Morag’s Cleansing and Blessing Spray and Protective Wards

Here are the recipes and steps I followed to make my blessing spray and my wards. Feel free to use these recipes to make your own blessing sprays and wards, and don’t be afraid to make modifications if necessary. (Please read my safety notes at the bottom of the spray recipe.)

If you’re going to share these (and please do!), just link to this post (here’s the shortlink, which never changes: http://wp.me/p2WzZz-11S) and give credit to Morag Spinner; don’t copy and paste these recipes and post them elsewhere.

Cleansing-Blessing Spray

Supplies:

1 spray bottle. I grabbed a plastic one from the dollar store.

Things relating to the power of the ocean, for cleansing and guarding:

• salt
• black coral. (I realize the use of coral is controversial, especially if you’re not aware of its source (ie, was it harvested according to protective practices, or was it taken illegally, harming the environment) or haven’t found it on the beach yourself — I did buy this coral over 10 years ago and thought it was ethically sourced, but I may have been wrong. I don’t know for sure. I see no point in throwing out what I have already; however, you may wish to substitute this ingredient. I put it in because I feel it has protective properties.)
• seashells (found, from beach-combing sessions when I lived in Hawaii)
• coral (found, from beach-combing sessions when I lived in Hawaii)
• sea glass (found, from beach-combing sessions when I lived in Hawaii)

Protective plants:

• juniper berries
• star anise

Cleansing plants:

• sage

Essential oils: equal amounts rosemary, tea tree and cedarwood; lavender (about 1/2 the amount you use for the other oils). If you can’t stand the smell of any of these, substitute with essential oils you feel have cleansing, protective, or blessing properties. There are no wrong answers! (I use tea tree, for example, for cleaning because it has a strong astringent scent. Cedarwood is for blessing because it’s a sacred wood in various Coast Salish traditions. Rosemary I connect with a happy, warm, hearth, and good food, and lavender I use for sleeping peacefully — hence why I used 1/2 the amount of it, so it wouldn’t be too strong a scent and put me to sleep.)

Something representing love:

1 dried rose petal. I have a small container of these from a miniature rose my best friend gave me years ago. They’re infused with her love for me. I use them sparingly. Use something similar that’s been infused with someone else’s love for you; it’s one of the most powerful protective magics out there.

Fill the spray bottle with the above ingredients in amounts you find suitable. Again, there are no wrong answers here.

Now, add the liquids:

50ml of vodka, 40% alc. vol. (I used my miniature bottle of Crystal Head vodka, because it’s crap for drinking and I have the bottle because skull. I now use the skull bottle to hold my holy/salted water.)

(If you don’t want to use vodka/don’t have any, rubbing alcohol works just as well.)

Fill the rest of the bottle with water. Close the bottle.

Now, you can decorate your bottle, to mark it as different from the rest of your cleaning supplies. I tied red and white ribbon in a bow on the top of the bottle, and dripped some red wax onto the ribbon to seal in the power. The ribbon was set out a few Imbolcs ago and has been blessed by Brighid.

Bless your bottle however you see fit — I used the power of the elements and the Three, and then held my hands over the bottle and imagined white light building in it to a great sphere.

Use when first moving into a house by spraying onto the walls and using a cloth to rub it in, and for regular energetic cleansings thereafter (once a month, or sooner if needed).

(Note: You’ll want to spot check the spray in an inconspicuous place on the wall to make sure it doesn’t remove paint or anything. I checked this recipe on a wall in my old place and it’s fine, but I’ll be spot checking in the new place too — if it does have any effect on the paint, I’ll just spray it in the air in each room instead of directly on the walls.)

(Second note: don’t spray this on your face or skin or in your mouth or eyes. It has vodka and essential oils and other things of dubious safety in it. If you’re spraying it into the air, be careful not to inhale it or get it in your eyes or anything. If you want to make sure you won’t have an allergic reaction to the ingredients, do patch tests with a smaller sized mixture before mixing up the spray, and change ingredients as necessary. I will not be held responsible for any injuries sustained while using this spray, unless they’re sustained by myself.)

(Third note: I haven’t tested this spray yet. I created it last night. I’ll post updates later if there are any safety or paint-stripping issues, but as of now? This recipe is new and untried. Use at your own risk.)

Protective Wards

When I was at the dollar store the other day, I picked up some glass crafting bottles with cork tops. They’re tiny — perfect size for unobtrusive wards. There are 6 in a package, which is perfect for me — 5 rooms in the new house and a yard. I want a ward in each room and one outside. Your number may vary.

Ingredients:

• Rue — for keeping pests away
• Holly — for pricking the unwelcome; forming a hedge of thorny protection
• Black coral (see my note above) — for guarding; growing a wall of protection around the house
• Juniper berry and star anise — for protection
• Salt — protection, and so nothing bad can grow
• Cayenne — the power of fire; of burning the unwelcome and dangerous
• Beeswax — “none of your…”; for privacy
• Ribbon — blessed by Brighid; for Her strength
• Clear/yellowish stones* — for clarity and knowing who is welcome and who is not
• My hair** — to bind the wards to me

Essential oil: pine needle, for invoking the strength, wisdom, power, and safety of the forest***

*I’m pretty sure these things were coloured glass, not actual semiprecious stones. I’ve had them since high school. Don’t use semiprecious stones or crystals unless you’re sure the other ingredients (like salt or oils) won’t degrade or damage them.

**You can use spit or blood, too; a part of your body to connect the wards to you. This is also totally optional if you don’t feel comfortable binding yourself to them. If you choose to bind your wards to you, don’t use any waste product from your body — urine, menstrual blood, etc. Those are things you throw away; they’re not good for binding something to you.

***I feel safe in the forest. This may not be true for you. Substitute with whatever is appropriate and makes you feel safe.

Put a bit of each ingredient into each bottle. I have some whole star anise seed pods, so I broke off one arm for each bottle, and used one juniper berry for each bottle. I also put in one piece of black coral for each bottle, 1 clear stone each, and a shaving of beeswax for each. Equal and small amounts of holly. Lots of salt, a good amount of rue, a pinch of cayenne, 3 drops of pine needle oil. The amounts are up to you. There was plenty of room left in my bottles after, so you can really customize this bit.

Sidenote: if you use hair and it’s anything like mine, put it in first so the rest of the ingredients will push the rebellious, unruly bastard to the bottom. Learn from my mistake.

As I put in each ingredient, I spoke its name and said what it was for. You can do this if you feel it’ll make your magic more powerful, or not. Up to you.

Cork the bottles. Seal them with red wax. Make sure you don’t set fire to the cork. (Again, learn from my mistakes.)

Next, I blessed them in ritual with the power of the elements and the Three. I had to do so hurriedly, because my ritual was interrupted, but it still worked. I also blessed each ward to a specific room, even though they all have the same ingredients, and to mark each room I used nail polish.

From left to right: yard (green); bathroom (blue); kitchen/front door (sparkly red); living room (gunmetal grey); office (purple); bedroom (white). 

I did them in cross shapes. You can do whatever shape you want, if you choose to do this; cross was easy and fast.

Place the wards and you’re done.

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So, that’s what I did for blessing and warding my house. I’ll be spraying it tomorrow, likely, and putting the wards in unobtrusive spots once we’re fully moved in. Doing it earlier is a recipe for disaster (gets bumped/smashed by movers; gets discovered by landlady because there’s nothing else around it/no place to hide it; etc).

I’ll re-do the blessing/cleansing spray once a month, or if I feel the place needs it.

-Morag

 

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