Healing Magic & Altars

[Juni]

Healing is something I have always been interested in and have never been any good at. These days I just say a prayer to Brighid, but I'd like to expand my horizons, as it were. I've decided I want to make an altar specifically for doing healing magic.

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

I feel like I had more questions than this, but these are the only ones coming to mind at the moment. Thanks all!

[SatSekhem]

I am going to try to answer your questions. Personally, I have never, ever done any type of healing work, in any form. However, I have befriended many people lately who do healing work. So, it is based on what I know of what they do that I am answering your questions.

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?

This is dependent on the person. I know that there are quite a few people who just use a single, all-purpose altar for all types of work. However, in the other sphere, there are also people who utilize altars specific to -insert deity/saint/spirit/purpose-. I haven't noticed whether one type works more than others. I don't think what type of altar or where it is matters all that much. It's more the intent.

Personally, if I'm doing any type of healing work, which is rare, I light a white tea light and place it at the feet of Sekhmet. I know that when it comes to petitions, a candle is lit after it's been "properly dressed" and left to burn out. (I don't know what "properly dressed" entails. I'm sorry I can't help you there.) In Vodou-like practices, sometimes work that is done on behalf of someone needs to be repaid for.

Case in point: I know someone who is setting a petition on behalf of someone else for healing purposes, specifically. (Tonight, actually.) The candle will be set in the name of Saint Dymphna, who has asked that the person who requires the candle pay for it by going to a local church with perpetual lights and lighting a candle for her for four weeks in a row.

What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?

My little bits for people here on TC is lighting a white tea light. In other work, I know it's mostly candles that are lit and left to extinguish on their own in front of a saint, Lwa, god, what have you. However, there are also gris-gris for healing work. These are little paquets that are filled with charged stones, herbs, and other little bits that are focused specifically for healing purposes. I actually purchased one not long ago and it was sewn into a green bag. (It's very pretty.)

If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?

I've found that the easiest way to do this is by creating a paquet or gris-gris. I'm not sure how witches do it, similarly or differently.

It seems to me that sewing up charged stones, herbs, and other bits into a bag is far more effective than anything else I've encountered. It also, to me, makes a lot of sense for the witch. It's a one-time deal instead of a weekly, daily ritual. It might take more energy to make the bag, but it conserves you better for other workings in the long run.

Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

Obviously, whenever I light my tea light, I ask Sekhmet for help to -insert person- for whatever the issue happens to be. And as I've said previously, it's almost entirely asked of saints, Lwa, gods, and spirits to aid in healing whenever it's enacted in the circles I've become accustomed to.

I hope this helps, Juni. And I hope others (with more witch-like tendencies) weigh in! I'm interested in their responses!

[PhantomQueen]

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

 Thanks all!

 
I still have my Brighid altar up and still do a bit of healing work of sorts.  I've borrowed this idea of a prayer jar from somewhere (forget where from as it's been awhile).  I put a person's name and 'issue' on a paper and put it in.  I set a time to do a few healing prayers etc at the same time.  I've also done a bit of Reiki, so I may do a bit of that too.  Afterwards I'd burn the paper or rip them up an dbury the request.  For long term requests I have a battery operated candle I put on.  I spend as much time as possible around my daily routine in sending out healing thoughts etc.  The only tools I tend to use are white candles, incense and sometimes some nice meditation music to set the mood. I do this at my Bridhid altar as she's the one I associate with healing-and I do ask her to help.  My Morrigan altar is used more for help with divination and other things...  Hope this helps somewhat?...

[SkylarB]

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar? What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work? Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

I have been attuned to Reiki III, but am out of practice. I used to have a really pretty bowl type of container with a lid that had a piece of cut glass on top, so it looked like a miniature faceted crystal ball. (Got it at the Family Dollar store!) I would write down a person's name that needed healing and I would put that paper in the bowl, cover it. Once a night I'd send Reiki to the bowl, with the intention of reaching everyone who's name was in the jar. This was on my permanent altar while I had it, or just on a shelf. It fell off the shelf and broke.. so it's on my list of things to get and to begin to do again.  

I like the idea of having a small healing altar with a special covered jar for distance Reiki healing, as well as candles and angle statues. If not, I'd just put this special jar on my permanent altar with an angle statue close to it.

[MarieBay]

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

 
I haven't done anything too elaborate yet - usually it's lighting a candle for that person/people and sending prayers to my deities. More often that not I'll cook them something special with appropriate herbs

[Smokebender]

Healing is something I have always been interested in and have never been any good at. These days I just say a prayer to Brighid, but I'd like to expand my horizons, as it were. I've decided I want to make an altar specifically for doing healing magic.

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

I feel like I had more questions than this, but these are the only ones coming to mind at the moment. Thanks all!

 

I'm not doing a lot at this time being a novice but healing is one of my goals. I feel that what works for me may or may not work for you and vice versa. We're all different, therefore it stands to reason in my humble opinion, our ways of doing magic will be different. I have no need personally to ask a specific deity for anything. I believe my subconscious, which is way smarter than me will know precisely whom to talk to. I therefore ask my subconscious to please do what is needed to ---------------.. I feel I have no need for an Altar. For me praying is blasphemy because my personality doesn't allow me to place others above or below me. I however am not above making a polite request, thus in a snese I do pray. My tools at this point in time will be clear to clouded quartz crystals. One is small enough that it stays in my pocket at all times to stay charged with my energy. It will be used for multi tasks such as pointing/directing energy, withdrawing energy/sickness from others. To discharge it, I'll be releasing the bad energy into something harmless such as rolled up newspaper and then burning the paper. The other crystal is a large oblong, 4 sided with pyramid tips at each end and weighs a tad over a pound. It will be used for focusing on a broader scale and gazing.

[asdfghjkl]

I haven't done anything too elaborate yet - usually it's lighting a candle for that person/people and sending prayers to my deities. More often that not I'll cook them something special with appropriate herbs

 
Sounds neat.. What kind of herbs do you use for that kind of thing?

[SatSekhem]

Healing is something I have always been interested in and have never been any good at. These days I just say a prayer to Brighid, but I'd like to expand my horizons, as it were. I've decided I want to make an altar specifically for doing healing magic.

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

I feel like I had more questions than this, but these are the only ones coming to mind at the moment. Thanks all!

 
I did my first REAL healing petitions yesterday. I thought I'd share them with you...

The first thing that I did was I got a little tea light and set it down in front of Sekhmet. I sprinkled it with a little cinnamon (since it's meant for healing) and asked her to help heal myself and my son from our awful, awful colds. I also gave her some incense and lit her favorite candle. I let the tea light burn itself out before removing it from her altar.

The second thing that I did was get a little votive candle. I was going to anoint it, but I didn't have any oils that I felt were appropriate for a healing petition. I then pulled out six different herbs which I sprinkled around the votive on its candle plate. The herbs were bay, ginger root, lavender, rose, rosemary, and chamomile. I placed this on my altar for the Ghede since they hold provenance over healing, especially for children. I let the candle burn itself out, which took most of the afternoon. For my left overs, tomorrow when I go grave-tending I plan on giving it as an offering.

[asdfghjkl]

I was going to anoint it, but I didn't have any oils that I felt were appropriate for a healing petition.

 
If it helps, I have always found that Olive Oil works well as an all purpose dressing oil. And it's also fairly easy to infuse with herbs if you want to focus it.

[SatSekhem]

If it helps, I have always found that Olive Oil works well as an all purpose dressing oil. And it's also fairly easy to infuse with herbs if you want to focus it.

 
Thanks!

[TheKitchWitch]

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

 
I'm move of a hands on healer, I have a medicine bag I take with me when I go to work with someone. It's like my traveling alter. I have something from all four elements in it as well as some representation of the goddess in addition to my regular healing supplies.

I'm a firm believer that a lot of sickness (physical and emotional) has a root cause in energy blockages. So when I first start working with someone I always like to clear their space. I smudge a lot and I'm a big fan of setting up crystal grids. Plants in the home are always a good option as well for helping attract more life energy.

What's in the medicine bag...
Salt - to purify and cleanse

Moon water - I like to charge clean drinkable water under the full moon. It's a very powerful cleanser and has a nice energy boost.

Lavander oil - helps with anxiety and insomnia.

White willow bark - I make tea with it, it's basically and aspirin replacement and help with pain.

Peppermint - soothes the stomach and helps get rid of nausea.

Chamomile - good for calming people down and makes a delicious bed time tea.

Stones/ Crystals - I always am picking up new ones and have a random assortment. rose quartz, amethyst, and any type of quartz are very good for physical healing. If it's more of an emotional type thing I tend to use more blue/ green stones.

Tinctures  - I make a lot of multi purpose tinctures that work wonders. A really good book for these types of things is , JUDE'S HERBAL HOME REMEDIES. I've had fantastic results with everything in there I've tried so far.

Special/ miscellaneous things - If I know what I'm specifically trying to treat I'll bring more herbs and oils focused on that.

Soup - If they're battling something more like a cold, flu, or virus. I make a kick in the butt awesome soup that seems to give them the extra push they need. I don't use animal products, so it's a very vitamin rich veggie soup.

That's kind of the basics for physical healing. On the spiritual/ energy side of things, I'm always sending love and light that person's way. Also if they have pets they can be a huge help. Animals naturally have great healing abilities and they'll pick up on what you're trying to do and lend some help in the healing process.

Long term I check up with the person I'm helping heal and we'll address and treat and new ailments that have come up.

Deities I like to ask for help; I work a lot with nature/ faerie spirits. Faerie's can be of great use when healing. I'm particularly fond of goddess energy. I think most healing comes through the nurturing, motherly side of things and that's why some of the best healers I know are women. ( not to say men can't be excellent healers) I'm particularly fond of the Goddesses Brigid, Epona, and Artemis. Artemis's warrior side comes in handy especially when people are fighting a tough disease.

[littlered]

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

I use Reiki most of the time and this kind of energy doesn't need altar at all.
I can call for the healing energy everywhere. Crystals and gemstones are the best option if you want to charge some objects with specific energy (healing or not). Also, you can use your all-purpose altar if you want to charge some crystal, for example, with 'blood cleansing' energy. I did it myself just a few days ago during my Blood Moon's celebration. Hematite for my sick grandmother works just as well as normally reiki-charged crystal.

Long-term magic in my opinion depends on your current situation. If you just want to protect someone from catching cold, for example, protection ritual or charged object will go well. But if you want to heal someone who is seriously ill already you will need to repeat desired practice from time to time. Of course, there is some cheating like charged crystals but my sick grandmother will "eat" charged crystal in a few days and then you'll need to repeat the process.

I ask my Teachers and Guardians to bless me every time, especially if there is some serious work needed to be done. Also, I want to connect with some healer-Goddess to guide me but didn't found right one yet.

[MelodyKittie]

Healing is something I have always been interested in and have never been any good at. These days I just say a prayer to Brighid, but I'd like to expand my horizons, as it were. I've decided I want to make an altar specifically for doing healing magic.

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

I feel like I had more questions than this, but these are the only ones coming to mind at the moment. Thanks all!

 
I'm training to be a massage therapist, and I tend to use healing on my clients. I've never dealt with anyone with a serious illness, as that usually means they can't get a massage anyway.

I have a Chinese Zodiac medallion that I use to amplify and direct the healing energy, and just do a general work over to address whatever aches and pains they have. I will make a petition if the person has a really bad ache or pain (if they play a sport or something, those are common, along with sprains, strains, and other muscle damage). Usually that involves me trying to visualize and express my intent, and dispersing that energy into an offering of water.

I don't petition a specific deity, because I haven't really connected to one yet. For long term though, I do pray for their health and safe keeping, and for protection for that person.

[Jack]

I'm training to be a massage therapist, and I tend to use healing on my clients. I've never dealt with anyone with a serious illness, as that usually means they can't get a massage anyway.

What kind of healing do you use? Do you let your clients know you're doing this?

I don't know what definition of "serious illness" you're using, but all sorts of people with "life-threatening" conditions can and do go about their normal lives.

[HeartShadow]

I'm training to be a massage therapist, and I tend to use healing on my clients. I've never dealt with anyone with a serious illness, as that usually means they can't get a massage anyway.

I have a Chinese Zodiac medallion that I use to amplify and direct the healing energy, and just do a general work over to address whatever aches and pains they have. I will make a petition if the person has a really bad ache or pain (if they play a sport or something, those are common, along with sprains, strains, and other muscle damage). Usually that involves me trying to visualize and express my intent, and dispersing that energy into an offering of water.

I don't petition a specific deity, because I haven't really connected to one yet. For long term though, I do pray for their health and safe keeping, and for protection for that person.

I would be really pissed off if I went for a massage and the therapist did extra energy work without my explicit consent.

And I am someone with multiple chronic conditions, and I've been getting massages for years.  The idea that I can't is offensive.  The idea that you would try to "fix " things without my consent is even worse.  I would never go back to or recommend such a person.

If your training approves of this, I want to know the school so that I might never go to such a practitioner by accident.