Witchcraft is a nature-based religion and I would like to believe that most witches have a reasonable knowledge of herbs and plants (botanicals) to enable them to make incense and alternative healing aids.

Plants play an important role in a witch’s life.  Witches work with Nature’s energies, Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit; as well as planetary influences and the powerful energies of the Moon, and of course, not forgetting the important Elementals.  Plants are amazing, not only do they have their own ‘life force’ (Spirit), but they also incorporate all of Nature’s energies - grown in Earth, fed by Air and Rainwater, nourished by the heat of the Sun and the power of the Moon.

Every plant is ruled by a specific planet, and planets have their own energies to give aid to works of magick.  If you were doing a spell or making a talisman for love it would be a good idea to use plants ruled by Venus (rose, geranium, apple blossom); for money spells you could use plants ruled by Jupiter (Borage, Dandelion, Oak); for healing spells plants ruled by the Sun (Marigold, Bay, St John’s Wort).  There are numerous books that list the planetary rulers of plants and it is a good idea to collect a few plants from each planetary group so your materials are at hand when you need them.

Making your own incense will help to further empower your spellwork and rituals, or just to burn in your home to add a pleasant aroma or change of atmosphere (far more environmentally friendly than using all those awful chemical air fresheners).  You should try to select the right plant materials for the spell, ritual or mood you have in mind.  Ideally make sure you collect your herbs/flowers/plant materials during the correct phase of the moon or the correct day of the week – this all adds to the success and potency of your incense.  Only select healthy, unblemished plants, picked during dry weather conditions when the leaves, flowers etc are fresh and dry.  Do not strip the plants completely; always leave them to continue growing.  Leave an offering such as bread or a crystal at the base of the plant or carry out a more elaborate ceremony prior to picking the plant, using candles, incense and chanting, but always ask permission of the spirit of the plant for what you are taking.  

Once you have picked your materials, dry them in a warm place – either hang them in a warm well-ventilated dry room or, for smaller amounts, you can place them in an airing cupboard to dry, perhaps on some kitchen paper.  When your plant materials are completely dry they can be put into clean screw top jars and carefully labelled for use when you need them.  Just take your time and build your stock up slowly.  Materials such as resins, ie Frankincense, copal, myrrh and other materials such as Mandrake root, dragons blood etc) do have to be purchased.  These resins will add a bit of ‘depth’ to your incense and help it to burn better.  

With dried plant materials and a couple of resins, making incense is extremely simple.  Place the dried plant materials and resins of your choice into a pestle and mortar and grind them together, making the incense as coarse or as fine as you wish.  I must confess I get great pleasure from grinding up my own incense, putting my own energies and power into the mixture, creating my own scents; so much more satisfying than buying a jar of ready made incense from a shop.  The incense is then sprinkled onto a lit charcoal block to burn slowly, releasing all its wonderful scent and energies.

Incidentally, there are misconceptions about the types of materials witches use for their potions, we do not in fact boil up strange ingredients in our cauldrons: “eye of newt”,  “dragons blood”, etc  are local folk names which were given to plants (possibly to disguise the ingredients so as to keep potions secret) – Ass’s Ear is the folk name for Comfrey, Bull’s Foot is the folk name for Coltsfoot,

Dead Mans Fingers is the folk name for Foxglove, Wing of Bat is Holly, Eye of newt is daisy and so on.

Making a Magick Oil using Freshly picked or dried plants

Fresh or dried plant materials can also be used to make a simple magick oil to use for candle anointing etc in your spellwork.  This is called a macerated oil.

Put a ‘carrier’ oil in a sterilised glass jar or wide neck bottle.  Carrier oils can be something simple such as Sweet almond Oil or Grapeseed oil.  Add some freshly picked plant material (leaves, flowers, etc), to the oil and leave for a couple of weeks.  For example if you wanted to make a magick oil for love potions you could add red rose petals, for money oil you could add oak leaves or honeysuckle flowers etc.  Always make sure you use clean dry plant materials that are free from blemishes.  You could use dried plant materials if fresh are not readily available.

At the end of a couple of weeks the oil should have taken on the ‘properties’ of the plant material you have put into it and some of the scent.  Strain the oil and discard the plant materials – put the oil into a fresh sterilised bottle or jar and label.

©  Julie Forest 2008

Julie Forest is a fully initiated New Forest Witch, qualified Aromatherapist and a Reiki Master.  Julie gives talks on witchcraft and runs witchcraft/ Wiccan workshops once a month at her home in the New Forest, as well as giving Reiki healing and attunements.  She is a dedicated vegetarian and has been interested in alternative therapies, natural healing and natural magick all her life.  Julie uses her own herbs, essential oils and natural products for healing, casting spells and for making her own cosmetics and soaps. Julie’s hand made products, soaps, spell kits and magick oils are well known in the New Forest and sold at a selection of outlets. Julie first moved to Burley in the New Forest when she was 25, and it was during her years there that her love of nature and natural folklore expanded. Julie has appeared on BBC television in connection with Sybil Leek and Witchcraft in the New Forest. She has also been interviewed for radio, various TV chat shows and numerous newspapers. www.intrinsic-magick.co.uk