📌 Intent & Ethics

This working is designed to help you keep a meaningful promise, stay steady through the middle part of a challenge, and arrive home safely — the classic virtues long associated with almandine (the iron‑rich, deep‑red garnet). It’s a personal practice, not a tool to influence others without consent. Think of it as a tiny engine for follow‑through: less fireworks, more reliable warmth.

🧰 What You’ll Need

• Almandine garnet — a small cabochon, tumbled stone, or bead (clean and dry).
• Candle — choose one: red (drive), brown (stability), or white (clarity).
• Foil or gold paper (coin‑sized) — optional reflector to “wake” the stone’s glow (a historical nod to foil‑back settings).
• Paper & pen — for the vow you can keep.
• Short cord (red or natural fiber) — to carry the intention.
• Small dish with a pinch of salt — to ground and close.

Nice‑to‑have: a chime or bell (beginning/ending cue), a heat‑safe holder, and a timer.

🕯️ Casting Steps (The 10‑Minute Ritual)

1. Prepare the space (1 min): Tidy your surface. Place the foil under the stone. Set candle left of center, salt dish to the right.
2. Ground (60s): Sit or stand tall. Inhale 4, hold 2, exhale 6 — three rounds. Imagine your breath kindling a quiet ember at your center.
3. Name a doable promise (2–3 min): Write one sentence you can keep in 30 days (e.g., “I draft for 20 minutes each weekday.”). Size it to your life — honest, specific, measurable.
4. Light & ring (30s): Light the candle. If you have a chime, sound it once to mark the beginning.
5. Speak the vow (60s): Hold the almandine over your paper and say, slowly:
   “Stone of steady fire, ember of resolve — I keep this promise I can carry.”
   Read your sentence aloud once, with calm voice.
6. Bind with the cord (60s): Tie a single, loose knot in the cord while repeating the last five words of your vow. Place the cord in a circle around the stone and paper.
7. Seal (60s): Touch the stone gently to the edge of the paper for a slow count of seven. Imagine the feeling of keeping the promise (not the applause — the quiet relief).
8. Close (60s): Extinguish the candle safely. Tap the stone once against the salt dish and say, “Grounded and begun.” If you chimed at the start, chime again to end.
9. Carry (ongoing): Wear the stone, keep it in a pocket, or place it on your desk. Keep the cord in your wallet or bag — it’s your portable reminder.

Stone of steady fire, ember of resolve—
I keep the promise I can carry.
My steps remember; my hands return.
So let it be, by effort and goodwill.

⏳ Daily Spark (1–2 minutes)

1. Touch stone + cord. Read your sentence once.
2. Take one small action immediately (send the email, open the document, tie your shoes). Almandine loves momentum.
3. Mark a dot ✅ on your paper. Missed a day? No drama — resume next session.

Think of this as feeding the ember. Small fuel, consistent fire.

🧭 Variants (Use the Same Core Spell)

Timing helps but isn’t required: Tuesday (action), Saturday (discipline), New/First‑Quarter moons for momentum.

🧹 Release & Reset

1. When complete, light the candle for one minute. Say: “Promise kept; ember grateful.”
2. Untie the cord knot. Tap the stone lightly to the salt dish; rinse the stone under cool water and dry.
3. File or recycle the paper. Rest the stone for a week (drawer, pouch, or on selenite). Then you can retask it.

❓ FAQ & Troubleshooting

Lighthearted tip: if you want the spell to work better, light the candle — then do the first tiny step. Almandine approves. 😄