To Promote Clear Thought & Good Memory

To help with scattered memory and wandering thoughts, create a charm bag to be carried on your person or kept in a place associated with mental faculties (such as at your work desk or with your study materials). 

Gather:

• a square of blue cloth (best taken from your own clothing or bedding. but any cloth that has been in contact with your body, carried on your person, etc. for a day is suitable)

• a pen or marker suitable for writing on the cloth (if that is your preferred method of marking the cloth)

• thread and needle, or another method of binding

• a black feather (any feather legal to possess in your area; a dyed feather or a depiction of a black feather are also suitable)

• a forget-me-not

• a small piece of ash wood

Step One:  Prepare, cleanse, and awaken your materials as you normally would. Write or stitch the words memory and thought onto the blue cloth. I personally prefer to stitch the words around the edges of the cloth; for example, stitching memory on the top and bottom sides of the square and thought on the left and right sides.

Step Two: Place the black feather, forget-me-not, and ash wood at the center of the cloth. Fold the cloth around the items to form a charm bag.

Step Three: As you bind or sew the charm bag shut, say the following charm aloud, ensuring that your breath flows over the working as you do so:

Memory, find yourself.
Thought, unwind yourself.
Fly back to me from scattered parts.
By plume and petal, wood and bark.

Step Four: Carry the charm with you, keep it near your bed, or keep it in a space associated with study, reflection, or mental work.

Adaptation & Symbolism Notes:

• The words “memory” and “thought” may be replaced with Huginn and Muninn (the ravens of Norse mythology that represent thought and memory), or with the names of any gods, saints, ancestors, or figures you associate with memory and thought.

• The black feather is included for its association with Huginn and Muninn, as well as the raven’s broader connection to wisdom and hidden knowledge. If this symbolism does not resonate with your practice, it may be replaced.

• The ash wood is included for its association with Óðinn and with quests for knowledge and control of the mind. If this symbolism does not resonate with you, substitute a wood aligned with your own understanding.

• The spoken charm is written to fit the materials used here. If you make substitutions, you may adapt the charm accordingly or replace it with a spoken charm of your own.