I first encountered Bloodstone while in the midst of my training. I was fascinated by the magical properties of invisibility. I remember the spell very clearly. Take a Bloodstone and anoint it with Heliotrope oil. Place in the Sun at high noon, and carry the stone in your right pocket. I now understand, that it’s not necessarily to make one “Invisible”, but it was a form of Shadowing, which would prove to be one of the most important magical operations I have ever learned in the Arts.

Bloodstone also known as “Heliotrope”, has a very magical reputation indeed. The ancients believed that when placed in the rays of the setting sun, or immersed in water, it would turn the reflection of the sun to blood-red. Warriors often carried a Bloodstone amulet which was intended to stop bleeding when applied to a wound. In the Middle Ages, this stone was used…