Tag: Ingredient

Let’s Talk Witch – Making Magick Potions

Let’s Talk Witch – Making Magick Potions

The art of making potions goes back to the earliest civilizations and in terms of history, as one of the oldest crafts known to humankind. Brewing beer, making wine, and infusing potions are traditions that have been perfected through time. Many of the techniques making a great beer, wine or potion are the same. The mixture is often called a wort. The wort is then put through a process, which in the case of potions, gives it magickal properties.

The different ways of making potions stem from ancient medicinal and alchemical recipes, formulas that you can put together from basic ingredients in the privacy of your own kitchen. Historically magick love potions also called

philters, were often made of unappealing ingredients. You had to be extremely thristy or unaware of the contents to sip one. Today, this isn’t the case as most potion ingredients are tasty and appealing.

Potion brews can be anything from an herb tea to a fruit smoothie. One of the main things to remember when making any potion is to make it taste good if a person is going to drink it. If you are using a potion primarily for its scent, for example in a powder form, then make sure it smells good. Try to avoid unfortunate situations like the infamous wizard Aleister Crowley found himself in when he developed a perfume potion for sex magick called “It.” Great idea Aleister, but nothing came of “It,” because the stuff reputedly had a horrid smell!

Before you make your potion, be sure that you have all the ingredients and tools you will need at your fingertips. Following is a list of potion-making tools you will need:

*A ceramic, earthenware, glass, or wood bowl

*A pot, preferably one that is NOT made of metal, for brewing the potion

*A wooden spoon for stirring the potion

*Cheesecloth for straining the potion

*A mortar and pestle for grinding potion ingredients

*A container for the potion

Clean, preferably sterilize, all of your tools, especially the potion container. You can clean containers by carefully pouring boiling water into them, or you can put the container in the dishwasher, running it through the entire cycle and turning on the heat/dry cycle. This also does a good job of sterilizing contatiners. If you don’t have time to properly clean the chalice, cup, glass or other containers the potion is going in, then just make sure that it is as clean as possible. Any residue may taint the potion.

The kind of water you use is important when preparing a magick potion. Spring, well, rain, and distilled waters are better than tap water, which often contains chemicals such as chlorine and fluoride. Well water with no harmful contaminants can be used; rain water can be used as long as there aren’t any pollutants in it; and distilled water can be used for potions, but it is inert. Unless the recipe calls for it, I seldom use sea water or mineral water due to their mineral content.

Witches and wizards make potions by mixing one, two, a few or many ingredients together into one. Sometimes the ingredients are used just as they are. Other times they are ground up, shredded, pureed or crushed with your fingers or with the mortar and pestle. The herbs that go into your potion can be either fresh or dried. If you use fresh herbs, it take three times more of them than dried herbs. For example, if a potion recipe calls for one teaspoon of dried sage leaves and you want to use fresh sage, it would take three teaspoons of fresh sage to make the potion.

Processes call infusions and decoctions are also employed. An infusion, the most common method of internal herbal preparation, is usually in the form of a tea. It can also take the form of magick water. The infusion method works best when the potion you are making requires soft plant parts, such as leaves, flowers or green steams.

When using the infusion method of preparing potions, there are a couple of things you can do to make your potion more effective. One thing is to brew aromatic ingredients such as garlic and clove, in a pot with a lid that fits

on tight. The reason for this is to keep from losing the natural oils of the aromatic ingredients to evaporation. These natural oils are important for the effectiveness of the potion.

Some ingredients are sensitive to heat, so you can make a cold infusion by soaking the herbs in water for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours. A sealed earthenware pot is best for cold infusions. When preparing potions using the infusion method, only make enough for immediate use as infusions rapidly lose their potency.

The method for making a decoction potion is similar to the infusion. You begin by grinding your ingredients into a powder that you can then make your potions. Ingredients that are hard, such as bark and stems, require more heat to release their magickal properties. The use of more heat to release the natural oils of an ingredient is primary difference between the infusion and decoction methods of potion making.

The decoction method would be the one most associated with the traditional use of magick cauldrons. In this way, dried herbal ingredients are ground into powder and are cut into small piedes, and then added to the potion. The potion is made in a pot, and the ingredients are simmered and boiled in order to release their magickal properties. Again in the case of aromatic ingredients, you should use a lid on the pot to slow the evaporation process. The amount of time that you heat the mixture depends on the potion recipe. Usually decoction are strained to eliminate the hard bark and stems before using them.

At times, potions use both methods in their recipe. In this case prepare the two separately as a decoction and infusion, and then mix the ingredients together after the decoction has cooled. By doing so, the infusion ingredients are not ruined by the heat that the decoction process requires. Always stir clockwise.

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Making Your Own Incense

Making Your Own Incense

Things You’ll Need

Herbs, woods and resins
Mortar and pestle
Makko
Bamboo sticks
Gloves

Incense is used in many cultures for purposes such as accents in religious ceremonies or aromatherapy. The process to make incense sticks is fairly simple and can be very rewarding to those interested in creating their own scent.

1. Decide what kind of incense you want to make and purchase the proper ingredients and supplies.

2. Research different incense recipes based on the scents and herbs that you prefer and gather these materials along with tools to prepare to make stick incense.

You will need at least 3 ingredients: an herb, a resin and a wood. You will also need binding materials such as gum Arabic, makko (an incense powder ingredient derived from tree bark), and charcoal to make the mixture combustible.

3. Gather your ingredients, according to your preferred scent strength, along with bamboo sticks and prepare to mix.

4. Crush your herbs or solid ingredients in equal parts to make a smooth powder. Use a mortar and pestle for best results.

5. Combine all dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Add makko.

6. Allow the mixture to sit overnight.

7. Prepare distilled water or fragrant hydrosol and add to your incense mixture slowly.

The mixture will need to be pliable, not runny and able to adhere to the bamboo sticks.

8. Knead the incense dough thoroughly.

9. Roll your mixture onto the bamboo sticks, allowing the mixture to coat the stick evenly.

10. Lay the sticks on a drying rack to enable them to dry evenly.

11. Allow your incense sticks to dry for 1 to weeks prior to attempting to use them.

Tips

Keep incense sticks out of direct sunlight and heat while they are drying.

Experiment with different herb, wood and resin combinations until you obtain a mixture that is most pleasing to you. Also, try other methods of incense making to become familiar with the mixing process and learn how to use the ingredients.

Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands while you mix ingredients and form them onto incense sticks.

Depending upon which scent you choose, sandalwood versus frankincense for instance, you may need only 10% of makko added to the mixture.

Break up incense sticks that didn’t produce the expected end result and try the process again.

Warnings

Never attempt to dry incense by baking or microwaving it as this creates a fire hazard.

Don’t allow incense to burn unattended. Always burn incense in a well-ventilated area away from pets and children.

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Creating Spells from Scratch

Creating Spells from Scratch

by Skye Alexander

People who are new to magick often ask if it’s okay for them to create their own spells. The answer is a resounding yes. Think of it this way: someone, somewhere had to come up with the idea for the first spell, and the hundreds of thousands of spells after that. Personally created spells are often considered a very important step in the witch’s training and adeptness.

Once you’ve become familiar with casting spells and adapting existing spells for your individual purposes, you’re ready to design your own, original spells from scratch. Other than your fundamental knowledge of magick, you no longer have a construct to work from. You must devise all the actions, symbols, timing, wording, and other components of the spell yourself — that’s what makes creating original spells so exciting. It’s like being the composer of a piece of music and the performer as well.

Combining Components

The components you include in a spell should support, strengthen, balance, and harmonize with one another. They should also be items you feel comfortable using. Some witches enjoy working with flowers, herbs, and other botanicals. Others have a fondness for gemstones and crystals. No one type of ingredient is inherently better than another, but your feelings will certainly influence a spell’s outcome.

Keep your objective in mind at all times as you select ingredients. For instance, if you are making a love talisman, you might want to include pairs of ingredients: two rose petals, two pieces of rose quartz, etc. Consider the symbolism of each component and how well it aligns with your intention. A ring is a powerful symbol to put in a love talisman; a coin clearly symbolizes an intention to attract wealth.

Choosing your own ingredients, rather than following a prescribed formula, allows you to fine-tune a spell to your specific needs. Let’s say you’re doing a prosperity spell to help you (1) attract money and (2) hold on to it. To achieve both objectives, you could combine a piece of aventurine with a piece of hematite. Once you understand the basic natures and symbolism of various components, you can mix-and-match them to create exactly the right combination of energies.

Designing Steps and Procedures

In cooking, it’s necessary to follow certain steps and procedures in a particular order. The same is true in spell-casting. Following these steps will help you create spells that are just as effective as those you learn from a book or from another magician.

  • Boil down the purpose of the spell to a word or short phrase.
  • Find the ingredients suited to your goal (by using correspondence lists in this and/or other resource books).
  • Determine the best possible timing for the spell (see Chapter 18).
  • Decide if you want to include an affirmation or incantation. If so, write it so that it describes your components and your goal.
  • Cleanse and bless all the items you will be using as part of the spell (this rids them of unwanted energies).
  • Consider any actions that might help support the magick and where best to insert them in the spell-casting process (for example, lighting a candle at the outset to illustrate your intention).
  • Prepare yourself and the space where you’ll cast the spell, as described further along in this chapter.
  • Focus your will to raise energy and guide it mentally toward your objective, then release it and trust in the outcome.
  • Keep a journal (or grimoire) of your results for future reference.

It’s not necessary to always follow every step of this process. There will be moments when you can’t conduct a spell at “just the right time,” or when you don’t have perfectly suitable components. Some spells don’t require numerous ingredients or actions — a visualization or simple statement of intent may be all that’s necessary. Your thoughts and your will are the most important components of any spell; the rest are optional.

Adapting Spells

Adapting Spells

by Skye Alexander

Today, you’ll find many books on spellcraft that contain instructions for casting spells. You can also purchase ready-made kits that include all the ingredients necessary for a spell. Nonetheless, if those instructions or ingredients don’t make sense to you or break your personal ethics, the spell will not work.

The best spells are those you create yourself or adapt to suit your own purposes. The process of collecting ingredients, preparing them, and designing the steps of your spell focuses your mind on your intention and adds energy to the spell. Sometimes you must adapt a tried-and-true spell because you can’t get the designated components. For example, if you lived in New England and used ash leaves or bark in protection spells but then moved to Texas, you would not be able to find such plant life; you could then compensate by substituting another ingredient, such as basil.

One of the beauties of spellcraft is its versatility. Spellcraft, of course, isn’t a fixed, rigid dogma; it’s a living, growing body of knowledge and experience that continues to expand as the number of witches working magick grows.

With the previous example in mind, it’s easy to see that there will be many times when a witch or Wiccan will want to adapt a spell or devise one of her own. How do you begin the process? Adapting a spell is far easier than creating one, so let’s start there. When a witch examines a spell, she looks for continuity and comprehensiveness.

  • Does the spell target your goal through its words, actions, and components?
  • Does it do so on a multisensual level (involving your hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell)?
  • Does every part of the spell make sense and excite your higher sentiments?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, try to find a substitute. To illustrate, many old love spells call for blood as a component. But modern awareness of disease (or squeamishness) might make blood inappropriate. Instead a witch could use red wine. The red juice from crushed raspberries, strawberries, or passion fruit (fruits associated with love) would also work well. In this manner, she can still follow the basic spell while relying on components that are safe and support her ethics.

Choosing Components for Spells

Choosing Components for Spells

by Skye Alexander

It is reasonably safe to say that there is not a stone, plant, animal, or other natural object that hasn’t been used at one time or another for magickal purposes. This book has already discussed the importance of symbolism and imagery in spellcraft, and how witches use sympathy and similars to work magick. As you concoct your own spells, pay attention to the images and symbols you include and notice how you react to them. Choosing and combining the right ingredients is essential to spellworking.

If you think of a spell as a magickal recipe, you’ll understand why the components (that is, the ingredients) are so important. If the components are not measured correctly, if they are not added to the mix at the right time, if you don’t give them enough time to “bake” properly, the magick goes awry.

A good spell component is anything that’s essential to the recipe, something that builds the energy until it’s just right. Each component should resonate with the nature of your intention. All the ingredients must blend on a metaphysical level. Their energies should complement one another and contribute to the outcome. Of course, the witch herself is the key component of any spell.

To illustrate this point, following are some possible components for a prosperity spell.

  • Animal symbolism: rabbits (known for their prolificacy)
  • Gemstones: aventurine, tiger-eye, turquoise
  • Color symbolism: gold or silver (the color of coins)
  • Herbs: saffron (the herb of kings), mint
  • Numeric symbolism: four or eight
  • Timing: during the waxing moon (to inspire growth)

You might wish to compile a list of appropriate components, then design a spell that combines the ones you like best or have access to. Putting such a list together provides numerous options for a witch. He could burn a gold candle, put mint leaves and a piece of aventurine in a talisman, tie eight knots in a cord and wear it for eight days, or carry a gold coin in his pocket.

A good working knowledge of components is essential to effective spellcraft; over time, you’ll know by heart which items to use, just as an experienced cook knows what to put into a soup or pie. Let your intuition and imagination guide you as you choose and combine ingredients.

Let’s Talk Witch – Creating Your Own Spells

phantasmal_familiar_by_rebelkitty-d5iar4f

Let’s Talk Witch – Creating Your Own Spells

People who are new to magick often ask if it’s okay for them to create their own spells. The answer is a resounding yes. Think of it this way: someone, somewhere had to come up with the idea for the first spell, and the hundreds of thousands of spells after that. Personally created spells are often considered a very important step in the witch’s training and adeptness.

Once you’ve become familiar with casting spells and adapting existing spells for your individual purposes, you’re ready to design your own, original spells from scratch. Other than your fundamental knowledge of magick, you no longer have a construct to work from. You must devise all the actions, symbols, timing, wording, and other components of the spell yourself—that’s what makes creating original spells so exciting. It’s like being the composer of a piece of music and the performer as well.

The components you include in a spell should support, strengthen, balance, and harmonize with one another. They should also be items you feel comfortable using. Some witches enjoy working with flowers, herbs, and other botanicals. Others have a fondness for gemstones and crystals. No one type of ingredient is inherently better than another, but your feelings will certainly influence a spell’s outcome. Keep your objective in mind at all times as you select ingredients. For instance, if you are making a love talisman, you might want to include pairs of ingredients: two rose petals, two pieces of rose quartz,etc. Consider the symbolism of each component and how well it aligns with your intention. A ring is a powerful symbol to put in a love talisman; a coin clearly symbolizes an intention to attract wealth.

Choosing your own ingredients, rather than following a prescribed formula, allows you to fine-tune a spell to your specific needs. Let’s say you’re doing a prosperity spell to help you

(1) attract money and

(2) hold on to it.

To achieve both objectives, you could combine a piece of aventurine with a piece of hematite. Once you understand the basic natures and symbolism of various components, you can mix and match them to create exactly the right combination of energies.

NON-COMBUSTIBLE INCENSE

NON-COMBUSTIBLE 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 I first worked with herbs I
couldn’t powder frankincense. It kept on gumming to the sides of the mortar and
to the tip of the pestle. After a while I stopped fighting it (and cursing it,
I’ll admit-not a good thing to do with herbs used in incenses) and got into the
flow of the work. The frankincense came out just fine.

When all is ready, fix your mind on the incense’s goal-protection, love, health.
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 magical goal-exiting your
hands and entering the incense. It is this that makes homemade incense more
effective than its commercial counterparts.

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 (wine, honey, etc.) that are included in the recipe.
Just a few drops are usually sufficient. On the subject of oils: If there’s a
sufficient amount of dry ingredients in the recipe, you can substitute an oil
for an herb you lack. Simply ensure that the oil an essential oil, for
synthetics smell like burning plastic when smoldered.

Once all has been thoroughly mixed, add any powdered gem-stones or other power
boosters. A few-not many-of the recipes in this book call for a pinch of
powdered stone.

To produce this, simply take a small stone of the required type and pound it in
a metal mortar and pestle (or simply smash it with a hammer against a hard
surface). Grind the resulting pieces into a powder and add no more than the
scantiest pinch to the incense.

One general power-boosting “stone” is amber. A pinch of this fossilized resin
added to any mixture will increase its effectiveness, but this can be rather
expensive.

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.

Bright Blessings Potion

Bright Blessings Potion

 
 
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup club soda
4 ice cubes
 
As you put each of the ingredients one by one, into the blender, empower them with the blessings of the Goddess and God. You can do this by simply dedicating each ingredients to a favorite Divine presence. Blend all the ingredients until the potion is thick and smooth. As you slowly sip the potion, think of all the blessings in your life such as the people who love you and the many opportunities you have been given. Feel the joy of these blessings coursing through you as you drink the potion.
 
Makes one large serving.