In many cultures you will find the practice of carrying a bag of significant objects, items considered to aid and carry power and which help in times of healing. Whether the Native American medicine bag, the African-derived gris-gris or the Caribbean Oanga bag, all of these items are small bags used as charms or fetishes. They are blessed items which hold smaller ritual objects, prayers, and items of personal importance and symbolism.

Medicine bags as used by Native American shamen were actually quite large, carrying ritual masks, herbs and medicinal plants, ritual totems and more. In essence, if you want to make yourself a medicine bag, you need to make it large enough to hold whatever it is you wish to carry in it. For bags taken to rituals and festivals, you might want something small enough so you can tie it to a belt as a pouch, or you might want something the size of a moderate purse or tote bag.

Most often the bag itself is made from a natural fiber or material. Silk satins and velvets are popular choices as are cotton fabrics. Lightweight to moderate leathers can be used for heavier pouches and large bags as well. These can be machine or hand-sewn depending on your equipment, time and skill. Remnant bins at fabric stores or the leather scrap barrel at the craft store is a great place to find a new medicine bag. Or you can find something pre made.

Varying traditions have differing color suggestions for magic bags. You will find many of the usual colors mentioned: black (shielding), white (protection), red (energizing). Or the color can be something that is a favorite of yours. Velvet is also a popular choice. You might find a pre made bag that can still be dyed or painted on to customize as you wish.

Most often for a personal mojo, just a simple drawstring bag will suffice. Many people like one that is small enough to fit into an ordinary pocket or even something small enough to be worn on a sturdy cord around the neck. These tiny pouches are good for keeping small crystals, little prayer scrolls, feathers, bits of incense, pinches of herbs, tufts of fur and other fetish items.

These can be repositories of items that hold personal power for you, some of your magickal tools, or they can be to help manifest an energy in your life. A magic pouch might protect a deck of tarot cards when they aren’t being used, or you might assemble a special one that you can wear if you were doing magickal work for manifesting or for healing work.

I have a tiny leather pouch that I sewed by hand during my freshman or sophomore year of college. It’s holds about the same amount as what I could hold in one of my own hands. I have carried it in my pocket, and worn it around my neck. The contents change from time to time, but over the years it has held sage leaves, small crystals, special beads, pieces of jewelry, energized sand, incense powders and found objects