...Witches Are At Play Under Haunted Moonlight...

'Tis Samhain... and witches are at play under Haunted Moonlight...

We've been gearing up for this all through October: blending incense, making oils, baking bread, setting up The Ancestor Altar - Are you ready? 

This witch feels like a kid on Christmas Eve. I'm just waiting for the festivities to begin!

Yes, this witch will soon be at play.

I hope you are, too...

Rosemary Herb Soap

Tomorrow night, I will be sharing little *Treats* with some of the fellow witches I will see in passing. One treat that is often requested every year is the Rosemary Herb Soap that I make. It is most often used for ritual cleansing, as well as infusing a little witchiness into my every day life after tackling a very messy job.

The soap pictured here is made from a basic lye soap recipe, but for simplicity's sake I'll give instructions for pour and melt soap. (Which turns out very nicely!)

 

To Make Pour and Melt Soap: 

• 1lb. pour and melt base. (I use goat's milk base, but any white base will work) 
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. EACH: finely ground dried rosemary and mint 
• 4-6 Tbsp. Oatmeal (pulse in a blender once or twice to slightly reduce size, but don't powder it!)
• Rosemary Essential Oil
• Mint Essential Oil (Peppermint, spearmint, or combination)
• Optional: Soap coloring - green 
• Soap Mold

Depending on the size of your mold, 1lb. should make 4 - 4oz bars.  

Cut the pour and melt into small chunks, or grate with a grater.
Gently melt in the microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring frequently. (Or use a double boiler)
When soap is thoroughly melted, remove from heat and stir in herbs, oatmeal and coloring.
Add fragrances/essential oils LAST. I start with 4-6 drops EACH, but it is dependent upon your preference.
Stir one last time - pour into mold quickly.

Accept that the oatmeal may or may not float to the top of the bar (as it did in this batch, but I kind of liked it - the photo above shows one right-side up, and one upside down.). Much of it will depend upon the temperature at which the soap is poured into the mold. As the soap base cools it becomes more difficult for any additives to float upward.

A word about rosemary essential oil and this soap: 
Rosemary Oil is a very stringent oil - a very desirable property for fighting infections and for cleansing in general.

The combination of mints, rosemary and oatmeal in this soap lends itself to be a very *drying* soap - perfect for cleaning hands after gardening and other dirty jobs. I do not, however, recommend this for use as a face soap!

That Wheat and Chaff Sorting Thing...

** disclaimer** -  If you see yourself as one of the 'types' I profile in this posting, don't take it personally - unless you've met me personally. I had a specific person/group in mind with each of the types below that personifies who/what actually happened to me. Got it? 
Ok. Carry on, Mr./Ms. Prissypants.

It is natural for many Solitaries to try to reach out to others within the 'community' during their Year and A Day. Support, friendship, and help getting answers are all things we need and crave from time to time.

Who you meet can be tricky, however.  Instead of support, friendship and someone to answer your questions, you can easily get this guy:

 I'm not knocking Goth minded people or witches. So STOP RIGHT THERE - look at my disclaimer above. Now read it again. And again. Keep reading it until you get my point. NOW you can read the rest of this post. Ahem.

But it doesn't stop there - there's more. Oh, my sacred bats are there more! 

Another type that can fool you very well over emails and the phone is this group:

 

You also can't smell them over the phone. They also usually forget to mention how they are all polyamorous, and kinda/sorta hope/expect you and your whole family to be as well. 

But they didn't want to put you off early on. 

And, by the way - any chance you'd sell your car, house, and all your possessions, donate all the money to the group, and come live on that bus with them Manson-Family-style? 

No? Then you're not a real witch, according to them. You haven't learned to let go of your Christian upbringing and notions of right and wrong, and you're too tied to material possessions -  blah blah blah blahhhh.

Maybe, instead, you decide a Pagan drum gathering, or other community type event would be easier for you to make connections with people.  Sounds great, doesn't it? There will be tents in a natural, wooded setting, circles of people with like minds and merchants available to sell everything you've been desiring. 

You pack up and head out for the weekend. 

And this is what you find: 

 

You see that teepee? That's the only tent, and the lone merchant there is selling stuff that would have a Police K-9 signaling his handler like an epileptic during a seizure.

Once again - I'm NOT knocking community events - I'm merely pointing out that not all of them are great events, and careful research and review of events will tell you a great deal.

Most of the people you meet within the community will be wonderful people - but many will not be, and many have very distinct ulterior motives in getting you to talk to them. Your job is to sort through them. Some want power, some are just on ego trips, and some are just clueless and want numbers to validate them. Many more will use witchcraft as a pretext or reasoning for bad behavior, criminal activity, psychological abuse and worse. Some are innocent people who feel the need to pose as things they are not. Being new to witchcraft, it can be harder to spot those you are better off staying away from.

(And, no - I'm not going to tell you who or what types to stay away from - not even the types I've poked fun at today - not ALL of those within those types are bad, or necessarily weird.)

A Last Word About The 'Community'

I'm not trying to malign the community, or individual groups within the community, but there is indeed a lure about witchcraft that seems to have a neon sign out for the fringe element of society. I am not knocking them. I am simply calling a black cauldron a VERY BLACK CAULDRON. I understand they come to our community because they are looking for acceptance and identity. Many stay and become amazing witches. Many more, however, move on rather quickly - often leaving a trail of destruction and negativity in their wake.

You cannot judge a book by its cover - this is true.

 

I am only going to point out to anyone new to witchcraft that not everything is all peaches and roses, and that you must quickly learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. There are wonderful witches out there - you just have to find the ones that you feel comfortable with!

You Know What They Say: It Ain't The Size of the BOS...

Nothing says a witch lives here like a massive, hand-tooled, ancient leather book with beautifully illuminated parchment pages lying nonchalantly on the coffee table or propped up on the carved oak book stand, right?

Well - maybe in Hollywood. 

In the 22 years I've been practicing, I have indeed seen a couple books that could have been taken straight off the set of Practical Magic, or swiped from a recent visit to a Medieval studies traveling exhibit. But they aren't common, and the ones I've seen are truly labors of love, and expensive projects spanning multiple years.

They are beautiful to behold. Truly, they are. I can't lie - my fingers were itching to be allowed just to touch the first one I saw. I waited patiently, hoping that my hostess would offer me a peek the entire day. But, being well-mannered I did not ask. Strangely, I wasn't interested in the contents, but rather the object itself. 

I had to have a book like that. I made up my mind when I saw it. I was going to proclaim to the world that a real witch lived here with a book like that on my altar. (Cue a vision of me rubbing my hands together in a gleeful, dastardly-villain sort of way as I thought about it)

What I envisioned was something like this:

 

I'd like to tell you I reached my goal. But I'm a pretty bad liar.

In the end what I had was a very expensive leather bound book bought at a renaissance fair, a carpet with ink stains from curious kitties tipping ink bottles, a ruined table from spilled metallic gold paint for embellishing the pages illuminated style, crippled hands from trying to teach myself calligraphy, and a book with half the pages either ripped out, pasted over, or blotchy ink patches from sudden kitty nudges to my hand while writing. Oh! And I can't forget: pathetic attempts to create delicately penned borders of ivy and botanical drawings that more resembled something a proud parent sticks on the fridge than any recognizable herb plant.

My BOS looked nothing like the one above.

It was a little more like this:

It was the Cabbage Patch Doll of BOS's. Without any cute factor. Trust me. Even my husband who normally cheers on any project I undertake was uncharacteristically lukewarm in his praise.

But, like a mother with the ugliest baby in the daycare, I refused to acknowledge it.

The fever to work on that book for the first three or four months was all-consuming. Eventually, other things were more pressing, and I had to lay the book aside for a few months. When I decided to return to working on it - I saw it with fresh eyes. Yep. There was no denying it: I had the ugliest baby in the daycare.

It was disturbingly garish.
Loud, actually.
Tacky, anyone?

It was - Just. A. Mess.
(I now refer to this BOS as my Honey Boo Boo BOS)

Sadly, I put the maimed and tortured book away and returned to using my mish-mash collection of notes on college ruled notebook paper crammed in a plain, black binder with strapping tape holding on one cover that tried to split away from the spine. (This down and out black beauty is known as Franken-book)

I used Franken-book for a couple more years. Eventually, I did get and make something a bit more presentable, but nothing as ambitious as Honey Boo Boo.

I learned a great deal from that whole sad, expensive episode:

• Function (readability, ability to access information, etc) is imminently more important than a showpiece.
• I have a constant need to re-work the pages I'm using - a fully bound book will only work for me for certain things I use - never the entire book.
• Even if I could put everything in one book, it isn't practical for me - smaller and lighter is better. 
• I was forced to face my motives for wanting such a book: If I was content to use more simple ingredients and items for my altar, spells and incense, and had had great results, Why was I so concerned about how a book looked? 
• I learned It ain't the size of the BOS, but the skill of the witch that matters.

I mentioned in another post that I was breaking my BOS into smaller books, and, true to my character, I've already revised how I'm doing that, which is what set me to thinking about how advised or ill-advised my current taking was in light of my past experiences, and hence, the spark that ignited this long, rambling post. 

In short - I'm going lean and mean this time around. At least, for the actual book I'll use at the altar. More on that in the next post... Whew. I've worn my keyboard out with this post!

Tarot Decks - Choosing the Right One (LONG post!)

Choosing a tarot deck is important to someone new to divination.

There are those that tell you *Let the Deck Choose You* - meaning, to simply go with the one that appeals to you the most visually. While there is some truth to that, there should be a bit more to consider.

Here are samples of The Magician from eight different decks of Tarot cards. I chose these from my collection, because I think they are all representative of how heavily styled each deck can be - and how easy or difficult it can be to have a visual association of meaning for interpreting a Tarot deck if you are new to reading cards.

I couldn't fit all the cards on the scanner at once, so there are two pictures.
For the first picture -
Top Left - Legend The Arthurian Tarot (Anna-Marie Ferguson / Llewellyn)
Top Middle - Renaissance Tarot (Brian Williams / U.S. Games)
Top Right: - Faery Wicca Tarot (Kisma K. Stepanich / Llewellyn)

Bottom Left - The Robin Wood Tarot (Robin Wood / Llewellyn)
Bottom Middle - The Halloween Tarot (Kipling West / U.S. Games)
Bottom Right -  The Witches Tarot (Ellen Cannon Reed / Llewellyn)     

 Second Set of Magicians:
Left: The Ancient Egyptian Tarot - 1st Edition (Clive Barret / Aquarian)
Right: The Morgan Greer Tarot (U.S. Games)

 

If you look closely at the different decks, you'll see that many carry the same theme, yet each are distinctly different. In terms of a new reader, it is important to choose a deck that kindles an intuitive understanding of the meaning for each card. 

Common elements: 

- Male subject

- Infinity symbol

- Most have a table or altar with the symbols of all suits in the tarot deck: Cup, pentacle, wand and sword.

- Cloak or ceremonial garb denoting their status as Magician.

While it is understood that the interpretation of any Tarot card is very dependent upon where it is in the spread and which cards come before and after it, most cards carry a general meaning. 

The common meanings for The Magician include: Wisdom, Revelation, New Ideas. It can also meany trickery and deception. 

The key is to choose a deck that manifests a visual interpretation for you. 

This can be tricky if you can't look at a whole deck of cards - sometimes, there are surprises. 

For example, in the Legend - The Arthurian Tarot, interpretation of the cards is much easier if you are well versed in the Arthurian Legend, as all of the Major Arcana is represented by a person, event or idea from the Arthurian Legend. If you know the legend well, interpretation can come easier. 

The reverse can also be true. Let's look at a card deck that confuses me still yet today - despite owning it for several years: The Faery Wicca Tarot Deck. 

To those interested or immersed in Faery Wicca, or the Tuatha De Danann shamanic skills, this deck is a no-brainer. I am not, so this deck is a challenge for me. This is abundantly clear when I realized only after I began to write this blog that I had inadvertently pulled the Ridire of Tine - not the Ard Ri of Tine.

What's that, you ask? One is the knight - one is the king. Of Wands.

Yeah. You see my confusion.

It doesn't help there is an *extra* card in this deck - 00 - The Tree of Life. It is before 0 - The Fool. 

I'm not knocking this deck. I'm only illustrating how helpful it is to have an understanding of the symbols and traditions associated with any given deck. And you can't know sometimes until you buy the deck. 

Of course - you can always learn anything, and once you are proficient with Tarot cards, delving into new decks with new ideas and symbolism can actually help you to become a better card reader. But... that's down the road a bit if you're new to reading.

Let's move on to another card. Let's highlight my Ard Ri and Ridire of Tine faux pas, shall we? 

(The decks are set up as above, so I won't rename them all)

Common elements:

- Male subjects

- All wield a staff of some sort

- All are in their 'natural element' for that deck. 

- The Sun or Fire is pictured in many of the cards, though not all, or they rely heavily on the colors of the sun/fire. The element traditionally associated with this card is Fire.

Some of the cards are more visual than others. For me, The Ancient Egyptian Tarot most clearly speaks to me of the meaning of The King of Wands: Power - Unstoppable Action, Unswerving Intent, Raw Energy. The Morgan Greer Tarot, on the other hand, seems very sedentary to me. Very muted. Others I know that use this deck see it very differently: They see this card representing ideas and action that are steadfast and solid - very masculine. Their visual cue is also derived from the oak leaves on the staff - is there anything sturdier than an oak? 

This is where you must assess (once again) what helps you in visual associations. 

And, lastly - I'll profile the Five of Cups.  I didn't realize until I was done that the cards had been put on the scanner in reverse order. So.. the middle cards are the same as listed above - just reverse the right and left deck names for the first photo. The second photo lineup is correct.

So -

Top Left - Faery Wicca Tarot (Kisma K. Stepanich / Llewellyn)
Top Middle - Renaissance Tarot (Brian Williams / U.S. Games)
Top Right: - Legend The Arthurian Tarot (Anna-Marie Ferguson / Llewellyn)

Bottom Left - The Witches Tarot (Ellen Cannon Reed / Llewellyn) 
Bottom Middle - The Halloween Tarot (Kipling West / U.S. Games)
Bottom Right - The Robin Wood Tarot (Robin Wood / Llewellyn)

Common elements: 

- Pictoral representation of five cups somewhere (or ghosts in The Halloween Tarot)

- Many show the cups overturned, spilling, or laying on their side.

The traditional meaning for the Five of Cups is a time of loss, lethargy and desolation. Things didn't go as planned, or things turned out badly. 

Many of the cards pictured above easily convey the sense of loss, abandonment and loneliness. Others you have to already know the meaning of the card to interpret it - there are no visual clues, such as in The Renaissance Tarot and the Faery Wicca Tarot. 

Many decks do not utilize symbology in the minor arcana cards beyond the Court cards, (Page, Knight, Queen and King) and will simply show a numerical representation of the suit. (9 discs, 3 cups, etc.)This can be difficult starting out, but not insurmountable.

In conclusion: 

Things to consider before purchasing a Tarot Deck

- Absolutely pick a deck that appeals to your eye, but consider other things such as a natural ease of understanding any cards you can preview before purchasing the deck, particular traditions you identify with, or legends and traditions you have a working knowledge of. 

- The theme/legend/tradition for the deck can greatly alter your speed at picking up reading cards fluently. If you truly want that Arthurian Legend Deck (or whatever) but aren't that familiar with the legend, get it. Become proficient with the legend as you learn the cards. In this case, do not worry about speed but accuracy in understanding.

- Search around online for as many images of as many cards from that deck as you possibly can find: Evaluate the symbolism used and how the minor Arcana are portrayed. This may take a lot of searching, as reviewers and the publisher tends to only show photos of the most interesting cards. If all you can find are photos of Major Arcana cards online, it's a sure bet that the Minor Arcana cards are not utilizing symbolism, and they probably are not as visually interesting.

- Read reviews online extensively. I could give a complete review of every deck I own, but we'd be here all day. (Not because I own hundreds of decks, but because I can spend 5,000 words breaking down what I like and don't like about every deck of cards) Independent reviews are your best bet - ignore reviews on Amazon or any site that sells the deck. Too many people I personally know have been paid to do false reviews for numerous things - including things on Amazon. (Usually through freelancer.com or something similar) Many are good and honest reviews - but just as many are likely NOT to be. Find blogs, forums, etc - places no one generally gets compensation for reviews.

I hope that I have been able to give anyone new to divination, or new to buying Tarot decks some visual and intellectual points about choosing a deck. In the end - There is no right or wrong.

Lastly - I apologize for the images not being perfectly aligned. I have a cat who views the copier/printer/fax as his mortal enemy, and was very diligent today about trying to 'protect me' from the villainous electronic device. I was reduced to placing the cards (pull the cat off the scanner) adjust the cards on the scanner (pull the cat off the scanner) then quickly close the scanner lid (And allow the cat to stand on top of the scanner, whacking it mercilessly with his paw as it scanned) 

So, um... yeah... the cards are a little crooked and some of the scans are backward/etc.

And here is WHY:

Meet Noodle the Cat - Arch Enemy of Electronic Devices, Destroyer of Small Insects, and Master of Mayhem and Discord.

Final Disclaimer: In no way do I promote or discourage any of the decks I have profiled for you today. I am in no way associated with Llewellyn, Aquarian, U.S. Games, any of the creators, illustrators, or sites that sell any of these decks, unless you count Google Adsense - and I haven't seen them put up any Tarot decks on my ads!

These images were presented today only for illustrative purposes.

Those Pesky Dram Vials

How do you label dram vials?

Too small for practical labels - unless you have a micro-labeler. (Is there such a thing???)

Here's my solution: Metallic pen.

When you need to reuse the vial, simply use alcohol or acetone based nail polish to remove the marker.

Ancestor Remembrance at Samhain

Somewhere between the second and third week of October, I set a small Ancestor altar up. Many do this only on the night of Samhain, but I think being in tune with The Wheel means that the season leading up to Samhain is a time of reflection, as well as a time of preparation.

An Ancestor altar does not have to be a full-fledged altar if it would be too conspicuous in your home for visitors or anyone else. A simple Ancestor altar can be a picture and a small personal memento set where you can see them. Creating an Ancestor Altar is an important step to feeling Samhain approach, and I would highly recommend creating one to help start your inner reflection for the Sabbat. 

Seeing an Ancestor Altar set up at certain times of the year will help to create associated recognition - in the same way smelling turkey and stuffing immediately makes most people think of Thanksgiving. It's all about associations and being in tune with the seasons, all of which will become a familiar pattern after a while.

We make the Rosemary Remembrance bread often in our house - not only because we enjoy the flavor, but it is an associated trigger for remembering people. Because we have made it so. 

Today, I made the Rosemary Remembrance bread as we will be having a roast with a thick, rich gravy for dinner this evening and the Rosemary bread is the perfect accompaniment to the beefy taste.

While the ancestor altar was not fully set up, I did pull a few things together this afternoon to honor someone that I still revere and talk with the most, despite they left this world; my father.

Though it has been many years since he has passed, I always put out some rosemary bread and pour him his favorite beer in a good, German stein. (as our family hails from Emmendingen, Germany) On Samhain, I will set him a proper feast near the fireplace, invite him in, and hope to hear some new tales from him. 

Working on the Ol' Grimoire (BOS)

I've been busy lately re-arranging and separating my one-time monstrously unwieldy BOS into smaller, more manageable books.

Here's a peek at my current morphing. (in progress)

The goal with these pages is to create my go-to book for Sabbats. I'm color coding the pages according to the Sabbat, naturally. Beyond that, I'm creating a main page for each Sabbat with the symbols of the Sabbat, my favorite incense and oil recipe, and anything else I think is pertinent. Behind that I'll have my personal ritual and then listing out all my favorite food recipes.

I also have zero artistic ability on my own - hence, I rely on a few snippets of things printed out for decoration on these pages. 

This will seem like a sin to some, but it's what works for me. The pages are large (so is my writing, naturally!) and I've already tested them in candlelight - easy to see.

The second portion that will be in a book by itself will be the main compendium of unchangeable knowledge that I utilize. (Correspondences, etc) I'm leaving plenty of blank pages in it to write things as I go along since this will be bound by hand when it's done.

The third portion will be a book dedicated to herbs, incense and oil experiments. Incense making is a big thing for me.

As it progresses, I'll post more pics. 


 

Yule Incense - Prepping

I know what you're thinking: "It isn't even Samhain!"

You're right, it isn't. But it isn't too early to start on your Yule incense. In fact, anytime within three months before any Sabbat isn't too early to start its incense. Honest.


So, while harvesting out in the yard yesterday, I stopped to harvest some Spruce Needles. I use these interchangeably for Pine Needles in my recipes. I feel perfectly at ease doing this, as this Spruce was planted by me within weeks of moving into this house back in 2006. This tree and I are good friends, in a manner of speaking.

When I removed this little guy from the nursery pot, I could balance him, root ball and all in one hand. He was less than a foot tall. The tag said he was a Norway Spruce - but I'm not so sure about that. This little guy has none of the characteristics of the Norway Spruces I've seen through the years. Who knows?

He is now almost 8 feet tall. He has grown remarkably fast and healthy.

 

I traditionally replace my pine/spruce needles yearly, as they tend to age very fast. He was badly damaged when I bought him (hence, he is already misshapen) so I'm not a fan of pruning him at this time - I just take a few snips here and there from underneath, which is all I need. 

Now that I have a new stash of needles to work with, I've already started prepping for my Yule incense. 

I have this recipe listed as a Complex Incense for Yule under the Yule tab. I term this complex because of the number of ingredients, the availability or scarcity/cost of ingredients and the addition of multiple oils. 

Yule Fire Incense

2 parts Frankincense, crushed                2 parts pine needles               
1 part Cedar shavings                             1 part Juniper Berries
1 part Orris Root                                    1/2 part Myrrh
Evergreen Oil                                         Neroli Cedar Oil                    
A few crushed Ivy leaves

• Crush the resins first, separately. (Frankincense, Myrrh)
• Next - crush/chop any woody/herby elements, including your ivy. ***Crushing pine needles or cedar shavings with a pestle and mortar is about as successful as nailing Jell-O to the wall; It isn't worth your time.*** I actually have an old set of kitchen knives and an old coffee grinder that I use for lighter things that don't grind well by hand. I usually treat the pine needles like a woody herb and chop the needles with a knife on an old cutting board. My cedar shavings are freshly planed off a cedar board, and I can actually chop those pretty fine if they have been planed thinly. Ivy is easy to crush when dried.
• I leave the Juniper Berries whole - you can crush them or chop them if you wish. 
• Mix the resins, needles, cedar and juniper berries together. Toss in the Orris Root and Ivy leaves - mix all together well.
• Add oils - one drop at a time, alternating from Evergreen to Neroli Cedar. Mix and lightly toss your incense mixture after each addition of oil, letting all ingredients absorb the oil. One drop might not sound like much, but it's a great deal of moisture to the dry ingredients. 
• Add only as much oil as you want for consistency. 

---- If you can't find the oil specified, substitute with any good quality pine or wood type oil according to the scent you like, or go with a holiday appropriate scent such as Bayberry. This incense can also be used with just a few drops of wine or honey to help bind it. However, you may want to increase your resins to offset the lack of scent from the oils if you use wine or honey, or you may prefer it less heavily scented. Once again - it's all about personal preference. I've just given you the recipe as I use it.

If you try this recipe, or try it with substitutions or variations, please drop me a line and let me know how it went!

Rosemary Remembrance Bread

Always made on Samhain to share with the ancestors - but feel free to make anytime.

It's easier to make than it looks.

Rosemary Remembrance Bread

• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1 pkg Yeast
• 1 Cup Warm Water
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 Tbsp. Butter (softened)
• 2 Tbsp. dried Rosemary
• 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
• 3 cups unbleached Bread Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Egg - lightly beaten

-- In medium bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water.
-- Add yeast - let proof until bubbly
-- Mix in salt, softened butter and Italian Seasoning, and half the rosemary
-- Add flour, one cup at a time, until dough is formed.
-- Knead for 10 mins or until smooth. (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook for this - takes about 6 minutes that way, sometimes less)
-- Coat bowl with olive oil.Place dough in bowl, turning the dough to coat with the oil. Cover loosely.
-- Set in draft-free area, and let rise 1 to 1-1/2 hours
-- Punch down dough and divide in half.
-- Lightly grease a baking sheet. Shape each dough half into rounds, placing each on the greased baking sheet.
-- Sprinkle dough with remaining rosemary.
-- Cover and allow to rise an additional hour.
-- Brush loaves with beaten egg
-- Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes until the rounds are golden brown.

Making Sense out of Incense - Recipes, that is!

Making your own incense can be a game-changer for anyone practicing witchcraft.

The Beginning of Incense - this is from 2002

The obvious game changer is more control over scent - and cost. The downside is interpreting recipes, and understanding the method of blending different textured items into a loose incense.

Let me be clear - I am not referring to make stick or cone incense. That is an entirely different method, and, truthfully, not one I am versed enough int o discuss.

Making loose incense, however, has been a passion of mine since my earliest days of practicing witchcraft.


How much does 1 part mean?

This is the question I am usually asked first from anyone just entering the world of making their own incense.

Think of a part as a simple measurement. 1 part can be one tsp. or one cup. Just be consistent when working a recipe. If you use 1 part to mean 1 tsp of one ingredient, then 1/2 part of the next ingredient is 1/2 tsp.

Ok. I understand that - but what measurement should I use?
If it's your first time working the recipe -
If some or all of the ingredients are expensive or hard to get -
If the recipe is for a once a year event -

To all of those above, I would suggest starting with 1 tsp. per part.

It may be you are not fond of the recipe. You might not have funds that allow a larger batch even if you do like the end result, and/or there's no sense in making a larger batch if you only need it once a year.

For all those reasons - do not invest your money in ingredients until you know you love the recipe, have the money for the ingredients, and it is something you will use often.

Help! I ordered Frankincense, and I got these HUGE chunks of rock! What do I do?
Resins such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Copal, Benzoin, Dragon's Blood and the like will come in rock form.
You decide how you want to use it from there.
Do you prefer it just in tiny pebble-like chunks?
Do you want to powder it?

Many times your recipe will state *crush* or *powder* your resins. This is where your pestle and mortar come to play. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, put your resins in a thick, freezer bag and use the flat side a hammer to crush your resins. It's messy, and you'll probably waste some of your resin this way, but if it's all you have to work with - do it.

As a general rule of thumb, the more your resin is reduced the more even the distribution throughout your incense, which in turns mean a more balanced scent while burning. Some incense benefits from tiny flakes of resin, rather than powdered resin. The small flakes will give the burning incense different depths of aromas as it burns different things on the charcoal.

Once again - this will be up to you. Through experimentation you will find what works to heighten your senses as you burn the incense.

How do I make the incense stick together - it's all separating into layers by weight in the jar!
Much of this action will depend on how finely ground your items are. Heavier things, such as chunks of resin will drift to the bottom of the jar, while lighter things such as flower petals will drift to the top - that's basic gravity.

One way to keep an even distribution is the addition of binding agents such as Orris Root Powder, pine sawdust and oils, honey or wine. Any one of these items, or all of these items used together will have an impact on the texture, density, and distribution of your incense.

There is no hard and fast rule. If you don't like the texture or density of your incense - add something, or reduce something the next time around.

I tend to make very moist incense, as it takes very little on the charcoal to scent the whole house. It also tends to smoke longer than a dry incense that is consumed quickly. But, that is my preference. I once knew a witch who just used sawdust soaked with essential oil. It worked for her, though it wasn't my preference.

What's the way to actually blend the incense?
First - crush your resins. Separately.
From there, your herbs, flowers or woods can be powdered or left whole. (Personal choice or recipe direction)
Next, mix your resins with the herbs/flower/wood components. Mix well.
Add any filler necessary. (The bulk agents - Orris Root powder, sawdust, etc)
Lastly - add your oils, honey, wine - anything wet. Add one drop at a time
Store in glass or metal container with a lid.
Label your incense - make notes

I use Mason canning jars or jelly jars for my experimentation. I tape the incense recipe to the jar. When I check the incense after a few weeks I make any additions or thoughts to the paper on the jar, or tape a new paper on the backside.

Never put anything with scent oils or essential oils in a plastic container. Something chemical happens with some oils and plastic together. Just. Don't. Do. It. You will regret the awful smell. 

How much do you use for a Sabbat/Esbat?
I don't use much, really. I'll say at the most, 2-3 Tbsp through an entire day. I don't want a smoky house, but on the Sabbat day I will start incense early in the morning. I'll relight a charcoal throughout the day a few times and sprinkle a bit on every few hours, since incense is a trigger for me in many ways. It helps to set my mood, and focus my mind.

After a while, particular incense blends for me have become essentially what smelling those particular Christmas Cookies that Grandma bakes is for other people: You only smell it once a year, and when you smell it - you feel the season. It becomes an association. For this reason, I burn 'seasonal' incense frequently.

Which ones do you make in bulk? 
My Altar, Full Moon, and Witches Circle Incenses. An Altar and another Esbat type of incense is what you will use the most often. 

The Bottom Line

• Read your recipe carefully
• Check availability and price of ingredients
• Decide frequency of use
• Designate a measurement for *part*
• Be consistent

Most importantly - please, please, please - Write down every last thing you do. If you deviate one drop from the recipe - write it down.

I can't stress the importance of this. In the early years, I did not do this. I would tell myself I'd remember. Wrong.

I can still remember one of the most beautiful incenses I've ever made. It was for Imbolc. I remember most of what was in it - but despite over 17 years of trying, I have yet to recreate it exactly. It's always missing something. It was a beautiful, bright,  clear-scented incense that captured the depth of snow covered pines, crystal air, yet was imbued with a wonderful, sunny feeling. Every Imbolc I regret not writing that down.

It goes without saying that everything is written down now, even the first trial runs of an incense at 2 and 4 weeks into its maturity. I compare how the scent changes over time. If I add one more drop of jasmine oil at weeks in - I write it down.

Don't lose something wonderful - write it down!

Which Almanac for a Witch?

Call me old-fashioned, but I still turn to the Almanac that my grandparents used for their farm in Corbin, Kentucky. 

Not because I think it's better than, say... The Witch's Almanac, or the Sabbats Alamanac.

Mostly - it's tradition. There is something comforting to me to see the pale yellow almanac on the table. I remember again the thousand times I walked into the kitchen on any morning to find that pale, yellow book cradled in one of my grandfather's work-roughened hands, while the other hand raised a coffee cup to his lips. His plate of food in front of him would stay untouched, and likely be cold before he was finished with the Almanac. I now know that my grandfather had what would be called today a learning disability. Even as a child I knew something wasn't right - he would read and re-read the same pages of the Almanac over and over - day after day. He read well, but I understand now that digesting and absorbing information from what he read was difficult for him.

Please - don't think he was an unintelligent man. He was a successful farmer (no small feat!) and kept 331 acres in Laurel County. He raised polled Herefords for beef on about 80 acres. Anywhere from 80-120 acres was set aside for crops. (Depending on what crops he was rotating that year, so some of the land wasn't used at all some years)

Farming, and making a living from farming is a delicate and complex dance. You can't miss a move. You can't be one day late on anything - whether it be planting or harvesting. And it was just him and my grandmother doing virtually everything. My father would spend every weekend on the farm from planting to harvest. We lived just north of Cincinnati, so it was about a 3 and a half hour drive each way. But, my father would get off work on Friday afternoon, we'd drive straight down to Corbin, and all of the family would spend the weekend working. Monday morning we would all be back on the road between 2:00 and 2:30 am - home just in time for school and work. As soon as school let out, most of the family would stay on the farm while my father made that trek weekly by himself. It never seemed hard to me as a kid. It was our cycle.

The truth is - I hated going back home to Ohio. I begged to stay on the farm. I didn't mind the work, because it never seemed like work to me. (And, don't think just because we were kids we didn't work. If you believe that, you've never been on a real, working, family farm. Kids work every bit as physically as adults)

I may have already lost you by this point. That's ok - I understand. Reminiscing is only fun for the person doing it. But, for me, it isn't just reminiscing. It comes full circle for me when I think about the Sabbats, the watching of the moon, consulting Almanacs and welcoming each season as The Wheel turns once more.

It's what I've been doing in one way or another for as long as I can remember. Down to my grandfather digging a hole and burying the first several ears of corn harvested, and saying a prayer over the buried corn, thanking God for a good harvest.

Nothing can put you in tune more with the changing of the seasons, or being thankful for the blessings of the land quite like farming. You watch the sky daily, note every change in the weather, every turn of the leaf. Your livelihood depends on it. Much as it did for people thousands of years ago.

I still buy that pale yellow Almanac, every year. I do buy the wonderful new Almanacs from Llewellyn from time to time as well - but they don't hold the simple allure of that pale yellow beauty. At least, not for me.


   

Gathering

As I said yesterday, I would be out gathering things to stock in my cupboards. Oak leaves and Ivy and most herbs are well within the reach of anyone - apartment dwellers, tight-budgeted individuals, etc.

I told you I had *mini* oak trees. I do. Here's one of them that gave me a few leaves today. Perfect color this year!

When we planted them this particular little oak was exactly three feet tall. I measure them every year.

I just measured the trees again this morning. (ignore the grass that needs cut. You can see some of the ivy and my cat Merlin in the window in the back of the photo)

This guy is now a WHOPPING 3 feet, 1.25 inches! WOO HOO! 

After six years - it's grown a whole 1.25 inches! YEAH!  Yeah - I need to get out and weed, prune, etc. All in good time, folks. All in good time. Like, probably next spring. haha.

Now.. I mentioned yesterday that there is little in a suburban neighborhood that will send your neighbors in foaming at the mouth fits quite like letting ivy grow on your brick. Believe me. It's true. Here's a picture of the ivy that has been growing for about five years on the north side of the house: (and yes, more plants and, of course, my cat Merlin, in the window)

 

According to suburban law, it would completely be within my neighbor's rights to drag me from my house in the middle of the night, strip me naked, whip me until dawn, then set me afire on a bonfire woven with all that ivy - freshly pulled down by the neighbors themselves.

Here's how the conversation with my neighbors go. Every year. Yep. EVERY YEAR we have this conversation.

Neighbor: You know, I don't mean to butt in or anything, but... you do know that the ivy is going to destroy your brick, right?

Me: Really? Who says? 

Neighbor: So and so on that gardening program on television. 

Me: Huh. Well, I guess they don't make 'em like they used to. 

Neighbor: What?

Me: You know. The brick. And mortar. I guess the people hundred of years ago made brick and mortar better by hand with whatever materials were local than we can make it today. Or even a hundred years ago. Obviously, so and so from that tv program never went to Harvard. Or Princeton. Or Cornell...

Neighbor:  What does their college education have to do with anything? (by this point, they usually have a vague sense I've set them up for a classic Copperhead strike, but can't figure it out)

Me: Nothing. But, if we concede that my brick is about to crumble anyday from some ivy growing on it, we should be worrying about our great University buildings - which have been covered for 150 years or more in... IVY. And all those medieval buildings over in Europe - why do you suppose they haven't tumbled to dust yet? 

Neighbor: ummmm.....

Yeah. We basically have that conversation, or some variation thereof EVERY YEAR. Sometimes I'll ask when will my brick be destroyed. They'll say like... in a 100 years. Then I ask them if they really think I'm going to be around to care.  We go round and round. Sooner or later, they'll figure out that I'm not going to give up my ivy. Tooooo bad.

So... here is what I've harvested so far:

It isn't much, but I will harvest a few more times - I only take a small amount each time, and I always ask first and leave a gift. I think it's a fair deal. (I harvested more oak leaves, but they were in the basket still)

Hopefully later this weekend, it will be acorns and the rosemary - and maybe more happy finds along the way.

      

Harvesting

All the focus right now is of course, on Samhain.

For me, this means a last minute wild dash to check our small oak trees outside - are they the perfect color to pick some leaves for my altar? In my case - YES!

So this weekend I will be busy collecting several things on my Stock the Cabinet list.

• Oak leaves - in full color
• Acorns (my oaks are still babies, but I know a few nearby parks with some ancient oaks and a plethora of acorns to be had!)
• Trimming the ivy growing up the side of my house. (Nothing can send your cookie-cutter, new-home-suburban neighbors wilder than letting ivy grow on your brick house. More on that in another post)
• Harvesting the last of the herbs that have held on - most notably my potted rosemary outside. 

That's enough for this weekend with all the other commitments that we have on our calendar. It seems like a lot, but it isn't very time consuming. The oaks, the ivy and the herbs are outside my door - 30 minutes tops for everything. The trip to a nearby park can be a quick stop while on our way to the grocery this weekend. Another 20 minute stop. So, less than an hour's worth of 'work' for a year's worth of stocked items.

I will be on the lookout for black candles this year, as always - but I have to say something about purchasing black candles at Halloween.

They are almost never solid black candles. And you can't always tell until you burn them.

Making solid black wax is very dye-intensive. I know, because that's what I've resorted to doing for the last decade or so. Most of the black candles you will find at big box retailers will be white candles dipped in a couple coatings of wax. They also typically smell like black licorice or nothing at all. Choosing the scent is another perk to making the candle yourself.

If you have no other alternative - use them. I have many years, and have had no adverse affects. I know some out there will howl like hungry wolves on a winter's night about this, but I am not one of them. I've faced the reality of very limited funds and even fewer options to buy a black candle.

If you do find a solid black candle at a local store, I would highly advise you to buy all your finances and storage space will allow. Don't assume that they will carry them again next year - I made that mistake. I went back to *x* retailer that had fabulously rich solid black candles the year before (I noted it in my BOS) and without inspecting them too closely, I bought a year's worth of those candles from that same vendor. I walked out of there feeling like I'd hit the lottery.

I had planned. I had saved up. Look at me go! All organized and frugal. Yeah.

(que the disappointing wah-wah-sound here)

You guessed it. They had changed those candles to the black-dipped variety. So there I was with a year's worth of black-dipped candles, an empty *Witch Kitty Account* (my term for the money I squirrel away for my magical supplies) and Samhain looming in front of me.

You'd better believe I used those candles. You can, too. Honest. It isn't preferable, but if you have no choice, do what you can. Intent is always your biggest ally. Always.

     

Creeping Into The Witch's New Year

October 1st - and the leaves here in Southwest Ohio have begun to get crimson edges. The days are still warm, but the crisp, apple scented morning frost is slowly giving way to a heavy cinnamon frost. And I - I have begun to prepare for Samhain.

I actually began my Samhain Incense and Samhain Oil infusion not long after celebrating Lughnasadh. By the time Mabon came, my oil was taking on a richer scent, and the loose incense was starting to get the depth of aroma I prefer. I checked both recently while preparing for the Full Moon, and found them close to being the ripeness I want. By Samhain, both will be hearty and full of heavy scent.

The first few years I tried making my own incense and oils, this didn't happen. I always forgot to start early enough - or there was some insane ingredient I couldn't find. (This is before the rise of the internet and the ability to find anything you can imagine with just a few keystrokes.) That's right: back then I had to attend *psychic* fairs in obscure places to meet with one or two merchants with a very limited selection, and hopefully network to find other merchants - only to send away for a catalog, then make decisions, place an order by mail, write a check out - and wait. And wait. And wait some more.

All of this was further compounded by not getting the timing of the whole cycle down. I knew the dates of every sabbat and full moon. That wasn't the problem. I didn't have the triggers down to do what needed to be done - when they needed to be done. (Sort of the way the day after Thanksgiving is a trigger to get ready for Christmas) And - let's call a black cauldron a REALLY black cauldron; I was as unorganized as anyone could possibly be and still manage to drag themselves out of bed and feed themselves daily. No. Really.

I'm going to try to help anyone else starting out with this blog. I don't claim to be the Grand Pooh-Bah of anything, or that I know every last thing, or that I necessarily know what is correct according to certain traditions or covens. I am solitary - I've been flying this broomstick solo since 1990, so I definitely do things my own way - but any and all of it can be translated for your way.

The biggest confusions for me when I started:
Stocking my magical cabinet - What can I find easily, and when? Or when is it cheapest?
When to start my.... - Incense? Oil?
How much should I have on hand of...  - Ritual salt? Esbat incense? Altar Oil?
What if I don't have/ can't find.... - Eye of Newt? Hair of Frog? Bat wings and other stuff?
My BOS!  - Do I really need a cool leather book? Or should I just print everything out I can find?
Crap! I forgot to get (item) last (fall, winter, spring, summer)  - when it had just fallen to the ground, or my neighbor trimmed her ivy, when it was growing everywhere, etc.

Those were my biggest stumbling blocks. For some people it seems to come easy. For others (like me!) it's just short of being as confusing as neuro-science. (All you neurosurgeons out there - quiet!)


Welcome to taking it One Sabbat At A Time!