Introduction^15
adjusting the concentration is to maintain the number of drops of oil that are in the
recipe such that the ratio of the different essential oils remain consistent to one an-
other. Either raise the amount of base oil used to further dilute the mixture, or lower
the amount of base oil used to increase the concentration of the mixture.
When a specific base oil is not listed, it is best to pick one from the following list
that will further the intent with which the oil will be used. Jojoba oil is the preference
for any oil that is going to be stored for any length of time as it does not go rancid.
Additionally, one can guard against rancidity by adding a few drops of wheat germ oil
to each half-ounce of base oil. Potential base oils include almond, apricot kernel, avo-
cado, coconut, grape seed, hazelnut, jojoba, olive, palm, sesame, and sunflower.Incense Recipes—Generally speaking, natural incense is preferred to stick or cone for
use in Wiccan ritual. Natural incense is usually ground in a mortar with a pestle, but if
large amounts are to be made I will freely admit I am sometimes lazy and use my elec-
tric mortar—the coffee bean grinder. If you go that route, don’t even think about put-
ting whole roots in the thing unless you are prepared to purchase another one. Also,
never use the coffee grinder for coffee or anything that you will eat or drink after it has
been used for making incense. Some herbs that are perfectly safe in the censor are not
all that safe in your digestive system. Likewise, if you are going to explore herbal teas or
will be using your mortar and pestle for preparing food or drink, always have two sets,
one for things you won’t be eating and drinking and one for edible things.
Loose incense is burned over charcoal. But don’t worry, you won’t need a barbecue
grill in your temple room. Instead, it is burned in a censor (burner) over a charcoal
disk. These disks are sold in most New Age and Pagan shops in rolls of five and 10 at an
affordable price. When you unwrap a roll of disks, you will notice there is a cup in one
side of the disk; that is where the natural incense is sprinkled. To light the disk, hold it
such that the cup is facing down, and light the cup side. It will spark a bit; this is normal.
Turn the disk right side up, and place it in the censor on top of either gravel or sand.
The gravel or sand is important, as the temperature the charcoal disk will reach is high
enough to glow brass, shatter glass, and pop glazed ceramic burners. Once the edges
turn white, the disk is ready to be sprinkled with natural incense.How This Book Is Arranged
Because Wicca is a Nature-based religion, it recognizes that most things have a
natural beginning, middle, and end. When applied to living things, these three states
are seen as youth, adult, and senior. The three stages of life are more than literal ages
that denote those years. Those phases are a way of addressing all things as having a
beginning, middle, and end. In training covens, these stages of life are represented as
degrees of initiation, which represent the initiate’s life within the coven. First degree is
the beginning, second degree is the middle, and third degree is the end. Although third
degrees are not tossed out, they are generally welcome to leave their coven and start
their own. In so doing, they bring the lore of the first coven, begin their own coven, and
start the initiation process again. To maintain that natural order, I have arranged the
whole of this book in three sections.e WB Intro.p65 15 7/11/2003, 5:45 PM