Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

226 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

plants are discarded. To make a salve or ointment, the

finely crushed herbs are blended into a fatty base,

such as cold cream. The combination is usually 1table-

spoon of herbs to 3 ounces of cream.

In addition to the roots and herbs mentioned

above, many kinds of flowers are used in making es-

sential oils and essences, each with their own particu-

lar significance. I will list a few of these below.

Combinations

Once prepared, pure oils and essences may be

combined for particular purposes, such as in making a

potion for Love, Luck, Success, Protection, Prosper-

ity, Purification, and all the rest. You can buy many

such combined formulations at botanicas and magickal

shops, and you can also make your own according to

the correspondences listed here. In addition, musk

and civet (from special glands of male deer and wea-

sels) are common ingredients in these formulations,

as in perfumes; they attract love. When consecrating

or anointing, use a combination that either expresses

your specific intentions, or is sacred to a specific force

planet, deity, Element, sign, etc.

Here are a couple of examples

of simple combination formulas:

Ritual Anointing Oil

1 part mint

1 part vervain

Ritual Consecrating Oil

1 part frankincense

1 part myrrh

To See Things Honestly

1 part hyssop

2 parts lily

2 parts myrrh

Incenses

To make incenses for various rituals, grind all the

appropriate herbs and roots into a powder (a mortar

and pestle is an essential tool for any herbalist!). Add

just enough essential oil (or olive oil) to make the mix-

ture stick together into a paste. Also a bit of gum resin

may be added to help hold it together, and aid in burn-

ing. For planetary incenses, powder or filings of the

associated metals may be added to the incense as well.

A bit of saltpeter (an ingredient in charcoal blocks)

will also aid in burning, adding little sparkles—good

for Mars. There are also various resins (mostly tree

saps) that are commonly used in incenses, and even

added to combination formulas of oils:

Amber—Protection, healing, wealth.

Ambergris—Drawing, controlling others.

Dragon’s blood—To activate a spell.

Frankincense—To consecrate an area,

person, substance, or object.

Incenses for Psychic Work

(by Katlyn Breen)

The best incense to use when working with any scrying

device is lunar or psychic in nature. These types of

blends may be purchased or created by yourself and

must be burned on self-igniting charcoal disks. Here

are some excellent recipes for fine quality magickal

incense to be used for psychic work:

Lunar Incense

A base of white sandalwood powder, orris root,

and myrrh (in equal parts)

Oil of jasmine and jasmine flowers

Oil of lotus and ambergris (synthetic)

A small pinch of refined camphor

Poppy and cucumber seeds

Scrying Incense

A base of mastic gum, myrrh, sandalwood pow-

der, and frankincense

Mugwort and wormwood herbs

Rose petals, lavender buds

Green cardamom pods and star Anise

Bay laurel leaves

Oil of mimosa and lotus

Flowers Used in Oils and Essences

Lilac—Youth, new love.

Lily—Purity, modesty.

Lily of the Valley—Return

of happiness.

Magnolia—Peerless, proud.

Mandrake—Power over others.

Mimosa—Sensitivity.

Mint—Virtue.

Myrrh—Purification, cleansing.

Myrtle—Love.

Olive—Peace.

Almond—Hope.

Apple Blossom—Preference.

Balm of Gilead—Healing, help.

Bayberry—Cleansing.

Coriander—Hidden merit.

Gardenia—Ecstasy.

Heliotrope—Devotion.

Honeysuckle—Bond of love.

Hyssop—Purity, cleansing.

Jasmine—Grace, elegance.

Lemon—Discretion.

Orange blossom—Generosity.

Passionflower—Susceptibility.

Patchouli—Attraction.

Pine—Eternity.

Rose—Beauty.

Rosemary—Revival of dreams.

Strawberry—Excellence,

perfection.

Verbena—Sensibility.

Violet—Love, modesty, worth.

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