To prevent the loss of your lover, during the waxing Moon take a lock of your partner’s hair and plait or mix it with your own, contemplating your essences intermingling. Wrap the hair along with a personal artifact from each person in a red silk square, and bind with a ribbon of green, chanting: “Love to the left of us, love to the right of us, over us, under us, ever uniting us.” Envision the red silk as your mutual love, the ribbon as your spellbinding. Tie it tight. Attach a sprig of berried holly to the center of the package, saying: “Prickles defend our love.” Place the bundle in a black star- spangled box. Do not open or untie unless you wish to break the bond.
 
by: Kala Trobe