Crafting Beautiful, High Quality Celestial Talismans on a Budget
With a small investment you can make several ethical talismans that are high quality and lasting!
When I first began my explorations in various types of magic (both folk, ancient, and astrological), I didn’t have a lot of extra cash for high quality materials. Because most talismanic and phylactery items are a “house” for a spirit, the idea that this house was made from subpar materials really bothered me.
As an animist I don’t think it’s respectful or kind to put a spirit in something that is bad quality, easily damaged, and/or temporary. I also wanted to be as environmentally mindful as possible!
Making paper or wax talismans and phylacteries didn’t seem to be an option in my mind–while at the same time I didn’t have the cash to invest in jewels (which are an ethical quagmire thanks to how they are mined) or metal clay (which is an environmentally friendly and cheaper way of making jewelry without a forge, but nonetheless requires a few hundred dollars of initial investment all the way up to a few thousand if you buy a kiln).
To overcome this, I dove deep into one of my nerdy passions: the history of art materials and methodologies. At the time I was studying the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, and while reading his diaries an egg of an idea was laid in my mind.