Most reader of this blog will probably be familiar with various simple rites for making wishes, or as I like to call it, “wish-craft”. The most familiar one may be that process of making a wish by blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, a common practice among many Americans.
However, waiting for your birthday is a long time to wait for a making a wish, especially if you have a pressing desire that you would like to wish for right now. That is of course why many other methods of making wishes have sprung up over time.
A less familiar but very memorable method is making a wish on a star. I am familiar with four methods of doing this. One involves an old nursery rhyme that goes as follows:

Star Light, Star Bright,
The first star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
have the wish I wish tonight”

At the end of the poem, you then make a wish.

Another method involves wishing on a shooting or falling star. AS this is an uncommon occurrence, you need to assiduously watch the evening sky when you might see a falling star or shooting star. When you do see one, make a wish with all your heart and will.

The third method I know is finding your lucky wishing star. The method I was taught as kid was to close your eyes and spin around three times while under the night sky. When you open your eyes, you look up, and the first star you can see is your lucky wishing star. You can make a wish on that star any time you see it, and it will come true. My wishing star is usually only visible during the months of October to about February.

The last method of wishing on a star I know of I learned from a book of chinese folklore. It is said that you offer prayers and incense to the North Star for 100 days, the North Star will grant your wish.

Of course, there are more earthly ways of making wishes as well. A good many methods rely on the use of herbs to make wishes. A common method with many variables is carrying around an odd number of seeds or beans in a flannel bag for 7 to 9 days. Each bean is used to make a wish. You can either repeat the same wish over and over, or have a laundry list of different wishes. Usually the best number is an odd number, but you might want to limit yourself to only thirteen beans. Carry those beans around for 9 days. You might keep reciiting your wishes over the beans for the 9 day period. On the 9th day, take you beans to A source of running water and drop them in while reciting a prayer or your wishes, and walk away without looking back, knowing that your wishes will be granted. Some beans that you can use are Mojo or Fava beans for all kind of wish. You can use a seed known as Job’s Tears in this rite, but you can make only one wish, and you use 7 jobs tears that you carry around for seven days. It is said that within 7 days after you deposit the job’s tears into the running water, your wish will come true.

If you looking to make a wish specifically for love, you can perform this same rite using a special bean known as Tonka Beans. These beans are a pleasant vanilla-like odor which symbolizes their usefulness in magic of love and romance. Just do as before with the Tonka beans, and when you go to dispose of them in running water call out your wishes in “The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” and walk away and your love wishes will be granted in 7 days.
A very simple rite for making wish involves using sandalwood. While you could purchase some sandalwood incense cones or sticks, the most traditional method involves putting sandalwood powder onto a burning charcoal. As the sandalwood smoulders, you place your wish, written down on a piece of paper, on to the bed of smouldering powder. This could easily be adapted to sandalwood sticks, perhaps using three or seven or nine sticks, and holding your wish in the rising smoke. You might also recite your wish out loud as you do so. Hold you wish in the smoke until the sticks extinguish. Then take the paper and cut it into small pieces and take it to a crossroads and release it like confetti, so it can reach out into the all the parts of the world to fulfill your wish.

A slightly more complicated wishing ritual involves laying out a circle of nine candles. Depending upon what you your wish is for you will want to either use white candles, red candles, or black candles. White candles are using for making wishes for good things, like blessings, protection, healing, spiritual pursuits, peace, and breaking curses. Red candles are for their that are neither good or evil, like money drawing, job getting, love and romance, driving off enemies without hurting them. Black candles are used for wishes to harm or curse, reverse evil, break apart friends and couples, and other evil acts. Make the circle of 9 candles, and stand in the middle of it and make your wish out loud while facing to the east.

As in many wishing rites, once you make your wish, don’t share it with others, as it won’t come true.

Happy Wishing!