Essential oils are natural oils made by distillations of herbs and flowers, ideally organic. They retain the fragrance of the original plant from which they are made. When you are making a blend of oils or a potion or lotion, mix them with a carrier (or base) oil, such as jojoba, almond, apricot, grapeseed, or sesame, to dilute the essential oil and make it safe to apply to the skin. Always test a blend on a small area of the skin first and leave for 24 hours to check you don’t have any reaction to it.
Magical Meanings of Essential Oils
- Psychic power: jasmine, benzoin, cinnamon, sandalwood
- Courage: geranium, black pepper, frankincense
- Dispelling negative energy and spirits: basil, clove, copal, frankincense, juniper, myrrh, pine, peppermint, rosemary, Solomon’s seal, yarrow, vervain
- Divination: camphor, orange, clove
- Enchantment: ginger, tangerine, amber, apple
- Healing: bay, cedar wood, cinnamon, coriander, eucalyptus, juniper, lime, rose, sandalwood, spearmint
- Joy: lavender, neroli, bergamot, vanilla
- Love: apricot, basil, chamomile, clove, copal, coriander, rose, geranium, jasmine, lemon, lime, neroli, rosemary, ylang-ylang
- Luck: orange, nutmeg, rose, vervain
- Peace: lavender, chamomile
- Prosperity: basil, clove, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, oak, moss, patchouli, peppermint, pine, aloe
- Protection: bay, anise, black pepper, cedar, clove, cypress, copal, eucalyptus, frankincense, rose geranium, lime, myrrh, lavender, juniper, sandalwood, vetiver
- Sexuality: cardamom, lemongrass, amber, rose, clove, olive, patchouli
Incense contains inherent energies that you can use to further your intention and promote your purpose. Every New Age store, herb shop, or health food store has a wide variety of cone, stick, and loose incense. Many spells call for creating your own incense mixture, best done by grinding the incense ingredients in a mortar and pestle. You can then store the fine powder in small sealable jars. Craft stores and New Age shops carry the 4-ounce (115ml) lidded jars that are perfect for DIY incenses. This kind of powdered or loose incense needs to be burned on a charcoal cake, usually sold in these same stores in packets of ten. You should set the charcoals in a fireproof glass or clay dish or use your censer from which the smoke will waft out enchantingly. Another kind of sacred smoke you will come to rely on is when you burn sage to purify and clear a space. Sage bundles are readily available at any New Age shop and are essential to keep on hand for much of your ritual work.
A censer, also called a thurible, is an incense burner and represents the elements of Air and Fire. Place your censer at the center of your altar. Incense can be used to purify your other sacred tools and to cleanse your ritual space.
A pendulum is a witchy tool that helps with decision making. Pendulums are easily bought at any metaphysical or New Age shop or mind, body, spirit bookstore, but you can also make your own, with a 12-inch (30cm) strip of string or leather cord and a small rose quartz with a pointy end. Knot the quartz onto your cord and test it to show you which is “yes” and which is “no.” This is done by asking it yes/no questions that you know the answer to, then observing its responses— you will notice it swings in a different way for each one, for example, round in a circle clockwise or anticlockwise, or back and forth.
Keep cord and string in different colors for use in your spellwork—a magic cord is a rope that binds you to magic. I like silken cords as they feel good in your hands and are lovely, but knitting yarn makes for nice string and comes in an endless array of magical hues.
Potpourri is a hedge witch and herbalist’s staple for floral spellcraft. Similarly, you should have a collection of dried flowers, petals, and herbs and mix them into combinations with special energies.
Wands are conduits of energy and your personal magic; as such, yours should be a very special tool either made or chosen with care. Find out more overleaf.
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