The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells: A Concise Reference Book for the Magical Arts. Judika Illes
the petals steep in the oil for three days, shaking the jar occasionally, keeping the jar in the sun in the daytime and in a warm cupboard at night.
4 Strain out and discard the petals, ideally using some cheesecloth or other non-metal sieve, but retain the oil.
5 Fill the jar with a substantial quantity of fresh, clean, dry flower petals and cover them with the reserved oil.
6 Again allow the petals to steep, repeating all the previous stages. The oil will retain the fragrance; repeat until the desired intensity of fragrance is achieved (usually three repetitions is needed), then carefully strain out all the solid botanical material and reserve the oil.
If you are creating large quantities of infused oils that will not be used up quickly, it’s best and safest to add a natural preservative. One quarter teaspoon of simple tincture of benzoin, available from many pharmacies, may be added per cup of infused oil. Benzoin is derived from styrax gum, believed to have sacred properties and to create a cleansing, protective action. (Make sure you have simple tincture, not compound tincture, which is also known as Friar’s Balsam.)
Vitamin E may also be used as a preservative. However, be aware that much of what is readily available is synthetic. Pierce one Vitamin E capsule and add the contents per every cup of infused oil. Jojoba oil is not a true oil but a plant lipid with antioxidant properties. Blend it with other oils to discourage them from turning rancid. (Maintain the basic proportions of oil to botanicals, however, even when using multiple oils.)
Casting Spells Using Oils
Oils have always been prized components of magic spells. However, not all oils are truly oils, and not all oils are even truly botanical.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are not true oils, despite their name. They are volatile liquids extracted by various methods (usually, but not always, by steam distillation) from aromatic botanicals. Modern aromatherapy is the manipulation of these essential oils for therapeutic, cosmetic, magical, and spiritual purposes. The roots of aromatherapy stretch back to ancient China, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Middle East. If you would like to access the power of a botanical, essential oils are the most concentrated form and as such have many magical uses. Once upon a time, essential oils were also referred to as chemical oils, especially in older grimoires. This relates not to their chemical constituents, which we are only now beginning to understand, but to their previous use in alchemy, the term being a corruption of alchemical oils.
Their potential physical impact upon you is as concentrated as their magical power:
Never take essential oils internally without expert supervision
Even when taken externally, they are used sparingly, drop by drop. Each drop packs a lot of power. More is rarely better
Because their power is volatile and fleeting, when creating magical baths, potions, or oils, essential oils are usually the last ingredients added so as to maximize the intensity of their power and fragrance
In general, essential oils are not appropriate for use during pregnancy, especially early pregnancy
Because essential oils are so concentrated (and because some are profound skin irritants) they are usually diluted in true oils (usually referred to as “carrier oils”) before using
Fragrance is an extremely important component of magic, particularly in romantic spells and spirit-summoning spells. Each spirit has a characteristic aroma, which calls them and by which they may be identified. In ancient Egypt, this was one way that true spiritual visitation was determined: the deities signaled their presence through the sudden appearance of their characteristic fragrance. Vestiges of this belief survive in folkloric Christianity, where the devil is described as appearing amid the smell of brimstone. (Signature fragrance isn’t limited to the spirit realm alone. In the 1944 Ray Milland movie, The Uninvited, the ghost signals her presence via the scent of mimosa.) Fragrance, especially as transmitted by true botanicals, is the primary and most effective magical device for communicating between realms.
The human sense of smell remains the most mysterious of our senses. The olfactory system (the part of our brain that processes scent) is near what is known as the reptilian brain, the most ancient and least-understood part of the human brain. Scent is our primal sense, the one shared most closely with the animal and spirit realms. Magic is a primordial art; to truly master it, one must access these inherent primordial talents. The sense of smell may be the most concrete, accurate way we have of identifying and accessing heka, magic power. Essential oils are frequently the most concentrated, potent, and accessible way of accessing an individual plant’s heka, even though this very power means they must be handled with care.
True Oils
True oils, also known as fixed, carrier, or base oils (because they carry essential oils’ energies and serve as their base) have always been perceived as precious and sacred. The ancient Egyptians had an astonishing repertoire of true oils, far greater than our own. Although true oils are used as carriers for the magic powers inherent in dried botanicals or essential oils, they also have their own magic power, and spells can be cast using true oils alone. Castor oil has protective, commanding magic properties, while sweet almond oil is a component of many romantic and erotic spells, for instance. Mineral oil (baby oil) is not a botanical, but a petroleum product: its magical uses are restricted mainly to hexes—malevolent spells.
There are several ways to distinguish essential oils from true oils. Essential oils, also known as volatile oils from the Latin volare, “to fly away,” evaporate completely into air, without leaving a trace. Although they may deteriorate and their power fade, they do not grow rancid. In contrast, true oils will leave a ring or residue and will not evaporate—as anyone who’s had to clean out a greasy pan can attest. True oils will also grow rancid over time, although some become rancid more quickly than others.
True oils are, in general, extracted from the seeds or fruits of plants. Cold-pressed oils (which will almost always be labeled as such) are preferable, when possible. (Grapeseed oil, for instance, can only be extracted via the use of solvents.)
Fragrance Oils
Because real essential oils are extracted via expensive, laborintensive, time-consuming processes, synthetics are often substituted. If an essential oil is too reasonably priced, be cautious. Often we do get what we pay for. Labeling is not always clear and manufacturer’s terms may be meant very loosely.
Essential oils cannot be obtained from every botanical. There is no such thing as cherry or cucumber or apple essential oil. Furthermore, essential oils must be derived, by definition, from botanical material. There is no such product as essential oil of rain, although products exist that reproduce the fragrance of a rainy day. Invariably, these products are crafted from synthetic materials, known as fragrance oils, the staples of the perfume industry. Some are real dead ringers for the genuine material and can fool many an expert. However, because no plant material is actually contained, fragrance oils lack true, complete magical power. That said, sometimes, especially for candle magic, fragrance alone may be sufficient to spark your magic, to evoke a response from your brain. In general, fragrance oils are fine for dressing candles, but not for the body.
Hydrosols
Hydrosols, also called hydrolats, are the other product of the aromatherapy industry. When essential oils are produced by steam distillation, water is passed through the botanical material and then eventually separated out; that water has also been magically transformed by the distillation process: it is no longer plain water but contains plant molecules. Although other flower waters are sold (usually rose or orange blossom water) these are frequently only flower-scented or flower-infused waters. Hydrosols actually carry the power of their respective