Last week, someone emailed me to ask “I need help finding a missing item. It is very important. Can you help me?”
We all lose things from time to time and it can be very upsetting, even if the item only has sentimental value. But if what you have lost is your laptop with all your work on it, the repercussions can be disastrous.
It is very easy to forget to insure your stuff or back up your files. Even if you have taken these precautions, a loss can still be very annoying.
If you have lost something, you should obviously try practical ways of finding your item before resorting to magic. Search everywhere it is likely to be, ask people who may have seen it, contact your service provider if you have lost something like a mobile phone, check lost property departments and tell the police if you think it might have been stolen.
But magic can help you find lost things – and there are many different ways of doing this.
Dowsing
Dowsing - sometimes called divining - is one of the best known magical means of locating things that are hidden. It is most often used to find sources of water below the ground, but you can use the same techniques to find mislaid or hidden objects.
It is done with a handheld instrument such as a forked hazel twig, a set of metal rods or a pendulum. To use a pendulum to dowse for something, hold it by its chain or cord and concentrate on the thing you are looking for. The pendulum should start swinging in the direction you need to go.
You can triangulate by using the pendulum in several places and seeing where the lines it points to converge.
If you are using the pendulum over or close to the thing you want to find, it might go round in a circle rather than swing backwards and forwards.
SpellsCandle spells can easily be used to help you recover lost items. You can either cast a spell to try to reveal the location of something that is hidden or concealed, or you can try to attract the item to you.
The nice thing about candle magic is that all you really need is a candle. You either inscribe your wish on the candle, or concentrate very hard on your wish, then light the candle and concentrate on sending the wish into the flame.
Ideally, you should let the candle burn down completely to be fully effective. As it is dangerous to leave candles unattended, you might want to use a small candle for your spell or else burn the candle for a while every evening before you go to bed, repeating your wish.
If you want, you can place a small lodestone or magnet at the base of your candle if you are casting a spell to attract things, or place the candle on or in front of a mirror to reveal hidden things.
Scrying
Scrying is the witch's traditional method of finding the answers to questions and seeking hidden knowledge as well as looking into the future. It can also be used to find lost things. Crystal balls and dark mirrors are best for this kind of scrying, but it does take a little practice to learn the art.
If you don't own a crystal ball or dark mirror, you can use a simple bowl of water. Fill a bowl or cauldron nearly to the top with water. Dim the lights and stare into the bowl, then ask it to reveal to you the location of what you are looking for. After a while you should start to see shapes and images, which could offer clues to help you find your lost item.
Last resort
If you have searched everywhere and tried everything and still can't find your lost item, you will probably have to consider getting a replacement. However, doing that might be just the trick to help you find the one you lost. Maybe it is just coincidence, but the number of times I have held out on replacing something because I am sure the old one would turn up sooner or later, only to find it does reappear just as I've forked out to buy a new one.
Blame it on the mischevious fairy folk - that's what I do.
There's a solar eclipse in the early hours of tomorrow morning. Sadly it won't be visible from the UK, but people in Australia and New Zealand should have a chance to see the partial eclipse at 6.20am GMT on November 25, as will anyone in Antarctica.
.
