Incense burned on charcoal discs is a powerful tool in magic spells. When creating a sacred space use incense to unlock the magical properties of Wiccan Herbs.

Incense can be offered to Wiccan gods and goddesses, burned to accompany Witchcraft spells, and to uplift the mind, spirit and body of all those present. Representing the elements of fire and air, burning incense is a powerful addition to the Wiccan Altar.

Choosing Wiccan Incense

While joss sticks are undoubtedly convenient and can be used to good effect, using loose incense in the form of pieces of tree resin, dried herbs, dried flowers and other magical parts of plants is more effective and allows Wiccans to develop their own blends tailored to particular magical rituals.

Incense stimulates the flow of communication with the universe, so naturally burning incense while casting a spell is a powerful way to enhance its potency. Choose plants or a blend to complement your spell; meditate on the fragrance before carrying out the ritual. There are many ingredients that may be used, including:

• Dragon’s blood for purification and protection. Dragon’s blood is available from specialist Wiccan stores.
• Juniper is emotionally restorative, strengthening and cleansing. Use juniper berries (a culinary spice) crushed in a pestle and mortar.
• Frankincense is spiritually uplifting to attain a higher realm. Frankincense is available from specialist Wiccan stores.
• Clove is energizing, festive and creative. Crush the culinary spice in a pestle and mortar for use as incense
• Lavender is steadying and induces sleep. Use the dried flowers and leaves

How to Burn Loose Incense

Crumbled plants and plant extracts, either from an individual plant or as ready mixed incense blend, comprise loose incense that is burned on specially-made discs of charcoal. Use the following steps to burn this form of incense:

• Fill an incense burner or non flammable bowl with extinguished ashes or sand.
• Hold a charcoal disc over a flame with tweezers for a few minutes until it glows red.
• Place the smouldering charcoal disc on the ashes or sand, and leave for a couple of minutes. If incense is added too soon it may extinguish the charcoal disc. Gently fanning the disc with a feather will encourage the spread of the smouldering heat.
• Sprinkle a pinch of incense on top of the charcoal, and add a little more when required as the smoke thins out.

Incense Safety

When using incense, there are some safety measures that Wiccans must observe to avoid injury or fires.

• Keep incense out of the reach of children and animals
• Only burn incense in stable non flammable containers away from drafts, open windows and doors
• Never leave burning incense unattended
• Wet matches, incense, joss sticks and charcoal well before discarding

Used with sensitivity and caution incense will bring serenity, sensuality, invigoration and the divine into both magic and rituals, and everyday life.

Sources:

• The Wicca Bible by Ann-Marie Gallagher.
• Simple Wicca by Michele Morgan.
• Holy Smoke: Using Incense and Scent in the Home by Raje Airey.
• Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham.

Magic love spells may be used to attract love from an unnamed person, or to help smooth or deepen an existing partnership.

Cast these Wiccan love spells for true love. It’s important to note that these spells will work to enhance happiness and commitment with a named lover, but they should only be utilized in cases where this reflects their genuine wishes.

Wiccan Spells to Attract Love

This simple love spell opens the heart and removes obstacles that may block finding a wonderful lover. Create space and time to perform this magic spell in total tranquility.

Take an herb scented bath by following these steps.

• Sprinkle rose essential oil onto a handful of natural sea salt.
• Run a hot bath, and cast in the oil and salt mix.
• Bathe and relax to inspiring music.
• Dress in favorite, clean clothes.

Light candles and incense, and set out flowers to attract love into your life.

• Place a clean cloth on a table or Wiccan altar.
• Set out red or pink flowers; scented roses are ideal.
• Place four green or red candles on the altar, placing one in each cardinal direction, north, south, east and west. As always when working with candle magic, white candles may always be used in the place of unavailable colored candles.
• Place a piece of rose quartz on the altar.
• Burn a love incense in a suitable container on a charcoal disk. Suitable herbs include rose, lavender and frankincense, or use a store-bought love incense mix.
• Declare out loud the heartfelt desire for love sincerely in language that comes naturally.

Sit in meditation for a few minutes before extinguishing the candles and incense. Take care when burning incense to ensure it is in a suitable stable container, and that the ash is thoroughly extinguished by dampening with water after use.

Wiccan Love Spells With a Lover

Casting Wiccan love spells with a partner is a powerful way to deepen the relationship. The ultimate Wiccan love spell is that of hand fasting, or marriage, which should only be undertaken after deep and thoughtful consideration. These delightful, and simple, love spells enhance passion and tenderness, while not alarming a lover who does not normally follow Wiccan ways.

Bathe together in herb scented water to cast a Wiccan love spell with a partner.

• Grind rose petals, patchouli and sandalwood using a pestle and mortar and place in a small cheesecloth sachet.
• Run a hot bath, infuse the sachet in the hot water, and wait until the water is at a comfortable temperature.
• Either bathe together, or take it in turns to gently wash each other, in the scented water.

Eat small, beautiful small dishes that include magical herbs for love.

• A spicy curry containing chili, cardamom, coriander and cinnamon.
• Apple juice or cider.
• Fresh raspberries and strawberries.

Lighting colored candles is another element to this couple’s love spell.

• Red for passion.
• Green for love.
• Pink for affection.
• Orange for attraction.

Limitations of Wiccan Love Spells

Do not attempt to influence the free will of another, and certainly do not attempt to cause harm or distress to another individual. By the Wiccan Law of Return, negative energy sown in this way may rebound threefold on the magical practitioner.

Sources:

• Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, by Scott Cunningham.
• Wicca for Couples, by A. J. Drew.
• The Crystal Bible, by Judy Hall.
• The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Practical Magic, by Susan Greenwood and Raje Airey.

A special and thoughtful gift for a Wiccan on Valentine’s Day is sure to be very gratefully received. Charm and delight your witch this 14th February!

While Valentine’s Day is not a traditional Wiccan sabbat, it does fall just a short while after Imbolc, so why not take inspiration from the traditions of this early spring festival when choosing a Valentine’s gift for your Wiccan?

Early Spring Wiccan Gifts inspired by Imbolc

The Wiccan Festival of Imbolc, around 2nd February (1st August in the Southern Hemisphere) is a time of renewal and the reawakening of the earth. These Valentine’s Day gifts will help a Wiccan to celebrate the spirit of the early season:

• Wiccan Incense, particularly containing one or more of these herbs for Imbolc: lavender, cinnamon, basil, frankincense and myrrh. A Wiccan store will offer advice, and may well have a ready blended Imbolc incense mix.
• High quality hand dipped or molded white candles which may be used for candle magic or for decorating the home during the early spring. Wiccan suppliers are the best place to obtain the very best quality candles.
• Imbolc is the time when ewes and cow’s milk naturally begins to flow anew. Natural, high quality milk-based soap or other toiletries are a lovely way to celebrate this annual miracle.
• The herb particularly associated with Imbolc is lavender. While the plant will not be flowering at this season, a potted lavender plant is a wonderful reminder of the delights of summer to come, and good quality lavender oil based, naturally formulated, toiletries would enable your witch to enjoy the wonderful relaxing perfume straight away.

Valentine’s Day: A Gift of Love with a Wiccan Touch

Of course, most ladies appreciate the gifts traditionally associated with Valentine’s Day such as chocolates, jewellery and flowers. But by considering what matters most to those following the Wiccan path, you can make a lovely gift truly touching and special:

• If giving chocolates, remember that Wiccan’s revere and honor the natural world, and acknowledge the Three-Fold Law which may be summarized as as you sow, so you shall reap. Choose organic, fair traded chocolate to honor both the land and the human beings that have worked to create them.
• Take care when choosing the semi-precious stones in jewellery. Your gift will be far more special if you take into consideration the stones’ significance in magical work.
• If selecting any other gift, look out for items made of natural materials, and avoid plastic.

Wicca is often misunderstood and misrepresented, so perhaps the most important thing when presenting a gift to your Wiccan is to show that you understand and respect her beliefs and worldview.

Creative suggestions for unique gifts symbolic of love. Dine in candlelight savoring elegant recipes provided. After dinner, reflect on the Pagan roots of the holiday.

Valentine Day’s roots are in Pagan Rome. February 14th was a festival day devoted to Juno, Queen of the Gods and patroness of marriage. Girl’s names were written down and placed into jars for the boys to draw them so they would become a couple for the Lupercalia the next day that honored Lupercus, the God of Fertility. Creative presents and a dinner made with selected special recipes can make the celebration memorable.

Unique Pagan Valentine Presents

Flowers are one of most popular gifts, especially long stemmed red roses. Roses symbolize love as do amaranths, asters, carnations, chrysanthemums, ginger and honeysuckles. Instead of cut flowers, give potted plants, silk flowers, incense, scented candles and oils or figurines.

Crystals signifying love are all pink crystals, agate, alexandrite, amber, amethyst, beryl, calcite, chrysocolla, emerald, jade, lapis lazuli, lepidolite, malachite, moonstone, olivine, pearl, rhodocrosite, rose quartz, sapphire, sard, topaz, tourmaline and turquoise. Jewelry with silver or copper settings, the metals symbolizing love, and the crystal itself are excellent gifts. Other ideas, using crystals as decorations, are serenity fountains, plants, terrariums, tower candles, groupings of tapers, glass containers filled with them and aquariums for those who like aquatic life.

Jewelry, figurines or pictures of cupids, goddesses and gods or symbols representative of love.

Special Pagan Valentine’s Dinner Recipes

Champagne, Asti Spumante, Freixenet or other sparkling white wine accompanies the repast. Dessert is chocolate mousse made from a mix.

• Baked Brie: Put a 4 ounce round of brie with white casing intact on ovenproof plate and spread with margarine. Cover with slivered hazelnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes or until center is soft. Serve warm with apple and pear slices.
• Beef/Mushroom Consommé: Add 1 cup sliced mushrooms to 1 quart hot beef bouillon. Simmer for 5 minutes. Before serving, add 1/4 cup dry sherry.
• Artichoke Heart/Heart of Palm Salad: Mix together 16-ounce cans of quartered artichoke hearts and sliced hearts of palm, 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives, 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Refrigerate overnight. Serve on bed of lettuce.
• Sautéed Crab Meat: Melt 3 tablespoons of margarine with 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. Add 1 pound flaked cooked crab meat. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve with wild rice.
• Chicken Piccata: Pound 2 boneless chicken breasts with a meat mallet until flat. Dredge in flour. Sauté in 2 teaspoons each olive oil and margarine until done. Remove from pan. Add 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup dry white wine. Stir, scraping flour into sauce and heat. Don’t boil. Return chicken to pan, cover and keep warm on very low heat. Serve with angel hair pasta.
• Flank Steak with Béarnaise Sauce: Make béarnaise sauce according to the package instructions. Keep warm. Sprinkle salt in a frying pan. Heat on medium for 1 to 2 minutes. Put 1 pound flank steak into pan, broiling on each side until meat reaches desired doneness. Diagonally slice the meat into thin pieces to ensure tenderness. Serve with béarnaise sauce.
• French Fried Onion Rings: Thoroughly blend together equal amounts of flour and beer or club soda. Amounts may vary due to flour’s absorbency. Cut 1 large onion into 1/8 inch slices. Separate into rings.Dip rings into batter and deep fry at 375 degrees until golden. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. These can be made the day before and reheated. Broccoli, cauliflower, thinly sliced carrots and mushrooms can be prepared this way.
• Twice Baked Potatoes: Cut 2 baked potatoes in half. Scoop out insides and mash with 2 tablespoons margarine, 1/3 cup milk or enough for desired consistency, ¼ cup bleu cheese and three slices crumbled cooked bacon. Fill potato skins with mixture and dot with margarine. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Green Beans Almondine: Cook 1 (16 ounce) package frozen French cut green beans according to directions. Drain. Melt 2 teaspoons margarine and sauté 3 tablespoons slivered almonds until golden. Add beans and heat through.
• Cauliflower Paprika: Cook 1 (16 ounce) package frozen cauliflower according to directions. Drain. Melt 2 teaspoons margarine and 1 teaspoon paprika together. Sauté cauliflower until golden orange and crusty.

Reflections on Pagan Roots of Valentine’s Day

There are three traditions that are believed to be the roots of the holiday. In Ancient Rome, there was the Lupercalia. On February 14, priests met at the Cave of Lupercal in the Palatine Hill, where a she-wolf was believed to have nursed twin founders of Rome Romulus and Remus. Vestal Virgins offered blessed salt cakes. Priests sacrificed a goat and a dog. The next day, men lightly lashed fields of crops and women with a goatskin strip, februa, in the belief this made them fertile. The lashings were called februatio. Both Latin words meant to purify and are the roots of the word, February.

The second tradition is that when wolf packs roamed the wilderness outside of Rome where shepherds kept their flocks, the God Lupercus was believed to keep the herdsmen and their animals safe from them. In February, the Romans had a feast, the Lupercalia, to honor Lupercus. This celebration continued to be held after wolves no longer were a threat.

The third tradition greatly differs from the others. According to this one, the festival honored Faunus who was the God of Herds and Crops

Source:

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic, Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn Publications, 1990)

Copyright Jill Stefko . Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.