BONUS: Magic and Formulas

Author: Quill /

9-22-12

I'm not trying to cheat the system, but to make a permanent spot for the handy recipes I give out to readers who follow Quill's Occult Supply on Facebook, I'm copying them here.  They'll be starting things off, but I'll also be adding lots of my favorite spells, formulas, and bits of magical advice as I go. 


Magical powders are one of my favorite formulas of all time.  Mainly, because they can turn into pretty much all the rest!  So here's a few ways I like to use my spell powders (available exclusively at my online shop, Quill's Occult Supply).


HOW TO MAKE BATH SALTS


Start by making a salt base for your powders. In a large bowl, mix:

3/4 C Epsom salt
1/2 C Baking soda
1/4 C Sea salt

One bag of spell powder

Combine all ingredients and mix well. If you would like colored salts, add a few drops of food coloring at this point and mix quickly until the color spreads to all the salt.

Now pour your bath salts into a jar and seal tightly. You may wish to wait a week or so before using the salts (so that the oils in the herbs have the chance to be absorbed into the salt) but you can certainly use them right away to bring the spell powder's effect into your life.

Just another way to make magic yours!


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9-24-12


Considering that today was my house-cleansing, I though this would be a good time to talk about ...


HOW TO MAKE WASHES
6 C Fresh water

One bag of spell powder 
Bucket and cloth for washing

This one is simple as can be. Boil the water in a pot. Wash your bucket well in preparation. Once the water is boiling hard, remove it from the heat, add one bag of spell powder, and stir to mix. Allow this to steep for a few minutes (my favorite is 7, the number of self-made change, but you can use any number which you feel is significant). Fill your bucket with an equal amount of warm water. Strain out the solids and add the liquid to the bucket.


Beginning at your front door, wash all the walls in your home from top to bottom. This doesn't have to be a serious scrubbing, just enough to paint the walls all around you with this magical infusion. Don't forget the doors and doorknobs!

This is like a huge spell--your entire house will exude the same influence as that little bag of powder! This is great for clearing away bad luck or drawing in things that will improve all aspects of your life--like better relationships, more money, or successful ventures. If the members of your household are all needing a single piece of magic (like health or protection), this is a great option!



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9-26-12


Here's a good one that's handy but not often used:

HOW TO MAKE A SCRUB

1 C Sea salt or White sugar
1/2 C Oil (something light that you would use for massage, like grapeseed)

One bag of spell powder

Either salt or sugar will work equally well. Choose which to use based on your goals--salt for removing, sugar for drawing. Salt scrubs are great for cleansing baths, sugar scrubs make perfect love/lu
st magic!

Pour you salt or sugar into a bowl and add 1/2 to 1 bag of spell powder. The amount you choose to use will vary based upon the strength of the powder's scent (if it's spicy, use less for your skin's sake!) and your personal preferences. Mix the two together well and then pour the oil over it. Stir until the mixture is wet throughout.

Pour your scrub into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. To use, either in the bath or shower, first allow the water to wet and warm your skin. Scoop out a small amount of scrub with your fingers and rub in light circles on all non-sensitive areas. Scrubs are a mild exfoliant, taking off old skin and revealing new. This allows the potency of the powder to work directly with this fresh slate, bringing its influence where it can radiate without hindrance.

Scrubs can be used once a week for magical maintenance, or only on occasion when necessary. As with all direct applications of herbal mixes, test first for sensitivity or allergy.


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10-2-12

More do-it-yourself tips from my Supply cupboard:

In my state, grain alcohol is impossible to find for sale (and yet so easy to find being made by our great state's many moonshiners) But if you can get it, don't bother drinking it--its high proof is perfect for tinctures! 

If Everclear, et al are out of the question, use any clear alcohol with the highest proof you can find or *plain white vinegar*.  Vinegar is a good choice since it still does the trick (though not so sweetly), is cheap, traditional, and always easy to find!

Tinctures are great because they can be used in the same manner as oils, though without any staining or sticky residue.  They always strongly carry the scent of their component herbs so feel free to add it to a spray bottle and infuse your home with magic.  Wear it like a perfume (though more to come on magical perfumery!), dress candles, poppets, mojos; anoint your doorknobs, money, clothes, etc.  Add a bit to your washwater for floors/walls *or* try putting a bit in the rinse cycle of your washing machine to radiate magic!

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HOW TO MAKE A TINCTURE

1/3 C grain alcohol (or substitutes)
One bag of spell powder

Pour alcohol into a glass jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid.  Though pretty, I don't recommend corked bottles for this (unless you're using synthetic cork) since their porousness allows for the slow evaporation of your alcohol. 

Add one bag of spell powder to this, cap, and shake well.  Put this container in a convenient place and shake it a few times a day for a week.  Grain alcohol draws out the scent and oils of the herbs very fast (usually overnight) but alcohol with lower proof or vinegar will take longer.  Don't rush this part.

When you think your tincture is ready, dip a finger into it and rub on your wrist.  Allow it to dry and smell.  If it smells strongly of the powder, you're ready for the next step.  If not, allow it another day or two before testing again. 

Now you must filter your tincture.  Fine filters are easy to find around the house.  I like to use either a scrap piece of cheap cotton fabric or a coffee filter.  (Another quick option is a tea strainer)  Either way, be sure it's clean before beginning.  Wet your filter with fresh water and wring out.  This prevents your tincture from being wasted through absorption into the filter.  Lay the filter over the mouth of a clean empty jar and secure with a rubber band.  Give your tincture a final shake and then slowly pour through the filter and into the jar.

Allow all the powder to fall into the filter, if possible.  When you're finished pouring, remove the filter by carefully taking off the rubber band and gathering the edges of the filter together.  Squeeze this over your jar to get the remaining tincture from the herbs.  Discard (or, if using cloth, discard herbs and wash the fabric for later use).

Pour your reserved tincture into a measuring cup and add an equal amount of water.  Some people recommend distilled water, but I find that either way works equally well (though *non* distilled will make your tincture appear a lighter color for a day or so).  Shake your completed tincture and label.

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10-8-12

Here's a recipe that is often overlooked or seen only in a very specific light--solid perfumes. Mainly in witchcraft, we talk about ointments, and usually then only "flying ointments." What a shame that this fantastic formula hasn't spread as easily as the others into a wider range of magic. But that doesn't mean it can't! Ointments can do anything oils/tinctures can do and, on skin, they do it better!

You can choose to wear this solid perfume in much the same way as an ointment, more especially since we're using whole herbs and not essential oils, as is typical. Feel free to experiment with dressing candles and anointing talismans, too!

 HOW TO MAKE A SOLID PERFUME

1/2 C Oil (something light that you would use for massage, like grapeseed)
2 oz. Beeswax (about 1/4 C shaved or chopped)
One bag of spell powder

Warm your oil over low heat in a small pan. Add the beeswax and stir well until completely melted. It's recommended that you test the consistency of your base by dipping a spoon into this mixture and letting it cool. Use your finger to wipe the now solidified base from the spoon. It should be thick enough to hold to the spoon but soft enough to come off without much effort. If it's too soft, add a bit more wax. If it's too hard, a splash more oil. Remember to re-test afterwards.

Once you have the right consistency, add one bag of spell powder and mix well. Allow this to stay on the heat until you can smell the herbs very strongly. This means the oil has worked its way into them and is releasing their oils--an essential part of the perfume aspect of this formula. Once you reach this point, remove the pan from the heat and pour directly into your container. A good choice would be a small canning jelly jar. Let it cool, untouched, then cap and label.

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11-8-12

 Haven't done one of these in a while, so here ya go...

I must differentiate between infused (or herbal) oils, essential oils, and fragrance oils because some sellers use the names interchangeably, which is misleading.

An essential oil is extracted from a plant by a distillation process not often achievable at home. It requires pounds of the fresh plant or flower and, rightfully, can be very e
xpensive.

An infused oil is made by slowly heating a carrier oil (an unscented vegetable oil like olive, grapeseed, or jojoba) and adding herbs to draw out their scent. This can be done at home and with very small amounts of plant matter, usually dried. Infusing an oil is technically no different than making a tincture or a wash; only the base changes.

A fragrance oil is a synthetic replica of a natural oil that is made by combining chemicals in a lab-like atmosphere. These are not necessarily out-of-bounds for magical use, but you shouldn't pay top dollar for them!

Naturally, the only one here we can do ourselves with any certainty is the infused oil. Luckily, witches have become pretty dang good at them...


HOW TO MAKE AN INFUSED OIL

1/3 C oil of your choice
One bag of spell powder

Put your oil in either a small saucepan or an electric potpourri pot and put on low heat. The potpourri pot is especially handy (thank you, Dorothy Morrison!) because it is very low heat, maintained steadily for days, if you wish. The slower you extract the natural oils, the better your results, most importantly if your herbs are mildly scented to start. If you use this method, just remember to seal the lid with foil; oils evaporate as they are heated.

Once you have the oil warm, but not hot, add one bag of spell powder and mix well. It should *not* sizzle or pop! If it does, it's too hot; take it from the heat immediately. If all is well, put the lid on your pot and let it sit for about 5 minutes before checking again. When you remove the lid, the scent should be very noticeable. Give it a stir and replace the lid. Repeat this process until you are happy with the strength of the scent.

Remove your pot from the heat (or in the case of the potpourri pot, simply switch it off) and allow it to cool slowly with the lid on. Strain through cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a clean jar. Cap tightly and label.


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HOW TO MAKE A SIMMERING POTPOURRI

This may be the easiest of all recipes here but it shouldn't be overlooked.  It's a great alternative to incense, especially if you or those around you are sensitive to smoke, and yet still gives a pleasant scent to the space while also delivering its cache of magic.  A nice bit of "Grandma magic," simmering potpourris can work your will without arousing suspicion in mixed company.

You can choose to use one of the electrical or candle-warmed potpourri pots, if you like, but they are not essential.  An old time standard is a pot of water on the stove.  Because the kitchen is the natural heart of any home you don't even need to remove the pot from the heat in order to disperse your spell throughout the rest of the rooms.  If you would rather do so, use two oven mitts--one to hold the pot's handle and one to rest alongside for stability when walking--and walk slowly and deliberately through each room until you have visited each.  You may wish to plan your movements according to the purpose of your working: clockwise through each room, bottom floor to top, to bring something to you; counterclockwise, top floor to bottom, to banish.   

Simmering potpourri is intended to be left on very low heat (just enough to release steam) for at least an hour at a time, so don't worry about "overcooking" the herbs.  Be sure to check on your pot often to add more water as it evaporates.  This is a great no-frills option for adding power to long rituals or all-day events!

5 C fresh water
One bag of spell powder

Set a medium saucepan on low heat on the stovetop and add one bag of spell powder.  There's no need to stir.  Allow the water to warm slowly until steam can be seen rising.  Adjust the heat to maintain a consistent but small amount of steam.  As soon as the water is warm, the herbs' scent will begin to release.  Do not allow to boil.  Check the water level regularly and add more water as needed to prevent scorching.

Leftover water from this method can be strained and added in small amounts to magical baths, sprinkled with an asperger, or poured out in a magically significant way (down the drain for cleansings/hex breaking, at the front door to draw good fortune, etc.)

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