The Real Witches’ Kitchen: Spells, recipes, oils, lotions and potions from the Witches’ Hearth
2 tsp lavender
1 tsp crushed juniper berries
4 crushed bay leaves
1 tsp salt
Self-Control Bath
For use when trying to break old habits or when going on a diet.
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp fennel
1 tsp sage
1 tsp lavender
Healing Bath
4 tsp lavender
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp rose petals
1 tsp salt
This is especially helpful after childbirth, in which case the salt should be increased to 1 tbsp, but then it is not useful for showering.
Easing Coughs and Colds
4 tsp lavender
4 tsp rosemary
4 crushed cloves
You can also add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the water.
Beauty Bath
Place a piece of amber in the bathwater (making sure you retrieve it before pulling the plug) and whilst bathing visualize yourself growing in beauty. Focus on your positive points; try not to think of any negatives at all. It is said that wearing amber also enhances beauty.
3 tsp lavender
3 tsp rose petals
2 tsp rosemary
2 tsp jasmine flowers
Of course you do not have to limit yourself to the recipes given here. Using herbs, flowers and essential oils you can create any number of your own bathing preparations. The secret to successfully creating your own recipes is to take your time in experimenting. Make sure you are relaxed, take a herb and smell it. What does it remind you of? How does it make you feel? Is it uplifting or relaxing? Does it remind you of spring, summer, autumn or winter? If it is edible, taste it and ask yourself the same questions. Secondly, keep a record of your experiments. If, after using a blend, you find you have vivid dreams, then make a note of it. Remember that everyone can react differently to different plants or blends. If a blend intended to give a good night’s rest makes you feel alert and ready to take on the world, then that is how it works for you. Above all, have fun with it.
‘Here I charge you in this sign…’
From earliest times people have used oils to soften the skin, to perfume themselves, to heal and to enhance Magical workings. Some ancient civilizations rarely used soap in any form, preferring to apply oil and then scrape it from the skin, removing not only dirt but also loose dead skin. These days many of us find oil too greasy and prefer to use creams and lotions on a daily basis. However, creams, whether solid or liquid, are simply a way of suspending oil and water in a user-friendly way. To do this effectively other ingredients are added which stop the blend separating out or going off. Whilst it is possible to make your own creams and lotions, blending lanolin, animal fat and water, it is far simpler to start with an unscented lotion or cream which has been mass produced.
The main practical difference between a lotion, cream or oil is in how you intend to use it. If the area to be covered is large, then you will want a lotion, which can be easily spread and is relatively rapidly absorbed. If you are treating a small area or one which requires a level of massage, perhaps a bruise or a sore joint, then a cream may be more practical, being thicker and more slowly absorbed. There is also the matter of preference. For some any cream is too thick, for others a lotion simply does not suit the skin. Oils can be added to baths, as out-lined in the preceding chapter, and whilst you may notice that some of the following recipes are similar, you will also notice some differences. This is because these are intended for direct contact with the skin, rather than the larger dilutions you get in a bath or when using soap. They are Magically no less effective, they are just safer to use undiluted.
Magical application is somewhat different as in this case you want the essence of the ingredients rather than the effects of the base. Additionally many of the following oils need not simply be used on the skin but may be applied to a candle or talisman in the course of Magic or ritual. You can also choose to use the recipe in an oil burner, although you may wish to scale down the quantities and add them direct to the water in the burner.
The following recipes are designed to be used with 3 tbsp of cream, lotion or of base oil. Choose a cream or lotion which is unscented or carries very little obvious perfume and which suits your skin and your pocket. My favourite base lotion is a cheap unscented general purpose handcream which I’ve been using all over very successfully for years. For a cream to be used medicinally I often favour petroleum jelly.
When it comes to selecting a base oil for anointing and Magical work, again choose one which suits your skin and purse. If you can, try out sweet almond, avocado, wheatgerm, apricot kernel and jojoba. Even olive oil works for some people. Select the one you prefer; contrary to the statements of many practitioners, as long as you buy from a reputable source, the oils and your Magical intentions will overcome any so called ‘impurities’ in the cheaper varieties. Often is it worth enquiring at your pharmacy, rather than a New Age or specialist supplier, who may charge more.
When using the following recipes please remember not to use aromatherapy oils, other than lavender, on pregnant women, nursing mothers, babies or children under 12 without consulting an experienced aromatherapist.
Esbat Oil
This is for personal anointing before any Full Moon ritual. It would not usually be used on any candle or object for Magical intent, as either a specially prepared oil or an empowering oil would be used instead.
2 drops frankincense
2 drops rosemary
1 drop jasmine
1 drop sandalwood
Sabbat Oil
An oil for personal anointing before any of the eight Sabbats, this can also be used to anoint the Altar candle at a Sabbat celebration.