Ritual Oils

I don't very often anoint the candles I use in ritual, but spring is a time of cleanliness, renewal, fresh ideas and scents, and I find myself doing things at this time of year that I seldom do in the later seasons. Here are three recipes for oils that can be used to anoint candles or worn on the skin to bring extra energy during spring rituals. All three can be used for candles; only one should be worn on the flesh.

Purification Oil
1/8 cup Jojoba, Sunflower or Almond base oil
5 drops Lavender
3 drops Rosemary
1 drop Sandalwood
(Rub onto your ritual candles only. Not to be used on your skin.)

Earth Oil
To your base oil add:
4 drops Patchouli
4 drops Cypress
1 drop Rosemary
(Wear to bring earth energy into your ritual, ideal at this time of year when the earth is waking from her slumber.)

Citrus Purification Oil
To your base oil add:
3 drops Orange
2 drops Lemon
2 drops Lime
1 drop Grapefruit
(Rub on white candles and burn in your home to purify it. Not to be used on your skin.)

Please use caution when working with essential oils as some can be irritating to the skin. Never place any oil on your body without first making sure you aren't allergic to it.

Photo of hand-dipped candles courtesy of Andrea M. Long Photos on flickr.

The Nurturing Bath

There's nothing quite so relaxing as a nice hot bath, accompanied by the gentle glow of light from a bathroom full of lit candles. In addition to bathing the body, baths can be ritually cleansing to prepare for the sacred circle, emotionally cleansing to free the mind of stress and troubles, and physically healing to free the body of toxins and negative conditions. Aromatic remedies are among the most ancient. Old herbal texts prescribed the calming scents of thyme and sage leaf to ease the terror of nightmares (known as "night ghosts") and bald men were told if they washed their heads with sage tea they could be assured that their hair would indeed grow back. While this last one may not be true, herbal bath remedies can cure much that ails us.

Basic Bath Time Herbal Tea Bags

1/2 cup fresh grated ginger root

2 tablespoons of one or more of the following herbs (or use your own favorites):

lemon verbena (dried)

rosemary sprigs (fresh or dried)

peppermint or spearmint leaves (fresh or dried)

chamomile (dried)

lavender blossoms or sprigs (dried)

lemon balm (dried)

sweet marjoram (dried)

grated goldenseal root (dried)

plaintain leaves (dried)

rose petals (fresh)

You may use a small cheesecloth bag tied with a string, or make small folded rice paper packets (in the style of a store-bought tea bag), stitched closed. Combine the ginger root with the herbs of your choice and place in the sachet style of your choice. Run a very hot bath, add a few small bags, allow them to steep while the water cools a bit, then remove the bags and climb on in. Made as small tea bags with strings, these make wonderful gifts to give to someone who loves herbal baths (just be sure to label your ingredients so your recipient knows what's in them and let them know these aren't to be consumed internally).

If you haven't the time or motivation to make yourself bath time tea bags, a simple herbal bath will also work wonders and feel great. You can add sprigs of fresh rosemary to your bath for a pine-like fragrance. Actual pine needles can be used as well which are said to relieve nervous tension. Rosemary is not only invigorating, but will ease physical aches and pains and can rejuvenate a tired, sallow complexion. Ginger root will break a fever, induce sweating, improve your circulation and will also ease sore joints and tired feet.

Native Americans took sponge baths decocted with verbena leaves to combat nervousness and tension. Calendula, comfrey and chamomile used separately or together will also calm nerves and are an excellent choice as an astringent bath for oily or blemished skin. Chamomile is also an effective cure for soothing hemorrhoids.

Elder flowers steeped in hot water will make a gently cleansing and sweetly floral scented bath that will help induce sleep and relax the nerves, as will lemon balm, which in addition to being a sleep aid can also help to relieve cramps.

To soften the skin and counteract both hard water and some of the stronger herbs, add some milk to your bath (Cleopatra bathed regularly in camel's milk and she had men falling at her feet).

Please note that if this is the first time you'll be using any of these herbs, it is best to perform a 24 hour skin test beforehand for each plant. Take a small amount of the herb to be used, pulverize it and if it's in dried form add a few drops of water to moisten it. Dab the paste onto your forearm just inside your elbow, cover with a band-aid and let it sit untouched for 24 hours. If any redness, itching or swelling occurs, do not use that herb. As always, use common sense when working with herbs. Take nothing internally without being absolutely sure it's edible and safe and use nothing that you feel you may be allergic to.

Photo courtesy of floraleads.com

Indoor Herb Garden

Once again it's that time of year when it's impossible to go anywhere and not see an enormous display of this year's seeds: colorful packets upon packets of flowers, veggies and herbs. While I grow a few herbs out in my gardens with my flowers, it's been a few years since I've had an indoor windowsill herb garden of my very own. This is because I have a cat who is incapable of leaving well enough alone and while I love my cat, I miss having within my kitchen the scent of fresh herbs and clean soil.

Here is a list (and it's by no means comprehensive) of some of the more commonly used herbs. I've chosen only those herbs that grow well in small pots, are safe for children or pets who are curious, hungry or destructive just for the sake of being destructive, are used for magickal purposes and also can double for cooking (or brewed as teas) as well. While there are others that top most folks' lists, they're roots, flowers, or poisonous if ingested. Some are simply far too large for a little indoor garden.

Rosemary. If you grow nothing else, grow rosemary for it's the Queen Mother of magickal herbs and is very powerful. It cleanses and purifies, works well in healing and love spells, increases mental and psychic powers and tastes delicious in dishes. Dried, crushed rosemary is the perfect simple incense for burning in ritual and is a perfect substitute for frankincense, an ingredient used in a lot of spells.

Basil. Basil is great for love divinations, wealth spells, exorcising evils spirits and negative energies, purification spells and luck.

Catnip. Catnip is a powerful component in love and beauty spells and when hung in your home attracts good luck as well as positive energy and gentle spirits. Grow as an offering to your familiar or family pet and maybe kitty will stay away from all your other herbs! It's believed that when you give your cat catnip you will forge a psychic bond between the two of you that can't be broken.

Dill. A protective herb that is also powerful in money spells, as well as love and lust divination.

Fennel. Fennel confers protection, purification and works well in healing spells.

Lavender. Lavender is an incredibly versatile herb used in protection and purification spells, longevity work, healing spells, and brings peace, calm and happiness to the home it's grown in and all the inhabitants within. If you wish, lavender will help you to see ghosts. It can be used in more mundane ways as well, such as in sachets, pillows and poppets.

Mints. Mint is used in protection spells, for travel safety, to exorcise evil spirits, in money spells and to heal. Peppermint heals headaches and encourages sleep. Spearmint is best for upper respiratory ailments and to sharpen mental powers. Wintergreen removes hexes and curses and when placed on your altar will aid your magick.

Thyme. Burn thyme as a simple ground incense to attract good health. Use it for healing spells, sound sleep, to increase psychic powers, and to give you courage and energy. The ancient Greeks burned thyme in their temples to purify both the building and its occupants prior to ritual and you can do the same. Thyme is a wonderful cleansing herb.

You might have noticed that sage is not on this list. That's because it is unlucky to plant your own sage. If you can't get someone else to plant and tend it for you, leave it be and buy what you need as you need it or else you risk very bad luck befalling you and your loved ones. If you do choose to grow sage yourself, be sure to grow another plant in the pot or plot with it as a full bed of sage also brings ill luck. When handled properly, sage can be used in spells to make your wishes come true, for wisdom, longevity and immortality.

Photo courtesy of dogeared on flickr.

Kitchen Witch

The kitchen is the place where we make simple, common magick every single day and while we are in there working, why not make sure both ourselves and our homes are protected?

Grow an aloe plant in the kitchen for protection from negative energy and accidents while cooking. Placing it in a sunny window is best, but if you can't keep one in your kitchen, having one somewhere else in the home is almost as good. Onions, garlic and peppers are also known for their protective properties. Hang a rope of any one of them in your kitchen to keep you and your family safe. If a whole string of them is too much for you, a single onion or a bulb of garlic placed on the windowsill will ward off negative, harmful energy. If you are using these as a protective measure, be sure to never use them to cook with. You don't want to ingest any of the negative energy they've been absorbing!

It's considered very bad luck to ever run out of salt in your kitchen and home. It's long been thought that to do so means certain bad luck, bad health or even worse, so be sure to keep an extra container of salt at the back of your cupboard that you never open or use and this will never be an issue for you.

Make yourself a Kitchen Witch Bottle. Take a clean bottle and place within it three needles, three pins and three nails. Fill the jar with salt and a pinch of dried rosemary, shake it nine times and drip red candle wax over the jar lid to seal it. You can say a brief protection incantation and make the sign of the pentagram over it if you'd like before you place it in the dark at the back of a cabinet where it won't be seen.

Stay safe while making your house a healthy, well-fed and happy home!

Photo courtesy of The Titus on flickr.

Help for the Spring Cleaning Blues

Uh-oh! Here we go: it's time for spring cleaning once again. I tend to take my sweet time doing it and often find that I end up not finishing it by Beltane, which is a big no-no. I mean, who really enjoys cleaning out their cupboards and drawers? Yes, it feels good afterwards to be truly clean and organized, but let's be honest here. The process that gets you to that point of perfect squeaky-clean joy is not very pleasant. Still, since it must be done, here are some herbs and oils that make for a really clean home to welcome the young God to manhood.

Whether you choose to use homemade scrubs and oils or just clean the traditional way with modern products from your local market and then burn incense to purify when you're done, Mother Nature offers a wealth of herbs that can make your home both physically clean and rid it of any negative energy that's accrued over the dark winter months.

There's a reason why pine is used in so many supermarket cleaning solutions and it isn't just because it smells so good. It has been known for millennia as a plant that purifies, heals and cleanses, as does cedar, which also has the additional benefit of promoting spirituality as well. You can also use in a pinch, from your kitchen cabinet, clove, cinnamon, thyme and sage, all of which protect, heal and purify. These herbs, and many more, can be quickly ground down in a mortar and pestle to make simple incenses that can be burned over charcoal. And don't forget lemons. Lemon juice mixed with warm water makes a simple wash that cleanses all negative vibrations from your home: from the house itself as well as individual personal objects such as jewelry and small items you use regularly. Cleansing with this is most potent at the full moon as the lemon plant's ruling planet is the moon. I always like to add a little lavender to any mixtures I whip up, especially in incense recipes as it not only smells glorious, but in addition to its cleansing and purifying properties, it also adds an element of peace and calm to a home (and who doesn't want to be relaxed?).


AN ALL PURPOSE CITRUS CLEANSING OIL
(can be rubbed onto a candle for burning or a talisman or stone)

1/8 cup extra virgin, organic olive oil as a base
3 drops orange essential oil
2 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops lemongrass essential oil
1 drop grapefruit essential oil
1 drop lime essential oil

In a small glass container with a well-fitted lid, add to the oil base by dropper each of the essential oils. Gently swirl in a clockwise motion between each addition. Cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place. Use only genuine, 100% pure essential oils, not synthetics, as they contain none of the real plant's magickal properties.


A HOUSE PURIFICATION INCENSE
(this is especially potent when burned during the full moon)

3 parts rosemary
2 parts sandalwood
1 parts dragon's blood
1 part wood betony
1/2 part dill
1/2 part basil
a few drops of essential rose oil

Grind all the herbs individually into a fine powder, cleansing your equipment between each, then mix them all together in a clockwise motion in a glass, ceramic or wooden bowl. Lastly add the oil and gently mix once more. Store in a tightly lidded glass container in a cool, dark place. Try to use both of these mixtures before they get too old as the herbs lose their potency the longer they sit.


One small caveat: Please remember that some herbs stain fabrics and surfaces and some herbs are also skin irritants. Make sure you know what you are using and what you are using it on before you leap in and start slathering mixtures all over yourself or your precious belongings. Do your research first and you'll be a happy witch whose clothing and skin stay lovely despite your magickal workings! Happy house cleaning!

A Simple Herbal Protection Charm for the Home

Tonight I'll be hanging protective herbs in my house. It's a simple way to keep your house protected and safe from negativity of any sort: irritating and annoying people, bad vibes that occasionally work their energy through any house with more than one person living in it, negative outside influences, evil energy. There are quite a few herbs whose properties are perfect for this use, but it's best to limit the number used. Three is traditional, but I prefer to use four to represent the quarters, the four elements: earth, water, air and fire.

BASIL (witches herb): evil cannot manifest where basil rests. It is used in exorcisms and purification rituals, and when placed within windows or over doors brings protection.

DILL (dill weed): when hung above a door, no one with a negative attitude can enter your home.

FENNEL (sweet fennel): fennel brings protection when placed in the home. When hung in windows or over doors, it wards off evil spirits.

ROSEMARY (compass weed): this herb emits powerful cleansing and purifying vibrations, especially when burned as an incense. Hung in the home it serves to protect those within from thieves, negativity and guards good health.

Gently wash the herbs in cool, clean water and pat them dry. Using your consecrated and purified utility knife, trim the herbs and cut their stalks to a manageable length. I don't use a traditional white-handled knife, but a knife that belonged to my father who was a chef, who passed away when I was 16 years old. Using it in a sacred way, feeling his grip in the old wooden handle, knowing that he used this knife for what was his love and what stirred his soul adds an element to my craft that no knife bought from a shop could ever bring to it. Meditate on your intentions for the herbs while you clean and prepare them. See their protective qualities clearly working for you, your house and family.

Using red string or very thin ribbon, tie a tight knot around the stems and say, "I bind these herbs to protect this house and all within it." Make twelve more tiny tight knots and repeat the mantra with each knot. When you have finished say "May these herbs I have bound this night serve to protect this home and all who dwell within it from evil and negative influences. May they work their magic."

Hang the herbs up over and just inside the front door. I put up two bundles, one over the front door and a second over the back door as I tend to like things symmetrical. It's the anal part of me that can't help it. Don't forget to replace the herbs every three months or so to maintain their powers as with time this will weaken.

I do this on a Saturday night as Saturday is ruled by the planet Saturn who rules those issues concerning boundaries, restrictions and even buildings so it's the perfect day to perform protection spell magic for your home. And it should be done during the waxing moon to enhance the protective shield of the herbs and to draw the safe and healthy vibrations to you.

It's a lovely little spell and one that smells nice each time you pass through the doorway to boot.