The spiritual meanings of fragrances and magickal properties of incense will help focus your mind on achieving specific goals. Burning incense has a symbolic meaning that helps pagans and witches focus their attention on the purpose of a ritual or magickal working.
ACACIA:
Burned with sandalwood to stimulate the psychic powers.
AFRICAN VIOLET:
Burned for protection and to promote spirituality within the home.
ALLSPICE:
Burned to attract both good luck and money.
ALOES:
Burned to attract good fortune, love, spiritual vibrations, and strength.
ALTHEA:
Burned for protection and to stimulate the psychic powers.
AMBER:
Burned for love, comfort, happiness and healing
AMBERGRIS:
Burn for dreams and aphrodisiac
ANGELICA:
Burn for protection, harmony, integration, insight and understanding, stability and meditation
ANISE SEEDS:
Burned as a meditation and emotional balance incense.
BASIL:
Burned to exorcise and protect against evil entities such as demons and unfriendly ghosts, and to attract fidelity, love, good luck, sympathy, and wealth. This is also an excellent incense to use when performing love divinations. Also burn for concentration, assertiveness, decisiveness, trust, integrity, enthusiasm, mental clarity, cheerfulness, confidence and courage
BAY:
Burned to facilitate the psychic powers, and to induce prophectic dream-visions.
BAYBERRY:
Burned mainly to attract money and also burned for protection, happiness and control
BENZOIN:
Burned for purification, astral projection, clears negative energy, emotional balance, eases sadness, depression, weariness, grief, anger, anxiety and to attract prosperity.
BERGAMONT:
Burn for money, prosperity, uplifting of spirits, joy, protection, concentration, alertness, confidence, balance, strength, courage, motivation and assertiveness
BISTORT:
Burned often with frankincense as a powerful incense to aid divination.
BRACKEN:
Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain.
CARDAMOM:
Burn for mental clarity, concentration, confidence, courage, enthusiasm and motivation
CARNATION:
Burn for protection, strength, healing, love and lust
CEDAR:
Burned for purification, to stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, attract love, prevent nightmares, and heal various ailments, including head colds.
CEDARWOOD:
Burn for healing, purification, protection, money, balance, grounding, clarity, insight and wisdom
CHAMOMILE:
Burn for harmony, peace, calm, spiritual and inner peace
CINNAMON:
Burned for protection and to attract money, wealth, prosperity, business success, stimulate or strengthen the psychic
powers, and aid in healing. Also burned for stimulation, strength and lust
CITRON:
Burned in rituals to aid healing and also to strengthen the psychic powers.
CITRONELLA:
Burn for cleansing, warding off, healing and exorcism
CLOVE:
Burned to dispel negativity, purify sacred and magickal spaces, attract money, and stop or prevent the spread of gossip. Also burn for pain relief, intellectual stimulation, business success, wealth, prosperity, divination, exorcism, protection, eases fears, improves memory and focus
COCONUT:
Burned for protection.
COPAL:
Burned for purification, uplifting spirits, protection, exorcism, spirituality and to attract love.
CYPRESS:
Burn for strength, comfort, healing, eases anxiety, stress, self-assurance, confidence, physical vitality, willpower and concentration
DAMIANA:
Burned to facilitate psychic visions.
DITTANY OF CRETE:
Burned to conjure spirits and to aid in divination, astral projection, especially when mixed with equal parts of benzoin, sandalwood, and vanilla.
DRAGONS BLOOD:
Burned to dispel negativity, exorcise evil supernatural entities, courage, purification, attract love, and restore male potency. Many Witches also burn dragon’s blood for protection when spell casting and invoking. When added to other incenses, dragon’s blood makes their magickal powers all the stronger.
ELECAMPANE:
Burned to strengthen the clairvoyant powers and scrying abilities-divination by gazing.
EUCALYPTUS:
Burn for healing, purification and protection
FERN:
Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain. Also used to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
FRANKINCENSE:
Burned to dispel negativity, spirituality, purify magickal spaces, consecration, protect against evil, exorcism, aid meditation, astral strength, induce psychic visions, courage, protection, attract good luck, and honor Pagan deities.
FUMITORY:
Burned to exorcise demons, poltergeists, and evil supernatural entities.
GALANGAL:
Burned to break the curses cast by sorcerers.
GARDENIA:
Burn for peace, love and healing
GINGER:
Burn for wealth, lust, love and magical power
GINSENG ROOT:
Burned to keep wicked spirits at bay, and for protection against all forms of evil.
GOTU KOLA:
Burned to aid meditation.
HEATHER:
Burned to conjure beneficial spirits, and to magickally produce rain.
HIBISCUS FLOWERS:
Burned to attract love, lust and also for divination.
HONEYSUCKLE:
Burn to attract money, happiness, friendship and healing
HOREHOUND:
Burned as an offertory incense to the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
HYACINTH:
Burn for happiness and protection
JASMINE:
Burned to attract love and money, and also to induce dreams of a prophectic nature, purification, wisdom and astral projection
JUNIPER:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and also to break curses, exorcism and hexes cast by evil sorcerers. It is also burned for calming, protection and healing.
LAVENDER:
Burned to induce rest and sleep, and to attract love-especially of a man. Also burned for cleansing, healing, happiness and relaxation
LEMON:
Burn for healing, love and purification
LEMONGRASS:
Burn for mental clarity
LILAC:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract harmony into ones life.
LOTUS:
Burn to elevate mood, protection, spirituality, healing and meditation
MACE:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
MASTIC:
Burned to conjure beneficial spirits, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and intensify sexual desires. The magickal powers of other incenses are greatly increased when a bit of mastic is added.
MESQUITE:
The magickal powers of all healing incenses are greatly increased when mesquite is added.
MINT:
Burned to increase sexual desire, exorcise evil supernatural entities, conjure beneficial spirits, and attract money. Mint incense also possesses strong healing vibrations and protective powers.
MUSK:
Burn for aphrodisiac, prosperity, courage
MYRRH:
Burned (often with frankincense) for purification, consecration, healing, exorcism, and banishing evil. Myrrh is also aids meditation rituals, and was commonly burned on alters in ancient Egypt as an offering to deities Isis and Ra.
NUTMEG:
Burned to aid meditation, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract prosperity.
OAKMOSS:
Burned for money and attraction
ORANGE:
Burned for divination, love, luck and money
PATCHOULI:
Burned to attract money, love, growth, mastery, sensuality and also to promote fertility.
PEPPERMINT:
Burned for energy, mental stimulant, exorcism and healing
PINE:
Burned for purification, and to banish negative energies, exorcise evil supernatural entities, and attract money, as well as to break hexes and return them to their senders. Also burned for grounding, strength, cleansing and healing
POPPY SEEDS:
Burned to promote female fertility, and to attract love, good luck, and money.
ROSE:
Burned to increase courage, induce prophetic dreams, house blessing, fertility, healing and attract love. Rose incense is used in all forms of love enchantment and possesses the strongest love vibration of any magickal incense.
ROSE GERANIUM:
Burned for courage and protection
ROSEMARY:
Burned to purify, aid in healing, prevent nightmares, preserve youthfulness, dispel depression, attract fairy folk, and promote restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
RUE:
Burned to help restore health.
SAGE:
Burned for protection against all forms of evil. It is also burned to purify sacred spaces and ritual tools. Plus it is great for promoting wisdom, clarity, attract money, and aid in the healing the body, mind, and soul.
SAGEBRUSH:
Burned to aid healing, and to banish negative energies and evil supernatural entities.
SANDALWOOD:
Burned to exorcise demons and evil ghosts, conjure beneficial spirits, and promote spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense is also used by many Witches for protection, astral projection, healing rituals and in wish-magick.
SOLOMONS SEAL:
Burned mainly as an offertory incense to ancient Pagan deities.
STAR ANISE SEEDS:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
STRAWBERRY:
Burned to attract love and for luck.
SWEETGRASS:
Burned to conjure beneficial spirits prior to spell casting.
SWEET PEA:
Burned for friendship, love and courage
THYME:
Burned for the purification of magickal spaces prior to rituals, to aid in healing, and to attract good health.
VANILLA:
Burned to attract love, increase sexual desire, and improve the powers of the mind.
VERVAIN:
Burned to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
VETIVERT:
Burned to break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.
VIOLET:
Burn for wisdom, luck, love, protection and healing
WILLOW:
Burned to avert evil, attract love, and promote healing. It is also used by many Witches as an offertory incense for Pagan lunar deities.
WISTERIA:
Burned for protection against all forms of evil.
WORMWOOD:
Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers. When mixed with sandalwood and burned at night in a cemetery, wormwood is said to be able to conjure spirits from their graves.
YARROW:
Burned to arrow courage, exorcism
YLANG-YLANG:
Burned for love, harmony and euphoria
Magick can come in various forms, with various techniques and uses. There is no right or wrong form, just whatever works best for you. You may find you want to use few, many or even all forms you encounter. There’s no limit. The only thing I would say is fear or doubt of your own ability may not provide the best results when working.
I’m going to list some, though I am in no way an expert on all, nor do I know all forms magick takes. But at the very least, I hope this will be an interesting if not useful read.
• Colour Magick – some would say this is one of the simplest forms of magick. It is often used together with others, but can be effective when used alone. Colour can enhance or change moods and emotions, it can be used to represent your goal and even something as simple as dressing your alter in a specific colour can have an effect.
• Herb magic – this can also be used alongside many other forms, for instance with talismans and amulets. The oil from herbs can be used to dress yourself or candles. You can even combine many herbs and oils together to create the desired effect.
• Candle magick – one of the oldest and simplest forms of magick, they can be used in many ways. They can be used to attract or repel, used as an offering, used to form your circle, to represent elements when placed using different colours and locations, or even just to represent the element of fire solely.
• Crystal magick – crystals and stones have their own energies and can be used in many ways. They can be used for protection, healing, enhancement, enchantment, to aid in meditation any many more ways. Even ordinary stones can be charged for use in different ways, an example would be rune stones.
• Knot magick – strangely although this is a simple and versatile form, I’ve found few people know of it. It can be used in weaving, knitting, crocheting, just plain knots or intricate knots. You can use anything that can be made into a knot, whether you choose rope, ribbon, cord, wool, string. At its simplest it’s knots in a cord, but you can make it more intricate with uses of different colours, shapes, changing the pattern in places and even weaving in symbols.
• Representational magick – magick is ever changing and flowing, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to add this or not, but history is important and unfortunately a lot has been lost. Representational magick can now be used to describe what you’re using a tool or ingredient for, an example would be that a purple candle is used to represent spiritual power. But there was a time, if not still, that it was used to describe a form all of it’s own. A good example would be the use of poppets, dolls fashioned by the witch to represent a person. With witch hunting and bad portrayal in media this has come to be seen as a negative practice, when it can be used for many things.
• Symbolic magick – unlike representational magic which would use items, this uses shapes, sigils and symbols. They can be used to represent anything, and while there are many you may know as standard, planetary for example, you yourself are free to create your own. Many years ago when a witch would have to hide their workings, they would even come to develop their own alphabet for their book of shadows.
• Elemental magic – with this magic the elements are called upon to add power to workings. You may find yourself favouring one in particular, and it may not be one that would be traditionally fitting for you. For example I am a Gemini, typically an air sign, but I favour working with fire.
• Talisman, amulet and charm magick – this uses a lot of other forms. There are many uses for them, luck and protection being very well known. They are fashioned as jewellery, carried around in a pouch and can even be made into key chains and phone charms. This form of magic can be as simple as a necklace made with a single stone or as intricate as you like, including symbols, containers for herbs many different stones that compliment each other, use of colour and different metals, even the shape it takes can have an effect.
• Divination magick – divination magick can come in many different forms. From tarot, scrying, crystal balls, palmistry to tea leaves and many more. You may find one works better for obtaining answers than another, it’s not uncommon to find one is more successful for you personally. Most people will think of it as “future telling” thanks to how media has portrayed it, but that is just one aspect of it. You can use it to seek answers, to find things that are lost, and to find information to guide you. You may choose to use to obtain the meaning behind dreams. There are many uses besides seeing the future, and you may find you use divination in a completely different way to others.
☆☆Thank you for reading, and please let me know if there’s any forms you think I should add☆☆
There’s plenty of resources out there available to you on Tumblr, you need only look. I’m sure there are plenty of energy work tags on plenty of blogs out there. The very basics of energy work is to learn how to ground, cleanse, and to sense it. I learned to ground from an old book for Wicca years ago. LOL
What is Energy Work?
To put it simply, energy work is working with unseen forces that’s generally labeled as energy. The concept of energy can take on many forms in both the physical and intangible. An object at rest can store up kinetic energy while the sun can emit solar energy. You have two sides to energy and that’s the scientific and then there’s energy work in witchcraft. Most practices utilizes some form of energy work guided by intention by the worker.
Centering yourself is the act of calming your mind and your emotions. It’s a kind of meditative state where you begin to feel more within and around you. The best way to learn to center is to learn to meditate. Meditation is the basic of most practices. You can reach a meditative state while walking, exercising, in the shower, reading, etc. You tend to focus your mind to the point where the rest of the world fades into the background. Active meditation aids you in keeping your body focused on a task that tends to be repetitive for your mind to become still. There are plenty of guided meditations you can try and search for on YouTube.
The basic idea was to sit down with your legs crossed and begin to meditate. You imagine yourself as a tree and set down roots where the base of your spine would be and the trunk being your spine, the sprouts above your head. The intention was to connect with the earth and then push out all your ‘bad’ energies into the earth and take within its energies to hold within yourself. Then release it and slowly come out of the meditative state by withdrawing your roots. I used this grounding method while starting out and it was a very common one to use. It didn’t work as well for me as my cosmic grounding method that I adjusted for the solar grounding within my post.
Typically, you should feel rejuvenated and relaxed when you ground. There’s plenty of guided meditation methods you can try. I even covered a few fire and solar grounding techniques within the post you commented on if you’d like to try those. Here’s plenty of links I have on hand with various grounding methods:
I learned to ground before I learned how to sense energy. Sensing energy involves a lot of patience, practice, and being patient with yourself. You don’t instantly become amazing at energy work. It takes you taking the time to repeatedly practice and push yourself. A good exercise to begin with is to start with your hands. Find a quiet place for yourself so you won’t be disturbed. Hold your hands, palms facing each other together. Now close your eyes and take deep breaths. (You don’t have to close your eyes yet I recommend it for the first time because removing the visual sense heightens your other senses.) Focus on the feel between your hands and gather your energy there. They should feel warm already just from having your hands together even before going into this with the intention of gathering energy from your body heat.
Next, slowly pull them apart and back together, not quite touching to focus on the feel against your palms. You should feel a slight push or pull. You can jiggle your hands a little side to side to get a feel for that sensation. The next step is to create a greater distance between your hands to work on sensing that energy between them. It can get weaker the further apart they are yet you’ll get better at it the more you play around with this. I used to play with this as a kid in school to make energy balls in my hands.
The next step up from working with your own energy is to work with plants. You hold your hands on either side of the plant with your palms pointing inward to each other. You concentrate on feeling for the plant’s energy, that slight push pulls against your hands. It’s important to take notes and keep track of how things feel for you because energy work will become subjective to you on your techniques over time. This method to feel a plant’s energy can be applied to rocks, objects, spirits, etc. Go nuts. I moved onto candles after plants when I started. You can figure out what energy you can feel and not feel.
Shielding is the act of using your energy or an outside source to create a protective shield around you. You can apply this as a personal shield around your body, an object, yourself, etc. This can range from protective wards to stopping others from intruding into your space. You can get creative as you’d like yet you’d have to tie the protective measure to an energy source to draw its power from. The most common forms of energy source to work with while beginning are the four basic elements (earth, air, fire, water), the moon, and the sun. You generally want to avoid using yourself as a source well as you have a finite amount of energy to provide and can tap yourself out by overworking yourself. There are physical objects you can use as protective measures or working with spirits yet I’m going to stick with the energy work focused for the purposes of this post.
The act of charging is using energy to fill up an object. It’s most commonly used with crystals. You often hear of people leaving various crystals or objects out in the sun or moon for awhile. This usually is to be filled with solar or lunar energies while at the same time become cleansed. You could charge water, candles, etc.
Programming is a continuation of charging and that is to give the object a purpose set through intention, sigils, spells, etc. The object itself has its own energy yet you can program it to act a certain way by specifying what for while charging the object. You can charge an object with your own energy, solar, lunar, fire, water, earth, air, whatever other energy sources you find or can think of. Setting the intention of the charging would create it’s programming which can be further enforced over using this object for its intended purpose. Repeatedly using it as such will cement in this programming.
Energy work isn’t a difficult thing to research at all. Before I discovered Tumblr, I learned everything from books and later Google when it was invented and computers became more mainstream. All it takes is for you to go out and look for the information because not everything is going to be handed to you. There’s so many 101 posts out there on Tumblr and now I’ve given you just one more to add to your arsenal.
Black Salt is used for cursing, protection, banishing, cleansing, breaking spells or hexes, and repelling negative energy. Black salt is made by combining either activated charcoal or ashes from burned herbs or incense with sea salt.
Using activated charcoal will actually make your salt a dark black color, whereas using ashes will turn it into a lighter grey color.
Depending on what you plan to use black salt for, you can add different types of ash or other ingredients that correspond with your intent.
Ashes from various herbs and incenses for black salt:
Candles are widely used in rituals, and candle magick is great for new and experienced witches alike. The use of them in your own practice will help you keep focused on your dreams!
Your Reddit occultist friends have mentioned it, it’s popping up on all these Tumblr posts about banishing and stuff, but you still haven’t the foggiest clue: what the fuck is the LBRP?
Fret not: here’s a handy guide. Warning: long post ahead!
Disclaimer: This guide represents the sum total of roughly thirteen years of on-and-off experience with the ritual and my own study and understanding of the Kabbalah and the Golden Dawn system, but emphasis is on the words my own. There will be points that I’m sure other occultists will disagree on, but I’m of the conviction that the principles underlying my understanding of the ritual are unlikely to be controversial among most ceremonial magicians.
Occult Aspects 