HOW TO MAKE ESSENTIAL OILS

Witches often ask about how to make essential oils. I don’t know exactly how you
produce essential oils from herbs. What I do know is that it’s a laborious
process, and that most of the time you will want to dilute the essential oils
anyway, so that fragrant, blended oils consisting of a carrier oil and a herb
are often more versatile. In addition to that they are quite easy to
manufacture. This is how I do it.The Kitchen Magic School’s Fragrant Oils

This is what you need
============ =========
A carrier oil. The intended use decides which one. Edible oils are sold in
super-markets everywhere, and can often be used for other purposes than just
eating. In herbal cosmetic shops like the Body Shop you can buy pure or blended
oils for special purposes like bathing and massage. You can experiment with
different oils for different purposes, but never ingest any oil that wasn’t
specifically made for the purpose. It’s important that you use new oil with the
best before date well ahead, as fragrant oils don’t keep as well as essential
oils. Wheatgerm oil can be used as a preservative if you find that your oils
don’t keep well.

The herb. For this purpose it doesn’t matter if it’s fresh, dried or even
frozen. Herbs are sold in many places. Occult shops often have quite an
assortment, but the super-market in your area may sell some of these much
cheaper. Super-markets often have herbs in either the spice department (notably
fennel and cardamon), the health food department (notably rosehips and
buckwheat) or even the hot drinks department (notably chamomile and cocoa).
Specialized health food stores and natural cosmetics boutiques often have herbs
too.

Growing your own herbs can be a very satisfying experience, and it doesn’t take
a lot of skill to do with the most common ones. You can buy plants at a nursery
or raise your own from seeds. Seeds are available in super-markets, garden
centers and nurseries. There are often quite adequate instructions on the seed
envelope. If you are new to growing things, start out with easy growers like
mint, heartsease and dill and grow them in pots.

Which herb to choose is a science in itself. If you want to use the oil for
magickal purposes, you will probably want to choose it according to its
correspondences. At the end of Starhawk’s _Spiral_Dance_ there is a substantial
list of common correspondences, and the classic Culpeper’s Complete Herbal lists
herbs and their uses and correspondences. Of course if you follow a specific
tradition you will want to consult it, so you don’t use inappropriate herbs.
Many eclectic witches like to make up their own correspondences following their
intuition. If you will use the oil on your skin, make sure that it won’t
irritate or cause allergic reactions. You may want to consult a book on
aromatherapy if you are using fragrant oils for healing. Some oils are
considered aphrodisiacs, and can be quite fun to use for massage.

A practical consideration is the availability of a given herb. Herbs may be
unavailable for many different reasons. Maybe it isn’t traditionally used in
your part of the world, it may be illegal for a number of reasons, it could be
surrounded with superstition or it can simply be out of season.

A bottle. Fragrant oils are sensitive to light so try avoiding crystal clear
bottles. You will often want to use just a spoonful of the oil, so a squirt cap
is useful. Shampoo bottles can often be used, as they are generally about the
right size and have caps which are made so you can easily take a small amount
without having oil run down the outside of the bottle. Plastic bottles will
often be found to take on some of the aroma of the contents, so you may want to
throw them away after one use, or always keep the same oil in the same bottle.
Some occult shops sell amber glass bottles, too. Of course it’s neat to have all
your oils in identical bottles instead of having an array of brightly colored
shampoo bottles, but they’re a lot more expensive than saved up shampoo bottles.
Label all your bottles carefully with the name of the herb, carrier oil and date
of manufacture!

This is how to do it
============ ========
The basic principle is easy: put the herb in the oil, and wait.

If you are bothered by herb particles in the finished product, you can use a tea
egg or a small bag of muslin or nylon suspended by string in the bottle, and
remove them when you find the fragrance strong enough. This requires a bottle
with a wide opening. If you don’t have such a bottle, you can strain the oil in
a wire-mesh tea sieve instead. If you aren’t bothered by herb particles, you can
often leave the herb in the oil until you’ve used it all up. This works
particularly well with antiseptic herbs like peppermint, but can in other cases
make the oil go stale.

The time it takes for an oil to become pleasantly fragrant depends on the herb
and the oil, what you consider pleasant and the conditions you keep them under.
You will have to experiment with concentration, stirring, and time to find out
which works best under your circumstances. With some herbs crushing can speed up
the process. Seeds like fennel are among those. Many herbs vary quite a lot in
strength depending on a range of factors, so sometimes you will have to adapt
your recipes. The best thing is probably to develop your intuition with regards
to herbs. As a rule of thumb, two weeks to three months should be adequate.

Suggested uses for fragrant oils
============ ========= ========= ==
Bathing:
Many oils can change your mood when used in a bath. Try out  different
ones, like thyme and heartsease. Caveat 1: Some herbs are skin irritants, and
you may be allergic to some without knowing this. If your skin gets irritated
during or after a bath, immediately take a shower and wash yourself all over
with hypoallergenic soap.  Then dry yourself and use a hypoallergenic body
lotion. This should take care of most skin irritations. If it doesn’t, seek a
doctor.  Carefully note which herbs cause skin irritations in you, and avoid
them. If you know that your skin is sensitive, avoid herbs which are known to
cause skin irritations or allergic reactions in many people. Some of the more
common ones are mint, vanilla and of course all hot spices like pepper. Caveat
2: Never use psychoactive herbs in a bath, this includes sleep inducing herbs. 
You can drown yourself quite easily that way.

Anointing:
Fragrant oils are much milder than essential oils, and can often be used
directly for anointing on your skin. If you are using fragrant oils for magickal
purposes, you may want to take into account the correspondences of the carrier
oil, too.

Vaporizing:
Vaporizing means that you heat the oil so that it gives off its fragrance. This
is useful in its own right, but can also serve as a substitute for incense when
you or members of your household object to incense for medical or other reasons.
Vaporizers can be bought in occult stores, shops for herbal cosmetics, interior
decoration boutiques or even in the department store. The most common ones are a
terra-cotta ring that you suspend on a lightbulb, and more elaborate structures
with a house for a tea-candle and a shallow pan suspended above it. The fragrant
oil has to be quite strong for this purpose.

Massage:
Massage is a fine art and healing in many ways. You may want to experiment with
using edible oils for this purpose. Caveat 1: The oil used for massage enters
the skin even more forcefully than the one used in a bath. Make sure you aren’t
allergic beforehand.  Vigorously rub in a tad of oil on a sensitive place like
the inside of the arm just above your wrist. If the skin is irritated after an
hour, don’t use that oil on your skin again. Caveat 2: Massage is often a part
of lovemaking. If you use a condom for birth control, don’t use massage oils.
The reason for this is that the oil makes microscopic holes in the rubber, and
renders it useless.

Cooking:
Fragrant oils of spices like oregano or basil can be used in cooking. You can
use it as a marinade, or to brush on meat before you grill it. How about making
your own curry oil? Caveat: Use only oils specifically made for ingestion for
this purpose.

Libations:
We often use wine or water for libations, but we know that for instance the
Minoans on Crete offered their deities oils as well as wine and honey.

Further suggestions
============ =======
You can use this method with other mediums than oil; shampoo and liquid soap for
instance. Find fragrance free products, and make your own herbal cosmetics. I
like to use chamomile shampoo, so I blend 100 ml of fragrance free shampoo with
1 gram of chamomile flowers from a teabag. After one week the liquid starts to
turn yellow and smell of chamomile, and is ready for use. I use a hair
conditioner (again fragrance free) to make sure I rinse out all chamomile
particles from my hair. The same can be done with rosemary if you have dark
hair, and other herbs if you have problems with your hair or scalp. Lavender
produces a soothing soap, and pine needles an invigorating one. Again, make sure
you aren’t allergic to herbs used on the skin or in the hair in this way.
Copyright Ceci Henningsson 1994. This article may be freely copied and
distributed, provided this copyright notice is included.
 

 

An Easy Way To Make Your Own Incense

Materials:

---

Heat proof dish
Sand
Charcoal Block
Dried herbs or SpicesPlace sand in heat proof dish.
Place charcoal block on sand. (You can break these in half if you don’t want them to burn as long.)
Light the edge of the charcoal block with a match or taper. (DO NOT HOLD THE CHARCOAL IN YOUR HANDS WHILE LIGHTING!)
Once the block is glowing and the saltpeter in it has stopped sparkling, sprinkle a half-teaspoon or so of the herb or spice on the block.
Use a small spoon if you wish. It will immediately start to burn, and in doing so, release fragrant smoke.
Use just a small amount of incense at first. When the smoke starts to thin out, add more. (If you dump on a large amout of incense at once, it will extinguish the charcoal block, so use a small amount.)
Don’t knock off the ash that forms on top of the charcoal unless the incense starts to smell foul. If that happens, scrape off the burning incense and the ash with a spoon and add a fresh spoonful.
The Charcoal block should be left to burn out and cool in the sand.
To extinguish a block before it has fully cooled, quench it in a container of cold water. (DO NOT PICK IT UP WITH YOUR HANDS!)

 

Here are some one-herb incenses that can be burned on charcoal blocks as needed.
They are instant incenses, needing no mixing or measuring. Simply grind them before use.1) Allspice: Burn to attract money and luck and to provide extra physical energy.
2) Bay: Use a small amount for purification and protection of the home.
3) Cedar: Smoulder for purification, protection, to speed healing and promote spirituality, and to obtain money.
4) Cinnamon: Burn to sharpen psychic powers, to draw money, speed healing, confer protection and to strenghten love.
5) Clove: Protection, exorcism, money, love and purification.
6) Fern: Burn the dried fronds indoors to exorcise evil, and outdoors to bring rain.
7) Juniper: Exorcism, protection, healing and love.
8 ) Pine: smoulder for money, purification, healing and exorcism.
9) Rosemary: Burn for protection, exorcism, purification, healing and to cause sleep; to restore or maintain youth, to bring love and to increase intellectual powers.
10)Sage: Smoulder to promote healing and spirituality.
11)Sandalwood: For Protection, healing, exorcism, and spirituality.
12)Thyme: Health, healing and purification.

 

Making a dream catcher

“A pentacle dream catcher is not difficult to make. It requires a
circular ring; even a large curtain ring will do. You will also need
some thread, string, or heavy crocheting thread to weave the design upon
this ring. If you really want to be decorative, you can string tiny
beads on the thread and attach little feathers where the string is wound
around the ring.

To begin, tie one end of the thread to the ring. Wind the thread around
the opposite side of the ring three times at a slight angle from the
original attachment, pulling it tight. This will be part of the left leg
of the pentacle. Each time you attach the thread to the ring, wind it
three times.

Now wind the thread about the ring a short distance from the 1st tying.
Your design should look like an inverted V-shape. Pulling the string to
the let side of the ring, wind it about the ring a little more than
half-way up the side. Adjust it until it looks like the lower angle of
the cross-arm of the pentacle. Now stretch the thread across to the
opposite side and wind it about the ring. For the finishing angle, pull
the thread back to the point of the beginning.

If you carefully check the angle of the thread each time you prepare to
wind it at another point on the ring, you can adjust the design. Make a
small loop for hanging at the top of the pentacle.

If you want to string beads on the thread, do it on each section before
you wind the thread around the ring. I’ve seen one pentacle dream
catcher decorated with a Samhain artificial cobweb and a tiny spider in
the center.

Dream catchers do work. They are symbols of personal control over
dreams. And the subconscious mind which creates dreams only understands
symbols.”

Source: [Tylwyth-Teg]

 

DRUMS AND RATTLES

The drum’s rhythmic power is like the heartbeat of the Earth, and is deeply anchored in our shamanic practice. We journey on the drum-beat to the Spirit-world and return with power. The drum and the rattle are, on one hand, the tools of our trade, and on the other hand, our allies with their own power and soul. In shamanic work, traditionally, hand-held tambourine-like drums are used together with a drumstick. But where does one find a drum? Which should one choose? Should it be a factory made drum, or hand made? Do you think about making your own, but don’t have the tools or experience? Should the skin be from an animal, or is it all right with a synthetic drumskin? The most important is that this partner feels good to you, that the sound is pleasing to you, that you can dance with its power, that you can work together.

Rattles are filled with power and at the same time act as power antennae. In many parts of the world they are used together with drums, and in Siberia they are often built into the drum or drumstick. They are easy to carry, and don’t bother your neighbors if you live in a flat. They also tend to be much less expensive than drums, and many shops selling goods from “third world” countries have beautiful, powerful, inexpensive rattles for sale. You can learn more about rattles and how to make your own by reading Jonathan’s article POWER IN YOUR HAND.

Mass Produced Drums are not as expensive as hand-made drums, and generally have a good sound. They are available at music stores, and the ones with synthetic skins can be used outside in the rain or very humid places. The Remo company makes some nice ones, which are easy to personalize. Even a plastic drum has a Spirit. Respect it, and it will help you.

Handmade Drums and Rattles are getting easier to find as there are more and more people making them. Below we have listed some of the drum makers we know and have worked with. Several of them also hold drum and rattle making courses. Here you make your own drum. The drum-making is done in a ritual way with awareness, and in this way you get to acquainted with the Spirit of your instrument as it makes itself known. If you wish to try to make your own drum or rattle from scratch, the best book is still Bernard Masons How to Make Drums, Tom-Toms, and Rattles (Dover) which gives you many types to choose from. Also recommended is Nicholas Wood’s fine book Voices from the Earth.

Drumming CDs are another option. Many people who don’t have the money for a drum, or the time to go on a course, find that the alternative of using a drumming CD or audio-tape works very well, using either a headset, thereby not disturbing others, or speakers. This option should never be used in moving vehicles of any kind, and should be regarded with the same respect as other allies used for contacting the Spirit world.

SCANDINAVIAN
CENTER FOR
SHAMANIC STUDIES

 

Before Time Was

Before time was, there was The One;
The One was all, and all was The One.

And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One,
all wise, all pervading, all powerful, eternally changing.

And space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms,
equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God
from The One and of The One.

The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One,
but darkness surrounded them.
They were alone, solitary save for The One.

So they formed energy into gases and gases into suns
and planets and moons; They sprinkled the universe with whirling
globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God.

Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns.
The Goddess and God, satisfied by their works,
rejoiced and loved, and were one.

From their union sprang the seeds of all life,
and the human race so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.

The Goddess chose the Moon as her symbol,
and the God the Sun as his to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their creators.

All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Moon and Sun;
All things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs
with the blessings of The One, the Goddess and God,
as has been the way of existence since before time was.
******
From The Standing Stones Book of Shadows by Scott Cunningham