RECIPES for POTIONS used in SPELL-CASTING
compiled from usenet, 1995
- present Version: 200106
Supercedes: 200009
Originated: 199907
Spelling and format editing has occurred within these posts;
some email addresses may be out of date.
These posts are copyright by their respective authors as
noted, and all rights are reserved. In other words, the
contributions of these authors are not to be mirrored to
other web sites or copied into print without the express
permission of each individual author.
Recipes are in alphabetical order.
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ATTRACTION OIL
Mix equal parts of
Lovage Herb,
Grated Lemon Peel or Lemon Flowers.
A small piece of lodestone is added to each bottle.
Add 2 Tbls. of this mix to 2 oz. of oil.
You can add tincture of benzoin to keep to any oils listed to keep
them from going rancid.
from "Charms, Spells, and Formulas" by [author uncited; Ray Malbrough?]
© 1999 [author uncited. Ray Malbrough?]
contributed by Jellyface (d1684@strato.net)
ATTRACTION OIL
Lovage Root Chips (for love)
Cinnamon Chips (for money)
Lemon Peel, grated
Essential Oil of Sweet Orange
Essential Oil of Lemon
Piece of Lodestone
Piece of Pyrite
Top with carrier oil
(e.g. almond oil which has been dosed with Vitamin E to
prevent rancidity. I use a "glurp" of same to each gallon of
almond oil and mix well.
cat yronwode, Ms. Oily Fingers of 1999 (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
ATTRACTION OIL
Blend equal parts
Rose oil
Lavender oil
Vanilla oil
Sandalwood oil
Touch to pulse points when in the presence of the one you
want to attract.
Suzanne Arthurs (ankhbrat@aol.com)
© 1999 Suzanne Arthurs
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BAT'S BLOOD INK
2 parts dragon's blood resin
1/2 part myrrh resin
2 drops cinnamon oil
2 drops indigo color
12 parts alcohol
1/2 part gum arabic
No instructions are given, although I suppose you steep the
ground resins in the alcohol till dissolved, then add the
cinnamon oil, indigo, and ground gum arabic. Filter and
bottle.
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
Copyright © 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
[Note: For "indigo color" i presume Slater intended
synthetic dye; true indigo requires a complex process of
repeated oxygenation and steeping to produce a blue tint,
which would darken the orange and rusty reds of the other
ingredients listed.]
cat (the other one) (cat@luckymojo.com)]
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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DEND-OVER OIL See ESSENCE OF BEND-OVER
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BLACK ARTS OIL
There are many recipes for Black Arts Oil. Here's a quick one:
half a dropper essential oil of patchouli
half a dropper essential oil of black pepper
a pinch of valerian root
a pinch of black poodle dog hair
a pinch of black mustard seeds
a pinch of spanish moss
a pinch of mullein
a pinch of powdered sulphur
nine whole black peppercorns
Blend into one half-ounce carrier oil such as almond.
Colour dark brown.
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
Lucky Mojo Curio Co: http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
The Lucky W Amulet Archive: http://www.luckymojo.com/luckyw.html
© 1999 catherine yrownode
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BLESSING OIL
2 parts Frankincense
1 part Benzoin gum.
Add 2 tablespoons of this mix to 2 ounces of oil.
from "Charms, Spells, and Formulas" by [author uncited; Ray Malbrough?]
Copyright © 1999 [author uncited; Ray Malbrough?]
contributed by Jellyface (d1684@strato.net)
BLESSING OIL
Frankincense Tears
Benzoin Gum, crushed
Essential Oil of Benzoin
Rose scent, which can be one or more of these:
Essential Oil of Roses (Rose Otto)
Essential Oil of Rose Geranium
Rose Fragrance (synthetic)
Rose Petals
Top with carrier oil
(e.g. almond oil which has been dosed with Vitamin E)
You can also add Vitamin E oil for the same purpose. I use a
"glurp" of same to each gallon of almond oil and mix well.
cat yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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CHINESE WASH
Find a whole page on the history of and uses for
Chinese wash at
http://www.luckymojo.com/chinesewash.html
Start with whatever combination of essential oils of
Oriental Grasses you normally use for compounding Van Van
oil concentrate
http://www.luckymojo.com/vanvan.html
(e.g. citronella grass, lemongrass, gingergrass, palmarosa
grass, khus khus grass, and vetivert grass, singly or
together). Cut a bunch of broomcorn straws (from a natural
broom, or from broomcorn plants, if you happen to grow them)
and place the straws in a bottle. Add a goodly squirt of Van
Van oil concentrate and a small lump of frankincense gum,
then top with your own (or any commercial) preparation of
liquid oil soap (e.g. Murphy's Oil Soap). Dilute Chinese
Wash in water before use, of course.
cat yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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COME TO ME OIL
Try pure essential oil of sweet pea. It draws people
to you. Diluted with perfume diluant and used on the
clothing it will help you pick up girls in bars. It is
very nice, but it draws all kinds of people,and you have
to pick which ones you want to stick around.
John M Hansen (jmhansen@erols.com) wrote:
© 1999 John M Hansen
COMEÊTO ME OIL
rose
jasmine
gardenia
lemon oil
color: red
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
COME TO ME OIL
12 oz. light vegetable oil
4 drams wisteria
4 drams musk
6 drams jasmine
8 drams narcissus
2 drams rose geranium
2 drams sandalwood
6 drams rose ava
color: topaz with gold leaf flakes in the master bottle
from "The Witch's Formulary and Spellbook" by Tarotstar
© 1999 Tarotstar
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
COME TO ME OIL
Recipes vary from person to person. They are
generally floral in tone and usually red in colour.
Scents used in such an oil may include sweet pea and
narcissus (usually only available as synthetic fragrances,
not as essential oils), rose (available as a real essential
oil -- called otto or attar of roses -- but so expensive as
to be prohibitively costly for most people, who therefore
use a synthetic fragrance instead), rose geranium (a real
essential floral oil that has a very good rose scent), and
other floral synthetics, such as wistaria, honeysuckle,
violet, and the like.
Herbs mixed into in the finished, fragranced oil may include
catnip leaf (to entice a lover), saffron stamens (for
love-drawing), rose petals, (for love-drawing), damiana leaf
(to increase passion) and/or patchouli leaf (ditto). Queen
Elizabeth Root (used to attract men) may be added to the
mixture if the person using it is a female or a gay male.
One difficulty many folk-magicians have with floral scents
as a basis for magical perfume oils is that so many of our
favourite flowers do not produce a great deal of essential
oil. When this is the case, the oil is very expensive.
But that is not the greatest hurdle we must overcome. Some
flowers, no matter how lovely they smell, do not produce
stable essential oils at all. Whenever that is the case,
essential oils from these flowers are unavailable at any
cost and synthetics are the only recourse one has.
The question then becomes one of deciding whether to go with
an artificial fragrance that mimics a given floral scent to
a greater or lesser degree -- or to forgo that scent in
favour of one that is available in actual flower-derived
form.
Is the magic in the herb itself -- or in the aroma?
How do we decide?
We all agree that attar of roses is beyond the financial
reach of most working people.
We all agree that rose geranium oil comes from a geranium --
not a rose. But it SMELLS as much or more like certain types
of roses than synthetic rose oils do.
So... is a good, natural rose geranium essential oil
magically more effective than an artificial rose scent? Or
is substitution of any kind an automatic obviation of the
magical working? Shall only wealthy people have access to
the magic of rose oil?
I tend to choose natural essential oils over synthetics or
to mix them half-and-half. But that's just me ... your
mileage may vary.
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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CONFUSION OIL
2 parts of Rue Herb
1 part of Guinea Pepper.
Add 2 Tbls. of this to 2 ounces of oil
from "Charms, Spells, and Formulas" by [author uncited; Ray Malbrough?]
© 1999 [author uncited; Ray Malbrough?]
contributed by Jellyface (d1684@strato.net)
CONFUSION OIL
Vetivert
Lavender
Galangal
Burnt knotted shoelace
color: black
Confuses those who are trying to cast a spell on you. Breaks
all forms of hexes. Acts almost instantaneously. Works
better when hex is new, but it is a good idea to keep some
on hand for emergencies.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
INFLAMMATORY CONFUSION OIL
Rue Herb
Guinea Pepper
Black Pepper
Poppy Seeds
Black Mustard Seeds
Essential Oil of Capsicum (dilute! dilute!)
Top with carrier oil
(e.g. almond oil which has been dosed with Vitamin E)
cat yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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DAMNATION POWDER
Burnt ashes from palm leaves
Holy water
Beer
Myrrh
Lavender
color: Black
Another very powerful powder used for hexing an individual
you dislike. Sprinkle on burning incense while repeating his
name nine times. Use with extreme caution.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
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DOVE'S BLOOD INK
1 part dragon's blood resin
2 drops cinnamon oil
2 drops bay oil
10 parts alcohol
1 part gum arabic
2 drops rose oil
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
Well, of course, real Dove's Blood Ink is made by slittling
the throat of a white dove and using its blood to write
with. But most people don;t like that idea, so they use a
convenient substitute.
© 1999 catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
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DRAGON'S BLOOD INK
1 part dragon's blood resin
15 parts alcohol
1 part gum arabic
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
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DRIVE-AWAY SALT
Drive-Away salt, also known as Get Away Salt,
is essentially Hot Foot Powder made with
ordinary table salt replacing the talcum powder.
For more information about the African roots of this family
of magical compounds (plus the lyrics to Blind WIllie
McTell's "Drive Away Blues") check out these pages
Hot Foot: http://www.luckymojo.com/hotfoot.html
Salt: http://www.luckymojo.com/salt.html
Drive Away Blues: http://www.luckymojo.com/seerockcity.html
© 1996 catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com), Ludwig Prin
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EASY LIFE POWDER
Gum Mastic
Cloves
Ginger
Lemon
Orange peel
Cassia
color: Brown
A special blend which allows you to relax while others do
your work. Sprinkle on any person you wish to gain control
over. Lets you dominate their thoughts.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
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EASY WRATH POWDER
Ashes
Red Pepper
Rose
Jasmine
Sandalwood
color: Blue
Toss on any person who is angry over something you have
done. Eliminates all feelings of animosity. Also good for
overcoming hatred.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
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(ESSENCE OF) BEND-OVER OIL
BEND-OVER OIL
rose
frankincense
honeysuckle
vetivert
(No specific quantities given)
This oil is intended to bend another to the will of
the magickal practitioner, this oil is well suited
for anointing candles or fith faths (voodoo dolls)
from "The Magick of Aromatherapy" by Gwydion O'Hara
© 1999 Gwydion O'Hara
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
BEND-OVER OIL
rose
frankincense
honeysuckle
vetivert
(No specific quantities given)
Makes other people do your bidding. Use to break any
hexes; used to order evil spirits to return to their
sender. Said to be extremely potent.
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
ESSENCE OF BEND-OVER
I wish to take exception to the above recipe as given by
both authors. I also find Herman Slater's explanation of its
use in regard to breaking hexes and affecting evil spirits
to be typical of his "fingerpainting" and fakery in matters
of hoodoo.
First, for more information on one way Bend-Over is used in
actual hoodoo practice, see my web page on Spells of Female
Domination at
http://www.luckymojo.com/femaledomination.html
That will give you some idea of its value in love and sex
magic; but there is more to the formula than this.
My introduction to Bend-Over products came in 1962, when, as
a 15-year-old girl, i walked into a candle store in the
African-American section of Oakland, California. I was
browsing around and saw a bottle of Valmor brand Essence of
Bend-Over Floor Wash and the incongruity of the name almost
made me burst out laughing. I asked the proprietor, a very
patient man, part black and part Cherokee Indian, to judge
from his looks, why anyone would want to buy something
called Essence of Bend-Over Floor Wash. His reply spoke
volumes about the social status of African-Americans in
regard to white society at that time, and, without scorn or
sarcasm, he let me understand its value:
"Well," he said, "You see, SOME of the people work for some
of the OTHER people, washing their floors ..."
In other words, if you use it right, Essence of Bend-Over
will make the white woman keep you on the job, and if you
use a lot, it may get her to hire your brother-in-law as a
gardener. Not only will she give you her almost-new silk
dresses, she will definitely let you have an extra day off
for Christmas this year. And nice? You *bet* she'll treat
you nice!
Next, let's look at the ingredients given by Slater and
O'Hara, shall we, and see how (or rather IF) they relate to
the work at hand, namely to bend someone to your will. The
ingredients they list are
rose
frankincense
honeysuckle
vetivert
These scents may be okay for use in AROMATHERAPY-style
domination, but magically speaking, the herbs in that list
have long been assigned other meanings in MAGICAL herbology.
Rose is used for love magic. Real essential oil of roses
(rose otto or attar of roses) is so expensive that most
people use either essential oil of rose geranium or
artificial rose oil as a substitute. Rose has nothing at all
to do with raw power or domination.
Frankincense is a spiritual scent and is also used for
power. It could be used in Essence of Bend-Over, but it is a
little on the "nice" side for it to carry the entire weight
of true domination work in this formula.
Honeysuckle is primarily used as a fragrance, and, being
floral, it is a frequent ingredient in love potions. The
plant itself is a vine that has no strong magical
connotations that i know, and what's stranger, real
essential oil of honeysuckle is unstable, so most makers use
the artificial, synthetic aroma. Looking at honeysuckle from
the perspective of the "doctrine of signatures," one could
say that it grows upon trees and somehow dominates them, but
it certainly does not make them bend to its will -- and
other vines of similar twining habit, such as periwinkle,
are always used in love-and-marriage formulas, because of
their clinging natures. In short, honeysuckle might be good
for love-domination (as an ingredient in Follow me Boy Oil,
for instance, but it would hardly be expected to work on
your boss!
Vetivert is one of the five "Asian Grasses" that is used (in
a very small proportion) in Van Van Oil and, as such, it is
a spiritual cleanser and luck-changer. It is not
particularly associated with efforts of will or domination.
So this recipe for Bend-Over, although very commonly
encountered in the Anglo-Saxon world of aromatherapy and
playful spell-cookery -- and despite its wonderful fragrance
-- is not exactly what i'd call a powerful aid to domination
or willful control of another's mind or activities through
the doctrine of sympathetic magic as developed by
root-workers.
A look through any good magical herbal will reveal that
there are three herbs often recommended for control and
domination. They are
calamus root
licorice root
bergamot leaf or essential oil of bergamot
Calamus root produces an essential oil and it is also
available as chips or powder, which can be steeped in a
carrier oil.
Licorice root is available as chips or powder, to steep
in carrier oil
Bergamot is a citrus-relative. Its essential oil must be
diluted in a carrier oil because some folks are
skin-sensitive or allergic to it in strong concentrations.
Calamus root is white and licorice root is a deep
yellow-brown. When the two are placed with essential oils of
bergamot and calmus root and a few grains of frankincense
in a carrier such as almond oil that has been tinted a rich
yellow-orange, the result is impressive both visually and
in terms of fragrance. What is more to the point, magically,
it will also fulfill the requirements sought in such an oil.
You can add all the artificial honeysuckle and rose fragrance
you want then, and you'll be on the right track.
Contrarianly,
cat yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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FAST LUCK OIL
Fast Luck Incense/Oil/Floorwash/Powder/Bath
Patchouli
Rose
Juniper
color: green
Double Fast Luck Incense
Same as Fast Luck with powdered dollar bill added
color: green
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
Copyright © 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "Cat" (cat@hotmail.com)
Thanks very much for this info, Cat! Here we have (if we
needed it!) clear evidence that Herman Slater was
"fingerpainting" his formulas, like a kid with a bunch of
colours and not a lick of direct knowledge.
Authentic hoodoo recipes for Fast Luck Oil are very, very
well known. They do not contain what Slater says they do.
The evidence i'd like to present is from Zora Neale
Hurston's "Mules and Men." Ms. Hurston, world famous as a
novelist, was also a folklorist, and, because she was
African-American, she did her best folklore work among black
folks in Florida (her home state) and New Orleans (a hotbed
then and now of professional rootworkers). In material she
collected in the mid 1930s and published first in 1935, you
can find two recipes for Fast Luck. One is the standard
(even commercial) recipe and the other is probably a
personal formula or a mistake, as explained below.
I am going to start with the more well-known of the two
formulas Hurston gives, which she calls "Red Fast Luck."
This is the formula one would get if buying Fast Luck Oil
today from a manufacturer such as myself.
--------------
RED FAST LUCK
Oil of Cinnamon and Oil of Vanilla, with Wintergreen. Used
as above to bring luck.
-- Zora Neale Hurston
--------------
Cinnamon (in powder and chip form) is widely used in
African-American folk-magic to draw business and bring
money-luck, hence its use as an essential oil makes good
sense in this formula. Vanilla appears in numerous formulas
for love-luck, so again, one is not surprised to find it in
Fast Luck. Wintergreen is an oddity, though -- it has very
few magical ascriptions, and it seems to function, in my
experience, primarily as a fragrance that mediates and
blends the rather contradictory aromas of Cinnamon and
Vanilla. In any case, without it, one does not get the
characteristic "Fast Luck" smell.
Hurston does not tell what makes her informant's Red Fast
Luck Oil red, but i was taught to colour it with Alkanet
root, a few flakes per 1/2 oz. bottle. If you use too
little, it stays pink; too much makes it bloody-brown. The
colour does not develop instantly, as it would from a
synthetic dye, so work carefully and add more root flakes
only if your first batch doesn't colour up red in a day,
after a thorough shaking. Alkanet root has magical
properties of its own, namely it draws luck and protects
your money, and the red colour indicates increased
love-luck, so it is a better colourant for Fast Luck than
any synthetic dye could ever be. I also add crushed pyrite
to my Fast Luck Oil, for money-drawing purposes.
To make Fast Luck Oil, simply add the formula above to a
carrier oil such as Almond Oil. Essential oil of Cinnamon
can be irritating to sensitive skin, so wear protective
gloves as you work, don't rub your eyes or nose, and dilute
the product to a useable strength before applying it to
anything you might touch.
For an entire web page on (Red) Fast Luck, please see the
Lucky W Amulet Archive at
http://www.luckymojo.com/fastluck.html
Next we come to Hurston's other Fast Luck recipe. Frankly,
although someone may have genuinely given her this formula,
i personally have never bought any Fast Luck products made
according to this recipe. For reasons explained below, i
think there may have been some confusion in the mind of
Hurston's informant, or perhaps Hurston herself got the
formula attached to the wrong name.
--------------
FAST LUCK
Aqueous solution of Citronella. It is put in scrub water to
scrub the house. It brings luck in business by pulling
custmers into a store.
-- Zora Neale Hurston
--------------
Hurston's Citronella-based Fast Luck formula is actually in
the family of recipes usually given for Chinese Wash and Van
Van Oil. These products, more than any other, are to be used
as house and doorway scrubs. I have never seen this
citronella recipe sold as Fast Luck, but i am not surprised
that someone used it as such. I give a good Van Van Oil
recipe below (under the letter V (which contains the five
closely-related Asian grasses Citronella, Lemongrass,
Vetivert, Palmarosa, and Gingergrass), and, for comparison,
i here append Hurston's very simple Van Van Essence formula:
--------------
ESSENCE OF VAN VAN:
10 per cent Oil of Lemon Grass in alcohol. (Different
doctors specify either grain, mentholated, or wood alcohol),
used for luck and power of all kinds. It is the most popular
conjure drug in New Orleans.
-- Zora Neale Hurston
--------------
Those who work with these essential oils know how similar
Citronella and Lemongrass smell. Folks with botanical
knowledge will also realize the close relationship between
Citronella, Lemongrass, Vetivert, Palmarosa, and Gingergrass
(in fact, Gingergrass is simply the lesser quality second
pressing of Palmarosa grass!). As my Van Van recipe
indicated, the addition of Vetivert (Khus Khus), Palmarosa,
and Gingergrass was to be in very small quantities compared
to the Lemongrass and Citronella, which means that both
Chinese Wash and Van Van Oil smell predominantly of citrusy
fragrances, with smoky undertones. It is possible that
someone Hurston talked to had mistaken this ubiquitous New
Orleans formula-family for Fast Luck ... or, as i said,
Hurston herself might have made the error. In any case, the
Fast Luck i know is the Cinnamon, Vanilla, Wintergreen one.
For an entire web page on Van Van Oil, please see the Lucky
W Amulet Archive at
http://www.luckymojo.com/vanvan.html
For an entire web page on Chinese Wash, please see the Lucky
W Amulet Archive at
http://www.luckymojo.com/chinesewash.html
For more on the intertwined history of Chinese Wash and Van
Van Oil, please see the Lucky W Amulet Archive page on
ritual baths and floor washes at
http://www.luckymojo.com/baths.html
Now, as to "Double Fast Luck" -- here Slater has given a
strange twist to things. He adds a powdered dollar bill (why
not? although filings from a silver dime would be more
likely in hoodoo, and crushed pyrite even more apropos),
and then he colours the oil green.
He has, i believe, confused DOUBLE POWER (add more
ingredients) with DOUBLE LUCK (make the item work two ways).
The two concepts are quite different in hoodoo conjuration,
and Slater's formula is only a doubling in POWER of his
already highly inaccurate formula, it is not two-way or
DOUBLE LUCK
True Double Luck formulas work for both money and love.
Thus, Double Fast Luck should work for money and love -- in
a hurry.
During the 1990s, i interviewed a man named LaRue Marx
who had been an employee of the Lucky Heart Company in
Memphis, Tennessee from the 1930s - 1960s, and he gave me
the company's formula for Double Fast Luck. It is simplicity
itself:
--------------
DOUBLE FAST LUCK
Use a tall, thin bottle. Fill it halfway up with (Red) Fast
Luck Oil made as above. Top it off with plain water that has
been coloured bright green with food colouring. The red oil
mixture (symbolizing love and passion) will separate from
the green water (symbolizing monetary wealth). To use, shake
the bottle until a temporary emulsion is created and
sprinkle it out. It will separate between uses.
-- LaRue Marx, Lucky Heart Co.
--------------
The above, i believe, will give complete satisfaction to
those in search of Double Fast Luck.
cat yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
Lucky Mojo Curio Co. http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
Spells Archive ----------------- http://www.luckymojo.com/spells.html
Lucky W Amulet Archive --------- http://www.luckymojo.com/luckyw.html
© 1999 catherine yronwode
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FLORIDA WATER
For an entire web page on Florida Water, please see the Lucky
W Amulet Archive at
http://www.luckymojo.com/floridakanagawater.html
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 2000 catherine yronwode
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FOUR THIEVES WINE -- FOUR THIEVES VINEGAR
This formula dates from the fifteenth century, when it was
developed as a healing formula. As an inoculation against
epidemic diseases it actually works. Its use in magic came
about much later, as with many other substances it became
useful in the magical arts.
While the Bubonic plague raged through southern France in
the 1450s the number of bodies so overwhelmed the grave
diggers that they called upon the municipal authorities for
assistance. Four thieves who had been jailed together were
released on the condition that they assist in burying the
dead. They agreed, and served so well at their gruesome task
that they were later pardoned on the condition that they
left town.
One of the magistrates asked them how they had managed to
appear to remain so healthy, even though they have been
burying those who had did of the plague. They told him the
secret of the four thieves vinegar, which was made from
bottles of cheep wine, which begins to turn to vinegar in a
few days if left opened. They filled the wine bottles with
garlic, and allowed it to stand for a while, and then drank
a wineglass (2 Oz) with every meal. They continued this for
a bit over the three or four months that they had been
engaged in burying the dead.
Four Thieves Vinegar is made in the following way: Burgundy
(red) wine is divided between two bottles, and both bottles
are filled with peeled, and occasionally crushed, garlic
cloves. The bottles are placed in the refrigerator or spring
house for a week. Then two ounces of the wine (possibly on
the way to becoming vinegar) are taken twice or three times
a day. During the 1917 flu epidemic my grandfather used it
on all his family, beginning as soon as he heard of the
epidemic. None of the family became ill, although the
neighbors on both sides of them had deaths in their
families.
My father gave it to me every summer, when the Polio
epidemic was raging around us. I was never ill from that or
any of the other epidemic diseases of the time. In fact, our
house was never quarantined, but four thieves vinegar was on
our menu from the time we were children.
In magic it is used for getting rid of people. It works
there as well. I have also used it for protection, when I
thought malochia was in the offing. I put about two ounces
in a bath, soaking for about five minutes in the tub. I use
it when I suspect that I am about to see a particularly evil
minded client. It has a variety of other uses, in both
magic and healing, as well.
John M Hansen (jmhansen@erols.com)
© 1999 John M. Hansen
FOUR THIEVES VINEGAR OZARKS VARIANT
Thanks, John.
The major difference between our recipes for Four Thieves
Vinegar is that i have been told that it must have four
spices in it, one for each thief -- the four additives being
garlic (crushed or whole),
red pepper (crushed),
black peppercorns (whole), and
black mustard seed (whole).
Also, in the Ozarks, i was taught to make it with apple
cider vinegar, not red wine vinegar. This is probably a
regional variant based on the fact that wine vinegar is
uncommon in the Ozarks. In California, we have plenty of red
wine vinegar and i like that much better as a base; however,
either way, it tastes great!
In addition to providing personal protection from disease
and magical attack, Four Thieves Vinegar is used to send
away unwanted people or to make a family quarrel and fall
out among themselves. It can be sprinkled or dashed against
an enemy's doorsteps, but it can also be served to an enemy
family as a condiment, which to me justifies the "thieves"
part of the name -- it is a sneaky way to protect yourself
while you get them out of your life.
For an entire page on Four Thieves Vinegar, go to
http://www.luckymojo.com/fourthievesvinegar.html
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 1999 catherine yronwode
------------------------------------------
HARVEY'S NECROMANTIC FLOORWASH
This preparation is used to clean and prepare areas and
tools used in Necromancy.
Hyssop [herb]
Florida Water [floral cologne]
Kolonia 1800 Sandelo (Sandalwood cologne)
5 hot peppers [herb]
Thyme [herb]
Vervain [herb]
Lemon Juice
Sugar, a pinch
Kananga Water[floral cologne]
Mullein [herb]
Mistletoe [herb]
Black Pepper [herb]
Ammonia, a few drops
Olive Oil, a few drops
("Not too much ... we ain't making salad here")
Fey Kapab [twigs]
(aka Florida Boxwood: used a lot in Haitian magic)
Nutmeg [powdered spice]
Cinnamon [powdered spice]
Allspice [powdered spice]
3-4 cups spring water
© 2001 Harvey, c/o Kevin Filan (mrharwer@excite.com)
------------------------------------------
HATIAN LOVER OIL (FOR MEN ONLY)
Cinnamon
Anise
Orris
Clove
Sassafras
color: Red
An excellent formula for men only. Very effective when used
on a red female figure candle.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
------------------------------------------
HENRY'S GRASS OIL See VAN VAN OIL
------------------------------------------
INFLAMMATORY CONFUSION OIL See CONFUSION OIL
------------------------------------------
JOHN THE CONQUEROR OIL
John the Conqueror Oil traditionally consists of broken
pieces of John the Conqueror root (Ipomoea jalapa or I.
purga) steeped in Almond or another vegetable carrier oil
that has been tinted purple (or yellow); it is customary to
add essential oils as fragrance to suit. The oil can also
be made with powdered I. jalapa root. Some folks strain it
afterward; i don't.
To enhance the actual wierd scent of John the Conqueror root,
from which no essential oil can be extracted, i compound a
"woodsy blend" scent, such as cedarwood and vetivert, which
smells quite a lot like the John the Conqueror root itself.
This fragrance is NOT part of the "magic" in the oil, but it
does serve as a re-enforcer of what the real root smells
like.
Let the root fragments and/or powder sit in the oil blend at
least a week before use -- a month is better. The root is
traditionally left in the bottle as it is used. If you are
making up small bottles (e.g. a dram vial or 1/2 oz.
bottle), you should put two or three pieces of root in each
bottle. If you work out of a large stock bottle (e.g. 4 oz.
or 16 oz.) be sure to refresh the root with new pieces each
time you top up the bottle.
BEWARE commercial John the Conqueror and High Conquering
oils! They rarely have the root in them. I will not name my
competitors whose products are made thus -- but all you have
to do is LOOK IN THE BOTTLE: If there is no root in it, and
it was made in a factory, it's very likely a fake.
For a picture and more information on Ipomoea jalapa, its
lore, and its role in the making of mojo bags as well as
oils, please see the Lucky W Amulet Archive page on John the
Conqueror root at
http://www.luckymojo.com/johntheconqueror.html
Cordially,
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
© 1999 catherine yronwode
------------------------------------------
KANANGA WATER
For an entire web page on Kananga Water, please see the Lucky
W Amulet Archive at
http://www.luckymojo.com/floridakanagawater.html
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
© 2000 catherine yronwode
------------------------------------------
MONEY DRAWING OIL
Mix equal parts of
Frankincense,
Myrrh
Sandalwood.
Add a piece of bayberry to each bottle
Add 2 Tbls. of this to 2 ounces of oil
from "Charms, Spells, and Formulas" by [suthor uncited]
Copyright © 1999 [author uncited]
contributed by Jellyface (d1684@strato.net)
[It is unclear in the above recipe for Money Drawing Oil if
what is added is bayberry leaf or bayberry root, or if the
frankincense, myrrh, and sandalwood are the essential oils
or the actual plant parts (gums and wood chips). -- cat]
MONEY DRAWING OIL
Bayberry Root
Bayberry Oil (usually only available as a synthetic)
Pyrite Chips
Top with carrier oil
(e.g. almond oil which has been dosed with Vitamin E)
cat yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
© 1999 catherine yronwode
------------------------------------------
Q PERFUME OIL
Myrrh
Peppermint
Carnation
color: Red
A highly stimulating oil used to entice anyone you deeply
desire. Impossible to resist.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
------------------------------------------
SEPARATION POWDER
Chili Powder
Cinnamon
Galangal
Black Pepper
Iron Filings
Vetivert
Pinch Bitter Aloes or Vetivert
Use when you desire to break any relationship. Creates
animosity between lovers and business associates. Forces an
eventual separation.
author uncited -- probably
from "The Magickal Formulary" by Herman Slater
© 1999 Herman Slater
contributed by "....." (inept1@usa.net)
------------------------------------------
VAN VAN OIL
Van Van is essentially a lemongrass - citronella - palmarosa
- gingergrass - vetivert blend. The five species are closely
related Asian grasses, long cultivated for their fragrant
roots.
SIDE NOTE ON THE ERROR OF USING POPULAR NAMES TO DESCRIBE PLANTS:
Some people think that because it is named Van Van, this oil
must contain vanilla, but such is NOT the case.
Not only does Van Van never contain vanilla, the "rosa" in
palmarosa does NOT refer to roses, the "ginger" in
gingergrass does NOT refer to ginger roots, the "lemon" in
lemongrass does NOT refer to lemons, and the "citron" in
citronella does NOT refer to citrons!!! These are all simply
common names for species of ASIAN GRASSES.
To further complicate matters, vetivert, the last-named of
the above Asian grasses, is also known commercially as
khus-khus but it is not related in any way to the Moroccan
food product called cous-cous, made of wheat and chickpea
flour ... and chickpea flour is not in any way derived from
chickens. :-)
It's a common trap. Don't fall into it.
END OF ADMONITORY SIDE NOTE
These days, palmarosa oil is difficult to obtain, and
gingergrass oil is not commercially available anywhere, as
far as i can tell.
The ingredients for Van Van Oil have always varied from
maker to maker, but the absence of any one or two of the
Asian Grass oils will not hurt the results much, for usually
the blend will focus on citrusy lemongrass and citronella,
with only a hint of musky vetivert, floral palmarosa, and
spicy gingergrass.
Here is Zora Neale Hurston's very basic Van Van Essence
formula:
--------------
ESSENCE OF VAN VAN
10 per cent Oil of Lemon Grass in alcohol. (Different
doctors specify either grain, mentholated, or wood alcohol),
used for luck and power of all kinds. It is the most popular
conjure drug in New Orleans.
-- Zora Neale Hurston
--------------
Here's a better variation, made up as an oil:
--------------
VAN VAN OIL
16 parts lemongrass oil
8 parts citronella oil
1 part vetivert oil
1 part palmarosa oil
1 part gingergrass oil if you can get it
Mix together and let sit for at least week. This is your
stock oil. Do not apply it directly, for like all uncut
essential oils, it can be a skin irritant to some people.
Therefore:
In each 1/2 oz. bottle of VAN VAN OIL to be made up, place
a pinch of dried lemongrass leaves
a pinch of crushed pyrite crystals
one full standard dropper-full of the above stock blend
Fill the bottle with undyed almond oil as a carrier
This is an old, authentic formula for VAN VAN OIL and i
vouch for it in every way.
--------------
A highly simplified, cheap version of Van Van Oil is
sometimes found under the name Henry's Grass Oil.
--------------
HENRY'S GRASS OIL
lemongrass oil
a pinch of dried lemongrass leaves
Put a dropper-full of the essential oil and a pinch of the
dried leaves in a 1/2 oz. bottle and fill the bottle with
undyed cooking oil as a carrier.
--------------
For an entire web page on Van Van Oil, please see the Lucky
W Amulet Archive at
http://www.luckymojo.com/vanvan.html
For more on the intertwined history of Chinese Wash and Van
Van Oil, please see the Lucky W Amulet Archive page on
ritual baths and floor washes at
http://www.luckymojo.com/baths.html
catherine yronwode (cat@luckymojo.com)
Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
© 1999 catherine yronwode
