The Science of Enlightenment
Alchemy was a quasi-science that centered on the inherent powers of the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. The idea was that varying combinations of these 4 basic common materials would provide one the makings of any element in existence. Alchemy was first utilized in Khem, the ancient name for Egypt (Al-Kimiya), and although they are far removed in time and sophistication, and at the time didn't know it, practitioners provided the foundation for modern chemistry. Finally, chemistry replaced it completely, over a relatively brief time span, thanks to the intellectual tsunami that was the Renaissance.
Of the more legendary aspects of Alchemy, the most common belief is that by mixing the proper materials in the right proportions and performing certain secret rituals, lead or any other metal could be turned into gold. Another prominent belief was that, in like manner the Philosopher's Stone, a mythical rock thought to possess the capacity to prolong the owner's lifespan, could be produced.
At their developmental peak, alchemists were practicing a primitive form of chemistry. Like modern chemists, they were isolating and identifying elements and compounds, and learning and documenting how they interacted with each other. As scientific understanding grew it was realized that there was nothing magical or supernatural about the processes, but rather that they were natural chemical reactions which followed predictable natural laws. Hence, few people in modern times believe that lead can be turned into gold or that there is a mystical Philosophers Stone which can grant the holder great knowledge and power.
One of the famous sayings of Alchemy is, Aurum Nostrum Non Vulgi (Our gold is not that of the common man); this refers to the idea that, at least for many Alchemists, it was more a spiritual search than a scientific one (although alchemists did make significant contributions to chemical knowledge). Alchemy reached its peak in Europe at a time when any religious dissent could get you into trouble with religious authorities. Particularly vulnerable, were those who felt that their spiritual development was their own personal business. Carl Jung, using alchemy as an analogy, identified it with his process of Individuation, and there are certainly similarities.
Of the more legendary aspects of Alchemy, the most common belief is that by mixing the proper materials in the right proportions and performing certain secret rituals, lead or any other metal could be turned into gold. Another prominent belief was that, in like manner the Philosopher's Stone, a mythical rock thought to possess the capacity to prolong the owner's lifespan, could be produced.
At their developmental peak, alchemists were practicing a primitive form of chemistry. Like modern chemists, they were isolating and identifying elements and compounds, and learning and documenting how they interacted with each other. As scientific understanding grew it was realized that there was nothing magical or supernatural about the processes, but rather that they were natural chemical reactions which followed predictable natural laws. Hence, few people in modern times believe that lead can be turned into gold or that there is a mystical Philosophers Stone which can grant the holder great knowledge and power.
One of the famous sayings of Alchemy is, Aurum Nostrum Non Vulgi (Our gold is not that of the common man); this refers to the idea that, at least for many Alchemists, it was more a spiritual search than a scientific one (although alchemists did make significant contributions to chemical knowledge). Alchemy reached its peak in Europe at a time when any religious dissent could get you into trouble with religious authorities. Particularly vulnerable, were those who felt that their spiritual development was their own personal business. Carl Jung, using alchemy as an analogy, identified it with his process of Individuation, and there are certainly similarities.
The Creation, Composition, and Blending of Alchemical Herbal Formulas
Magical Incense
Although Magical practitioners have known for cerntries that herbs, flowers, resins, and oils carry with them their own vibrations that attract sumpatheric events and or people, science, has finally confirmed throgugh srudies over the last thirty years that this "folklore" is true. The smell of Ritual Incense as it burns works directly on the subconscious mind, helping the Magician to focus on the work at hand and direct the energy. In addition, as it is inhaled, the scented smoke is directly, physically connected to the brain through the nose, immediately stimulating the brain synapses. Burning Incents represents the Elements Fire and Air. The smoke can be used to to send the Magical eergy forth cia visualization and focus, or write the desite on a small piece of parchment and then burn it in the thurible along with the Incense.
RituaL Oils
A Ritual Oil is blended from selected natural essential oils and then diluted by at least half with a neutral-smelling carrier oil such as sweet almond oil. Ritual Oils are very versatile. After blending and diluting your oil formula, your oil can be added to bathwater or used in an aromatheraphy oil diffuser as a smokless Incense. Or you may use your oil to charge Amulets and Talismans, to dress and dedicate candles for specific purposes, and to wear on the body to influence events in the immeditae vicinity ( a Love Oil on a date for example, or an Emplouyment Oil on a job interview). If you want to create a specific feeling or effect in an area such as your bedroom or office, you can add some of your blended oil to a Magical Potpourri. If you do plan to wear your oil on the skin or put in your bathwater, do some research first to make sure that the oil you plan to blend won't harn the skin.
General properties of Essential Oils:
Use ONLY a pure, therapeutic grade of oil.
General properties of Essential Oils:
- Essential Oils are antiseptic.
- Essential Oils are high in antioxidants.
- Essential Oils are highly oxygenating and nourishing to the cells.
- Essential Oils eliminate viruses, bacteria, fungus and yeast.
- Essential Oils cleanse and detoxify receptor sites and cells.
- Essential Oils have a high bio-electrical frequency (52-320 Hz) and can quickly raise the frequency of the body.
Use ONLY a pure, therapeutic grade of oil.
Bath Salts and Purifying Bath Herbs
Bathing with all natural botanical products can be a transforming and enhancing experience that provides us with numerous skin toning benefits while being gentle on our skin and the environment.
Bath Salt Types:
Ancient Sea Bath Salt
Other Names: Himalayan Bath Salt, the most beneficial bath salts available anywhere in the world. These salts are full of up to 84 valuable trace minerals, giving these salts a beautiful, natural pink coloring that makes it a perfect option for attractive, clear packaging.
Atlantic Sea Bath Salt
Atlantic sea salts are collected from deep, clean ocean waters by channeling the sea water into large clay trays and allowing the sun and wind to evaporate it naturally. This white bath salt is great for adding coloring or scent, as it is naturally absorbent and generally comes in a variety of grain sizes, perfect for customizing your end products. This salt will give you the fresh feeling of bathing in the sea.
Coarse Bath Salt
Coarse sea salt is large grain bath salt about 2-3 millimeters in size. It’s ideal for sprinkling in the tub to dissolve for a bath. Coarse sea salts are a great addition to therapeutic bath salt blends with scented oils or colors, as their size helps absorb the oils and colorants easily.
Crystal Sea Salt
Large crystal sea salt chunks are ideal for bath salt teas. Simply pour the salt crystals into an organza (or similar) bag, hang below the water spout, and let the water run over the sea salt rocks on its way into the bathtub. You can also add fresh or dried herbs to this mixture for aromatherapy and additional soothing benefits. Crystal sea salts can be used again and again.
Dead Sea Bath Salt
The world’s first Day Spa was set up by Cleopatra on the shores of the Dead Sea. Dead Sea salts differ greatly from other sea salts in mineral content, being made up of only 8% sodium chloride with a high percentage of magnesium, sulfates and potassium. Dead Sea bath salts aid in the treatment of common dry skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. They’re known to reduce pain and inflammation from arthritis and rheumatism. The high mineral content is credited with the cleansing and detoxification of the skin. There’s even a bit of calcium, your body will love it!
Epsom Salt
Other Names: Magnesium Sulfate
Epsom salt isn’t actually salt. Epsom salt is a pure mineral compound of magnesium sulfate in crystal form, so it looks an awful lot like salt. A lot of people are magnesium deficient, which can be to blame for a number of maladies including heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, arthritis and joint pain, digestive problems, and chronic fatigue. It is not recommended to ingest Epsom salt.
Grey Bath Salt
Other Names: Sel Gris, Celtic Salt, Brittany Salt
Grey bath salt is traditionally hand-harvested in Guérande, France in the Brittany region. Unwashed, unrefined, and additive-free, this gray bath salt maintains all of its health-enhancing nutrients vital to the human body like calcium, potassium, copper, zinc, iron and others. This salt is low in sodium, and certified Organic by Nature & Progrès (France’s organic certifying body).
Hawaiian Red Bath Salt
Other Names: Alaea, Alae, Volcanic Salt Hawaiian Red bath salt, also known as Alaea sea salt, is a natural, unprocessed salt. It gets its distinctive color from purified red Hawaiian clay (Alae). Volcanic red clay is high in iron oxide. The recommended use of Hawaiian Red salt in your bath includes healing wounds, body aches, and muscle sprains. It is believed to draw toxins from overworked muscle tissue. Mix Hawaiian Red salt with one of our white bath salts for an aesthetically pleasing and beneficial combination.
Sulfur Salt
Other Names: Kala Namak, Sanchal, Black Salt
This Indian Black salt is not actually black in color, but rather a pinkish gray. This bath salt is very popular in France, Spain, and Japan for a wide variety of conditions including skin infections, inflammations, and respiratory problems. Sulfur salt is an unrefined mineral salt, natural disinfectant, and has a strong purifying and re-mineralizing effect on the body. Harvested in the volcanic regions of Pakistan and India, black salt is a staple in India’s classical Ayurvedic healing methods.
Warning: Bathing in sulfur salt is similar to bathing in sulfuric thermal springs, including the strong, distinct smell.
Herbal Amulets and Magical Potpouri
Herbs:
Small quantities suitable for a single spell or amulet. (Larger quantities farther down the page!) These are prepared the way you would do them yourself, if you had the time and know-how. Each herb package is marked with the important planetary and tide aspects of when it was harvested and/or prepared and the gender/element/deities of the contents, along with correspondences and common uses, so that they can be used appropriately in your work. 2 inch x 2 inch bags with header. Because of the way these are prepared, quantities are limited on some herbs. Herbs are NOT prepared for culinary use, but for spellwork. Herbs are grown without chemical sprays or fertilizers. Some are carefully wild-crafted.
Small quantities suitable for a single spell or amulet. (Larger quantities farther down the page!) These are prepared the way you would do them yourself, if you had the time and know-how. Each herb package is marked with the important planetary and tide aspects of when it was harvested and/or prepared and the gender/element/deities of the contents, along with correspondences and common uses, so that they can be used appropriately in your work. 2 inch x 2 inch bags with header. Because of the way these are prepared, quantities are limited on some herbs. Herbs are NOT prepared for culinary use, but for spellwork. Herbs are grown without chemical sprays or fertilizers. Some are carefully wild-crafted.
Philres, Exilirs, and Fluid Condensers
Philtre
Herbal Philtres Philtre, a potion that causes one to fall in love with another person, also called love potions, have been thought to be magical and used since antiquity. They were popular in the Middle Ages, but lost favor to charms and spells in the 17th and 18th centuries. Philtres are still produced in some folk-magic traditions, but not in neo-Paganism. Traditionally the philter generally consisted of wine, tea, or water containing herbs or drugs. When made by a wise woman, or man, it was more potent. The giver gave it to the person that she or he loved, after drinking it, the recipient fall in love with the one giving the drink to him. Of necessity, care had to be taken to assure the remedy was administered properly. In the tale of Tristan and Isolde, Isolde's mother obtained a philter that was to make her unwilling daughter fall in love with her betrothed King Mark of Cornwall. Thinking it to be poison, Isolde shared it with Tristan, the king's knight escorting her to Cornwall. They fell irrevocably in love, which proved fatal for both of them.
There is at least one tale of a philter that produced insanity instead of love. According to the Roman biographer Suetonius (69-140 AD), the Emperor Galigula (12-41 AD) was mad after drinking a love philter administered by his wife, Caesonia.
The ingredients varied from country to country. The most common, throughout history, was the mandrake root, also known as "love apples," a poisonous member of the nightshade family. Orange and ambergris added a little flavor and pleasant aroma. Vervan, an herb, was commonly used and still is up to the present. Other common ingredients include the hearts and reproductive organs of animals, such as the testicles of kangaroos, used by the Australian aborigines; and beaver testicles used by North American Indians. Philtres of India included betel nuts or tobacco. In Nova Scotia a woman steep her hair in water that she gave to her intended to drink. Herbs and plants were common additives: briony (similar to mandrake) and fern seeds in England, the latter of which must be gathered on the eve of St. John's Day (see Sabbats). The Chinese used shang-luh, a plant resembling ginseng. In Germany, a red gum called dragon blood was used. As can be seen a variety of recipes and ingredients were used in different countries. The hearts and other organs were ground up. Philtres begain decreasing in popularity following the Middle Ages because of their frequent unpleasant smell and taste. Alternatives were sought; one was to rub one's hand with vervain juice and then touch the man or women whom one hoped to inspire with love.
In England using philters was penalized at one time under Anglo-Saxon law: for it was made punishable if any should use witchcraft for another's love, or should give him to eat or to drink with magic. This prohibition also prohibited divining by the moon. Chanute renewed these prohibitions. In neo-Paganism, the use of such concoctions is frown on by many in Witchcraft because such actions are considered manipulating people, which is in opposition of the Wiccan Rede. It is more preferable to make love charms to enhance the love which already exists between two people. A.G.H.
Source: http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/philtre.html
Herbal Elixirs
An elixir is medical powder, xerion "powder for drying wounds", is a clear, sweet-flavored liquid used for medicinal purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's ills. An Herbal Elicir is an alchemically prepared liquid that contains properries of the planetary energies, thank to the inclusion of herbs possessing the chosen Planet's equivelant vibrations. In an Elixir. the herbs are blended with the physical, astral and spititual aspect in mind so that the enerfy civration opf the final result is one in which all three lecels are balanced.
Herbal Philtres Philtre, a potion that causes one to fall in love with another person, also called love potions, have been thought to be magical and used since antiquity. They were popular in the Middle Ages, but lost favor to charms and spells in the 17th and 18th centuries. Philtres are still produced in some folk-magic traditions, but not in neo-Paganism. Traditionally the philter generally consisted of wine, tea, or water containing herbs or drugs. When made by a wise woman, or man, it was more potent. The giver gave it to the person that she or he loved, after drinking it, the recipient fall in love with the one giving the drink to him. Of necessity, care had to be taken to assure the remedy was administered properly. In the tale of Tristan and Isolde, Isolde's mother obtained a philter that was to make her unwilling daughter fall in love with her betrothed King Mark of Cornwall. Thinking it to be poison, Isolde shared it with Tristan, the king's knight escorting her to Cornwall. They fell irrevocably in love, which proved fatal for both of them.
There is at least one tale of a philter that produced insanity instead of love. According to the Roman biographer Suetonius (69-140 AD), the Emperor Galigula (12-41 AD) was mad after drinking a love philter administered by his wife, Caesonia.
The ingredients varied from country to country. The most common, throughout history, was the mandrake root, also known as "love apples," a poisonous member of the nightshade family. Orange and ambergris added a little flavor and pleasant aroma. Vervan, an herb, was commonly used and still is up to the present. Other common ingredients include the hearts and reproductive organs of animals, such as the testicles of kangaroos, used by the Australian aborigines; and beaver testicles used by North American Indians. Philtres of India included betel nuts or tobacco. In Nova Scotia a woman steep her hair in water that she gave to her intended to drink. Herbs and plants were common additives: briony (similar to mandrake) and fern seeds in England, the latter of which must be gathered on the eve of St. John's Day (see Sabbats). The Chinese used shang-luh, a plant resembling ginseng. In Germany, a red gum called dragon blood was used. As can be seen a variety of recipes and ingredients were used in different countries. The hearts and other organs were ground up. Philtres begain decreasing in popularity following the Middle Ages because of their frequent unpleasant smell and taste. Alternatives were sought; one was to rub one's hand with vervain juice and then touch the man or women whom one hoped to inspire with love.
In England using philters was penalized at one time under Anglo-Saxon law: for it was made punishable if any should use witchcraft for another's love, or should give him to eat or to drink with magic. This prohibition also prohibited divining by the moon. Chanute renewed these prohibitions. In neo-Paganism, the use of such concoctions is frown on by many in Witchcraft because such actions are considered manipulating people, which is in opposition of the Wiccan Rede. It is more preferable to make love charms to enhance the love which already exists between two people. A.G.H.
Source: http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/philtre.html
Herbal Elixirs
An elixir is medical powder, xerion "powder for drying wounds", is a clear, sweet-flavored liquid used for medicinal purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's ills. An Herbal Elicir is an alchemically prepared liquid that contains properries of the planetary energies, thank to the inclusion of herbs possessing the chosen Planet's equivelant vibrations. In an Elixir. the herbs are blended with the physical, astral and spititual aspect in mind so that the enerfy civration opf the final result is one in which all three lecels are balanced.
