While there's lots of information on the internet about things like Witches spell bottles to place in your home or outside your door, powder magick seems to be completely ignored...unless you're trying to buy it. They can be costly, and usually have cryptic names, no direction sand or even a list of ingredients. Don't you think you should know what ingredients you're buying? For all you know, it could be nothing more than coloured (Canadian spelling) talc powder with a bit of one cheap herb!

Placing bottles of magically charged ingredients in front of your door, and in corners of your room etc., isn't really practical, and can look pretty strange if your front door is in an apartment, where everyone who walks past your door will be wondering what the heck it is, and what it's doing there, as well as in the corners of every room in your house if you can't hide them. That's one of the things that make powders come in really handy. You simply blow...and no one will see it, or even know it's there, except you. I think that alone gives powders huge points over Witches bottles, don't you? There are many ways to use powders such as, place under objects, in candles, blow it into corners of rooms in your home, blow on your door, under door mats, on doors, and door steps, couches, clothing, in pockets, wallets, purses, nap sacks, shoes, into boxes of magickal equipment, around your land, add them to letters, cards & packages, in your mail box etc;. That's almost 20 uses, can a Witch bottle do all that? Not even close! That's the reason you won't find info on Witch bottles here. There's nothing wrong with them, they just aren't practical, and can only be used in very limited ways. They've got nothing on powders, and powders much easier to make and use. So why I can't find all sorts of web sites with information about them (besides mine) is a mystery to me.

While some believe this practice is not for novices, the Witches who say it's for more advanced magicians, don't tell you why. I'm an advanced Witch and I can't think of any reason. To be honest, I think it's very easy, great beginner magick, so I'm going to pass along what I know to you...advanced Witch or not. So there...humph!

Your probably asking yourself "So what do powders do? They're used to bring about an immediate change in whatever you choose to charge them to do. And the added bonus of blowing powders, is that you are also using the elements of air (when you blow it into the air) and Earth (where the herbs came from). If you burn it, it introduces the fire element into the mix, and adding a drop or 2 of essential or fragrant oil, holy water (water you blessed for magickal use), adds yet another element, water. So you have lot's of ways to use your powders, and every element can be used in conjunction with them.

To make powders, you'll need a mortar and pestle, but although puritan Witches are adamant that you NOT use coffee bean grinders under ANY circumstances (or anything metal for that matter), if it's the only thing you have to use, and can't find a mortar & pestle anywhere, what are you supposed to do? And what's so horrible about using them with metal anyway? My only warning is that you grind the minimum amount you can get away with, that is, unless you need a large amount of herbs for a single purpose.

For example, the land around my building along with the inside of it, had an extremely negative energy to it, largely due to the many unpleasant landlords that worked the land, and vacuumed the halls, but hated doing it, or ignored it completely, and had generally negative personalities on top of it all. The negativity hit you like a brick wall the minute you came up the walk way. I did rituals to try to change the energy, and they did help, but not enough for my liking. So I decided it was time to do some powder magick. I whipped up a little batch, and  went around the whole building, and all the land with a simple, yet special recipe with my powder charged, to cast out ALL negativity, but it just wasn't enough. I also have arthritis in my hands, so grinding herbs can be very painful for me (typing isn't exactly fun either). This is where I got the idea to use my coffee grinder. I cleanse and charge it with energy for my coffee beans anyway, so why not do the same for herbal powders? So I ground a large batch of herbs separately in the grinder, with my intent of removing the negativity from the land in my mind. I mixed the herbs together with the tip of the crystal of my wand, visualizing a warm, inviting energy, bursting with glittering light filled energy, and carried it in a spare jar (every good Witch always have lot's of different sized of jars at hand), poured some in my hand, said my chant, and spread the powder bursting with positive energy all over the land.

And just as powders are supposed to work, the change was instant. Instead of neighbors hastily passing each other on their way in and out, they suddenly began to smile, wave, and a few even stopped on the walkway and had a chat for a bit, or even just sit on the stairs with their morning coffee! I proceeded to do my powder ritual at every turn of the wheel for a year, and native plants and shrubs began to almost double in size and new ones sprouted. It was one of the most amazing transformations I'd ever done magically, or seen. So I decided to do it inside the building in the hallways (using much less powder), and wouldn't you know it, neighbors began to smile, wave, and even stop and have short chats in the halls, as opposed to rushing past each other, not even looking at each other! I repeat this process after the landlord vacuums to keep the energy alive.

Come summer, the energy had changed the land and people on it so much, we started to gather in a garden area I created in the back, and have barbecues and picnics! Or just sit and chat while looking at my garden. As I didn't know anything about how much light the garden would get, I was amazed that plants like my rose bushes (which need lot's of sunlight, that the back yard doesn't get, thrived just the same). While were on the subject of gardens, you know how they say plants grow bigger when they hear music? It's true. I know everyone has MP3 players these days, but don't throw away your old Walkman's. Attach very small computer speakers to the headphone outlet, and it will play music through the speakers. When you're out in the garden, or even if you aren't, turn the radio of your walkman to your favorite station and let it play for the plants. They'll thank you for it, and it's a perfectly good way to use a walkman. Just don't play tapes as they will drain your batteries way too fast. Okay, back to powder power...

I really DO recommend a mortar & pestle over using a coffee grinder, as it feels so much more organic to peacefully grind your herbs to powder, and inhale the beautiful aroma as it releases from the herbs, as you sing your little chant of intent. It may hurt my hands, but I still find it much more enjoyable, and more magickal than using a coffee grinder. So to all you puritan Witches, please don't send me emails screaming at me about telling people about using a coffee grinder! You see you usually only need a tiny bit of powder to make these concoctions (like less than a teaspoon), but sometimes you find you add one or more special ingredients into all of them. For example, rosemary can substitute for any herb in a pinch, and among others properties, removes negativity very effectively, so I usually add it to all my powders for good measure.

What if you need a large amount of powder like I did in the above example? Are you going to grind endlessly with a mortar and pestle, which can be very tiring depending on what herbs your grinding (which takes away the pleasure and thus the magick), or grind some and use a coffee grinder for the difficult stuff (like sage)?

If you're worried that you'll ruin the taste of your coffee, have no fear, vinegar is here! Use a cotton swab of vinegar to cleanse any trace of powder out of the grinder, and it's good as new. No strange smells, nothing. Just make sure you unplug it before you clean it if you value your fingers!

While I still prefer, and highly suggest you use a mortar a pestle to mix all the ingredients together,  and don't have any lying around waiting to be used, I also 'stir' my intention into it by saying a charm or statement of intent for the powder while I'm doing it, whether I'm personally grinding it, or my coffee bean grinder is, and you should too. Or you can just grind it in VERY short, mini pulses, let it stop, say your chant, and push the grinder for another split second, stop and repeat the chant. That's how I do it. Then I put them all together in a jar, and stir it with my wand singing my chant of intent again, while I visualize exactly what that intent is, close my eyes and see glittering white light coming down my arm into my wand, and flooding into the herbs until they're bursting with energy.

One book that spoke about powders said that you need at least 3 to 6 different herbs, along with oil, in order to make an effective powder, sighting  "the more ingredients the more powerful". I TOTALLY disagree and think it's just...well...stupid, to be honest. Part of the reason is because you use such small amounts of herbs, as you may only need the properties of one herb for your magickal intent, and since when did "The more the better" become a catch phase for magick of any kind? So I use that thing I keep asking you to use...common sense.

I use as few, or as many herbs as I feel is necessary, and as much or as little as I want. Some Witches suggest that you should add colored talc to your mixture to coincide with whatever colour is associated with the intent. While this doesn't sound like such a bad idea, it's not very practical. Unless, of course, you just happen to be able to know where to get a selection of different colored talc, and can afford to get a bunch of it. Some Witches also suggest that you add an ingredient to make them have your personal signature, that is a unique representation of you. I think that's a great idea, and do it myself. One Witch adds silver powder to hers. That's way too expensive for my VERY limited budget.

So what would one use as a personal signature ingredient? It's not an easy question to answer, but being an artist, it didn't take me too long to think of one. Well...since everyone who comes to my web site, and contacts me are always so wonderful, I'm going to share my secret ingredient with you, and give you permission to use it too...just don't take credit for thinking it up, or put it on your web site..or you won't like the letter you get from me very much, as has been legally copyright information for over 10 years, and you'd be stealing and breaking the "harm none' rede every good Witch is supposed to follow.

And my signature magickal ingredient is....glitter! You heard me GLITTER! It may not have any physical properties, but it has lot's psychological, and visual ones, and I can't think of any magickal properties of the coloured talc some Witches add to their powders. And those can be just as important to a 'visual magician' like myself. When I was young, I used to think of glitter as fairy dust. That adds a strong element of magick to it. Visually, well...it's just looks really cool and magickal. If you think about it in those terms, it dose have magickal properties. Practically speaking, it can be found in several colours, it's already in powdered form, so it can take the place of colored talc, and be your personal signature as well! So I think it's the perfect addition to powders...(and it's a LOT cheaper than silver dust). I hope you enjoy using it as much as I do, and remember, you just need a very tiny bit. Too much makes it noticeable, and you don't want anyone to be able to see it!

Making powders is really a craft, and like spells, there is always trial and error involved, but take heart, just practice, use common sense, and you'll be adept at making powders very quickly. While I have several reference tables on my web site about the properties of herbs, and oils, I will pass on a couple of good, yet very simple recipes to get you going, and most importantly, tell you WHY I chose to use the ingredients...which I think all web sites should do when they give out spells. And don't forget to charge your powder with some kind of intent via chant, rhyme, spell, or ritual and VERY clearly visualize the intent, or they'll just be useless!

If you don't have a certain herb, look through your spice cupboard, and see if you can find something else that 'speaks' to you. A good variety of regular spices is another thing every good Witch should have. If you're still stuck, then go look at the spices at a grocery store. Between you and the market, you're bound to find something that works. And don't forget that, as always, you shouldn't copy ANYONE else's spell or recipes word for word. Do something to make it uniquely yours.

Think of spices and how they effect you. This is a perfect way to understand the properties of certain herbs if you don't have a book, or web site like mine that tells you their properties. How dose the scent of cinnamon make you feel, don't go look at a reference for what it's for, just think of what the smell makes you feel. I sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on my electric stove on med/low to spread it's aroma. To me, it smells warm, inviting and 'homey', and I find it to be a great scent to use to make your home feel more comfortable for guests, as well as yourself. Especially if you've just moved in. Now think of pepper, it's smell makes you sneeze. It has a harsh, sharp scent and taste, this would make it good for protection, or breaking curses and hexes. Don't always rely on books or web sites, as I've said many times, what works for one person doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. And experimentation is how you expand your knowledge, and come up with new uses for herbs. If I didn't experiment, I would have never thought of using glitter as my signature herb.

Come up with concoctions just from your cupboard, and experiment with how the scents of them make you feel. As you grind them with the mortar and pestle, it really brings out the aroma fast and, depending on what you're grinding, usually smells quite pleasant. So play around, keep records in your Book of Shadows, and have fun with the wonderful world of powders. If you come up with a good combination, I'd love it if you'd send it in as a submission!

Now, on to the next page for a few of simple recipes.