Making Your Own Magickal Potions and Brews



Anyone can pick up a premade concoction. Many stores now carry lotions, potions and essential oil blends poured into pretty little bottles, all labeled for an ideal magickal use. Sure they are tempting, but before you buy that convenient potion, stop and consider what is actually contained in that tiny bottle. How was it made? Was it manufactured in a giant industrial plant or was it created with intent? And how many miles did it travel to reach you? Through how many hands did it pass? What energy was it subjected to?





Rather than purchasing your supplies, think of how meaningful, how sustainable, it would be to create your own. There is real magick in making your own potion, infusing it with your own energy and intent as you take the time to study the energy of each component. Learning how energies complement and work together is how an apprentice becomes a magi. And how better to weld the ancient arts, than with your own applied knowledge, intent and energy signature?





Infusion Method

You use the infusion method every time you brew a cup of tea. A standard infusion is prepared by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb (or 2 to 4 teaspoons of fresh herb) to a cup of boiling water. Infuse for 10 minutes before straining. If the herb is left too long, the infusion will become bitter.





Some Herbal Infusions to Try


Mental Lift Brew

This infusion brews into a lovely green tea with energy to ease depression and lighten your mind.

You will need:

1 tea bag or teaspoon of green tea

2 Tablespoons dried lemon balm (Melissa)

1 teaspoon dried chamomile

1 teaspoon dried catnip

water

Mix herbs together and store in a jar with a tight-sealing lid. Use 1 Tablespoon per each cup of water. Bring water to boil. Put herbs into a heat resistant teapot or a large bowl and pour hot water over them. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the herb out. Pour into a tea cup and sip to lift your spirit and lighten your mood.


Lemony Lift

This lemony tea holds a cheerful uplifing energy to boost your mood and awaken your mind.

You will need:

1 teaspoon dried lemon balm (Melissa)

1 teaspoon dried mint

Mix herbs together and store in a jar with a tight-sealing lid. Use 1 Tablespoon per each cup of water. Bring water to boil. Put herbs into a heat resistant teapot or a large bowl and pour hot water over them. Allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the herb out. Pour into a tea cup and sip for an energizing brew to lift the mind, body and spirit.


Astral Brew

Use this brew to enhance your ability to dream.

You will need:

1 Tablespoon dried catnip

1 Tablespoon dried chamomile

1 Tablespoon dried licorice root

1 Tablespoon dried mugwort

Mix herbs together and store in a jar with a tight-sealing lid. Use 1 Tablespoon per each cup of water.

Bring water to boil. Cover herb with hot water and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and sip to increase awareness of dreams.

Add infusion to evening bath and soak before bed to aid astral travels.






The intention and the energy that goes into making your potions is just as important, if not more, than the ingredients themselves. You want to come to the craft, clean and clear and free of negativity. You want to consider the energies present: the day and time and aspect of the moon.


Here are some other easy methods:


Decoction Method

This is usually the method of choice for bark and seeds. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of herb per cup of cold water. Bring the mixture gently to a boil. Keeping covered, simmer for about 10 minutes.


Tincture Method

A tincture is an alcoholic extraction of herb. Alcohol dissolves the active constituents out of the plant matter and acts as a preservative, allowing the tincture to retain its effectiveness for up to a year. Place dried herbs in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and add vodka to cover. Leave for six weeks, shaking occasionally, then strain through a cloth into a brown glass bottle and keep tightly closed. Oxygen and sunlight degrade the potion.


Herbal Vinegar Method

Use a good apple cider vinegar. Herbs are placed in a jar and cover with the vinegar, filled to the top so there is no airspace for mold growth. Mold can be deadly. Then seal and place the jar on a dimly lit shelf to steep for 2 weeks. Strain out the herbal matter and discard. Store the vinegar in a clean jar. Herbal vinegars are best used within a month.







Cold Oil Infusion Method

This method is most often used to infuse dried herbs and flowers in oil. I say dried because matter with less water content is easiest to work with. The herbal matter is placed in a jar and cover with oil. It is filled to the top so there is no airspace for mold growth. Mold can be deadly. Then sealed and placed on a dimly lit shelf to steep for 2 weeks. Oxygen and sunlight exposure degrade oils and can cause them to become rancid.


Be sure to check on your potion every few days and give it a gentle shake as you reinforce your intention. Strain the oil and discard the matter. Store the oil in a clean jar. Use the oil to dress ritual candles. Most cold infused oil are for external use only. Do your research if you are making a consumable to make sure it is safe. Use oils by dressing candles, burning in a diffuser or by rubbing into the oil into skin. Wear it on your pulse points, or add a spoonful to some castle soap and add to your bathwater.





Ritual Oil

This is a wonderful oil for anointing candles.

You will need:

Olive Oil

1 Cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon Clove

1 Star Anise

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds

a pinch of Myrrh

a wide-mouth jar with a tight fitting lid

Add all ingredients to the jar and pour oil in to the top. Be sure all the herbal matter is covered. Try not to leave any air pockets for mold to grow in. Seal tightly, place in a warm dark place for 4 weeks - shake the jar twice a day. Strain the oil through muslin or cheesecloth and store in a dark colored bottle. Use the ritual oil to dress candles. Use it to anoint your pulse points. Burn in an oil diffuser to scent a room and encourage spirituality.





And it begins in Nature. Paganism, Witchcraft, Natural Magick, Druidism are all nature based systems. Books are great but the real knowledge begins outside with the fellowship of the plants, flowers, herbs and trees. Energy abounds in nature. Don't believe me? Just go hug a tree. Open to its gentle grounding energy. Sit with your back to its trunk and meditate. Your practise will become sacred as you cultivate relationships with the trees and plants around you.


Starhawk wrote in The Earth Path, "A Witch must not only be familiar with the mystic planes of existence beyond the physical realm she should also be familiar with the trees and plants and birds and animals of her own backyard, be able to name them, know their uses and habits and what part each plays in the whole."