Learn how to use herbs magically instead of merely approaching them from a medicinal perspective. I might do a medicinal use article later but for members only. Anyway!
Herbs and botanicals can actively engage in every stage of the magical process, starting from their cultivation, harvesting, and preservation, to the various forms they can take in your magical endeavours.
In this article, we’ll focus on a few ways you can utilise herbs and botanicals for magical purposes.
However, always keep in mind that these herbs and plant allies possess their own unique energy and spirit, deserving of utmost respect and reverence when incorporated into your magical practices.
Incense
Combining herbs and resins together allows you to create smoke offerings and incense, offering a powerful tool for magical purposes. Crafting a basic working incense can be a straightforward procedure or a more involved elaborate process with dozens of stages.
For the simplest method, select the herbs and resins that align best with your intention and empower them in any way you desire.
From this point, you can either gently mix the herbs together or venture into the art of blending them. To achieve a well-balanced blend, you will need a Mortar & Pestle. Begin by adding your chosen herbs to the mortar and pestle, grinding them together to facilitate the mingling of their oils and ensure a uniform burn. This interaction allows the spirits of the plants to connect and harmonize.
To light the incense, prepare a heatproof container, charcoal disks, and a lighter. Carefully place a small amount of the incense on the disk, taking care not to smother it.
If you follow a complex process, consider the type of mortar and pestle to use—wood, stone, or other materials. Take into account the moon or seasonal cycle that corresponds to your intention. Additionally, remember to cleanse the mortar and pestle, as well as the working area, before commencing the incense-making ritual. You may choose to bless each herb or speak charms over them before incorporating or grinding them. Furthermore, consider making offerings to the plants you intend to use and summon any spirits you wish to collaborate with on this incense. Finally, decide whether to grind the herbs in a widdershins or deosil direction, based on your magical preferences.
Magical Poppets
When you’re practicing magic, you’ll often find that herbs are a common ingredient in the creation and maintenance of poppets or dolls.
Consider placing herbs inside your poppets as a way of preparing them to become either a fetish or an “ensouled” doll. There are many herbs perfect for this ensoulment purpose. After your doll becomes ensouled, it can serve as a valuable magical ally in many different types of future magical endeavours.
Now, when we create poppets for magical purposes, like forming a body for a larger spirit workforce, we often turn to a combination of herbs. You can prepare an herb mixture and fill a clay or material body with it. This method not only gives your spell greater mobility but also the ability to pursue a subject. This way, you can imbue herbs with a wide range of abilities.
In the realm of sympathetic magic, we use poppets to cast spells on a targeted individual. While these poppets are infamously known for curses, they are often used for healing as well. As a time-honoured technique, you can place herbs inside a poppet to facilitate healing. This practice emphasises how to use herbs magically and how they can become an essential tool in your magical workings.
Offerings
As a weaver of magic, you can present unique gifts to spirits using blends or single herbs and flowers. Remember, many spirits have a preference for certain herbs as offerings. You can lay these herbs in bowls or even create an artful display on your altar.
When leaving herbs for an offering, consider infusing them with power, energy, or charming them into action. This method not only personalises your offering but also amplifies its power.
The gathering and creation of the offering should coincide with specific days of power, during unique times of power. By adhering to these periods and the rituals associated with them, you’re not just increasing the potency of your herbs but also showing respect to the spirits of those times. This practice amplifies the versatility of herbs, taking them beyond everyday uses and incorporating them into your magical offerings.
Spell Powders
Powders offer wonderful versatility in the realm of magical practices. Making magical powders is a process similar to that of crafting incense. The outcome depends on your devotion and the effort you put into the powder. However, it also hinges significantly on your comfort level when interacting with the plant spirits. At the basic level, the creation of powders involves grinding down specific herbs to a fine dust using a mortar and pestle.
You can then use this prepared powder for a range of magical purposes, such as candle magic, sigil writing or other types of magical applications. This illustrates the importance and utility of powders when you’re exploring how to use herbs magically.
Spell Bags & Charms
If you’re exploring how to use herbs magically, crafting a spell or charm bag offers a straightforward method. Spell bags and charms are popular means for integrating herbs into your magical practice. You select and add herbs to the pouch, not just for their spirits, but also for their magical uses. Once created, you can wear this pouch, hang it over your bed, or place it in significant areas.
Spell bags can cater to a single intention or a fusion of several intentions. A single use implies that you create an herb mix with the support of various plant spirits to achieve one specific goal.
On the other hand, spell bags for multiple intentions employ each herb for a distinct purpose. This way, the bag carries and works on all those intentions simultaneously. So, using herbs magically becomes an essential part of your craft as a weaver of magic.
Simple Spell Work
Having plants on your altar and interacting with their spirits during your magical workings can serve as a potent tool. The placement of botanicals and the sacred symbols they form often become integral components of many altars. Consider creating a circle of herbs around a candle – it’s a simple yet effective magic technique.
Engaging in meditation with a specific plant ally can open up exciting avenues of exploration. Spend time with them and discover what they can teach you. The magical affiliations of these plants often align with the lessons they can impart. They can at least demonstrate how they interact with different elements. The incorporation of herbs in this way truly enhances your magical practices and provides a deeper understanding of how to use herbs magically.
Just a Few I Said...
Well, I started noticing that this article was growing quite lengthy, given that I incorporate herbs into absolutely everything I do. I cultivate them, infuse them, break them down for incense, powders, and more. The possibilities for using herbs magically are endless. If you can envision it, you can utilise it. But for now, I believe we both could use a break from staring at this screen, so I’ll leave it at that.
Speak in Spells again soon!
