One of the secrets of real magic is that it is controlled by the mind. The more things in your ritual to help your mind associate with your goal, the more powerful your ritual may be. Colored candles, scented oils, natural incenses, and more all add to the impact of the magic you wish to do.
But how do you know which incense to burn? Is it possible to add scented oils together to get a more powerful oil? And how do you make your own, appropriately-scented tools?
The answers to questions like these and hundreds more can be found in The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews by world-famous author Scott Cunningham. This is a greatly expanded and rewritten version of The Magic of Incenses, Oils and Brews. It includes over 100 new formulas, proportions for each element of the recipes (the most requested feature from his previous book), how to substitute ingredients, and much more. Besides the formulas, it also includes the exact methods of making all of these scented tools, including how to extract the essences from the herbs.
Each one of the formulas is precise and easy to make. Do you need luck? Take 2 parts vetivert, 2 parts allspice, 1 part nutmeg, and 1 part calamus, grind them together as finely as possible, then sprinkle the powder in a circle around you, beginning and ending in the East and moving clockwise. Sit within this circle and absorb the powder's energies. Also included are other ways to use magical powders that will have you coming up with your own ideas for them, too.
There is a legion of recipes for incenses. There are three for the sun and two for consecrating talismans. There are incenses for each of the astrological signs and ones to help you study better and gain success. You'll also find incenses for each of the planetary influences. There are four for Saturn alone!
This compendium of magical lore is a vital tool for every magical person on any magical path, whether you are a beginner or an expert.
The wide world of herbs can often be confusing. Which herb is best for skin conditions? What proportions are to be used in my tincture? Can herbs be used in place of allopathic drugs? Nancy Arrowsmith, author of A Field Guide to the Little People and Essential Herbal Wisdom, recounts her days working in an herb shop in Munich, gaining knowledge that would become part of Essential Herbal Wisdom.
Originally published in Llewellyn's New Times, issue number 901. What is Magical Aromatherapy? How can it help you? There is a place to turn for answers. I recently had a chance to speak with Scott Cunningham—author of such titles as The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews and Wicca—about his best-selling book Magical Aromatherapy. New Times: Could you tell us just what aromatherapy...
We all have our own interpretations and honoring of the four elemental quadrants. Some of us enter our Circles in the East, direction of dawn and new beginnings. Others prefer to start in the North, that their working be well grounded and strong. At Samhain, we open a gate in the West, the direction of the Ancestors and of the Land Beyond, and we... read this article
