the mingling of energies that comes with love. Visualize as well.Two lodestones are also often carried in small red bags for this same purpose, sometimes mixed with love-attracting herbs such as rose, yarrow, and lavender (as well as copper, another love-inducer).The lodestone is also worn to smooth over troubles in a relationship, especially arguing. Its basic function is to cool tempers to allow true communication.A coral necklace with a lodestone suspended from it was once worn to facilitate easy childbirth.In American folk magic, women wear lodestones to ensure that their wandering husbands will return home; thus, it stimulates fidelity. Since this borders on manipulation, as does all fidelity magic, it deserves a few words here.When you begin a loving/sexual relationship with another person, and especially When children result, you have relinquished some control over your life to your mate and family. This is part of the giving involved in strong emotional ties.At best such fidelity magic should be used to gently remind your partner of his or her obligations. If a relationship has ended, that's that-all the spells and lodestones in the world won't recapture the ecstasy, quiet peace and emotional fulfillment that love produces. Psychic or magical enslavement isn't love.A man suffering from sexual dysfunction can hold the stone in his receptive hand, visualizing satisfactory, complete, joyous sexual relations.Once this is done, he can carry the stone with him or place it beneath the mattress to release its powers. The stone and the visualization work toward rooting out the underlying cause of the sexual dysfunction.

The lodestone has also been utilized as a protective amulet, being worn, placed in the home, or carried. A large lodestone surrounded by flaming white candles emits guarding energies throughout the house. It absorbs negativity but does not return it. Because of this such stones should be cleansed in salt water every Full Moon. For those lacking in will power  empower a lodestone through your visualization with this specific directive: "Strengthen my will." Then carry the stone and utilize the energies it sends you.  It can be worn two inches below the navel or placed there while you are prone and visualizing yourself as being confident and secure.

Because it is an attracting stone, the lodestone is used to draw money or business success. Place lodestone in a green bag with a silver coin, a bit of gold (if you have it) or money-attracting herbs such as patchouly, cloves or tonka. Business people may place an empowered lodestone in the cash register or cash box or bum green candles around a lodestone to bring in customers.The lodestone is considered by some to be a potent gambling talisman. It is worn or carried for luck during betting.


Healing It is a great healing stone, but care should be taken not to use it in the vicinity of rubies or garnets, for it can damage these precious stones.Lodestone can also be used for healing by placing the stone on the hurt part of the body. After the spell or ritual is performed and the stone has absorbed the negative energies, the stone should be cleaned. It can also be placed in the receptive hand 
while performing spells or for emotional healing. Lodestone corresponds to all the chakras, but especially the root chakra. Lodestone helps draw out and alleviate illness and pain from the physical body. It assists in the release of emotional trauma and increases resistance to stress and disease. If you are reluctant and fearful of leaving old way, Lodestone eases these fears and helps you grow. It gives you protection when you are around people, or in a place which imparts feelings of depression or agitation. Its energy is clearing and building. The stone can be passed over or placed directly on the afflicted part of the body. This is particularly true of pain in the hands and feet. It is also carried, often anointed first with a healing-type oil such as sandalwood.

Lodestone Healing Spell

This spell requires a special lodestone which is kept in a red charm bag and used only for healing.

When you are ready to heal, tell the lodestone you want it to remove all sickness from the person, naming the person by name. Then take the lodestone and pass it over the person's body from head to foot, one stroke at a time. After each stroke the stone is to be dipped in a bucket of cool water.

This requires about fifty strokes, from the center of the head to the toes and then to the bucket of water. If the person is bed ridden, he or she is turned over to allow the magnet to stroke every part of the body.

Once the stroking is completed, the lodestone is thanked and replaced in the bag. The bucket of water is emptied in the middle of a road. Be careful that it does not splash on the person who empties it.