Just curious about the different ways to use herbs.
Do you typically burn them?
In dry or fresh form?
Do you put them in a sachet?
Do you infuse in oil?
When to use one form but not the other?
Can it be effective without a ritual?

How do spirits respond?
How does your magic respond?

Thinking about having an herb garden.

For me it depends on what I'm doing.

For example... the first time I offered rosemary to my gold dragon, he wanted it burned, but the next two times, he just wanted the dried herb. I don't have access to fresh right now.

The cloves I offer my volkh are also dried. He never wants them burned.

I use dried and fresh herbs in spells - for area effects I make incenses. For personal or continuous effects, I make sachets. I have a money sachet in my purse. I refresh the herbs and cleanse the stones every now and then. I also have a cleansing/purification herbal and stone sachet I keep in my tarot box.

I also make herbal teas and decoctions for magickal purposes, and very rarely, I make medicinal teas (infusions) or decoctions. The magickal potions I make using decoction process take all day, and afterwards the potion gets stored in a sealed jar, and I use the potion a little bit at a time. Potions, if you take care of them, can last a really long time. I use mine for annointing and sometimes for area effects. I have a binding potion I used on an empty apartment (with the landlord's permission) because the woman who lived there before had committed suicide three times (unsuccessfully, obviously) and when she moved out, the energy was REALLY nasty - so bad that smudging wasn't working. So I took a binding potion and put it into a spray bottle, and diluted it with holy water I'd blessed myself, and sprayed it everywhere. Afterwards, no ick.

So... that's basically how I use my herbs. Oh, and I always add power to the herbs... I don't just mix and wait, I mix, charge, and then apply. It's proven to be extremely effective.

Some people work better with herbs than stones, or candles, or other energetic assistances. I'm one of those people. Stones are great, but they're not my speciality. And candles... yeah, there I kinda suck. I've never cast a candle spell that didn't go horribly wrong or simply flop. Fire and I are... still working on our issues. lol

Everyone has their specialty... Herbs... herbs are where I rock it.

Brightest blessings...
Selqet

You should DEFINITELY have an herb garden. No two ways about it. If you are thinking about it, you should do it.

I personally use herbs for everything. Cooking, cleaning, praying, spell casting, offerings. Many spirits, entities and so forth (my brain just went blank! LOL) have associations with specific herbs, so they react well to herbs.

I don't know what your living space is like but here is the coolest idea I have ever seen for an herb garden.... http://www.tonic.com/post/diy-vertical- ... -shoerack/ let us know how it turns out for ya!

I use blends with intent, right now next to my computer I have two pints of florida water being blessed by the spirits of the crossroads with a golden candle next to it, I know the standard procedure is to add yellow pigment into the water and burn a white candle, but I'm doing the contrary, transparent water next to a golden candle. Judging from the energy rush after the prayer (self made) I'd say i'ts ok.

About the florida water, there's different florida water recipes and lots of people have results without the above procedure bc of the energetic properties of plants.

The oil that I have made I only use the plant properties and give it some boost with a little intent injection.

A very good example on giving it an extra boost is the solve et coagula video (YT) perhaps there's no need to go the extra mile like in the video but you'll get the picture.

What I don't know yet is if some type of oil would do the extraction tho...

Take it with a pinch of salt as I'm quite new in this, IMO the place to start is reading root work books, and of course more experienced members will have a better opinion on the subject, but I digress as you're asking about the herbs alone...

I'd say an oil blend or extraction would be better, considering root workers use them a lot, charcoal is plenty used in this also, if you could get some ashes (I've heard rice ash is good for this) you fill a bowl with the ash and bury the burning charcoal just a bit, cover it with a small layer of ash and place the herbs / oil on top of it.

Leolyn wrote:You should DEFINITELY have an herb garden. No two ways about it. If you are thinking about it, you should do it.

I personally use herbs for everything. Cooking, cleaning, praying, spell casting, offerings. Many spirits, entities and so forth (my brain just went blank! LOL) have associations with specific herbs, so they react well to herbs.

I don't know what your living space is like but here is the coolest idea I have ever seen for an herb garden.... http://www.tonic.com/post/diy-vertical- ... -shoerack/ let us know how it turns out for ya!

you are my new hero i love this ideal, thank you so much for the link.

Leolyn wrote:http://www.tonic.com/post/diy-vertical- ... -shoerack/ let us know how it turns out for ya!

Wicked!

I've never cast a candle spell that didn't go horribly wrong or simply flop.

I know the feeling. I'm about to quit candle magic all together as I tend to get things in the wrong doses with side effects. LOL. Candle magic to me relies too much on moon phase, sometimes I just want to do and get something right away without out having to wait. I am of the school if it doesn't happen quickly then you are doing it wrong. I don't care what anyone says. Though quickly is a matter of perspective.

Metaphorically speaking, fire to me is a short lived negative force that can cause both damage and renewal. For instance, love attracting spells that uses candle magic can burn or burn out or just be psycho. Fun to play with but a headache to get rid of. Let's just say I had to type in the dark so no one would know I was home. LOL. Usually in the dark I type "I have no one to blame but myself". Water magic however is a bit more lasting and manageable. Meaning soaking in the tub with the right oils. Just my experience of course. Air magic to me would be use of incense and fragrances. While I love collecting stones, earth magic is hit or miss. Unless were talking about using quartz to clear chakras, which is the only time it works for change 100% of the time.

I supposing using all these magical knowledge together would make your manifestation rock solid. Interesting. I got to try it now...hahaha.

I'll check out the YT stuff too.

I've never cast a candle spell that didn't go horribly wrong or simply flop.

Metaphorically speaking, fire to me is a short lived negative force that can cause both damage and renewal. For instance, love attracting spells that uses candle magic can burn or burn out or just be psycho. Fun to play with but a headache to get rid of. Let's just say I had to type in the dark so no one would know I was home. LOL. Usually in the dark I type "I have no one to blame but myself". Water magic however is a bit more lasting and manageable. Meaning soaking in the tub with the right oils. Just my experience of course. Air magic to me would be use of incense and fragrances. While I love collecting stones, earth magic is hit or miss. Unless were talking about using quartz to clear chakras, which is the only time it works for change 100% of the time.
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SMH I now feel like I am over posting, but I can't help it! Can I just say this! (Of course I can bc I am doing it!) Candle magic can be GREAT! So can any other kind of magic, if you look at it from a different perspective or from the *magic rule.* Fire is for Ambition. (job hunting, house hunting, career progression.) Air is for Thinking. (learning, writing, reading.) Water is for Emotion. (love spells overcoming habits, relationships.) Earth is Tangibles. (money, possessions, gifts.)

So if you are using a candle spell to work an attraction magic you are actually saying you want a quick burst because it is only for the ambition, not the long haul (excellent observation!!!) But if you use the same candle and say *Give me the energy to look for love again....* well then.... watch out because all the sudden you may find yourself a little hot to trot!

Ok. Shutting up now.

I think dressing candles with oil are more than two fold, oil being a watery substance and fire being passion / ambition, the wax being earth and when all is burnt, the essence that liberate would be spirit... Well, that's my way of interpreting it.

But there's no denying the planets and the moon does impact the working for better or for worse.

I have so much to learn. Where do I start. I am drawn to herbs and stones. Candles seem to complicated to me. Lol. I like it simple. Herbs and stones have my interest.

Well, herbs and stones are more complicated IMO but they are the perfect stepping stone to candles, once you have learned and applied herbs and stones, the next step is oils and candles which are easier laura.