Today’s Aromatherapy Tip – Perfume for the Hair
Blend a drop or two of your favorite essential oil or synergistic blend
with a drop or two of Jojoba Oil then gently run your fingers through your hair.
The scent will remain with you all day.Try a blend with Lavender, Rose and Patchouli..
Enjoy!
..
http://www.aromathyme.com
This day’s element is Air, which promotes clear thinking. But it is difficult to breathe, let alone think straight, if your sinuses are painful and your chest is congested with catarrh. So if you are suffering from a cold, turn to eucallyptus for help: many commercial inhalanats and chest rubs contain this natural decongestant, but a home-made steam inhalation usually provides longer-lasting relief. Simply add 2 to 4 drops of the essential oil to a bowl of hot water, then lean over the bowl, cover your head with a towel, and start breathing in and out slowly and deeply; do this for up to five minutes.
“A Mystical Message”
Air is an agent of communication, for sounds are carried on the airwaves. Practice chanting a mantra, such as the Sanskrit Om, the mystical sound of creation in hindu belief, and you may find that this resonant repetition aids your meditation or trance-work.
The Wicca Book of Days
If you’re anything like me, over time you have accumulated a mixed collection of herbs, oils and incenses. What do you do with it all? Stuff everything into a shoe-box, still in their original packages? Or display it on an altar? Whatever your storage method, you might want to think about what is best for the items, rather than what is best for you. Herbs can go stale, oils can go rancid and incense can go bland, if left in the wrong conditions for any length of time.
Oils
All oils, whether they are plain essential oils or custom ritual blends, should be kept out of the light. Good quality oils are usually sold in amber or cobalt blue bottles which are perfect to keep the oil at its best. Oils in these bottles can even be stored out on your altar, though I would keep them out of direct sunlight. Any oils that are in plain clear bottles should be either transfered to the darker bottles, or kept under wraps.
Incense
I used to store my incense sticks in the long bags I purchase them in, all bundled together in a box. Well, I ended up with a whole bunch of incense sticks that smelled the same. Even with the plastic bags, the scents blended and mingled until every stick had a pleasant but unidentifiable aroma. I have since purchased tall plastic containers designed for holding spaghetti. These work great, but they can get cumbersome if you have a lot of incense.
Overall, your supplies will last longer if you keep them protected and out of sight. If you like to keep your altar decorated with your supplies, you might want to select a few things for display only and not use them for ritual.
Aromatherapy in the Kitchen
With so many essential oils having powerful antibacterial and
antiseptic qualities, use in the kitchen seems a very “natural” thing
to do! The scent from these natural cleaners is also a bonus, as we
don’t have to contend with the chemicals wafting around our
environment. We use these oils to wash down countertops after
cooking, chopping boards after cutting up meats, in the wash water
when washing the floor, walls or cupboards, cleaning the fridge or
freezer, its amazing!
When we cook, rising up in the steam are those tiny little molecules
of fat, which carry the scent of the food you are cooking. While this
is appetizing at the time, we don’t really want these smells to
linger by attaching themselves to our curtains, our clothing and our
furniture and carpeting. Blending essential oils of rosemary,
eucalyptus, lime, lavender or lemon (use one or all!) into a spray
bottle with a little alcohol and water makes a wonderfully air
cleansing room spray. The aromatic molecules of the essential oils
actually surround and deodorize those smelly little fat molecules,
rather then just covering them up like so many commercial, chemically
based synthetic sprays do. All the while these essential oils are
also helping to destroy any airborne bacteria that may have been
tracked home from school or the office, and are just waiting for
someone’s immune system to drop down so they can attack!!!
In the final rinse water for the cleaning of the refrigerator, a
drop or 2 of any of the citrus essential oils (orange, lemon,
grapefruit) will help to deodorize without permeating your food.
Washing down the counters and cupboards requires some serious
bacteria fighters, to make sure there are no surprises lingering on
your cooking and preparation surfaces. The following oils can be
dropped directly onto your cloth or combined to make 7-8 drops into
your rinse water (this is our favorite, as you get to enjoy the scent
of the molecules rising on the steam from the hot water!). Again, the
citrus oils are wonderful as well as thyme, pine, lavender and
eucalyptus (these can also calm you down and clear your nose if you
have a cold!).
Even doing dishes can be a little more fun (can we say those two
words in relation to one another?) when you add 10 drops of lemon,
grapefruit or bitter orange to your dish soap. You may not want to
sing and dance upon completion, but at least your psyche will be
suitably calmed and rejuvenated!
With so many essential oils having powerful antibacterial and
antiseptic qualities, use in the kitchen seems a very “natural” thing
to do! The scent from these natural cleaners is also a bonus, as we
don’t have to contend with the chemicals wafting around our
environment. We use these oils to wash down countertops after
cooking, chopping boards after cutting up meats, in the wash water
when washing the floor, walls or cupboards, cleaning the fridge or
freezer, its amazing!
From thymeforherbsandaromatherepy group
Calendar of the Sun
Feralia: Day of Purification
Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: On a white cloth put a lit candle, incense, a cup of water, and a bowl of salt.
Offering: Although this day is not a day of total silence, it is a solemn day and talking should be done only when necessary and in quiet tones. Bodies should be thoroughly cleaned during the bathing hour, and then the altar area should be cleaned and purified with all four elements. Each person, upon entering the altar space at the beginning of Sponde should remove their clothing and be naked, and each body should be purified with the four elements and marked with water and salt, at which point they may enrobe again. Chores of the day should concentrate on cleaning and repair.
Daily Meal: Vegan and extremely simple and plain.
Feralia Invocation
Breathe the air into your body
And breathe out again,
And as you breathe out,
Let all grime and corruption
Depart on that breath
(All breathe together for twelve breaths.)
Feel the blood coursing through your body
And imagine it clean
Of anything but what should be there.
Feel the energy coursing through your body
And wash it clean
Of anything that does not belong.
Feel the Earth beneath you,
Remember that She can absorb all
Remember that all rot is her provenance
Draw her energy up into you
And give it back again.
(After this grounding, all breathe together again in a yogic breathing pattern for the next half an hour, after which all will go with water and salt and incense and fire to all rooms in the house and cleanse them. Great care should be taken for the rest of the day not to disturb the energy of the freshly cleaned house.)
Daily Aromatherapy Tip – Dispersing Bath Oils
To get an essential oil to disperse rather than just float on top of the bath water
Sweet Herbal Air Freshener Formula
Combine the following in a clean, glass jar with a lid:
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Mix well. To use, add 4-8 drops of this base to one cup of purified or
distilled water in a spray bottle, shaking to mix. Store in a cool,
dark place.
~Herbal Musings~
Incense Papers
Incense papers are a delightful variation of combustible incense. Here, rather than using charcoal and gum tragacanth, tinctures and paper are the basic ingredients. To make incense papers, take a piece of white blotter paper and cut it into six-inch strips about an inch wide. Next, add 1 1/2 teaspoons potassium nitrate to 1/2 cup very warm water. Stir until potassium nitrate is completely dissolved. Soak the paper strips in the nitrate solution until thoroughly saturated. Hang them to dry.
You now have the paper versions of the charcoal blocks used to burn incense. The obstacle in scenting them is to overcome the normal smell of burning of burning paper. For this reason, heavy fragrances should be used, such as tinctures. Tinctures compounded from gums and resins seem to produce the best results. Empower the tincture(s) with you Magickal need, then pour a few drops of the tincture onto one strip of paper. Smear this over the paper and add more drops until it is completely coated on one side. Hang the strip up to dry and store in labeled, airtight container until needed.
To speed drying, turn on the oven to a low temperature, leave the door open, and place the soaked incense papers on the rack. Remove them when dry. Generally speaking, incense papers should be made with one tincture rather than mixtures. To use incense papers, simply remove one paper and hold it above your censer. Light one tip with a match, and after it is completely involved in flame, quickly blow it out. Place the glowing paper in your censer and let it smolder, visualizing or working your Magickal ritual. Incense papers should burn slowly and emit a pleasant scent.
Plain unscented papers can be used in place of charcoal blocks. For this purpose soak the papers in the potassium nitrate solution and let dry, then set one alight in the censer. Sprinkle a thin layer of the incense over the paper. As it burns the paper will also smolder your incense. You may have difficulty in keeping incense paper lit. The secret here is to allow air to circulate below the papers. You can ensure this by either placing the paper on some heat-proof object in the censer, or by filling the censer with salt or sand and thrusting one end of the paper into this, much as you might with incense sticks. The paper should burn all the way to its end.
Stick Incense
Add more trag glue to the mixed incense and base until the mixture is wet but still rather thick. The trick here is in determining the proper thickness of the incense/trag mixture and in finding appropriate materials to use. Try homemade wooden or bamboo splints, broom straws, very thin twigs, or those long wooden cocktail skewers. Dip the sticks into the mixture, let them sit upright and then dip again. Several dippings are usually necessary; this is a most difficult process.
When the sticks have accumulated a sufficient amount of the incense, poke them into a slab of clay or some other substance so that they stand upright. Allow them to dry. One variation on stick incense making uses a stiffer incense dough. Pat down the dough on waxed paper until it is very thin. Place the stick on the dough. Roll a thin coating of dough around the stick. The incense shouldn’t be more than twice the thickness of the stick. Squeeze or press it onto the stick so that it will stay put, and let dry.
The Two Forms of Incense
Two types of incense are used in Magic: the combustible and the noncombustible. The former contains potassium nitrate (saltpeter) to aid in burning, while the latter does not. Therefore combustible incense can be burned in the form of bricks, cones, sticks and other shapes, whereas noncumbustible incense must be sprinkled onto glowing charcoal blocks to release its fragrance.
Noncombustible Incense
Be sure you have all necessary ingredients. If you lack any, decide on substitutions. Each ingredient must be finely ground, preferably to a powder, using either a mortar and pestle or an electric grinder. Some resins won’t powder easily, but with practice you’ll find the right touch. When all is ready, fix your mind on the incense’s goal. In a large wooden or ceramic bowl, mix the resins and gums together with your hands. While mingling these fragrant substances, also mix their energies. Visualize your personal power–vibrating with your Magickal goal–exiting your hands and entering the incense.
Next, mix in all the powdered leaves, barks, flowers and roots. As you mix, continue to visualize or concentrate on the incense’s goal. Now add any oils or liquids that are included in the recipe. Just a few drops are usually sufficient. Once all has been thoroughly mixed, add any powdered stones or other power boosters. The incense is now fully compounded. Empower the incense and it is done. Store in a tightly capped jar. Label carefully, including the name of the incense and date of composition. It is ready for use when needed.
Combustible Incense
Combustible incense (in the form of cones, blocks, and sticks) is fairly complex in its composition, but many feel the results are worth the extra work. Gum tragacanth glue or mucilage is the basic ingredient of all molded incenses. Gum tragacanth is available at some herb stores. It is rather expensive, but a little will last for months. To make tragacanth glue, place a teaspoon of the ground herb in a glass of warm water. Mix thoroughly until all particles are dispersed. To facilitate this, place in a bowl and whisk or beat with an egg beater. This will cause foam to rise, but it can be easily skimmed off or allowed to disperse. The gum tragacanth has enormous absorption qualities; an ounce will absorb up to one gallon of water in a week.
Let the tragacanth absorb the water until it becomes a thick, bitter-smelling paste. The consistency of the mixture depends on the form of incense desired. For sticks (the most difficult kind to make), the mixture should be relatively thin. For blocks and cones a thicker mucilage should be made. This where practice comes in handy; after a session or two you will automatically know when the mucilage is at the correct consistency.
If you can’t find tragacanth, try using gum arabic in its place. This, too, absorbs water. When you have made the trag glue, cover with a wet cloth and set aside. It will continue to thicken as it sits, so if it becomes too thick add a bit of water and stir thoroughly.
Next, make up the incense base:
Cone Incense Base 6 parts ground Charcoal (not self-igniting), 1 part ground Benzoin, 2 parts ground Sandalwood, 1 part ground Orris root (this “fixes” the scent), 6 drops essential oil (use the oil form of one of the ingredients in the incense), 2 to 4 parts mixed, empowered incense.
Mix the first four ingredients until all are well blended. Add the drops of essential oil and mix again with you hands. The goal is to create a powdered mixture with a fine texture. If you wish, run the mixture through a grinder or mortar again until it is satisfactory. Add 2 to 4 parts of the completed and empowered incense mixture. Combine this well with your hands.
Then using a small kitchen scale, weigh the completed incense and add ten percent potassium nitrate. If you’ve made ten ounces of incense, add one ounce potassium nitrate. Mix this until the white powder is thoroughly blended. Next, add the trag glue. Do this a teaspoon at a time, mixing with your hands in a large bowl until all ingredients are wetted.
For cone incense you’ll need a very stiff, dough-like texture. If it is too thick it won’t properly form into cones and will take forever to dry. The mixture should mold easily and hold its shape. On a piece of waxed paper, shape the mixture into basic cone shapes, exactly like the ones you’ve probably bought. If this form isn’t used, the incense might not burn properly. When you’ve made up your cone incense, let it dry for two to seven days in a warm place. Your incense is finished.
Candle Magick: Incense
There are some who believe that incense is unimportant in candle magic. I cannot imagine performing candle magic without the incense. The type that you use may be specified in a specific spell, if that is the case by all means use that. Generally, I use three kings incense as well as vervain. Vervain gives the spell working a little umph. But then again nothing is set in stone.. Be creative.
Incense symbolizes Air… as the smoke rises our thoughts are carried up into the universe.
Daily Aromatherapy Tip
It’s a good idea to rotate use of essential oils. This will reduce the chance of acquiring sensitization from using the same oils over a long period of time. Try to use a wide variety of different essential oils.
Why not try a new one today? Enjoy!
Brought to you by AromaThyme.com
This floral-fruity mist is a great way to refresh tired senses on plane trips, long car rides or anytime
SACHET FOR THE EXPECTANT WITCH
Psychic Replenishment Bath
A SPELL TO FALL OUT OF LOVE WITH ONE’S EX
Be sure you want to break the link_completely.
This is folk-magic, and it works. It can only be worked in Fall, when the black walnuts are
ready to harvest. Because it is performed naked, in the dark, it is not suitable for everyone.
You will need:
* a piece of paper from a brown paper bag, freshly torn on all four sides
* a small pencil with no eraser on it * matches
* a black candle — it can be a plain offertory candle, a taper, or a figural candle of a human or a devil.
* black powder incense to which you should add Valerian
Root, Red Pepper, and Mullein Leaves. (If you cannot find
plain black powder incense and those herbs, use an
herb-based mixture containing them, such as Black Arts Incense.)
* nine black walnuts still in their green husks. You will probably have to go into the country
for these — they are not sold in stores.
* a silver-colored metal bowl.
Place the walnuts in the bowl. Undress at midnight on a night when the moon is dark.
Take all the supplies into your bathroom.
In the dark, with no light, write your ex-lover’s name on the piece of paper, and say
[Name of Person],
this is the last time I will write your name!
Light the candle, use the candle to light the incense, look at the name paper and say
[Name of Person],
this is the last time I will see your name!
Fold the paper in half so the name can no longer be seen.
Draw a hot bath and throw the nine black walnuts into it. The water may turn brownish.
Get into the bath with the walnuts. Pour the dark water over your head nine times and each
time you pour it, say:
[Name of Person], I wash you out of my life.
Arise from the bath and pull the plug.
As the water runs out, pick up the candle and hold it over the bath water.
Take the person’s name-paper in your other hand and set it on fire with the candle.
As it burns, say:
[Name of Person], I burn you out of my life.
Drop the burning paper into the bath water, wait a brief moment, then plunge the candle
upside down into the bath water to extinguish it while you say:
[Name of Person], I extinguish you.
Do not dry yourself with a towel, only let the air dry you.
When the water has all run out, collect the nine walnuts (and the husk fragments) and
place them back in the bowl. Now, still entirely naked, walk outside carrying the bowl of
walnuts and throw them away at a crossroads or street intersection or, if that is impossible,
throw them against a tree — but be careful to not drop any pieces of them in
your own yard. As you throw away the walnuts, say:
[Name of Person], you are dead to me
And dead to me you’ll always be
Wander the world both near and far
But touch me not, for dead you are!
Carry the empty bowl home without looking back, wash it out, and put it away.
As long as you never write or speak the person’s full name again, he or she will remain
out of your life and your former love will be broken.
VARIANT:
Get 9 Walnuts and boil them in 3 quarts of water until the water evaporates down to
1 quart in volume and turns brown. Then place the walnuts and their water in the bowl,
as described above, and proceed as described except that when it_comes time to throw
the Black Walnuts into the bath with their husks, throw in the
boiled walnuts with their quart of brown water.
RITUAL FOR FERTILITY
STAY AWAY SPELL
In a small pot, crush items that the person you are wishing away hates (say, if they hate
china berries, then crush those!) While you crush, visualize that person staying away from
a certain place. When everything is crushed, then add the four representations of the elements.
these are: 1 pinch of salt (earth,) 1 sprinkle of water (water),
something flaming, (fire) (dip in, then pull out three times),
and incense (air) (do the same as the fire)
Crush again. Before putting in elements, ask the lord and lady to bless them for you,
so that they may work their purpose faster, longer, and stronger.
Visualize the person staying away, while you chant :
“Berries of the trees, make true the wish to me.
Keep (name of person) away from here,
so that I may rejoice and cheer”
Then, smear a bit of the mixture over whatever you want the person to stay away from.
Ritual for Healing a Relationship
Healing a rift with someone close to you often requires an initial period of reflection on what has disturbed the relationship and what will bring about reconciliation. How can we open our hearts? What will ease our minds and soothe our bodies?
Here is a simple but powerful two-part ritual to help you begin the process of healing your relationship, and begin anew.
Lighting incense, particularly one with a fragrance connected with comfort, such as sandalwood, can help create a soothing atmosphere for such reflection. Choose a quiet place, perhaps where the disagreement took place. Or you might sit in front of your home altar with symbols before you of the relationship that needs healing. These symbols can be letters, photos, pages from your journal, anything that speaks of the person or persons involved.
Light the incense. Breathe in its therapeutic scent. Lift up your shoulders and roll them three times forward and three times backward until they are fully relaxed. Allow the incense to burn out completely.
Sometimes we don’t know why or how division has pushed us away from the people or places we care about. Separation sometimes just happens. Other times we remember harsh words, misunderstandings, and exclusions from the fold. It all hurts, but the pain does not have to last forever.
A phone call, a letter, even an email, can be the beginning of erasing the line of separation. As long as the goal is pure, coming together again can happen.
Choose an incense fragrance that is completely new to you. Try one that is pleasant and light to reflect your cleansing, perhaps a citrus scent, which is associated with fresh energy. You might enjoy one of the delightful fragrance sticks imbued with a fruity aroma, such as mango, strawberry, melon, berry, or pear. By opening yourself up to something as simple as a different fragrance, you begin the path to other changes. In your own way, ask for the strength and clarity to bring about change in your life and your relationships.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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