To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day (31 page)

it because the loose incense is burned over a charcoal sold

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in small packages at almost every new age shop in the Unit-

ed States. These charcoals can also be purchased at Christian

religious supply stores.

By now you know that the aromatics you choose to burn

in votive rites should be appropriate for your spiritual path.

Saxon Pagans, for example, might burn mugwort because

this herb is sacred to Woden. Roman, Hellenic or Kemetic

Pagans might choose to burn frankincense, which was pop-

ular throughout the Mediterranean area in early Europe for

thousands of years.

Rosemary is an appropriate aromatic for almost any

European spiritual tradition. Native to the Mediterranean

region, rosemary was introduced across Europe by the

Romans.

When making incense, always grind your aromatics to a

fine powder. In powdered form they can be blended with other

aromatics more easily and will burn more evenly. If using a

resin such as frankincense it is a good idea to purchase it in

powdered form. Resins are hardened tree sap and are extreme-

ly difficult to grind into powder. If you must powder resin put it in the freezer for half an hour first, and grind it with a mor-tar and pestle, never in a mechanical grinder.

Used by itself, a resin need not be powdered. Resin grains

will melt and release their odor as they warm on the char-

coal.

But much of the enjoyment of making incense is in creat-

ing your own unique blends. After mixing together whatever

powdered herbs or flowers you want in your incense, you can

add a few drops of a compatible essential oil. This is option-

al. If you add oil be sure that it is a true essential oil and not f 233 2

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a synthetic fragrance oil. The latter do not always smell the

same when they burn. The essential oil should be used very

sparingly; do not let it overpower the scent of the other aro-

matics.

A word of caution here: Some botanicals are toxic when

burned. You are safe using aromatics found in any kitchen

spice cabinet (rosemary, cinnamon, sweet basil), or that are

commonly used for incense (sandalwood, frankincense). If

you are unsure about a leaf or flower, research it in a com-

prehensive herbal such as Lesley Bremness’
The Complete

Book of Herbs
(New York: Viking Studio Books, 1988) or Paul Beyerl’s excellent
The Master Book of Herbalism
(Custer, WA: Phoenix, 1984).

There are many books available with incense recipes you

might like to try. In my opinion, the best book ever written

for beginners is Scott Cunningham’s
Magical Herbalism
(St.

Paul: Lewellyn Publications, 1982). Even if you only want to

make incense for votive rituals and have absolutely no inter-

est in magic, the book is a valuable resource. I especially like his simple Meditation Incense (p. 120).

After decades of working with herbs and incenses I have

collected and developed quite a few recipes. Most are magi-

cal blends, but the recipes I give here can be used equally well for votive rituals.

*

Success Incense

Four parts cinnamon

Two parts powdered sandalwood

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Two parts powdered frankincense

One part powdered orris root

This can be used when working any spell to bring success

or prosperity into your life. Because of its nature, it is also a suitable incense to burn as a praise offering to your gods.

*

Frith (Peace) Incense

Two parts lavender blossoms

Two parts violet blossoms

One part powdered orris root

One part finely grated lemon peel

One part crushed cardamom pods

As a magical incense, use this when working spells to create

peaceful conditions and dispel chaos.

*

Healing Incense

Four parts powdered sandalwood

Four parts carnation petals

Two parts bayberry leaves

Two parts rose petals

One part saltpeter

The purpose of the incense is implicit in its name, but refrain from burning this or any other incense directly in the pres-f 235 2

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ence of a sick person, especially if that person’s respiratory system is compromised.

*

Uncrossing Incense

Two parts lavender blossoms

Two parts rose petals

Two parts verbena

One part bay leaves

Burn this incense to remove any spell that has been cast

against you. I honestly do not think this happens very often;

in my experience, most sorcerers who waste a lot of time

“cursing” people are not competent enough to concern your-

self with. Nevertheless, this is a good blend to have on hand

if you believe that something like that may have occurred.

Because of the intent of this incense it can be a suitable

votive offering to gods or spirits associated with protection.

*

Attraction Incense

Eight parts powdered olibanum

Four parts powdered sandalwood

Four parts cinnamon

Two parts powdered myrrh

Two parts powdered orris root

One part saltpeter

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Use this in love spells intended to attract potential partners

(rather than one specific person). This blend comes from a

Book of Shadows (a book of spells and rituals) that I inherit-

ed from a witch who passed from this world many years ago.

I have found the incense also works well as a votive offering

for gods or spirits associated with love and sensuality.

*

After powdering and blending your chosen aromatics, the

loose incense is ready to burn. To do this, take a small metal

or ceramic bowl and fill it partially with either salt or sand to insulate the bottom. The Anglo-Saxons called a bowl such as

this a
recelsfæt
, or “incense vessel”.

Unless your ritual room is the size of a cathedral you will

not need to use an entire charcoal. Break the charcoal in half, or even quarter it, and use only a portion. Light the charcoal

and set it into the bowl.

Now sprinkle your loose incense onto the coal. Any

incense you want to keep for later use should be stored in an

airtight container in a cool, dark place.

If you want to try making your blend into incense cones

you will also need gum arabic and saltpeter (potassium

nitrate). Making incense cones can be messy. I personally pre-

fer to blend and use loose incense. With that disclaimer, here

is what you need to do:

• Mix a teaspoon of the gum arabic in eight ounces of

water. This should form a thick paste. If it is dry, add a

little more water. Then cover this with a warm, damp

cloth and set it aside.

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• Sift your loose incense, using only the finest powder. If

necessary, grind it up some more.

• Weigh the sifted incense. A good kitchen scale is accu-

rate enough for this.

• Add 10% (by weight) saltpeter to your sifted incense.

Mix the saltpeter in thoroughly.

• Now begin adding the gum arabic mixture to your

incense a little bit at a time. Blend it in completely

before adding more. Continue adding this in, slowly,

until your incense dough has the consistency of model-

ing clay. Squeeze some in your hand to see if it will hold

its shape.

• Mold the dough by hand into the same size and shape

of incense cones sold commercially. If the cones are too

thick they will not burn properly.

• Place the shaped cones on waxed paper and let them

dry for a week in a dry, warm room.

POTPOURRI

You do not have to burn your aromatics to enjoy them.

Gift shops and bath shops often sell aromatics in the form

of potpourri, which is even easier to make. A potpourri of

chopped cedar twigs, pieces of rosemary, orange rind, cinna-

mon sticks, allspice and a little vanilla oil can add a fragrance dimension to your Yuletide altar. Or set out a potpourri of

sweet woodruff, violets and dried rose petals for May Day.

For either one, adding a little salt will help preserve the mixture. Orris root powder is also a good fixative.

Making a potpourri is very similar to making incense,

only easier. Since the aromatics do not have to burn even-

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ly there is no reason to powder them. Dried flowers, herbs,

spices and even fruits can be used for potpourri. Any attrac-

tive bowl or snifter can be used to hold the finished product.

Put potpourri into a little cloth bag and that bag becomes

a sachet. These are often used to scent closets and drawers,

but they are also useful for the Pagan sorcerer. Sachets can

hold protective herbs, healing herbs, love herbs, or herbal

blends for almost any other purpose. Tuck a sachet of pro-

tective herbs under the seat of your car to help keep you safe

on the road. Place a sachet of lavender blossoms and mint

leaves inside your pillowcase to promote peaceful dreams.

If you are a merchant, keep a sachet stuffed with mint,

thyme and chamomile in your cash box to help you enjoy the

sweet smell of success.

CORN DOLLS

After you have celebrated Lammas (or Lughnasadh or Calan

Awst), when you are harvesting the bounty of your garden,

you can honor the spirits of the land by making a corn doll.

In principle, corn dolls are similar to the John Barleycorn

scarecrow, only smaller and made entirely of plant materi-

al rather than being stuffed with straw. The corn doll can be

thought of an idol representing the life of the land.

Traditional English corn “dolls” were not always dolls.

They were often crafted in non-humanoid forms, such as a

bell (Essex and Cambridgeshire), a lantern (Norfolk), a pret-

zel-shaped knot (Stafford), a horseshoe (Suffolk) or a spiral

(Yorkshire). In Scandinavia they were often shaped to resem-

ble stars or crowns.

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Furthermore, they were never made from the husks of

what we Americans call corn, because this is a New World

grain that was unknown in Europe until the 16th century.

Although in the United States the word corn has come to

be a synonym for maize, it actually means any kind of seed.

Thus the seed of the oak tree is called an acorn (oak-corn).

In England the word corn refers to any grain: wheat, barley,

rye, oats.

Nevertheless, the husks of corn (maize) are great for

making corn dolls. The instructions I am giving here are for

making a humanoid corn doll using corn husks. You will

need string, scissors and of course the corn husks.

This will be a much more meaningful activity if the corn

came out of your own soil, but if you didn’t plant corn you

can pick up a few ears at your farmers’ market. For that mat-

ter, you can even buy those dried husks sold at craft stores,

but you will have to soak these in water to make them pli-

able. The other disadvantage of dried craft husks is that they

probably were not grown in your area, and thus have no con-

nection with the local land spirits.

You will need at least six husks to make a doll. Hold four

or five husks together in a bundle and tie one end of this

together tightly with a piece of string. Cut off any excess

string.

Now turn the bundle upside down and gently pull the

long ends of the husks down over the tied off shorter ends.

Pull them down on all sides: front, back, left and right. Be

careful not to break any of the husks as you do this. When

you have pulled the long ends down, tie them with a string to

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form a “head” and “neck”, with the rest of the husks hanging

down as a sort of loose, yet unformed “body”.

Now take one or two other husks and roll them as tight-

ly as you can lengthwise. Tie the ends with string (you may

need to tie the middle also). This piece will be the “arms” of

your doll.

Fit the arm piece through the long husks, just below the

neck of the doll, so it protrudes from each side like a pair of arms. Tie another string around the body below the arms to

create a “waist”.

You can stop here if you wish, or you can embellish the

doll further. If you would like a fuller skirt, tie another four or five husks from the waist of the doll. Alternately, you can

give the doll legs by dividing the husks below the waist into

two bundles, tying them at the “knees” and “ankles”.

The corn doll can sit proudly on your harvest altar. Keep

it somewhere in your home through the winter, and then

return it to the earth in the spring either by burying it in

your garden or by burning it and scattering the ashes over

the earth.

The best corn dolls are those made from plants that have

a significant place in your life. If you are not growing corn, see if there is some other plant in your garden that can be

made into a corn doll. A friend of mine in Missouri earns