Whenever my sister finds a wishing stone, she turns it three times in her hand and then throws it into the blue yonder without another thought. Her wish is always the same: $500,000. I say to her, “you have to give the universe at least a chance! How could you ever organically, realistically… even magically get 500k?” But she never takes my advice and as you can imagine, her wish never comes true. Mine do — all the time. But I must say, they are nowhere near as impressive as a $500,000 payday would be!

This is why I love wishing stones. They are helpful little things if you want to take your time with them, but also a lot of fun if you just want to throw caution to the wind and wish big. I love the idea of finding them while walking around outside and then saving them for when you need a little luck. Over the years, I’ve saved quite a few of them — my rainy day wishes.

Lately, I’ve had a few rainy days and, among other things, I turned to my wishing stones. It had actually been awhile since I used one so I went online to see the different methods people had for wishing. Honestly, I was left a little disappointed. I’m a witch who is BIG on symbolism and making sure every move counts, so simply making a wish on a stone and then throwing the stone away would never suffice. Before I used the wishes I’d been saving, I wanted to make sure I used them to their absolute fullest potential. After some thought, I decided on three new methods, and now I want to share these methods with you.

But first things first!

Identifying and Collecting Wishing Stones

The common lore on wishing stones is that they can be any size or shape, and are uniform in color except for a solid white band encircling the entire stone. This band can be of any thickness, but there should only be one and it should be unbroken. That unique white ring makes these stones somewhat rare, but unmistakable. This is the description I have always relied on and because I have success with these stones, I’m sticking to it.

As soon as I learned about wishing stones, I wanted to collect as many as I could. This gave me lots and lots of practice finding them and once I’d looked at a lot of them, that white band became quite eye-catching and I could find them quickly. I’d basically turned myself into a truffle pig for wishing stones! Even though it’s rare to find one that’s perfect for wishing, it gets easier the more you search.

Location is not a problem; wishing stones can be found anywhere. If you just want to give the stones a try, you could go searching in your neighborhood and probably find one without too much effort.  Or, if you wanted to make a day of it, head somewhere a little off the beaten track and hunt there. Half the fun is finding them and, again, I’m someone who needs everything to matter so when I collect them, I try to go to places that feel special to me. It’s not entirely necessary, but it adds to the experience and makes my stones seem a little more precious. This can be a solitary activity or you can bring a friend.

So, now that you’ve collected your stones, how do you use them?

The Shared Wish

Two heads are better than one, right? The shared wish is meant to “double” the power of the wish by using two people’s intentions rather than one. Intention, as always, is so important when performing any kind of magic — even when using simple wishing stones.

Stone size: Small to medium

Method: Before beginning, go over the instructions with your partner so both of you are on the same page during the process. It’s important that both people are wishing for the same thing in the same way.

Hold hands with your partner and place the wishing stone between your palms, then firmly clasp hands. With your eyes closed and hands together, both you and your partner need to focus deeply on the wish, thinking in present tense terms as though your shared wish is already happening. For example, “our trip is safe” or “we are healthy.” If needed, say the wish aloud.

Now, visualize the wish occurring in your mind. Imagine what it looks like to have your wish happen, imagine what it feels like. Paint the most detailed mental picture of this wish manifesting that you can, until you can’t think of any other detail. Try and feel only the stone in your hand and focus only on that point, no other part of your body. Imagine the wish flowing from your palm into the stone and swirling around inside it like smoke. Visualization and focus are key here, so whatever mental image helps you best, use it!

Open your eyes. If your partner is still concentrating, don’t interrupt them. Once their eyes open, you can release hands. Your wishing stone is now charged with your intentions! Times two!

Because this is a shared wish, neither partner needs to carry the wishing stone around. The stone should be placed on a high point, preferably outside — like a window ledge —where it can be exposed to the elements and release the wish as it likes. Once your wish has been granted, you should thank the stone and then return it back to a natural environment.

The Midnight Month Wish

Stone size: Small to large

This spell is designed for larger wishing stones that can’t be carried around with you. This method was inspired by the “earth oven” — a way of cooking food that uses fire, earth and time to make something regular, extraordinary.

Method: On the last day of the month, a day prior to making your wish, dig a hole big enough for your wishing stone on the east side of your home. Make sure it’s deep enough for the stone to be completely covered with no chance of erosion or exposure. At midnight on the first official day of the month, close your wishing stone in your hands and make your wish. Meditate on your wish for as long as you feel necessary and at least long enough to warm the stone in your hands as much as you can. This process may take a while depending on the size of your stone, but that’s beneficial to you because the more time you spend clarifying and focusing on your wish’s intentions, the better.

Once the stone is warm, go outside and bury it in the hole you dug earlier. Pack the earth tightly so the stone will be undisturbed, and mark the spot so you can find it easily.

On the very last day of the same month, and again at the very last moment (midnight), unearth the stone and bring it inside. Make a warm salt water bath and wash the stone so it is as clean as when you found it. At sunrise, the next day, take the stone back to nature and thank it for its work. If possible, take the stone east, toward the sunrise and leave it in a place where the sunlight touches it.

Quick-Turn Wish

Stone size: Small to medium

A twist on my sister’s method. This is supposed to be fast and fun for less specific wishes as it requires a lot less concentration. This is for “good-intention” wishes, like wishing for health and happiness, or maybe green lights all the way home!

Method: Hold your wishing stone tightly in your left hand, warming it slightly. Then close your eyes, and as you say your wish aloud, turn the stone end-over-end in your hand three times to charge it with your wish. When finished, hold the stone with your right hand and throw it eastward as far as you can. Because of the nature of these wishes, you don’t need to keep the stone with you. Instead, when you throw the stone, imagine yourself throwing your good intentions into the universe and hoping they come to pass.

Protips!

• You can buy wishing stones online if you’re not having any luck finding them where you live.
• I believe the general consensus is that wishing stones are meant to be used once and then discarded so someone else can find it. This ties back to the single white band: One band, one wish. So, don’t try to reuse the stones — if you want more wishes, just find more wishing stones!
• After all the work finding the stone, some may not be so ready to part with it once the wish has been granted. This is obviously up to you, but I think you’ll have a better chance of having your wish come true if you discard the stone. Unlike your quartz and amethyst and the loyal stones you may carry with you or place on your altar, wishing stones don’t belong to you. Think of them as little spirits who come into your life temporarily to help, who you then release so they can help someone else. 
• Go ahead and wish big if you feel like it!

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