Magical Ointments and Witch Crafts
I’ve been a very busy witch and have been spending most of my time in my kitchen cooking, crafting, and shipping for Stang and Cauldron rather than writing for my blog (though I did miss it!). All my supplies arrived so it was time to make new batches of fairy and flying ointments. I made my well-loved Aves Ointment for attaining spirit-flight and this time added the fat of wild birds blended with high quality grapeseed oil (very good for the skin) instead of my usual pure duck-fat recipe – the active ingredients of belladonna, mandrake, mugwort and wormwood are still the same. I made more of my insanely popular Porta’s Flying Ointment. I think you guys must all have datura and belladonna fetishes as you’re buying it up like crazy, but keep in mind they give you a hangover, belladonna can cause blurred vision for hours or a day after use, and henbane shouldn’t go near your sensitive bits.
Mandrake Ointment is also restocked (formerly known as Medea’s ointment/salve) which is a simple salve just with atropa mandragora root, grapeseed oil, and the best local beeswax. If you’ve never used a flying ointment before or are maybe a bit scared of them, then the Mandrake Ointment is for you. Mandrake is the most friendly of its poisonous solanaceae cousins and only has pleasant effects (think of it like topical weed). It’s also useful for a ton of different magical purposes and therefore excellent to have in your bag of tricks (read that as sex magic, baby, oh yeah).
I was finally able to make more of my fairy ointments too! My Forest Spirit Ointment recipe is used for seeing and communing with wild forest and plant spirits and contains the traditional European fairy-sight ingredients of fern seed, fly agaric, and oak, ash, and thorn along with enchanter’s nightshade and the herb of Robin Goodfellow – all wild harvested by me from the forest of course!
My Toadman’s Ointment, also made with fly agaric, is for those who work with toads and frogs as familiars and for shapeshifting. They make excellent allies for those who follow the poison path since they often contain their own natural poisons which some scholars believe were used in flying ointment recipes in Europe.
Amidst all this crafting for Stang and Cauldron I made a test batch of a flying ointment made with henbane seed harvested from my old garden and the bear fat I rendered with the shaman a few months ago. It’s not strong enough for me yet so it still needs some tweaking and more testing before I’m comfortable selling it. I did get some excellent dreams from testing it so far.
If you’re looking for info on flying ointments (what they are for, how to use them, what to expect, etc), I’ve written an article about their history and use called “On Flying Ointments” and also did a HedgeFolk Tales podcast episode with stories, poetry, and ancient literature about flying ointments.
As always I crafted more poisonous offerings for the shop on top of the flying ointments; poison plant spirit vessels of a night-blooming datura flower, black henbane, and bittersweet nightshade from my garden, genuine mandrake root, and fly agaric I wild harvested last autumn. People really love these little skull bottles full of poisons so, alas, only the Black Henbane spirit vessel is left looking for a home they’ve all sold.
I have an Ancestor Spirit Vessel with poison too – it’s layered with owl bone dust, graveyard dirt, althea root, yew needles, and owl feathers. The skull is handcarved from deer antler and hard to find. It would be an excellent tool for a necromancer, psychopomp, grave-tender or ancestor worshipper.
There are also roots available for those who want to turn them into fetiches or alrauns. I’ve sold out of the belladonna, yarrow, and rue, but I still have two large prize Black Henbane Roots available.
As if that’s not enough, there are more goodies! Blackthorns for cursing or reversing curses, Blackberry Witch’s Whisks for smudging a place to purify and chase away evil spirits, Rowan Berry necklace charms, Rowan Crosses handwoven with red silk and wool, protective Witch Ball charms of rowan berries, red thread, and goose feathers… You’ll just have to come by the shop and see what’s there!
Fern seed…..? That was always the conundrum….it doesn’t exist! Ferns reproduce with spores. (Love your wonderful pages, BTW).
Lol, indeed! Think of fern seed more like a folk name. The spores do look the teeniest little seeds though. I love working with that stuff, it’s like fairy dust!
I really would love to have some unguents with me, but Sarah has cutted my wings, at least for now.
Sarah-I am quite looking forward to receiving my goodies-and your spirit bottles are beautiful.
Went out to a local nature preserve today for a hike; brought along an offering for the land and plant and animal spirits, as well as plastic bags for picking up other peoples’ garbage (and, sadly, there’s always plenty to pick up — beer bottles, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, used kleenex, and this time, spent shotgun shells. Grrrr.)
Wore Forest Spirit Salve on my eyelids and behind my ears, and saw an insane amount of deer — nine, a herd of six and a group of three — more than I’ve ever seen at one time before. Also, due to the abnormally warm winter we’re having here in the Chicago area, all the plants are coming up early — mullein and wild onions and fern and cinquefoil and wild strawberry plants. Last year it was warm in early February, too, and then we got hit with the Snowmaggedon.
~Jennifer
Oh how I wish I could come and make things with You ! I find all the people round me want to order plastic or resin items which travel across the ocean polluting the earth often destroying her in order to even make a product .
I’m trying to hook up with the wildcrafters here in my province so I can sell the items I pick . we are new to hunting , lost in the last two generations but I do hope to use the bear fat in soaps and ointments too.
I’ve really felt called to use mandrake lately but not sure of the why yet and I tend to want to find an alternative in a more local plant . maybe you might know what in MB. would have similar properties to mandrake ?
I love your witchy blog so much it reminds me of home and I can hardly wait til we actually can move back and liveon our land .
I’m trying to make homemade beads for a ghost dance dress I am making not sure yet what materials to use but have been thinking on bone and small stones perhaps .
Your work is so amazing – and beautiful! When I am done nursing babies I cannot wait to try one (or more! though not at the same time) of your flying ointments. I am chomping at the bit!
What a bevy of materials! Makes me feel guilty about not getting onto my salves and all sooner.
oh my! you are ever so inspiring! I want to be like you!;) hope to purchase some soon!
I just received my package today ! Oleum of Hedgecrossing smells just divine ! Many thanks !!
Wonderful crafting!!
I’m so very allergic to mugwort and I wonder if there could be something one could replace it with? It´s so usefull for so many things and I’ve still to find a replacement.
Sarah , I was wondering if You have ever worked with Mayapple ( american mandrake ) ? I could only find seeds for that plant here in my province no european mandrake seeds or roots . however I like the idea of using a more local plant but I’m not sure if I should treat Mayapple the same as the european mandrake especially in recipes . what do you think ? I’d love to hear of any expereinces you’ve had with Mayapple . I think raising children I was never called to work with baneful herbs but now that I am granny crone they are coming to me like lightening .I’ve worked with deadly nightshade for two yrs and now the mandrake has been calling .
They have similar effects as poisons, but European mandrake cannot be substituted for American mayapple when it comes to ointments or ingestion and mayapple shouldn’t be burned either. They should not be treated the same. I’ve only ever used mayapple for anointing oils or sachets for its magical vibrations and correspondences, not physically like mandrake. You can purchase mandragora seeds from Alchemy Works or Horizon Herbs.
Thanks so much Sarah ! so far I only have used the nightshade in different mixes for prayer sticks and candles and am assuming the mandrake will be the same . I tend to not have trouble attaining vision so the only ointments I’ve made have been for babies , dry skin and my eczema . I’m am a tad nervous to try flying ointments , perhaps one day . I do believe mandrake is connected to my focusing on the means for us to now build ( having no funds ) on our land .
I wonder if mandrake can be shipped into Canada . I will phone the places you listed tomorrow .