Tender Heart: Guarding the Heart- a rose thorns spell

Your heart is one of the most precious landscapes in your body. The heart is an archive of your spirit, anchoring you to tenderness, softness, and your capacity for pleasure. All pleasure is linked to the heart—here is where the seedlings of desire spring forward, blossom, sprout, and then surge into untamed life. The heart space is also one of the most vulnerable spaces in our body. Emotions, experiences, and tension that we aren't allowed to process and integrate can get stuck here, blocking the channels for new ways of feeling, being, and healing from taking root.

Because our pleasure is tied so closely to the heart, it's vital that we cherish our vulnerability by setting strong boundaries. Rose is a potent ally for all matters of the heart, but this flower is especially powerful when called on for protection. Use this ritual to guard your heart space by establishing your body as a sanctuary—within this barrier of roses, offer yourself the opportunity to reflect, grieve, and heal experiences that have been unsafe for you to process until now.

For this spell, you will need:

1. One red taper candle

2. Sea salt

3. Rose incense

4. Four rose thorns

5. Rose petals

6. A small bowl

7. A charm bag

Perform this spell during the waxing moon—as the moon grows during this period, allow your energy to swell and bloom forth. During this spell, use the energies you've been calling down during the waxing moon to empower each of your magical barrier.

When you're ready to work your magic, assemble all of your tools in a place of sanctuary. Make sure that you feel comfortable and at ease in the space where you're working this spell. Remember, babe—this spell is all about calling on the healing, protective essence of our rose allies as we create a protective barrier around our hearts. When you've gathered your tools, begin by lighting your rose incense. As you do, set an intention for this ritual time—something like "My tender self is protected, I am safe, and my heart is free to unfurl."

Let this incense burn down, then fill your small bowl with salt. Add the ashes of the incense to the salt and mix them together thoroughly. Adding ashes to salt is how you create black salt, a highly protective magical ingredient. When your salt is mixed, take your rose thorns and use each of them to carve your red candle. Feel free to carve whatever symbols, words, or images invoke protection, softness, self-love for you. Hold your intention in your mind as you carve these symbols—when you're finished, your candle should feel something like a wand filled with soft magic. Once you've carved your intentions, stand your candle inside the bowl of salt and light it.

Allow your candle to burn down as you fill your charm bag—add rose petals first, creating a soft bed inside the bottom of the bag. Then, add your rose thorns (it's okay if some of the wax from your candle gets stuck on them, just add this in too). Add one pinch of your salt and rose incense mixture to the bag, then tie it shut. Hold this charm bag close to your heart and reflect on whatever experiences it is you're ready to process and integrate.

To make this spell extra luscious, use whatever remaining rose petals you have in a ritual bath—just add the petals to your water once the bath is drawn. If you'd like, you can even add your charm bag to the bath, allowing the intentions you've set to ground and envelope you as you soak. Hold yourself tenderly, and let whatever emotions you're feeling rise to the surface babe.