Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic.

by Lisa Lister

WAYS TO USE HERBS Charms and sachets: fill a small fabric or cotton teabag with herbs to make a charm or sachet. You can carry the charm with you, hang it in the house or car, bury it or burn it, depending on the purpose and the spell you’re performing. Incense: you can also burn herbs as a ritual incense; for example sage smudge can clear negative vibrations from a space. Bath: make a sachet and place it in your ritual or healing bath. Fragrant herbs like lavender make a very relaxing bath, and you can use certain other herbs to alleviate various conditions, such as eucalyptus when you have a cold or flu. Oils: place your herbs in an oil and let them steep for a few days, then strain. You can make anointing oils for your ritual work; beauty oils for your hair, skin and nails (try coconut or jojoba); or flavoured oils for cooking and seasoning (try steeping rosemary in olive oil). Teas: use herbs to make teas to heal illness (but read the medical disclaimer below first). Some herbs can also be used to mildly alter consciousness, such as Valerian or Kava Kava, which can both facilitate trance-like states in some people. Teas are my most favourite ways to work with herbs, and my nanna was the queen of herbal tea making. Spell work: sprinkle herbs or place them around or within boundaries (such as your home, altar, or magic circle) to define a ‘territory’ for your magic to work. Cooking: obviously, you can also use flavourful herbs in cooking and seasoning your food. There ar...