How to Care for a Charm or Amulet

An amulet is a small object carried for protection or luck: a stone, a pendant, a pouch of herbs or a coin. Whatever it is made of, I always tell customers the same thing. It works best when you treat it as a relationship rather than a purchase.

When it first arrives

Unwrap it somewhere calm. Hold it for a moment and say why you’re choosing to carry it. If it has been charged in a ritual, you don’t need to do anything more. Your attention simply says “I’m here, and I’m ready to work with you.”

Wearing or carrying it

• Keep it close: in a pocket, on a chain or in your bag.
• Touch it when you need it, such as before a hard conversation or on a nervous journey.
• If you take it off at night, give it a regular resting place, such as a small dish by your bed.

Cleansing

Amulets pick up the mood of difficult days. Once a month, or after something stressful, cleanse yours in whichever way suits the material:

• Smoke from rosemary, bay or incense, which is safe for almost everything.
• Moonlight on a windowsill overnight, especially at the full moon.
• A bowl of dry rice or salt, with the amulet resting on top rather than buried, for a few hours.

Avoid water and salt on soft stones (such as selenite or malachite), metals that tarnish, and herb pouches.

Recharging

After cleansing, hold it by a lit candle and repeat its purpose in one sentence. That’s enough.

When it breaks or goes missing

Many traditions say that an amulet which breaks or is lost has taken a hit meant for you, or that its work is finished. Thank it, return natural materials to the earth, and choose a new one when it feels right. It is never a sign that you are cursed.

If you’d like protection work cast at my table, explore my protection and cleansing rituals, photographed and cast the same day.