emperor’s clouds and mist – fire magic, healing, love, catalysts, mindfulness, passion, sexual health and new energies
jade citrus mint – fire magic, healing, love, catalysts, mindfulness, passion, sexual health and new energies, purification, luck, love, energy, divination, protection, money
white chocolate mocha – dispels nightmares, encourages hard work, removes internal blockages, infuses intentions with stamina, friendship, self-love, fun
Chickweed, lemon balm and aloe Vera shower gel. Feels amazing. Recipe up soon!
Recipe:
3 cups chopped up chick weed
5 tablespoons of aloe vera gel
1 cup chopped up lemon balm
10 drops of essential oil (optional)
2-3 tablespoons of glycerin (the stuff that you use to make jelly with that gets sold in the supermarket)
food colouring (optional)
¼ cup of vodka (optional)
Water
Saucepan
Jug
Whisk
Sieve
Put the herbs into the pot and cover with water. Simmer (but don’t boil!) for about forty minutes. Strain and then mix up glycerin according to instructions. Add to the herb water and stir well. When the water is cool (but not set) add in essential oil, vodka and colouring. Mix and then put in fridge overnight. You don’t have to add vodka but it means it’s preserved for longer.
This shower jelly doesn’t foam (to get it to foam you would have to add liquid soap into the water at some stage) and can be rubbed into skin and not washed off if preferred, as it isn’t oily or soapy.
You could use your own blend of herbs to make it (Although make sure that they are gentle on your skin first, no cinnamon!) and you can even put it into a squeeze bottle for ease of use.
Without vodka it lasts about a week in the fridge. With vodka it lasts about a month.
For the witches (or anyone else) who are into herbs and smelling good.
The magical attributes of the DIY’S according to the herbs used are highlighted in the contents section below in brackets. You can choose one or multiple attributes to focus on while using these products to match your intent.
Contents:
1. Floral facial steam: Leaves your face feeling fresh AF, smelling good. (Protection, love, centering and psychic power)
2. Rose & chamomile bath bags: Relaxing AF, smells good, SUPER CLENSING. (Protection, centering and meditation)
3. Clay and Lavender face mask: We all know clay is dope for our skin, and lavender can never go wrong. (Peace, protection, love, purification)
4. Peppermint foot scrub: Leaves your feet feeling and smelling FIIIINEEE. (Travel, money, healing, luck, strength)
LETS GET STARTED
1. Floral facial steam
YOU WILL NEED (The ingredients below are per 6 treatments so multiply it for as many treatments as you’d like):
-3 100ml jars
-2/3 cup of lavender buds, dried
-1/3 cup of rose petals, dried
-2/3 cup chamomile flowers, dried
METHOD:
Mix up the herbs ad divide them into each jar (roughly half a cup each)
HOW TO USE:
• Remove make up or dirt by using a gentle cleanser • Place herbs in a heatproof bowl (use 4 tablespoons herbs per treatment – each jar is enough for 2 treatments) • Pour one pint of boiling water into a heat proof bowl (USE MOON WATER FOR EXTRA BENEFITS) • Place bowl on a sturdy surface (like a table) and lower face over the bowl (it’s usually best to sit in a chair that is pulled up close to a table) • Place a towel over your head to create a tent over the bowl (the towel helps the steam stay close to the face and not evaporate into the air so quickly) • Stay here for about 15 to 20 minutes- while you are here start by centring yourself, and then think about your intent and what you wish for the herb to bring to you, imagine the steam cleansing away any negativity.
BOOOM YOU ARE NOW CLEANSED AF AND SMELLING CUTEEEE.
2. Rose & chamomile bath bags
YOU WILL NEED (The ingredients below are per 3 treatments so multiply it for as many treatments as you’d like):
-3 Muslin bags
-¾ cup dried rose petals
-¾ cup dried chamomile flowers
-1 ½ cup epsom salts
METHOD: Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Place 1 cup of mixture in each muslin bag. Tie the top of each bag to close tightly.
HOW TO USE:
To use bath tea bag, tie bag to faucet so the water runs through it as the bath fills. Once the bath is full of warm water, remove the bag from the faucet and let it float in the bath. Soak for at least 15 minutes – while doing so, remember to relax, centre yourself, remember your intent and what you wish to get out of this treatment and imagine the salts and hot water clensing away any negative energy.
BOOOOM NOW U R CLENSED AF AND SMELLIN FRESH
3. Clay and Lavender face mask
YOU WILL NEED (once again makes 3 , adjust to your liking):
-3 100 ml jars
-½ cup lavender flower powder
-1 1/8 cup white cosmetic clay
METHOD:
Mix up and divide into jars, roughly half a cup per jar.
HOW TO USE:
At time of use, mix 1 tablespoon of lavender-clay mix with 2-3 teaspoons of water, cooled chamomile tea, or hydrosol, until a paste forms. Spread over the face, avoiding the eyes. Leave for 15 minutes. This mask draws out toxins and negative energy so make sure to visualise the clay mask absorbing the negative energy for maximum effect, meanwhile, pour your intent into this procedure and absorb the lavender and mother earth’s clay into your system. Wash off with warm water and a wash cloth.
BOOOM yo face is untoxic AF super clensed, and smelling damn fineeee.
4. Peppermint foot scrub
What you need (MAKES 3):
-3 250-300(ish)ml jars
-1/3 cup fine sea salt or epsom salt
-¾ cup oil (grapeseed, sweet almond or olive)
-Few drops peppermint essential oil
-¼ cup dried peppermint leaves
METHOD:
Mix ingredients in bowl, divide into jars, roughly 1 cup per jar.
HOW TO USE:
Rub into damp foot in circular motions. Our feet pick up alot of negative energy, and are important because they take us places in the physical world, make sure to focus on your intent and drawing out the negative energy.
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! YOU SMELL FRESH FROM HEAD TO TOE, CLENSED THOROUGHLY, EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY, LOVED!
Hey guys! With the Winter Solstice coming up, I’ve been making candles as gifts for my family and friends. I took pictures of my process in case it might be useful to anyone.
What you will need: -potholders/oven mitts to protect your hands -newspaper -wax -wicks and wick holders -cardboard rolls -dye (optional) -fragrance (optional) -toothpicks/chopsticks/cottonswabs
I’ve made both jar candles (pictured left) and pillar candles (pictured right) but this tutorial is only for pillar candles. The candle I’m making in this tutorial is for someone that has anxiety so the herbs I’m adding are lavender and rose petals for soothing qualities and self love.
FIRST! Make sure that your working area is covered entirely in newspaper. Wax can come off of most hard surfaces but its a lot easier to clean up if you use newspaper because this is can get very MESSY. Next, take cardboard tubes (mine were from toilet paper rolls) and hot glue them to a flat cardboard surface. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO GAPS in between the cardboard roll and the flat surface when you glue them. Otherwise hot wax runs everywhere. I learned this the hard way. Pictured on the left is the first one I made to give you an idea of what it is going to look like.
Next fill a pot about ¼ full with water and set it to a boil. Inside the pot you will place a separate container, preferably disposable or something you will only use for wax, like a coffee tin or a cookie wafer tin (like I’m using) because the inside will be impossible to clean. Don’t allow the water to boil dry. Place your wax inside the disposable tin and allow the water to melt the wax. Keep an eye on your wax in case it gets too hot and catches fire. Once the wax is in liquid form you can add dye and mix it (dye is available at most crafting stores) to make whatever color you want or you can melt a chunk of colored wax from old candles you have during the melting process to make colors. Just make sure that its from the same type of candle you’re making (jar candle wax for jar candles, pillar candle wax for pillar candles) This is also the point where you would add fragrance if you wanted to.
Let the wax cool for a few minutes and pour a little bit into the bottom of the mold, place your wick in the center of the wax and allow it to COOL before you pour more hot wax in to make sure your wick is set in the center of your candle. If the wick isn’t in the center it will burn funny or might not burn at all.
Once the wick has set I use two toothpicks taped together to make sure the wick is held straight up through the center of the candle while I’m pouring the rest of the wax. The toothpicks hold the the wick in place. Then carefully pour in the rest of your wax and sprinkle the top with whatever herbs you are using. Leave to set overnight….
And in the morning peel off the cardboard around it and bam! You have a beautiful candle!
Combine all ingredients! Use in pumpkin pie; pumpkin breads, cookies, and pastries; pumpkin coffee drinks; et cetera!
Chef’s Note: When it comes to spices (especially aromatic ones such as these), it is always best to use whole spices if you can. Carefully toast them in a dry pan until the aroma is strengthened, allow them to cool, and then grind them. This will enhance the flavor and aroma of the spice, giving you the full impact that it has to offer. I personally prefer to use a mortar and pestle (a kitchen one, separate from the one I use for spellwork), which takes more time, but preserves more flavor than a motorized grinder.
Magical Ingredient!
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this recipe is magical in and of itself. Just the flavor alone is something that I crave and savor all year long. Many times has my boyfriend teased me about being a “basic white girl,” at which point, I often agree. I am that person who loves pumpkin so much that I’m there the first day those lattes come out at Starbucks. But what so few realize is that this spice blend is incredibly simple to make at home (and often tastes better than packaged pumpkin pie spice).
However, while I could go on all day about the magical uses for this blend, it would get rather redundant given previous articles about cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. So instead, I’m going to look at nutmeg!
Sweet, warm, and aromatic, nutmeg has an interesting history that is linked very strongly to imperialism, spice trade, and European colonization. The spice with which we are most familiar today is the seed of the nutmeg tree (myristica fragrans), but in truth, the whole fruit is edible and used in culinary traditions. The fruit is harvested from the tree and used in Indonesian cuisine as manisan, while the seed is dried until it separates from its outer shell. A bright red membrane which surrounds the nutmeg kernel inside is harvested and dried, developing a yellow-red color. This membrane, called the aril, is then sold either ground or whole as another familiar spice: mace.
The seed itself is the nutmeg spice with which we are most familiar – the kernel isolated from the fruit and aril. Sold either whole or ground, it is used in cuisines throughout the world and has a history of being used in many European meat dishes, as well as in pastries and spice blends.
Initially nutmeg, like many other spices involved in the spice trade, was a “trade secret” regarding its location. It grew naturally on the Banda Islands, and was traded with mainland Asia. Eventually, the commodity reached the port of Basra, where it was traded with Muslim sailors. From there, it was spread to the rest of Europe where it was prized for both its flavor and as a protective ingredient against plague.
Like many spices, it was part of what drove the Age of Exploration. By the 16th century, its production origins were discovered by Portuguese explorers. Banda was conquered and its spices – nutmeg, mace, and cloves – were traded with the sailors until the Dutch East India Company claimed the island in 1621 (this was not a particularly pleasant scenario – the indigenous Bandanese were effectively wiped out by European settlers through warfare, starvation, exile, slave trade, or disease).
British control of other Bandanese islands were conceded to the Dutch in exchange for Manhattan and New Amsterdam in colonial America, giving full monopoly over to the Company through much of the 17th and 18th centuries. During the Napoleonic Wars, however, Britain regained temporary control of the islands, and used the opportunity to transplant nutmeg trees to other colonies, establishing new plantations for the trade.
((Fun fact: Many foods cooked in colonial America involved the use of nutmeg as a primary flavoring agent. Vanilla was significantly harder to produce and obtain, but nutmeg was easy to transport and lasted much longer, making it a popular spice in the Americas!))
Today, nutmeg continues to be produced primarily in Indonesia and Grenada, which control the majority of the production of nutmeg and mace in the world market. It’s used in cuisines throughout the world, a wonderful flavoring agent for both sweet and savory foods.
In terms of medicine, nutmeg has traditionally been used to encourage digestion and relieve bowel cramping. Under Elizabethan rule, it was used to help ward off the plague due to its pleasant and calming scent (it was widely believed at the time that odor could carry disease). In modern medicine, nutmeg’s health benefits beyond nutrition are virtually negligible, but has been discovered to cause hallucinations in large doses. This is inadvisable, however, as nutmeg can be toxic in doses of more than one teaspoon. (Do not despair for the recipe above – it’s extremely unlikely that anyone would consume a whole jar of pumpkin spice in one sitting!)
Magically speaking, nutmeg is often associated with wealth, luck, love, and divination. Carrying the whole seed as a charm can bring luck in games of chance (making it quite popular in gambling spells), and can ensure good luck while traveling.
The seed can be carried in a purple sachet or strung on a purple thread as a charm to help encourage favorable decisions in legal matters.
Ground nutmeg has been used for money, divination, and love spells in several traditions – the powder can be added to money drawing powders and sachets, sprinkled into a lover’s shoes to encourage love, or added to drinks which can be consumed prior to meditation and divination to enhance clairvoyance or to be shared with a lover to strengthen relationships.
The essential oil of nutmeg can also be used in money-drawing oils, or warmed to provide the scent of the spice in order to provide comfort, peaceful sleep, and clarity in divination.
In food, as always, the associations carry over. This spice is very versatile, being used in dishes ranging from savory yellow vegetables to meat dishes such as haggis or roast beef. Pair it up with other spices and herbs with similar purposes, and watch the magic come to life!
So when you’re mixing up that pumpkin spice and adding it to your pie this year, be mindful of the history and uses that nutmeg possesses. It is rich and vibrant, both positive and negative. Like all ingredients in food, it is a living ingredient even when dried and ground. It makes for a wonderful experience in working magic into your meals each day!
For this specific bath bomb, I’ve made it with the intent of banishing what needs to be released from me so that there is space for me to heal and grow again after going through some very toxic situations and relationships.
Bath Bomb Recipe!
*Baking Soda ½ Cup *Citric Acid ¼ Cup *Cornstarch ¼ Cup *Sea Salt ¼ Cup *Jojoba Oil 3 Tsp (for this I used coconut oil that I have warmed up until it became liquid) *Essential Oil 1 Tsp (for this one I did a blend of Black Pine, Amber, Lavender) *Liquid Black Food Colouring 1 Tbsp (if you want a richer colour, you can add more later as you’re mixing the wet ingredient to the dry) *Dried Rose Petals, Lavender, Rose Buds, Mugwort (I eyeballed the amount I wanted) *Water (small amount added to spray bottle)
You want to put all your dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them together with a whisk. In a spray bottle, add in your carrier oil (Jojoba, Coconut… etc) and your essential oils. Also add in the liquid food colouring of choice. Shake it up. If it seems a bit too thick, add a tiny bit of water and shake it again. You will be spraying this mixture into the dry mixture (only a few sprays at a time) and mixing it. You will keep repeating this until the mixture starts to clump together. The reasoning for not adding all the liquids in together at once is that it will cause the citric acid to fix away completely. Once everything is mixed well, spoon them into the mold and make sure to pack it down tightly. Let it sit in the fridge or freezer to let it harden. When I took these out, they were still a bit squishy, so I had to re-shape them a bit, but they turned out pretty good for a first time try. I’m letting the rest of the bath bombs to sit out to dry before storing them in a container.
Candlelight-magick 