Magical Herbalism - An Introduction
by Blayze

Herbs are plants which have properties that are useful to us. This can be culinary, medical or magical. As such, Witches use herbs in many different forms for rituals and also for spells. 

The magical properties of herbs are found by sensing how the herbs themselves vibrate or resonate with the intended magical purpose. Indeed, many herbs will resonate with a whole group of magical purposes and in this case, the intent of the use of the herb is important. By magical purpose, I mean the outcome that you wish your use of the herb to achieve.

When starting out using herbs in magic it is advisable to work from respected tables of correspondences of the magical properties of herbs, until you become familiar enough with the herbs themselves to be able to let the vibrations speak to you. Many tables of correspondences are found in larger herbals (or books about herbs) that will also detail which herbs can be burnt, ingested, or applied to the skin without harm. They will also list which parts of the herbs (i.e. root, flowers, stem, leaves) are appropriate to use. Some herbs can be poisonous if eaten but are fine to burn in incenses in small quantities. We are dealing with magical Herbalism, not medical Herbalism here, but it is a good idea to do some research into the medical properties of herbs before you end up poisoning your whole circle with a highly toxic flying ointment. 

One rule of thumb is to not make any magical herbal concoction for drinking or eating that is not made with standard culinary herbs, unless you know what you are doing or are a trained medical herbalist.  Many essential oils are also harmful to women who are pregnant or can cause skin discolouration if applied before going out in the sun. Again do some research before making an anointing oil, and if using it on other people, inform them of the ingredients used..

So what are some of the ways that we can utilise herbs in witchcraft? One of the simplest forms of herbcraft is the making of charms using herbs. This can be anything from wearing a sprig of a herb upon your person, hanging it up in your house and letting the air flow around it or sewing it up into a little pouch, bag or bundle. Other forms of herbcraft include brews and potions, ointments, oils, herb waters, aspergum, powders and incenses. 

As stated before, the herbs themselves carry vibrations aligned to purposes that we can utilise as the outcomes of our rituals and spells. The herbs can also be aligned to different elements, planets and signs. This can give us a broad scope to work in when choosing the appropriate herbs. We may work out which element is appropriate to our goal and find that some herbs aligned to that element also are aligned to that goal specifically and maybe to an astrological phase with the same properties. Obviously then, using those herbs in our recipe rather than just the generic herbs of that element, may be more appropriate or more potent for our intended goal.

It is possible to work with just the innate vibrations of those herbs and just leave it at that, but as witches we have the ability to magically charge our ingredients and finished herbal products. This allows us to enhance the properties of the herbs and to concentrate the vibrations to align to our intended outcome, goal or purpose.

For each form that magical Herbalism can take, such as the blending of oils or incenses, there are some specific charging techniques that are more appropriate to use than others.  That said, all herbs can be magically charged by chanting over them, dancing around them or drumming over them, however none of these practices deal with the physical herbs themselves. 

Incenses and powders can be charged by grinding the ingredients, oils by blending or shaking, brews or potions by stirring them and aspergum by tying them. In many of these methods the physical act of raising the kinetic energy of magic with the herb is also enhanced by the releasing or enhancing of aromas and oils to receive or carry the energy as an added bonus to the strength of the magic. Blending also allows the herb to absorb the properties of the other ingredients to achieve in the whole product, the desired outcome.

The blended scent or the consistency of the herbal form can be just as important to the finished product and to its magical outcome as the energy it is imbued with. If the scent triggers a reaction that achieves the same aim as the magic itself then the outcome of the exercise should be that much stronger. It brings all of the senses into play thus bringing your magically charged herbs into a holistic and hopefully balanced finale of magic. 

The scent does not necessarily have to be pleasing. Banishing and clearing blends do not always smell nice, as this is not their purpose. However a blend for harmony or peace may well benefit from a pleasant or relaxing scent. The ability to find the balance between scents and consistency takes practice to achieve, but this skill can be very beneficial to cultivate as it adds to both the intent and overall potency of the finished product.

No-one really wishes to be anointed with an eye-watering, incredibly stinky blend, just before going into a group ritual, to have a lumpy ointment smeared over their body or to take great lungfuls of incense which makes them cough, splutter and sneeze throughout the ritual. Unless this is desired outcome it again takes practice to get your herbal products to work on all levels.

Whilst simple in idea and in most practical senses, magical Herbalism can take some effort on the part of the practitioner. Besides skills in magically charging objects, there is the ability to follow or create a recipe with understanding, to judge blending on many different levels, select quality and appropriate ingredients and achieve the desired physical results as well as the magical ones. If you are growing your own herbs then some skills at gardening, harvesting and herb preparation are also ideal.

That said, working with herbs, both physically and magically can be a very rewarding, fun and spiritual pursuit.