The Magic of Purses

I used to work in an office in a nice-upscale suburb of Atlanta. Women in my office rocked Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Tommy Hilfiger and all those labels that were equivalent to what I paid in rent. As a thrift store aficianado, I was a fish out of water but the experience did get me thinking about purses as magical tools.

A purse is a very feminine thing, an enveloping thing, a secretive thing. We carry tools of money, beauty, and health in purses. They contain our keys, our communication devices and photos of our loved ones. Some women carry their athames in them or other magical tools. They are cauldrons of transformation, expressions of intent and active tools of sympathetic magic.

Do you need more structure and stability in your life? Carry a well-tailored, architectural purse. Need to relax and de-stress? Carry a big floppy hobo bag or soft tote. Do you need to project power and confidence? Carry something sleek and black. Do you need to lift yourself out of a funk? Carry something bright pink or yellow.

I recently picked up a small brown designer bag for $6 at a thrift store. It’s very tailored and earthy at the same time, which I need. It’s trim is gold-tone, which is energy I could use after so many black and silver bags over the past year. It’s small so I can only carry things I really need, which makes me focus on what’s important. I’ll tuck jade, amethyst, lapis lazuli and other stones into it’s pockets. I may carry a dried pomegranate in it for luck and prosperity. It suits what I need now. I look at it and consider the goals I’m working toward. It is a reminder of my need to be focused, professional and grounded over the autumn and winter, which can be difficult for a Pisces with Aries rising. In spring I’ll pull my small green canvas bag out of the closet because it reminds me of the urgent vitality of new life bursting forth impatiently.

It’s true that “trophy purses” are a symptom of commercialism but that doesn’t mean purses in and of themselves are bad. They are useful tools, they can be magical tools and if they are chosen with care and swapped out when necessary, they can be very useful to the magical person.