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On Oils and Formulas

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I will begin by saying that making Hoodoo Oils is my first love when it comes to my career as a Spiritual Practitioner / Rootworker. I have been making oil formulas for a long time, since before 2013 which is the year I started my business. I began by studying the metaphysical properties of herbs, roots, leaves, and flowers, as well as gemstones. I actually began my study of gemstones first. 

I still remember the day that I began seeking spiritual help and trying to learn on my own. I was sitting in an ICU room in Tulsa, while my Mom was there before she passed. I was desperately wishing there was something I could do that could help her. And something to help me as well. Because after spending day after day in the hospital, when I would leave and go home, I felt as though the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I felt as though I had a tangible ickiness clinging to me. I soon learned that negative energy can cling to us, and hospitals as well as nursing homes are an environment for rampant negative energy. 

So, I had little to do while sitting there at the hospital besides look at my phone when she was asleep, so I would sit with her and search for metaphysical stores. There weren't really any to speak of in the area at the time, not that I could find anyway. But I had gotten some healing gemstones from Romancing the Stone at the mall. So, in addition to sewing those healing gemstones into a teddy bear for my Mom, I also emailed an online witchy shop to explain what I needed help with. I wanted to help my Mom heal and to help her Memory (Alzheimer's / Dementia), and something to help me feel less "icky" when I left. It would take me several hours to feel right again, like myself, after driving the hour drive home. 

Well, I never received an email back from that shop.  And so I figured if it was to be, it was up to me. I grew up in a Christian household. Mom would have never approved. So that's why I never let her see me sew the gemstones and crystals into her teddy bear. And she never knew that I was studying herbs to help with memory and healing. 

So where did I start? Google, truthfully. Which was very confusing, but I kept a notebook that later turned into several notebooks, which later was transferred to my Grimoire or Book of Shadows. I still use that book today. 

I soon realized there are also a lot of good reputable books out there on these subjects. And I began reading and studying and did little else for a long time. 

So, long story short, you can find a lot of good information about how to use herbs and roots in The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews by Scott Cunningham. Also LLewellyn's Complete Formulary of Magical Oils. There is also a very good book by cat yronwode (she does not capitalize her name) called Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic. There is also a very good book by Denise Alvarado that has a lot of good recipes (formulas) in it too. I actually modify some of these formulas myself to make them better. So all of these books do not say the same thing, nor did the information I found from other sources by searching. So I have compiled all of these properties into my own Grimoire. Herbs and roots have more than one set of metaphysical properties. It depends on the tradition / path. For example, Wiccan or Pagan traditions are going to give you different properties for one herb, while Hoodoo traditions have differing metaphysical properties for that same herb. So, it's not a matter of memorizing what this herb and that herb does. It's about understanding why such properties are assigned to them and how it came to be so. And then using discernment as far as what should go into your formula, and what you want it to do. What purpose do you want this herb to accomplish, and what other herbs would complement it and work in other ways towards that same goal?

It's a lot like cooking. You can give anybody a cookbook full of recipes, but are they going to know what to do with it? Not everyone can cook. You can learn how to cook, but if your heart's not in it, it's going to come out bland. I guarantee you a dozen people can bake a meatloaf with the same recipe, and you will get a dozen different tasting (and different textures) meatloaf dishes.

And speaking of cooking, do some folks heat their oils and make them in large batches? Yes, they do. I do not. Heating oils with the herbs in them was a way to bring out the essences and oils of the ingredients. I would imagine this is the way they were done back in the old days. This is not the way I make my oils, however. Mine are made individually, bottle by bottle. It's simply a difference in method and preference. And this is actually how most practitioners make their oils. 

Should they be made according to moon phases? Yes, if you work with moon phases. This is also not how I make my oils. I make them when the need arises, for my own purposes. And I make them for my clients once their order is placed. Each bottle is made specifically for them. For you. They aren't sitting around on a shelf getting stale. Yes, oils can indeed get stale given enough time. I use natural preservatives in my carrier oil blends, though. So freshness is guaranteed for a long time. But being able, as I am, to provide hundreds of different formulas, it would be impossible and completely impractical to have stock sitting around on a shelf waiting for someone to order it. I have ordered very few Hoodoo oils from other makers in the past. I can actually count the oils I have that other people have made, on one hand. I was impressed with only one of them. I've even tried oils from New Orleans when we went there on vacation a few years ago, and I was not impressed at all. I've tried oils that come in square bottles from major suppliers, and I was very disappointed as well. I know I'm biased, but there is a whole lot of Hoodoo in my oils, and I am very proud of them. They are of the highest quality ingredients, and believe me I have tried a lot of different herb suppliers and essential oil suppliers, and although what I use is expensive, it is worth it in every way. I have about 6 different oil suppliers.  Every bottle I make, I add the herbal mixture first (every single ingredient that goes into the formula also has a corresponding essential oil used), and then I add the essential oils (all the while my index finger on my left hand (because I am right handed and adding droppers of many different essential oils with my right hand) is on the recipe in my handwritten and well-used book) and I am putting the intent of that oil into every bottle, so it does what it is supposed to do. When I make a formula, I remember what I was feeling when I wrote it in my book. I think about what I want it to do for my client and how well it is going to perform for them. So when I say they are the best, they are the best. 

I also write a lot of my own recipes (formulas), and there's not a single impotent (not potent) ingredient in them. These days, in the past few years, makers of Hoodoo Oils are all over the place, just like Rootworkers have come out of the woodwork in the past few years since I've been in business. It wasn't like that when I started out. Everyone wants to be insta-famous. They pop up out of nowhere and claim they have been doing this for ages, even though they're not old enough for that to be believable. And I have seen some oils on other websites that have ingredients I know for a fact serve no magickal purpose. And although they may be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, I just cringe. Would you put salt in a cake, even if you really like salt? It's the same thing I'm talking about here.  But I digress. Suffice to say, I see a lot of oils elsewhere, and that's wonderful for them. I'm in competition with no one, because I am 100% confident that my oils are the very best, and this is what Spirit has intended for me. My Guides have never steered me wrong, and I can honestly say that I am fulfilling my life's purpose and my calling. So I have no insecurities whatsoever when it comes to oils, and I applaud others for making their own oils. (As long as they don't order from me and then re-label them with their own label, which I have had happen.)  I have had shop owners tell me that their customers are amazed at how differently their candles burn when using my oils. That's the "whole lot of Hoodoo" in them. 

So, back to ingredients, they do matter. But what matters even more, if you want to make some oils at home, is your intent. If you're doing the best you can with what you've got, that is more than sufficient to get the job done. 

As I was saying in my previous blog post about candles, I want you to try making oils on your own at home. It will be a very fulfilling and empowering experience for you. You don't always have to depend on someone else to make what you need. Yes, I realize that sounds crazy coming from someone who makes oils and performs Rootwork for a living. But I have felt powerless before, and no one should ever feel that way. You should know that you are able to actually do something about your own situations and circumstances. Hoodoo is like prayer. But unlike a prayer, we want to feel that we are actively able to do something, not just sit and wring our hands and wait for things to get better. Even with prayer, we actually have to do something for it to work, in most cases. It's called acts of faith. No one should feel powerless, and I want you to feel empowered.

So I'm going to give you a few simple formulas for you to try at home. Keep in mind, there are many different recipes for the same type of formula. For example, there may be a dozen different Attraction Oils. Just like there are many variations for a meatloaf recipe. By starting out studying ingredients, that is the best way to learn what the ingredients do, how they react, what they work well with, and how to get the best overall effect and end result. These are not the formulas that I use, by the way. I have chosen these recipes because they have simple ingredients you can find easily.

Attraction Oil:  

Allspice, Orange, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk

Cleopatra Oil (for love):

Rose, Frankincense, Honeysuckle, Ylang Ylang

Come to Me Oil

Rose, Gardenia, Jasmine, Musk

Fertility Oil:

Geranium, Pine, Olive Oil

Joy Oil: 

Orange, Grapefruit, Lemongrass

Peace and Protection Oil:

Rosemary, Lavender, Basil, Carnation

Purification Oil:

Eucalyptus, Camphor, Lemon, Geranium

Wisdom Oil:

Lavender, Myrrh, Spearmint, Bergamot

So these are just a few formulas you may want to try at home. Don't be afraid to experiment, and don't be afraid to try formulas you find in any of the reputable books I mentioned. 

You can find a lot of the supplies you will need at places like Bulk Apothecary, Azure Green, even Hobby Lobby has essential oils by their candle section, and Walmart even has essential oils now by their pharmacy / vitamin section. You can also find a lot of oils on Amazon and get them quickly. 

I personally have somewhere between 200-300 different essential oils that I use in my blends. You don't have to have that many. Making the sheer quantities of oils that I do is a huge investment, and if you're just making them for yourself and your own purposes, you don't need to go that big.

You can also find bottles on Amazon as well. I would suggest ones with a dropper cap if you can find them, but if not the bottles or vials with regular lids work just fine too. That is what I use. I would suggest getting a pack of either vials (they are measured in drams) or a pack of 20 or more bottles (.50 ounce). Once you start making oils, you won't want to stop. It is very pleasurable and fulfilling, and yes empowering.

While you are making your oils, think about what it is you want it to do. What you want the ingredients to do and the purpose you want then to serve. You can also pray over your bottle of oil once you have made it. Some people like to recite the 23rd Psalm, for example, when they are doing protective and cleansing work. I'm one of those people. You can hold your bottle of oil in your hands and simply talk to it and tell it what you want it to do, if you are not in the habit of praying or reciting Scripture. If you want, you can even leave it out under the light of the full moon to charge, or out in the sun to soak up energy.  It's your oil, you can do it your way. 

How to use your oils: It depends on the intent and purpose of the oil. For example, you don't want to wear an enemy work type of oil (Black Arts for example) as a fragrance. Even some enemy oils smell nice, but you don't want to wear them. Attraction oil and oils for love can be worn as a fragrance, you can dress petitions, your lover's clothes, add some to your bath water (or theirs), and yes you can always dress candles with any type of Hoodoo Oil. So the possibilities are really endless and dependent on the intent of each individual formula.

And guess what, I'll tell you a little secret. You don't need any of them. Hoodoo oils, I mean. You can use a plain candle and a bottle of GOOD quality olive oil (yes, spend a little more for the good stuff, but in a pinch, use the best of what you have) and dress your candle with your intention and bless it.

Just like I told you in my previous blog post about candles. You don't need the fancy shaped or expensive candles. You can use a little 4 inch chime candle, or you can use a beeswax candle (which is what I do for my own personal work), or you can use a plain white candle of any type for any purpose. 

I'm also going to share with you a very important purification bath recipe based on my own formula. I give this out to clients who need it urgently, free of charge. I tell them to go to their spice cabinet and tell me what they have. Here are some things you can make yourself for a very effective spiritual bath for cleansing and purification. This can un-hex, un-cross, wash away negative energy, protect you, and make you feel right again:  Salt, rosemary, bay leaf, star anise if you have it, clove if you have it, and dill. These are just some common things most people have in their cabinets. Put your ingredients in a little cotton or organza bag and put it in your bath water. If you don't have either of those, tie it up in a wash cloth. 

I'll tell you another secret, if you need herbs in a pinch and don't have time to order them, go to the grocery store in the Mexican food section or to a Mexican grocery store, and they have small packets (I believe the brand is Tampico) of lots of different spices and herbs, and they are very inexpensive. You can find a lot of variety there, even in the regular grocery store I go to. Cinnamon, Basil, Chamomile, Hibiscus, Cayenne, Cloves, Star Anise, Dill, whole Black Peppercorns, Garlic, and so on. They are in little red and yellow cellophane packets, usually hanging on a wall. You can also get the little jars from the regular spice aisle, but they cost a little more. 

Here is another bath you can make, this one is for prosperity and money: Allspice, Basil, Cinnamon, Nutmeg.

Here is a bath you can make for protection specifically: Clove, Mustard Seed, Bay Leaf, and Rosemary.

And these are just off the top of my head. The possibilities in the grocery store are endless. Another option, if you have an Asian market, you can find a lot of hard-to-find herbs there. I lived in China for 2 years, and Americans could learn a lot from traditional Chinese medicine which is simply the use of herbs and roots, mostly in teas and tinctures.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog post. I have enjoyed sharing with you. 



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