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By Amber C. Snider w/ recommendations from Enchantments’ witches Spellwork doesn’t always have to be elaborate ceremonies with extensive rituals. Sometimes a little kitchen magick can do the trick, especially if you don’t have the space, time, or money to go all out. You can add practical magick to your everyday life in small, but powerful ways.  Photo © Victor Castro/ Enchantments Practicing intention-based magick helps raise your consciousness and energetic vibrations, welcomes in more self-love, and heightens your intuition and respect for the earth. January is a time for inner reflection and hibernation (the natural world around you does the same), especially as you prepare for big things to come throughout the rest of the year. So give yourself permission to turn inwards, get cozy, and try a little kitchen magick to uplift your spirit during these colder months. Here are 9 spells, recipes, and tips to help cure the winter blues and enchant your home. Simmer warming winter herbs on the stove for an uplifting aroma around the home. You can include a mix of the following herbs: Cloves, Cinnamon sticks, Star anise, Galangal root, All spice. *Afterwards, you can also add the herbs to a bath. For easier clean up, simply place the herbs in a piece of cheesecloth or cloth tea strainer and soak in your magic. Burn frankincense resin Frankincense resin has also been used in a variety of cleansing, purification, and holy rituals for centuries. The beautifully aromatic scent can help relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, and offer a spiritual boost. Use your mortar and pestle to grind up a bit of the resin and place it on a bit of burning charcoal in a fire-safe dish. Carry the dish around the house to purify your space or keep it burning next to you during meditations, incantations, and other spellwork. ($2.50 per half ounce at Enchantments) Wear Sun Oil or burn Sun Incense with intention Hand-blended at Enchantments, Sun Oil ($14 for half ounce) invokes the energy of the sun and helps promote energy, growth, positivity, joy, self-confidence, and happiness. Wear with intention or add a few drops to an essential oil diffuser. You can also get Sun Incense ($9 for half ounce) and use it to cleanse your space and attract good fortune. Do a candle ritual and with the intention of shining light in the darkness. You can use either a white, yellow, or gold candle. Begin your ritual by taking a cleansing sea salt bath to remove negative energy and focus your intention before lighting your candle. You can also carve a personal sigil (or simply a circle to represent the sun, heart for self-love, etc) and also add your initials. You can also anoint your candle with any of the oils listed above and roll in magickal herbs. For more on candle magick, check out this story.  Photo © Victor Castro/ Enchantments Has No Hannah oil A custom recipe at Enchantments, Has No Hannah Oil brings good luck and fortune. You can wear the oil (as you would a perfume) with intention, anoint a candle with it, or add a few drops to your bath. Minimum ½ ounce for orders ($14 for half ounce, not for ingestion). Make a cup of St. John’s Wort tea St. John’s Wort is known to help treat depression and anxiety, as well promote healing and repair wounds. Add a bit of it to your regular tea blends or buy ready-made tea bags. The healing effects of St. John’s Wort are more apparent with regular use, so add it to your daily routine during the winter months. Add a little hyssop (herb) to your bath and steep in its cleansing powers. Hyssop is used in many uncrossing formulas, so it’s a good herb to use in your magick bath rituals. It’s been used for centuries in purification rituals and to consecrate holy spaces. Add a tablespoon or more to a bath (or wrap the herb in cheesecloth for easier clean up) and envision the herb cleansing away any negativity or bad vibes. You can also chant, pray, or say an incantation spell during your bath. As the water drains from the tub, imagine the water taking away any iky energy with it. ($3.25 for half ounce here).  Photo © Victor Castro/ Enchantments Make yourself a cup of golden turmeric tea Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that can aid in depression. It can also ease PMS symptoms, help fight viruses, ease joint stiffness, and help detoxify the body. Boil a cup or two of oat milk (if you are lactose intolerant) on the stove and stir in a tablespoon of turmeric. Add in honey to taste. When you make teas with intention, offer gratitude to the herb/spice for its healing powers. Burn or diffuse the following invigorating and uplifting essential oils to aid in happiness: ––Orange essential oil ($19 for a half ounce) ––Tangerine essential oil ($25 for half ounce) ––Lemongrass essential oil ($19 for half ounce)
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By Amber C. Snider Plant medicine and herbal rituals for the new year to help you heal and restore.  The holidays came and went, but now you’re left feeling sluggish, unmotivated (despite those #2020goals), and still wondering what day it is. All your self-care and magick rituals are truly put to the test in the month of January, especially after the cheer and hype of the season has died down. But this ‘slow down’ period is actually great for manifesting your desires and intentions because you’re not so distracted and can focus on getting what you want. But in order to do get your spirit right, you gotta get your body right, too. That’s why we’re sharing some magickal tips and plant medicine elixirs from The Herbal Kitchen to help you heal, restore, and rejuvenate. Break out the chamomile Tea time for the win! Chamomile is great for calming the body’s nervous system (especially after a stressful day) and it’s also great mixed with other herbs for an ultra-healing tea blend. Author Kami McBride recommends the following recipe: Mix chamomile with fennel to help “settle an upset stomach caused by anxiety and exasperated by stress” or try a chamomile-cinnamon tea to “relax the uterus and alleviate painful menstrual cramps.” Try a “Longevity Elixir” Kami McBride’s Longevity Elixir is the “perfect after-dinner tea on a cold night” – so if you’re in the northeast right now and officially over these frigid temperatures, this warming concoction may be just want you need. It’s simple, effective, and includes that calming chamomile we love. Recipe: 2 cups (500 ml) fennel, chamomile, and coriander tea. 1 teaspoon (8ml) nutmeg honey  Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash Warming Winter Brew “This is a warm, full-bodied tea that has a revitalizing effect on a cold winter day,” writes McBride in The Herbal Kitchen. Recipe: 1 cup (250 ml) ginger-cinnamon tea 1 teaspoon (7 ml) molasses/treacle 1 teaspoon star anise honey Chamomile-ginger tea can also help “reduce stress-induced inflammation that causes headaches, heartburn, gastritis, and stomach irritations,” according to McBride. And after all that holiday indulgence, this Warming Winter Brew should offer some much-needed relief. Soak in a herbal-infused vinegar bath Give Kami McBride’s “Body and Bath Vinegar” recipe a whirl to help rejuvenate your skin and promote relaxation during winter’s harshest months. After making the recipe (see below), it’s probably best to store the rest in a large mason jar until your next soak (you'll only need one cup per bath). When possible/available, try to use fresh herbs and flowers. Add 1 cup (250 ml) of this healing vinegar to your bath: 1 cup (96 g) chopped fresh lavender 1 cup (48 g) chopped fresh lemon balm 1 cup (48 g) fresh rose petals ½ cup (48 g) chopped fresh rose geranium ¼ cup (30 g) chopped fresh burdock 5 cups (1 1/4L) apple cider vinegar *Enchantments herbs are not for ingestion  Photo by Hanna Postova on Unsplash Add some burdock to your pantry “Burdock root is a cooling, nutrient-dense herbal food,” writes McBride. “This revitalizing root is teeming with healing properties. Scientists continue to examine its anticancer and antitumor effects,” writes McBride. “[It’s] also known for its aptitude in supporting sluggish digestion and relieving lymph stagnation.” Consider adding burdock root to your teas, smoothies, salad dressings (herbal vinegar), or your bath. Power up with flower water Making herbal and flower water is super easy and it’s a great way to detox after the holidays. We’re especially loving Kami McBride’s suggestion of calendula and rose petal water. Simply fill a pitcher with water and add just a touch of (previously rinsed) calendula and rose petals. “Herbal water is subtle; you don’t need a lot of ingredients. Just a few sprigs of herbs and a few slices or small scoops of fruit will do,” she writes in The Herbal Kitchen. Calendula (also known as marigold) is an anti-inflammatory and assists with tissue regeneration, encourages a healthy lymph system, and is great for the skin; while rose is an “all-around beauty treatment herb...as well as an effective nerve tonic.”  Recipes published with permission by publisher Red Wheel/ Weiser. You can purchase The Herbal Kitchen by Kami McBride at the Enchantments shop or anywhere books are sold (including the internet). Editor’s note: These herbal and plant remedies are not substitutes or replacements for proper medical or psychological care. They're meant to add to and enhance your self-care rituals and routines. Also note that Enchantments' shop herbs are not for ingestion, but for magickal use only. Do your due diligence, know thyself (including your allergies), and use only what works for you.
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