Witchcraft is often referred to as a nature-based religion. One way that the connection between nature spirituality and natural magic can be seen is by working with dirt in a magical and spiritual fashion. Natural locations have magic often tied to folklore, legends, and fairytales. In urban locations, the magical properties of dirt often come from the actions done at those locations (such as working money magic with dirt from banks and malls, dating and relationship magic with dirt from restaurants and pubs, etc.).

Dirt is everywhere, which means that there is a lot of dirt in the world—which also means I was unable to include all of the locations I would have liked to in my book Divine Dirt. Below are three locations, not included in the book, and two spells using dirt from those locations.

Working with Farm & Garden Dirt
Farm or garden dirt is one of the easiest forms of magical dirt with which to work and obtain. Growth, fertility, and prosperity are all things that are associated with farm or garden dirt. Use dirt from a farm or from your garden to bring growth, fertility, and prosperity into your magic.

Prosperity to Me Spell
Use this spell to attract prosperity to your life. Materials:

• Ground Alfalfa (Prosperity)
• Farm Dirt (Prosperity, Success, Money)
• Sugar (Attraction, Money)
• Nutmeg (Prosperity, Money)
• Honey (Stick to you, Money)
• Water
• Small bowl
• Spoon or wand
• Large, flat magnet
• Paintbrush

Working:

1. Mix all of the ingredients, except the magnet, in the small bowl. As you stir the mixture together, repeat the following chant 7-9x: "Money and prosperity flow to me. I am wealthy."
2. Setting the magnet near the bowl, state: "Magnet that attracts today, bring prosperity here to stay."
3. Use the paintbrush to paint or draw a symbol of money, cash, wealth and or prosperity on the magnet of your choice. I use the $, but use what works for you.
4. Set the magnet somewhere near your front door. Every time the door is opened, the magnet is activated and attracts money and prosperity to your home. To keep the magnet charged, create a new batch of the paint mixture and repaint the symbol on the magnet every two weeks.
5. When you no longer feel the need for the prosperity boost, paint the magnet one last time and give the magnet to someone you care about to give them that boost. The spreading of the wealth will also increase your own wealth and prosperity.

Fertile Growth Spell
Use this spell to enhance the growth of your plants. This spell will work on flowers and herbs as well as fruits and vegetables.

Materials:

• Planting Pots
• Farm Dirt
• Seedling (your choice)
• Crushed Acorn tops
• Potting Soil

Working:

1. Take the planting pots and set them out so you can easily work with them.
2. Place a small layer of the farm dirt on the bottom of each pot you are using. As you place the dirt in each pot state: "Dirt from a fertile farm land, to my plants lend a hand."
3. Carefully transfer the seedlings to the pots.
4. When the seedling has been transferred, sprinkle a layer of crushed acorn tops and state: "May the oak help you grow strong and true."
5. Top off the pots with the potting soil and move the pots to where you are going to leave them to grow.
6. Feed and water your plants as normal. Sit back and enjoy the plants growing.

Working with Dirt from Municipal and City Buildings or Public City Land
Government and city offices can be great places to gather dirt to influence your community. From prosperity and success to rebuilding parks, city or municipal building dirt can be used for any work that benefits that city, town, or community.

Renew and Rebuild Parks
Public or city parks are wonderful places to spend afternoons and hang out. This spell makes sure that there is always some money to keep the parks looking good.

Materials:

• 3 shedded snake skins, 1-3" in length (Renewal)
• Pen
• 3 slips of paper
• Dirt from your local park
• 3 pins
• Scissors
• Cotton or hemp twine

Working:

1. Lay out the three snake skins so that they lay length-wise in your working area.
2. In the three slips of paper write the words "renew," "refresh," and "city park."
3. Read each slip of paper as you place each slip on one of the snake skins.
4. Sprinkle the dirt from the park over each of the slips of paper. Make sure each skin and slip of paper has some of the dirt. As you sprinkle the dirt over the slips, state: "(Name of the park) to make you new and fresh again. With new life and a playground that families can hang around."
5. Carefully roll the snakeskin and slip of paper up in to a small bundle.
6. Take the pins and pin the rolls together, so they can stay rolled up.
7. Use the scissors to cut three sections of twine to tie around the center of the rolls you have made.
8. Take the cut twine and tie it around each of the rolls, keeping the skin, slip of paper, and dirt all rolled into one little bundle.
9. Remove the pins from the bundles. Set the pins somewhere to clean them for use in other projects (both mundane and magical).
10. The next time you go out to the park, find a tree at two different entrances to the park. At the base of the trees, find a spot to place and hide the little bundle you have made. Place the third bundle at the base of a tree in the center of the park.
11. Thank the trees for holding and dispersing the magic.
12. Go about your day as normal, not thinking about the spell work any longer.

Protect the Community Spell (Town, City, Village, Etc.)
Sometimes walking in the city at night can feel creepy and dangerous. Use this spell to protect yourself or your loved ones whenever they are out and about during the evening hours.

Materials:

• Pen
• Paper
• Nettle leaf
• 28 pins
• Small bowl
• Dirt from city hall (Spirit of the city)
• Dirt from a police station (Protection of the city)
• Ground black pepper (Protection, reversal)
• Ground cayenne pepper (Protection, heat, reversal)
• Ground Galangal Root (Reversal, protection, breaking baneful magic)
• Ground Stinging Nettle (Reversal, protection, breaking baneful magic)
• Ground Juniper Berries (Protection)
• Spoon or wand
• 4 mirror pieces (you can buy bags of these at craft stores)
• Black or silver votive candle
• Candle holder
• Matches/lighter

Working:

1. On the paper, write out the name of your city.
2. Around the name of your city, create a circle with 20 of your pins. These pins create a protective barrier that destroys magical attacks and problematic energy sent to your city. As you place each pin state: "I stab away excess crime today."
3. In the bowl mix the dirt from city hall and the police station together. As you mix those two dirt forms together, state: "I call upon you to protect this city for all time, against those who would bring tons of crime."
4. Add the ground peppers, berries, and stinging nettle to the bowl. Use the spoon to mix the herbs into the dirt. As you mix the herbs into the dirt, state: "Those who would bring crime into this city, are sent away without any pity. The harm they would have done, shall be sent back for them to enjoy the fun."
5. Take the remaining 8 pins and place two together at the 4 corners of the circle. There should be a finger's width between the original circle (inside) and the cross circles out side of the circle.
6. Sprinkle the dirt across the 4 corner pins, making a cross with the powder. Repeat until all of the mixture is on the paper over the name of your city.
7. Set the pieces of mirror resting between the pins that make the cross and the outside barrier pins. As you place each mirror state: "Mirror today, protect and reflect back all magical and criminal attack."
8. Set the tealight candle holder and candle in the center of the circle you created.
9. Light the candle.
10. As the candle burns, state: "Light from this candle's fire to protect this city is my desire."
11. Let the candle burn completely. As the candle burns, let the wax drip and cover the paper. If you are unable to burn the entire candle in one sitting, burn the candle for 5 minutes a day until the candle has completely burned. Each time you light the candle, recite the previous statement ("Light from this candle's fire, to protect the city is my desire").
12. When the candle has fully burned and the wax covers the paper, the spell has been cast. The wax is symbolic of a shield or forcefield surrounding the city you live in, protecting it from unwanted forces.
13. Dispose of the materials in a trash can somewhere in the city outside of your home.

Working with Dirt from Fields, Plains, and Prairies
Large, open spaces provide a lot of opportunity for magical work. One of the many magical properties that can be associated with open fields is freedom. There are few boundaries and restraints with open fields, which translates magically to freedom.

Courage to Be Me Spell
There are times in our life when it can feel and be difficult to be our self and live the way that we really want to. You may feel stifled or otherwise trapped and caged. This spell will help you find the strength within to be true to yourself while living within your limitations.

Materials:

• 2 3"x3" pieces of white fabric
• Scissors
• White thread
• Needle
• Acorn or oak leaves (Strength)
• Plantain leaf (Strength)
• Bay leaf (Strength)
• Optional: Torn old clothes or any cotton/fiber filling
• 2 12-15" Jewelry chain
• Dirt from a field or plain (Freedom)
• Wire cutters

Working:

• Place the two pieces of white fabric on top of each other. Use the scissors to cut out a human shape.
• Thread the needle with the white thread and tie a knot at the end of the thread.
• Using a simple over and under stitch, sew the two figures together. Leave an opening at either the left arm/heart or at the top of the head.
• If not stuffing the poppet fully, skip to step 5. If you are going to have the poppet be filled with your clothes or cotton stuffing, this is where you begin to stuff the poppet with your chosen filling. You will add a little more filling after each herbal ingredient has been added.
• Begin to add in the oak leaves or acorns to the poppet. As you add the leaf or acorns, state: "Like the strength of the tree, I will bend and change, yet remain me."
• Add the plantain to the poppet. As you add the plantain, state: "Plantain, who can anywhere and survive, give me the strength so I may thrive."
• Add the bay leaf to the poppet. As you add the bay leaf, state: "Bay leaf that is strong and true, let me be me anew."
• Finish stitching the poppet closed.
• Set the poppet down on a table. Take the two chains and wrap them around the doll. These chains represent your feelings of being trapped.
• Exhale over the poppet and state: "Poppet, I name you for myself. I give you life today. What ever happens to thee, shall also happen to me."
• Pick up the dirt and rub it over the chains. As you rub the dirt over the chains, state: "Dirt of the plains where animals roam free, break these chains away from me."
• Take the wire cutters and cut the chains. As you snip the chains, state: "Free to be truly me."
• Remove the chains from the doll. The doll is now as free, as are you.
• Rub the dirt that was on the chains into the doll. State: "Free to be truly me."
• For the next week, hold the doll once a day and repeat the statement "Free to be truly me."
• At the end of the week use the scissors to cut the seams on the doll. Toss the stuffing materials into the trash. The fabric can be washed and used as a poppet for someone else in any other magical work.

Invite Free Thought Charm
Sometimes it can be hard to let our minds just be free. Often we have stress and anxieties over a situation that prevent us from thinking freely about the situation. Use this spell when you need to just relax and let your mind be able to think about your situation freely.

Materials:

• 2 bay leaves (open doors, open thoughts)
• Small skeleton key (can substitute any small key without a lock)
• 2 teaspoons dirt from a field or plain
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon ginkgo leaf
• String

Working:

1. Place the skeleton key on top of one of the bay leaves.
2. Take the dirt and sprinkle it over the key. State: "Dirt from a plain as far as I can see, help me to clear my mind. Set my thoughts free."
3. Sprinkle the rosemary over the keychain. As you sprinkle the rosemary, state: "Rosemary, herb of the mind, release my thoughts from that which keeps it in binds."
4. Sprinkle the ginkgo leaf over the key. State: "Herb that focuses the mind, open the way that new thoughts I may find."
5. Place the second bay leaf over the key that was covered with the dirt and herbs.
6. Take the string and wrap the string around the bay leaf and key. Wrap the bundle 3-5 times with the string, and then tie a knot to secure the materials together. While you are wrapping the string around the bundle recite the following chant 3-5 times: "Thoughts flowing free, a solution to my problem will I see."
7. If the bundle is not secure, get more string and continue to wrap the bundle and recite the same chant util the bundle is completely covered with string or thread. If the bundle is secure, and you are confident that it won't fall apart, hold and play with the bundle while you try to figure out a solution to your situation.
8. When the solution is found, dispose of the materials in the trash, thanking them for helping you figure things out.

For more information on the magic of dirt, check out my book Divine Dirt: The Art of Using Dirt in Magic, Ritual, and Spellcraft.