7 - Oils and Incenses in Magick
Oils and incenses, like herbs, are very versatile. The easiest way of attracting all the good things you want not only for yourself but also for those you love and for those in need, is to burn oils and to release the appropriate fragrances and let them work in their own way.You can choose the appropriate oil for health, happiness, love, success, prosperity, confidence and protection, to name but a few.
Oil Magick
You can use oils as part of a ritual. In traditional magick, oils are placed in the West of the altar for the Water element, or the East, if lit, to symbolise the fragrance rising on the Air. But they can equally form the focus of any spell, each oil being charged with its particular purpose before use.
There are many ways you can use oils magically as well as therapeutically: for example, you can burn them in special holders (these are available everywhere from pharmacies, hardware shops and supermarkets); you can sprinkle a few drops on an open fire or on cotton wool; you can pour a little into a saucer and place it above a radiator; you can dispense them in sprays or in any of the variety of condensers and diffusers that are available; or you can dilute them and use them as floor washes.
Cautions
Oils are very potent and should only ever be used in accordance with instructions inside the box from the manufacturer. There are also a number of good books on the market and I have listed a few at the back of this book that will advise on correct dosage.
Generally, oils such as lavender, Chamomile, rose, rosewood and geranium are so mild that for an adult you can use up to ten drops quite safely in a bath full of water. However, do not add more than three drops of peppermint, lemon or Cedarwood, and no more than four or five drops of other astringent or potent oils such as orange, pine, rosemary, tea tree and thyme to a bathful of water and follow instructions carefully. You can also put a drop or two of the milder oils on a handkerchief or inhale from the bottle, but again follow instructions to the letter.
For children, use no more than four drops of mild oil (lavender, Chamomile, rose, rosewood or geranium) in total in a bath; for small children, do not use more than two drops and use only gentler fragrances such as lavender or Chamomile (this is excellent for calming children).
Some conditions preclude the use of certain oils; this applies for use in baths, and for inhalations and massage. As with herbs, I recommend that you should always check with your doctor before using any oils.
Epilepsy: Avoid sweet fennel, hyssop, sage, and rosemary.
High blood pressure: Avoid cypress, hyssop, rosemary, sage and thyme.
Pregnancy: It is best to avoid the following oils during any stage of pregnancy.
Angelica, basil, bitter almond, Cedarwood, clary sage, clove, fennel, hyssop, juniper, marjoram, myrrh, peppermint, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, wintergreen, yarrow.
Photo-Toxic Oils
Certain oils, particularly citrus oils, can irritate the skin if they are exposed to the light, and about half of the normal amount of other oils should be used in baths and massage. Avoid direct sunlight for six hours after use. They include:
Angelica, bergamot, ginger, lemon, lime, mandarin and orange. However, they are ideal for burning and are all energising.
Skin Irritants
Some can be an irritant to the skin and so should be used sparingly and well-diluted. They include:
Allspice, basil, cinnamon, clove, fennel, frankincense, lemon, lemongrass and peppermint.
Oils should never be taken internally and except for pure rose and lavender should not be applied undiluted to the skin.
Using Oils
Oils and Incenses in Magick
To avoid repetition, I have only given a brief reference for those oils whose properties I described in the previous chapter, for the qualities of a substance are the same in any form.
Benzoin: Benzoin reduces tension, stress, and melts away tension, anger, resentment, emotional pain and frustrations. Positively, benzoin increases self-confidence and attracts prosperity, both material and spiritual.
It mixes well with rose, pine and lavender.
Bergamot: Bergamot soothes irritability and lifts depression or apathy, encouraging gentle but honest communication and the manifestation of a person's true potential and inner self.
A citrus oil, bergamot mixes well with frankincense and ylang-ylang.
Cedarwood: Cedarwood is a symbol of both spiritual and sexual awakening or reawakening perhaps after a period of loss or stagnation; excellent in meditation, it is an oil of youthfulness and a long and happy life.
It mixes especially well with cypress, juniper and rosemary.
Chamomile: Known as the children's oil and the oil of kindness, Chamomile is effective for every childhood problem, including hyperactivity, general restlessness and sleeplessness - it is also good for adults with similar problems.
It mixes well with ylang-ylang, geranium, lavender and lemon.
Citronella: Citronella is an oil of identity and independence, establishing the boundaries of the unique self and repelling those who would dominate or intrude on privacy, whether personally or professionally; it also creates invisible boundaries around the home. Citronella improves mental alertness and dispels exhaustion and inertia. It mixes well with lavender and jasmine.
Clary sage: Clary sage calms and drives away fears and bad dreams in adults and children. It is also an oil of inspiration and positivity and, when problems loom large, replaces doubts with unconsidered options and with an assurance that all will be well.
It mixes well with ylang-ylang, rosemary and lavender.
Cypress: Cypress is an oil of consolation after sorrow or loss, bringing acceptance, healing and the power to move forward. It promotes understanding and compassion towards distress of self and others.
It mixes well with lemon, juniper and geranium.
Eucalyptus: This is an oil of purification of mind, body and soul, driving out negativity and anger, as well as repelling deliberate psychological and psychic attack. Eucalyptus will provide the impetus for action and decisions, especially when people and projects have reached an impasse. The oil also offers clear focus and increased concentration.
It mixes well with Cedarwood, clary sage and peppermint. Fennel: Fennel is the oil of strength, courage and perseverance. It mixes well with Chamomile and eucalyptus.
Frankincense: Frankincense is regarded as the most noble of oils, used in ceremonies and formal celebrations throughout the ages and considered in many cultures to be a gift from the deities, bringing healing and power.
It offers confidence to aim high, attracting abundance of all kinds, money and success, but also granting access to higher dimensions and contact with angels and spirit guides.
It mixes well with cypress, sandalwood and myrrh.
Geranium: Geranium is a harmonising oil, restoring peace and wellbeing to the home or workplace, encouraging positive, non-confrontational interactions, reconciling quarrels and melting away emotional coldness and indifference in encounters. It relieves tension, depression doubts and despair, replacing them with gentle optimism.
It mixes well with lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, Cedarwood and Chamomile and indeed most other oils.
Ginger: Ginger is an enhancer of love, passion and money and encourages adventure and innovation.
It mixes well with bergamot, Cedarwood and jasmine.
Jasmine: Jasmine is an uplifting oil, boosting both physical and mental potency and increasing love and passion. It deflects potential hostility, transforming it into friendliness and a willingness to compromise.
It mixes with most other oils, especially rose and ylang-ylang.
Juniper: Juniper is a purifying and cleansing oil, protecting against hostility and removing what is redundant.
It mixes well with rosemary, frankincense and cypress.
Lavender: Lavender is a harmoniser and brings love, kindness and reconciliation to any person or place.
It mixes well with almost every oil, but especially geranium, Chamomile, marjoram and ylang-ylang.
Lemon: Lemon is the breath of life, bringing energy, clarity, logic and integrity. It is a light-bringer, cutting through secrecy, doubt and dishonesty, and cleansing atmospheres and attitudes.
A citrus oil, it mixes well with Chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender and myrrh.
Lemongrass: Lemongrass will clear away negative emotions among family, friends and colleagues, and past resentment and feuds from the past that no longer serve any purpose. It removes also painful memories and helps to leave behind destructive relationships; lemongrass also enhances psychic awareness.
It mixes well with frankincense and geranium.
Lime: Lime brings health and well-being to self and to family and home. It generates enthusiasm and triggers self-healing and regeneration in body and mind. It is protective against psychological and psychic attack and has natural restorative powers.
A citrus oil, it mixes well with eucalyptus and lavender.
Mandarin: Mandarin oil restores confidence self-love and self-esteem, offering protection against the barbs of unfair criticism, spite and gossip. It enhances inner beauty and radiance.
A citrus oil, it mixes well with Cedarwood, geranium, and ylang-ylang.
Marjoram: Marjoram is an oil that relieves loneliness and a sense of isolation and alienation, awaking empathy with others. It is an oil of enduring love and fidelity.
It mixes well with lavender and rosemary.
Mimosa: Mimosa is an oil of the night, for secrets and secret love, bringing love and friendship, especially for older people.
It calms anxiety and over-sensitivity to criticism and brings harmony and happiness, melting away opposition and hostility.
It mixes well with bergamot and Chamomile.
Myrrh: This is a sacred ceremonial oil, like frankincense, and is burned in healing and purification rituals.
It mixes well with mandarin, pine and patchouli.
Neroli: This is orange-blossom oil, symbol of marriage, committed relationships and fidelity, fertility, sensuality and self-esteem. It prevents moods swings, crises of confidence and panic attacks.
It mixes well with geranium and jasmine.
Orange: Orange is the oil of abundance, joy and fertility, attracting happiness, giving confidence and individuality, and calming anxiety and restlessness in children and adults.
A citrus oil, it mixes well with lavender and ylang-ylang.
Patchouli: Patchouli is the oil of prosperity and is used in money rituals, to bring employment and increase business opportunities. It is also frequently used in ceremonies to heal the planet, as it is a natural restorer of balance.
It mixes well with geranium, myrrh and pine.
Peppermint: Peppermint offers protection against illness, accident, hostility and theft or damage to the home and also attracts money.
It mixes well with eucalyptus.
Pine: Pine is a purifier of all forms of negativity, hostile atmospheres and dishonesty, protecting particularly against emotional blackmail. It is an oil of courage and perseverance under difficulty, of integrity and clear focus.
It mixes well with juniper, lemon and marjoram.
Rose: This is an oil of fidelity, happiness, partnerships and gentle healing, love and especially self-love.
It mixes well with almost every other oil.
Rosemary: Rosemary is an oil for enhanced memory, concentration, justice, career and success.
It mixes well with Cedarwood, frankincense and geranium.
Rosewood: Rosewood calms mind, body and soul, creating a setting conducive to peace at home or work, especially if there are difficult negotiations, or potentially hostile visitors or phone calls; it will also clear away existing conflict. Rosewood soothes hyperactive or restless children, and in adults brings acceptance of life as it is and the frailties of others. It is good for energising all forms of natural magick.
Rosewood mixes well with jasmine, neroli and geranium.
Sandalwood: Sandalwood is an oil of passion and sensuality; it also heightens meditative abilities and increases spiritual awareness, offering a path to make contact with the higher self and angelic or spirit guides.
It mixes well with many other oils, especially Chamomile, lemon, patchouli and rosemary.
Tea tree: Tea tree is an oil of healing, especially absent healing; it will remove blockages in energy, and banish negativity, replacing it with optimism and channelling restlessness into positive aspects of life.
It mixes with sandalwood, but is usually best used alone.
Ylang-ylang: The oil of poets, ylang-ylang is associated with inspiration and love, especially self-esteem. It counteracts a sense of frustration when things cannot be changed or achieved, and increases confidence and pleasure in possibilities that can be realised within the limitations of the present circumstance.
It mixes well with clary sage, geranium, lemon and Chamomile.
An Oil Ritual To Increase Prosperity
As I have said before, magick is part of life and there is nothing wrong with carrying out rituals for your personal needs and a little more. However, you must make an effort, when you are financially more secure, to share your good fortune with those who are genuinely in need. As long as you bear in mind the cosmic 'balance sheet', this will ensure that there are sufficient energies to go round. You can, of course, pay in kindnesses and help, as well as in monetary terms.
It is unlikely that you will receive an unexpected cheque in the post the morning after this spell (though I am getting rather good at bewitching one of my financial directors at a firm I work for). Instead, you may suddenly find that you are given the opportunity to earn money through extra unexpected work. Or you will hear of someone who wishes to sell a reliable car or a serviceable computer in a hurry - just at the time when you need one.
It would be churlish to demand a computer with a built-in DVD player from the cosmos, but under the psychic exchange system, all manner of good things that are no longer needed by one person can be directed to someone whose old model has just crashed. It goes without saying that you should also remember to redistribute items that are surplus to your requirements to keep the process moving.
Rituals for personal prosperity tend to be practised alone, as group prosperity rituals tend to work better with a more global focus.
First, you need to define the purpose of the ritual. In this case that will probably not be difficult if you have been lying awake at night, panicking that you can't pay for a school trip for your child or new tyres for the car.
Oils and Incenses in Magick
Once you have established what you require for your needs, find the right oils, using the list above, together with the list of herbs starting on page 110 and the incenses that you may also find in oil form.
The ritual is to be carried out over three consecutive nights. Work on the two days before the full moon and the night of the full moon if you can, as this is the best time for energies of increase. It is also a traditional planting time for herbs and vegetables that grow above the ground.
However, if you need money urgently you cannot sit around waiting for the moon to be right, so burn silver lunar candles on each of the three evenings and picture the lovely ripening Moon we see at this period in the sky, if the weather is clear.
You can carry out the ritual at any time of day, but you should try to choose a time that is quiet. If you can only work during daylight hours, allow the natural light to add to the candle energies or draw the blinds.
You will need:
* An oil burner, the kind with a small nightlight underneath.
* Three prosperity oils. Good examples are patchouli, peppermint, ginger and sage. If you are pregnant, use frankincense, orange and lavender. (Note that lavender is an all-purpose herb that can be substituted for any other.)
* Symbols of prosperity, such as jewellery (golden-coloured for the Sun, and silver for the Moon), and some copper-coloured coins for Venus, planet of growth, to add to your money jar.
(Keep a collection of foreign currency left over from holidays for such prosperity spells. You can often also buy from garage sales or museum shops old or reproduction coins in the traditional metals - such as the US silver dollar - and these tend to have more of the pure metal. Failing this, even metal discs will do.)
* Three candles, beeswax, gold or rich blue.
* A small pottery jar with a lid to 'incubate' your money. (It is a good idea to collect a selection of jars, small wooden boxes, glass bottles and pots as many spells require a container.)
* A small, flat tray or open dish in a silver or gold colour. (Again these are often found amongst unwanted memorabilia. Alternatively, cover an ordinary one with gold or silver foil.)
* A crystal pendulum or any crystal pendant that will swing freely.
When you are ready to start the spell on the first night, have a bath, with a few drop of frankincense or sandalwood added, to open your psychic channels. Now prepare yourself for the spell.
* Sit in the South of your circle, facing North, the direction of magick and mystery.
* Let your body fill with light from your feet right through to your head.
* Breathe in the gold and silver colours of the items you have assembled and exhale darkness.
If you are in a hurry, just set up your spell and sit for a few moments drawing up power light and energy through your feet. Extend your hands over your head in an arch, stretching your fingers up so that the powers of the cosmos also enter, as you breathe slowly and deeply.
* Place your oil burner in the centre of your altar or on any flat surface, together with your three chosen oils (or you can work with a single fragrance if you prefer).
* To the South of it, set your money pot with the lid open and your coins.
* Place your symbols of abundance on the tray to the North of the dish.
* Arrange your gold, blue or beeswax candles in a triangle (this sacred shape represents the Triple Goddess, the Holy Trinity and the Egyptian Isis, Osiris and Horus). The candle at the apex of the triangle should be in the North, with the other two forming the base to the South, so that the triangle creates a protective enclosure. If you have room, set your candles in holders on the floor or in candlesticks on small tables or chairs at each of the points and have the altar in the centre. This is my preferred method and means that you are within the triangle and can move all round.
* On the first night, walk three times in circles around the outside of the altar (or the floor candles if you are using them), moving outwards, and pointing the index finger of your power hand behind you almost horizontally. Visualise a stream of light emanating from your finger. As you circle, chant:
Circle one I cast for the light of the Earth
and her store of rich minerals,
gold, silver, copper smelted in forges of volcanic fire.
Circle two I cast for the moonlit seas,
for silver dolphins, seals and
cascading rainbow fish.
Circle three I cast for the sunlit skies,
the clouds pure gold
and the gilt-tipped eagle soaring high.
* Light the candle in the North.
* Choose one of your three oils and, holding it in your receptive hand (the one you do not write with), circle over it nine times deosil the crystal pendulum or pendant.
* Say three times, faster and faster:
Star, Moon, Sun and candle bright,
charge this oil with radiant light,
power of ginger [or name of oil] prosper me,
enter golden energy.
* After the third chant, let your pendulum swing freely on its chain so it spirals round, catching the candlelight and, perhaps, the moonlight.
* Add the oil to the burner with a little water and light the nightlight under it.
* Take three of the coins from the dish - if possible these should be one gold, one silver and one copper. Place them in the money pot and hold this briefly in the fragrance emanating from the burner, saying:
Venus, Morn and Evening Star,
Sun and Moon that shine afar.
I ask in love and not in greed,
grant me only what I need.
* Place the lid on the pot and leave it in front of the burner, sitting quietly and visualising money coming to you. At this point you may become aware of money-making possibilities you had not considered.
* When you are ready, blow out the nightlight, then the candle, sending the light into the cosmos that it may return as money-making energies.
* Walk round the circle three times widdershins, beginning with the outer circle of light, drawing the circles back like a thread into your fingers, saying softly:
May the circle be uncast
but remain unbroken.
* Leave everything in place except for the pot, which you should put in a warm place to 'incubate', traditionally on a kitchen shelf.
On the second night, return the money pot to the south of the burner and remove the lid.
* Cast the triple circle as before, then light the candle in the North and also the one at the bottom left-hand corner of the triangle.
* Take the second oil and charge it as before. This time you have dual candlelight to reflect in your pendulum.
* Add your second oil and then the first one to the burner with a few drops of water. Light the burner.
* Take six coins from the dish and add to the pot; if possible there should be two golden-coloured, two silver and two copper. Repeat the chant from the previous night.
* Place the lid on the pot, then sit and visualise the money coming towards you and develop your plans to increase your prosperity.
* Blow out the candles and nightlight in reverse order of lighting, sending the energies into the cosmos.
* Uncast the circles as before and return the pot to its warm place.
* On the third night, repeat the ritual, but this time light all three candles and charge the third oil, adding a few drops of each to the burner for the cumulative energies. Add nine coins to the pot, again three of each kind of metal if you have them.
* Uncast the circle, but do not blow out the candles. Leave them and the oil to burn through, and only then put the lid back on the pot and return it to the warm place.
* Add a coin to the pot every day if you can. To empower the spell even further, you could also place a pot of basil, a herb of wealth, to the East of the burner during the ritual and after the three days, place the charged herbs on a window ledge to attract money.
Do something positive to help a person, animal or place on the day after the third ritual. It need not involve money. You can re-light the oils at any time if energies seem sluggish and repeat the whole ritual a moon cycle later for as long as is necessary. There may be a lot of negative vibes swimming the other way, so persevere and be patient.
Incense Magick
Incense has formed a central part of religious and magical ceremonies for thousands of years in lands as far apart as India and North America. It has been used for purification purposes, to invoke angels and to bind or repel demons by medieval magicians. It is said to release specific energies contained in its fragrance and to carry prayers and petitions to the god or goddess figure being invoked.
Since the 1960s, incense sticks, cones and burners have increased in popularity for home use, to create an atmosphere of calm, to induce love and cleanse negativity. Many people use them for meditation as well as for rituals for confidence, health, love, prosperity, psychic protection and success.
Incense is now on sale in floral fragrances as well as the more traditional ones, such as frankincense and myrrh, and these are lovely both for home use and folk spells. Our ancestors would have burned flowers and leaves to create the same effect.
Like herbs and oils, incense can be empowered for specific purposes and can itself form a focus for a spell, as I describe later in this section. In formal magick, incense represents the Air element and is placed in the East of the altar. It is perhaps the easiest and most accessible magical substance and yet it can be a very potent form of magick. Incense burning differs from lighting essential oils, in that the fragrance is transmitted almost instantly on the smoke and so tends to be more concentrated and powerful than the slower-burning oils. It is therefore very effective for rituals requiring immediate action or the same intensity of effort from start to finish, rather than a gradual increase, perhaps of love or prosperity.
There are two kinds of incense. The first is non-combustible incense that is burned by smouldering it on charcoal blocks. This is made from powdered herbs, leaves bark or even pine needles mixed with a gum resin such as dragon's blood and has the advantage of producing clouds of smoke, brilliant for purification or for the climax of a spell. You can buy this type of incense prepared as loose powder, wood chips, granules or special paste, to burn on charcoal blocks or discs.
Traditional practitioners often make their own non-combustible incense, which can be very empowering, but it does take time and can be messy. On page 300 I have suggested an excellent book by Scott Cunningham that describes the process step by step and there are many Internet sites giving recipes and instructions.
To use this incense, place the smouldering charcoal block in a censer or thurible. Until you are experienced you may find it easier and safer to place it inside the censer first, and then light it. (A censer is simply a container for the charcoal. It may be a simple ceramic pot or a much more ornate vessel made of gold or silver. I would not recommend that you use the kind of incense censers on chains used in church services as the incense tends to go everywhere and can be quite dangerous.)
Add your incense gradually, about half a teaspoon at a time, once the charcoal block in the censer is glowing but not releasing sparks. With practice, you will learn to add the right quantity to ensure a steady but not choking stream of smoke as part of the ritual. Many practitioners prefer to light it beforehand and just add a teaspoon of incense as part of the ceremony or spell when they need a billow of fragrance. Incenses with a greater proportion of resin and gum will last longer - hence the popularity of frankincense in religious ceremonies. When working in a group, you can ask one person to top up the censer if necessary during a long rite. If you are alone, make this part of your increasing power actions in a private ritual.
Practise using non-combustible incense before rituals and in time it will become as natural as lighting a candle.
The second type of incense, which many practitioners, myself included, prefer to use, is combustible incense, lit directly in sticks and cones. These are very difficult to make at home but the commercially produced versions are quick and easy to use and the fragrance of the sticks does not alter when burned. Some home-made incenses made from apparently pleasantly scented flowers can smell foul when they are lit!
Sticks and cones are very safe to use: just light the tip, and once it is glowing, gently blow out the flame. This means there is no danger to children or pets who may be around.
Incense is also sold as dhoops, pure incense in cylinders attached to long sticky ropes; these come from India and can be burned in a flat dish.
Long, broad incense sticks can be carried when alight if you are careful. There are also many kinds of incense holders available. If you have a holder that collects the ash, you can scatter this to the four winds to carry your wishes on their way.
Whatever type of incense you use, treat it as you would any other substance that is ignited: read the instructions carefully before use and take normal precautions.
Below I have listed some of the most common forms of incense. Some you have met before in herbal or oil form and so I have kept the associations brief to avoid repetition. You may also find a number of these fragrances, especially fruit and floral ones, are available as scented candles. You can use these in your spells to focus on a particular need or quality you wish to attract.
Incenses For Magick
Allspice
Allspice is used in spells for money, strength and action.
Apple Blossom
Use apple blossom for love, fertility, optimism, inner beauty and youthfulness. It is particularly good in rituals concerning babies and children.
Avocado
Use avocado incense for desire, increase of beauty in oneself or the environment.
Basil
Basil is used in rituals for fidelity and prosperity.
Bay
Use bay for healing, prosperity, protection and marriage.
Benzoin
Benzoin is used in rituals for money; it increases mental powers and concentration.
Bluebell
Bluebell is used for faithfulness in love and betrothals.
Carnation
Carnation is used for strength, healing and family devotion.
Cedar/cedarwood
Cedar and Cedarwood are best for healing and cleansing redundant influences and negative thoughts.
Chamomile
Like its herbal counterpart, Chamomile incense brings money, quiet sleep and affection, and is used in spells to do with all matters of the family.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is for spirituality, success, healing, psychic powers, money, love and passion.
Cherry
Cherry brings new love and divinatory abilities.
Cloves
Cloves are used in spells for love and money; they repel hostility and improve memory.
Copal
Use copal for protection and purification; it is especially good for cleansing crystals.
Cypress
Cypress is for times of transition to a new phase, letting go of sorrow.
Dragon's blood
Dragon's blood is used for love and protection, passion and male potency.
Fern
An initiator of change, travel and fertility, fern will also bring hidden wealth, maybe in terms of potential.
Fig
Use fig for wisdom, creativity and creation, fertility, harmony and balance.
Frankincense
Use frankincense for courage, joy, strength and success.
Freesia
Freesia increases trust, especially after loss or betrayal; it also brings belief in a better tomorrow.
Gum arabic (acacia)
Use gum arabic in rituals for dreams, meditation, psychic protection and development.
Heather
Heather is used for passion, fidelity in love and good fortune; it maximises opportunities and is particularly effective in weather magick, especially rain-making.
Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is used for money, psychic powers and protection.
Hyacinth
Hyacinth assists in overcoming opposition in love; it brings happiness and desire for reconciliation.
Hyssop
Hyssop is used for making a love commitment, for healing and all forms of protection, especially from psychic attack.
Ivy
Ivy is effective for fidelity, married love, permanent relationships and constancy.
Jasmine
Jasmine is used in Moon magick and prophetic dreams. It brings sensuality, money and passion.
Juniper
Use juniper for protection from psychic attacks and physical theft; for cleansing, healing and house moves.
Lavender
Lavender is particularly good for love and reconciliation,
Lemon/lemongrass
Both repel spite, protect against malice and gossip; they bring passion and increase psychic awareness and are good for those who travel.
Lemon verbena
Lemon verbena will break a run of bad luck; it brings love and protection against negativity.
Lilac
Use lilac for all domestic matters, acceptance of the frailty of self and others, and to ease nostalgia; lilac cleanses negativity.
Lily
Lily is for purity and breaking negative influences in love; it is frequently used in Mother Goddess magick.
Lily of the valley
Lily of the valley increases mental abilities, brings happiness and restores joy.
Marigold
Marigold is used for dreams and guarding against infidelity. It is effective in rituals concerning legal matters, luck and money.
Mimosa
Use mimosa for protection, love, prophetic dreams and purification.
Mistletoe
Known to the Druids as the all-healer, mistletoe is for healing sorrows, overcoming injustice and finding what is lost. It is also good for male potency.
Moss
Moss is used for good fortune, prosperity, money and permanence, whether in work or relationships. It frequently appears in water magick and divination (use with candles on water).
Myrrh
Myrrh is good for healing, peace, protection and inner harmony.
Myrtle
Sometimes mixed with other fragrances, myrtle is used in spells concerning fidelity in love, marriage and mature love. It may also be used in matters of property and security.
Nutmeg
Use nutmeg for fertility and healing, especially of the environment; it will also bring a gradual increase of wealth.
Orange Blossom
Beneficial for marriage and permanent relationships, use orange blossom also for restoring trust and increasing confidence and hope.
Pine
Use pine for healing, fertility, purification, protection and money; it also returns hostility to the sender.
Poppy/opium
Poppy may be used for divination, fertility and making oneself less visible in danger; it also brings luck and sleep.
Rose
Rose is for gentle love, attraction, dreams of love and reconciliation. Rosemary
Rosemary is used for love and happy memories; it also improves memory and concentration.
Sage
Use sage in rituals for health, enhanced mental powers and wisdom.
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is effective for spiritual and psychic awareness and healing; use it also in matters of sexuality.
Strawberry
Use strawberry for innocent love, friendship and happiness.
Tamarind
Tamarind is for love, especially new love, and the rebuilding of trust.
Thyme
Thyme is used in rituals for courage, divination, health, love, money and purification.
Vanilla
Vanilla brings passion and enduring love; it also increases mental powers.
Vetivert
Use vetivert for love. It can also break a run of bad luck and bring money. It is protective against theft and all kinds of negativity.
Violet
Use violet for secrecy, modesty and uncovering hidden talents.
Combining Incenses In Rituals
As well as the single fragrances, there are many commercial products that combine several basic fragrances to evoke a particular mood, for example morning dew, raindrops and emerald. You can experiment with these and find those that seem right for your life or, if you make your own non-combustible incenses, you can combine a number of single fragrances to your own personal recipes.
But it is quite possible by using a number of individual fragrance sticks in the same ritual to combine their energies and, more importantly, create exactly the proportions of specific energies you need for a ritual. For example, you might burn a rose incense for love with a cinnamon incense to add passion and energy to that special, loving relationship. The amount of incense used for each quality determines your priorities, so, in this case, if loving energies were the prime focus, you would burn two rose incense sticks or cones and one cinnamon. You can also do this with your oil mixes.
A Six-Incense Ritual For Love
Six is the number of Venus in her morning star aspect of love. You can use this ritual for attracting love, for deepening a relationship, consummating it or strengthening it during a difficult period, perhaps when everything appears to have got into a rut. You can alter the focus of the ritual by varying the number and type of each fragrance you use, for example whether your primary concern is to increase trust, passion or encourage fidelity (use the incense list on page 139).
This ritual is best carried out early in the moon cycle, any time from when you can see the crescent in the sky.
In the ritual, I refer to a pentagram, a magical symbol that can be used for attracting energies or closing them down in ritual magick. Its uses can be varied according to the way it is drawn. However, in this ritual, it is the shape that is important, so just imagine the shape as illustrated overleaf, with its single point at the top. Arrange five of your incense sticks as though on the points of this invisible pentagram and put the sixth in the centre as the combination and synthesis of the different powers.
First, gather together the tools you will need.
* A candle of the appropriate colour for the type of love you wish to focus on: pink for new love, green for increasing commitment and faithful love, or red for passion and the consummation of love.
* A gold or silver ring or, if you prefer, one made of copper, Venus's own metal.
* A small white cushion or piece of white cloth.
* Six incense sticks of appropriate fragrances and separate holders to catch the ash.
* Ivy or any green fronds; if you cannot obtain any, green ribbon will do. (Ivy is a plant associated with fidelity and permanent relationships.)
Now begin your ritual.
* Place your ring in the centre of your altar, on the white cloth or cushion.
* To the left of it (towards the West, the direction of love and emotions), place and light the candle.
* Take your incense sticks one by one, and light each in the candle, reciting:
Incense of love, incense of power, thus do I charge thee,
now at this hour.
Incense of faithfulness,
incense of truth, bring love
that will last, in age and in youth.
In sickness and sorrow, in health and in joy,
in wealth and in dearth, may nothing destroy.
* Beginning at the single (top) point of your invisible pentagram, light your first incense, saying:
I light this incense
to bring love into my life
and the one who is right for me.
* Moving deosil, light and place the second incense on the next point of the invisible pentagram, saying:
I light this incense that I may give love where it will bring joy and bear fruit.
* Continuing deosil, light and place the third incense at the next invisible point, saying:
I light this incense for the increase of that love and for mutual fidelity and respect.
* Light and place the fourth incense, saying:
I light this incense for the marriages of mind and soul as well as body, in a union that is beyond any legal bonds.
* Light and place the fifth incense, saying:
I light this incense that love will always be willingly given and received and never become possessive or manipulative.
* Light and place your final incense to the East of the ring, saying:
I light this incense that love will be compassionate, ever supportive, accepting of frailties and based on love of the real person, not worshipping the ideal of loving, nor demanding the perfect lover.
You can adapt the pledges according to the focus you give the ritual and even rewrite them entirely to express your purpose.
* Take the ring and pass it through the six incenses in turn, saying for each ring of faith:
Love I pledge, truth I offer, care and kindliness. Ring of promise, love I ask, truth I seek, into eternity if right may it be.
* Return the ring to the centre, and bind it with six loose knots of ivy or ribbon, saying:
Do not bind,
join heart and mind,
Hold safe we two,
till life is through,
Love without end,
my dearest friend.
I call you - [name the person, or say 'love unknown'].
Again you can adapt the words. A pledge of fidelity is actually a very potent way of attracting a new lover - perhaps someone who works close to you whom you have not thought of in a romantic way.
* Let the candle and incense burn through and then collect the incense ash in a pot or jar with a lid.
* Sleep with the ring and ivy next to your bed on the cushion and in the daytime surround it with white flowers.
* When you have time, take the ash to the top of a hill or any windy place and scatter it to the four winds, saying:
Go Free In Love And Return In Joy.
You can carry out the spell on a larger scale by placing the ring, the candle and one large incense stick on your altar in the centre of the invisible pentagram. Place the other large incense sticks on small tables, chairs or blocks at the other points and work within the pentagram. You could even use garden incense and carry out the ritual in a sheltered spot out of doors, maybe even picking your ivy and white flowers during the ritual.
A Ritual For Harmony
This ritual can be used when, for example, a colleague, family member or friend is intruding in your life, but you do not want to hurt their feelings. It can be very successful if you have received one too many phone calls or visits at inconvenient moments from a friend or neighbour. It may help to ward off constant interference in your projects by your boss or a colleague at work, or possessiveness that is not malicious but comes from loneliness in a close relative, a child or even your partner. You can carry it out before going to work or when you anticipate the arrival of the person. It is much kinder than a traditional binding spell as it preserves the positive aspects of the relationship.
* Light deosil a circle of lavender and rose incense sticks for love and kindness.
* Fill a pot or a small cauldron, or any heatproof dish, with sand and in it stand a single orange candle for independence.
* Take a long piece of red thread and tie nine loose knots around the base of the cauldron to represent the tangled emotions, saying as you tie the knots:
Bind and wind nine times through, bonds that stifle, tangle, twine, bind unwilling me to you.
* Cut through the knots one at a time, using a knife (not scissors), saying:
Ties so binding,
Cut right through,
Guilt unwinding,
Freedom finding,
Loving you,
Not what you do.
* Light your candle, saying:
Light of self, burning true, I am me and you are you. Light of friendship, light so kind, free in heart and soul and mind.
* Now burn each of the knots in the orange candle so they drop into the sand, saying:
Free to live in harmony
Caring still,
but separately.
This is also a good ritual if you are separating or divorcing from a partner but need to maintain friendly contact, perhaps because you work together or have joint family or financial responsibilities.
