Dancing Down the Moon 4.0 Archive

Magical Herbs and Oils

Herbalism of any kind is a lifelong study, but everyone has to start somewhere. Some books list what the authors consider "vital" herbs for the average Witch's cabinet, but said authors are obviously subsidized by herb farms to afford half the stuff they want you to stock. Pagans, as a general rule, are not wealthy. Historically speaking your average cunning man was not rolling in money either, so the traditions of substitution and improvisation evolved through trial and error. As a Hearth Priestess I've gathered quite a collection of herbs and oils in small quantities, but there are tried-and-true varieties that I return to again and again.

1. Rosemary

Rosemary was one of the first plants to be used as an incense. The really wonderful thing about it is that, in a pinch, you can use rosemary as a substitute for any other herb and get good results. Rosemary is used for protection, love, lust, mental clarity, purification, healing, banishing, and cleansing. It rids any place of negative energy and drives away nightmares. Stuff it in a healing poppet or scatter it at your door to keep nasties away from your home. The scent of rosemary oil also aids the memory.

2. Lavender

Lavender is another general-purpose herb, though its energy is gentler than that of rosemary. It aids in sleep, purification, peace, love, and smelling nice. It also repels pests. The scent is said to disperse sorrow, promote long life, and give good health. The oil, which is fairly cheap and plentiful, is a mild antiseptic and one of the very few essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin undiluted without unpleasant results. The oil aids in healing burns, bug bites, and mild abrasions. Lavender is good to use in any magical operation that involves the heart.

3. Bay

Bay is readily available, being a culinary herb; it is used for protection, purification, physical strength, healing, and the enhancement of psychic powers. The scent of bay is reputedly what the Delphic Oracle used to obtain a trance state. Bay placed in a dream pillow can bring prophetic visions. It wards off negativity and is a bloody excellent protector. If you place bay leaves under your office equipment you'll notice fewer crashes and other technical tragedies (don't laugh, it really works). A popular "game" back in the day was to write your wishes on bay leaves and then burn them, letting the smoke carry your desires to the gods.

4. Dragon's Blood

This is one amazing resin, which comes from a species of palm tree. It is a very powerful protectant and banisher of all manner of nasties both astral and temporal. It doesn't mess around; since it is kind of pricey, and so potent, most people only bring it out when it's time to open a magical can of Whoopass. There is no true Dragon's Blood essential oil (or if there is it's extremely rare), as the resin contains very little moisture, but there are a number of synthetics and oil/tincture combinations that achieve some semblance of the smell.

5. Sage

Sage is a hand-me-down, and a fantastic one, from our Native American cousins. It is a strong purifier used before many rituals, and it eliminates negative energy in the home and everywhere else. It is also utilized in healing rituals. Sage grows well here in Texas, and once you get used to that sweatsocks smell you get to like it quite a bit. If white sage is too pungent for you there are other varieties with different aromas. The essential oil is EXTREMELY POISONOUS, and since the plant is quite fragrant there's no reason on earth to risk using the oil. If you want an oil with sage's properties, try clary sage.

6. Patchouly

Patchouly is all about money, sex, and dirt. It's an earthy herb that looks like potting soil and smells like an aging hippie, but there are few better choices for use in finding a job, a house, a monetary windfall, or someone to shag. Patch vibrates the lower chakras and gets your mojo working. In olden times it was reportedly used interchangeably in spells calling for "graveyard dust." It also does a fine job of covering up the smell of pot, which of course I know nothing about.

7. Chamomile

One of the most popular herbal teas, chamomile is widely used for sleep, peace, happiness, and love-related spells. The tea is a wonderful way to induce peaceful slumber and sweet dreams even if you don't magically charge it. Add chamomile to the bath to attract love, including self-love. It is also a gentle protector and aids in meditation. The essential oil is ghastly expensive, Roman chamomile being the cheapest, but the flower itself is easy to find and works well for magical applications. The essential oil of German chamomile is blue.

8. Lemon

Another cheapie; all the citrus essential oils are a steal, and the fruit itself is wallet-friendly. Lemon oil is an excellent cleanser for magical tools and can be added to household cleaning products to purify the home. Lemon promotes healing and friendship, attracts love, and evokes Spring. The oil is a bit irritating to the skin if left undiluted.

9. Cinnamon

I love cinnamon, even though I'm allergic to it. The reason I find it so useful is not so much that it promotes spirituality, success, healing, psychic powers, lust, love, and protection; I love it because it's so easy to use. You can bake cinnamon into almost any dessert, thereby creating a sort of semi-incense state that releases its energies. If you're planning to burn it straight, start with the sticks and crush them for a purer scent. The Egyptians adored the stuff as well, and mixed it with a variety of other powders in temple incenses. Cinnamon-laced cookies and other treats encourage love and cooperation among your kindred. Oddly enough, most of what is sold as cinnamon in the West is actually cassia; usually there isn't a difference in how it behaves magically, but if you are a purist you can buy genuine cinnamon bark from gourmet catalogs (and pay gourmet prices for it).

10. Sandalwood

Last, but not least, the mother of all good-smelling things. Sandalwood is expensive, rare, and precious; it is grown commercially only in India, where each tree is numbered and protected by the government. Even then, the supply is dwindling with the trendiness of "new age" stuff like incense and oils. Sandalwood oil's price tag will probably give you an embolism, so buy in small quantities and guard it like gold. The powder and chips, which are byproducts of the sandalwood carving industry in India, are cheaper and make fantastic incense. What does sandalwood do? What doesn't it do! Sandalwood is an all-purpose ritual incense; it aids in any magic involving healing, protection, love, spirituality, sex, or general yumminess. The Indian folk also used to build entire temples out of sandalwood. A bit of the powder will give almost any herbal blend a magical boost and can even out the most prickly of scents. It's one of the few things that can mask the reek of valerian.