The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells: A Concise Reference Book for the Magical Arts

Magic is always intended to improve one’s life; injuring one’s health in the process of casting a spell defeats that purpose. Incorporate your personal needs into choosing the best spells for you.

Welsh Vervain Harvest Spell

1 The plant must be harvested during the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, at an hour when both sun and moon are beneath the horizon.

2 Before uprooting the plant, offer a libation of honey.

3 You may only use your left hand during the entire operation, whether you are left or right handed: pull up the plant and wave it aloft.

4 Separate leaves, flowers, and roots, and dry them separately in the shade. (Each has its own magical uses.)

Ancient Greek Black Hellebore Harvest Spell

Although poisonous, black hellebore, the Christmas rose, is perceived to have magically protective powers.

1 Cast a magic circle around the intended plant, using a magic wand or knife. If you do not work with those ritual tools, consider a respectful way to demarcate the harvest space.

2 Request permission to gather the plant from Apollo and his son Asklepios, the plant’s presiding spirits.

3 Burn incense and make offerings to the spirits.

4 Offer a libation to the plant, and then gather it.

Casting Spells Using Dried Botanicals

The most prevalent ingredients of magic spells are processed botanicals, especially dried plants and oils. Drying plants preserves them for extended use, allowing you to work with plants out of season and those that cannot be grown in your personal region. Dried botanicals from all over the world, representing many magical traditions, may be purchased from herbal suppliers.

Dried botanicals are frequently sold already chopped up, cut or powdered. As this frequently needs to be done before spell-casting, purchasing botanicals in this form can be a real time and effort saver—with one caveat. Leaves and blossoms, even chopped, often remain easily distinguishable. Peppermint doesn’t smell like vervain or hibiscus, for instance. Roots, on the other hand, often the most magically potent part of a plant, once chopped or powdered, are fairly indistinguishable from each other. It is not uncommon for unethical or ignorant vendors to substitute one root for another. If you are looking for a distinct root, say High John the Conqueror, for which this is a common problem, buy the whole root and grind and powder it yourself, even though this can be difficult. It is the only way to guarantee that you are receiving what you want, the only way to maintain control over what may be a pivotal ingredient. Familiarize yourself with botanicals. Know what they should look like and what they should smell like, and you will be less likely to be fooled.

If you grow plants or have access to fresh plants, it’s extremely easy—virtually child’s play—to dry them yourself.

Drying Botanicals

Hang botanicals upside down in small bunches, so that they are not too crowded. Professional herb dryers, resembling horizontal ladders, can be used, or attach bunches to a wire hanger. Allow botanicals to hang in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight until dry.

Casting Spells by Burning Botanicals

Magic spells are cast by burning botanicals (incense), thus releasing their magic power into the atmosphere (fumigation).

One of the most ancient methods of casting spells is consciously, carefully, and deliberately burning botanicals. This method incorporates all four primal elements into one spell. By applying the power of fire, botanical power (which has been nourished by Earth and by water) is transformed into smoke (air) and dispersed into the atmosphere to provide magical solutions and fulfill magical desires. If you burn incense on a metal pan or burner, then you incorporate what many consider to be the fifth element, metal, into your spell as well.

Modern incense frequently takes the form of sticks and cones, which require a little technical know-how. However, incense is an ancient, ancient art. If cave people had the technology to create fine, viable incense, of course you do, too. The original incense was loose dried botanical material, ground and powdered. Most magic spells assume incense will be in this form.

Mortars and pestles are ancient magical, medical, and culinary tools. They may be used to break down and blend botanical material. Once upon a time, incense was created by repeated grinding with a mortar and pestle, and then sifting with a sieve (also an ancient magic tool). However, if you desire the fine powder that many spells specify, a coffee or spice grinder, particularly an old-fashioned manual one, can make life easier.

If you prefer stick incense, blanks may be purchased and doctored to your taste.

To Form an Incense Cone

1 Dissolve gum arabica in water, approximately one part powder to two parts water.

2 Allow the material to soak for approximately three hours.

3 In the meantime, pulverize the herbal material to be used until it is finely powdered (using mortar and pestle or other grinding tool).

4 Mix this powder into the liquid until it can be shaped into small cones.

5 Allow to dry completely in a warm area.

Botanical Infusions

An infusion is the process by which one medium (or power) is encouraged to permeate another. The most common are botanicals infused in water or oil. The most famous infusion in the world is a cup of tea. If you make tea with loose leaves rather than a tea bag, you already know a lot about infusions. Infusions allow you to insert specific botanical power into potions, baths, floorwashes, and magical oils, among many other things.

WARNING!

Botanical power comes in many forms. These powers are not interchangeable. When a spell requests a dried herb, substituting an essential oil may not be appropriate or even safe.

Water-based Infusions

The standard formula for a water infusion is one teaspoon of dried herb, or one-and-a-half teaspoons of fresh herb for every cup of boiling water. Unless otherwise advised, maintain these proportions even when using multiple herbs, adjusting the proportions of the individual ingredients rather than the whole.

1 Place the botanicals into a nonreactive pot or container (glass rather than plastic, for instance).

2 Pour the water over the botanical material.

3 Allow it to brew, usually for between five and fifteen minutes.

4 The plant material may be strained from the liquid or allowed to remain, depending upon the purpose of the spell. For a floorwash, you’d want to remove the botanical; for a particularly potent magical bath, it may be more powerful to retain the botanicals, even though this may leave a mess to clean up.

Sometimes a stronger, more concentrated infusion is desired for a bath or floorwash, but not for drinking.

1 Place a more substantial quantity of botanical material into a nonreactive pot or container.

2 Pour only enough boiling water over the botanical material to cover it.

3 Allow it to brew for as long as it takes the water to return to room temperature.

4 Strain the botanicals from the liquid or retain, as desired.

Oil-based Infusions

The process of creating infused oils is slightly more complex, however it is still easily accomplished in the home kitchen. The standard proportion suggested is that for every cup of oil, one ounce of fresh herb or one halfounce of dried herb is required. Unless otherwise advised, do not exceed these proportions.

1 Place the botanical material in a stainless steel bowl.

2 Cover with the oil.

3 Gently heat over simmering water, either in a true double boiler or in an improvised water bath—a saucepan one-quarter filled with water. The bowl with the herbs must not sit on the bottom of the pan but float in the water. As it is very easy for oil to scorch and burn, this process needs constant supervision for safety. Keep the oil covered.