Beads and beadwork are inherently magical to my mind. The word itself comes from the Middle English word "bede", meaning prayer. Catholics, Buddihists and Muslims are among the many who use a string of beads to "tell their prayers." Tibetan dzi beads are believed to be of supernatural origin and protect the wearer from illness and bad luck. Eye beads were common in many societies as a means of defense against the "evil eye." Among the Zulu, small beaded gourds called ishungu were worn by diviner/healers called sangomas.

We continue this mystical tradition with our amulet bags, or at least the name implies so. Often these bags, while beautiful and treasured belongings, do not hold the magical or spiritual significance that they might. I must confess, my own amulet bags most often go empty. I aim to change that and I'm devoting this column to sharing some of the ideas I came with for making our bags live up to their name.

The first, most obvious, possibility is actual amulets! These can include a variety of tiny items with special meaning; a milagro, a charm, a small photo or anything with significance to the wearer.

Another possibility is a crystal or special stone. There are many great sites and books full of informatio about stones and stone lore. One of my favorites is the Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic. In it, you'll find a weath of information about rocks and monerals; their composition, colors, magical and mundane uses and more. You'll also learn about the vibratory and healing qualities of each stone, and the personal experiences of people who work with stones on a daily basis.

Growing things hold a magic all their own. Herbs not only heal and enhance the flavor of our food, they also have magical properties. Gather a few hearbs, flowers, leaves or petals from plants in your own yard. Or, if you're short on space, grow a single specimin in a tiny window pot and harvest it for the sweet smell of fresh herbs when you wear your amulet.

If your belief system precludes the use of magic, don't despair, you can still find something special to put in your bag. One woman wrote to me about how she had felt uncomfortable with the very idea of an "amulet" bag until she came up with the idea of carrying frankincense and myrrh in her bag. In this way she was able to replace the "occult" connotations of her bag with Christian ones. The important thing is to carry what feels right to you and works with your belief system.

Finally, if you would rather have your amulet bag hold the image of a talisman, rather than an actual object, don't overlook the ideas youcan incorporate into the bead pattern of the bag. Lots of bead patterns have been designed with this in mind. Check outthis listing of Free Bead Patterns for lots of great bead pattern ideas. Or, take a look around Bead Patterns.com for even more bead pattern ideas for your Amulet bag. And don't forget the waeth of Bead Pattern Books, many of which are devoted to nothing but the bead patterns for Amulet Bags.

An idea inspired by Esther Liberman's beaded mezuzahs is to seal a spell, prayer, or other meaningful text inside of a beaded tube that would fit inside a bag.

What do you keep in your amulet bag?
Click on the title to see what other folks keep in their bags.