~â˘~Easy Spell Oils & Infusions In Your Instant Pot! (& 'The Old Way'â˘~â˘
I just received my COVID vaccine first dose yesterday and my arm is quite sore (ridiculously sore- so far my biggest and only complaint, other than the pain, I feel fine!) and wanted to take a break from the more tedious projects this weekend, focusing more on my Craft and creating items for 'Blessed Boxes'.
Last year, my aunt and uncle purchased us a full sized Instant Pot as a housewarming gift and since I received it, I made it a point to find some sort of use for it instead of letting it collect dust. What I discovered was that this a fantastic appliance to have on hand for the crafty witch, as it is practically a multifunctional, electric, magic cauldron (with the added bonus of quick and easy pressure cooked meals!). I have used my Instant Pot for making everything from Lip Balms and homemade Ointments, to candles and potions, and now quick spell oils / infusions using my own homegrown herbs and flowers and various dried plants I've stored for different purposes in my work.
But what if you don't have an Instant Pot?
You may still create your spell oils and infusions the old fashioned way! Grab your dried and fresh herbs, flowers, and whatever else you wish to add and let's make some magick!!
I will go in depth here so that you may choose the right herbs and flowers for manifesting your will and desires / serving whatever purposes you would like your oils to enact for you. First, these are the basic items you will need for this endeavor:
â˘Instant Pot (Disregard if doing the old fashioned way)
â˘4-8oz Mason Jars with Lids (glass, as they will be pressure cooked. Plastic may melt or crack)
â˘5mL or 10mL essential oil bottles or jars (for storing your oils once finished. You can always keep them in their jars)
â˘Herbs & Flowers Of Choice (more on this below)
â˘Oil of Choice (approx 2 cups will do it, I admittedly eyeball it)
â˘Cheesecloth, Sifter, Old T-Shirt (Strainer, for removing plant matter)
â˘Small Funnel (For bottling)
â˘30 mins or so to derp around your kitchen
â˘Essential Oils -For all intents and purposes, we are NOT creating our own essential oils, but oil infusions. (Edit: Through pressure cooking, you are essentially extracting components into the oil!) If you have ready made essential oils on hand you would like to use for a specific purpose or to enhance the aroma of your spell oils, you may add them to your jars before or after bottling. 2
â˘Crystals (for putting in the bottom of your containers once your oils are finished to infuse with crystal energy)
â˘Mortar & Pestle (can use spoon or wooden popsicle stick as I didn't break out the old M&P for this lazy-arm project)
~â˘~Choosing Your Carrier / Base Oil~â˘~
The type of oil you choose for your spell oils is entirely your choice. Most choose Olive Oil, as it has direct historical and symbolic correlations with worship, prayer, and magick / manifestation, and was believed to be sacred by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Realistically, Olive Oil is expensive and not an option for everyone. Feel free to experiment with the different types of oils available on the market. I have compiled a short list of common oils you may purchase at your local grocery store and their corresponding magickal purposes.
â˘Olive Oil- (Expensive, Slightly Viscose, Light Aroma) Aligns with the element Fire. Ruled by the Sun. Ideal for healing, protection, fertility, and peace. Considered an 'all purpose' oil.
â˘Safflower Oil- (Inexpensive, Liquid, Subtle to no Aroma) Aligns with the element of Fire and ruled by the Sun. Used for love, health, wisdom, introspection, fertility, protection, motivation, and attraction.
⢠Jojoba Oil- (Mid Range, Viscose, Slight Aroma) Ruled by the Moon and aligns with the element of Water. Ideal for desires of love, healing, dream work, and for increasing psychic awareness.
â˘Sweet Almond Oil- (Mid Range, Mildly Viscose, Slight Nutty Aroma) *NOTE: I generally steer clear of Almond Oil based oils myself for allergy reasons, so the previous information comes second hand. Ruled by the planet Mercury and aligns with the element of Air. Ideal for knowledge or truth seeking, second sight / third eye enhancement, divination, prosperity, and success.
â˘Castor Oil -(Inexpensive, very viscose, strong aroma) Readily found in your pharmacy or grocery store's medicine aisle as a lubricant and laxative, Castor Oil is better suited for beauty treatments, but it may be used as a carrier oil for your spell blends as it aligns with the element of Fire and is ruled by the planet Mars. It is primarily used for purposes of banishing, protection (psychic and otherwise), exorcism, and dispelling negative energy / curses or hexes.
â˘Coconut Oil- (Inexpensive, Viscose if Non- Hydrogenated / Liquid if Fractionated, Strong Coconut Aroma) Fractionated Coconut Oil is most often used, as Non-hydrogenated is chunky and must be broken down which can be done at home, but it's a process I haven't tackled myself. Unfortunately, Fractionated Coconut oil is more expensuve than non hydrogenated, so if you would like to use Coconut Oil and Fractionate it yourself you can save some money that way. Coconut Oil aligns with the element of Water and is ruled by the Moon, commonly used in blends dealing purification, cleansing, and protection.
⢠Grapeseed Oil - (Inexpensive - mid range, liquid, unnoticeable aroma) Also ruled by the Moon and aligned with the element of Water. Grapeseed Oil is beneficial for the skin and hair as it has natural vitamin E and antioxidants. It may be used for blends dealing with prosperity, clarity, developing psychic ability, fertility, and cleansing.
⢠Avocado Oil - (Expensive, Slightly Viscose, Light Aroma) Aligns with the element of Water and ruled by Venus, Avocado Oil also offers benefits to the skin and hair, often used for purposes of love, attraction, glamor, and sexuality.
None of these in your cabinet or available to you? Don't worry about it- sure, it's nice and ideal to select a carrier oil that identifies with the purpose of your spell oils, but it's less important that you match them to your intent and more important that you don't empty your bank account or trigger an allergic reaction. Pick the oil that suits you in terms of price, sensitivity, and smell, as any inherent aroma will be a part of your spell oil. I often use regular, good old Canola or Veg oil- inexpensive, functional, and essentially hypoallergenic should I choose to sell my spell oils or put them in mystery boxes.
~â˘~Choosing Your Herbs/Flowers~â˘~
This is a VERY concise, selection of herbs and botanicals that share thematic magickal properties you can integrate into your spell oils. I specifically avoided more obscure plants that would not be found in your favorite grocery store, farmer's market, or growing in your backyard. However, for your own research, I have included links to sites with more information regarding what may be used for what at the end of this post. You may also choose your herbs and flowers for their smell or color.
Cleansing / Banishing / Protection
â˘Sage (All Kinds- All Purpose)
Money / Prosperity / LuckÂ
â˘Anise Seed / Star AniseÂ
Love / Attraction / Sexuality/FertilityÂ
â˘Rose Petals / Rose BudÂ
Healing / Soothing / Psychic Awareness
Manifestation / Empowering (Good For All Purposes)
â˘Dill Weed* (Specifically empowers love spells)
~â˘Notes Before Beginningâ˘~
*You may also choose to add essential oils to bolster the smell, enhance your spell oil, or in place of an herb or flower you may not have on hand, but have an essential oil for. This is totally optional.
*You may use this same recipe / process for creating edible oil infusions - they too make fantastic gifts that are decorative and tasty if you are less inclined to use them spiritually. In which case, you may want to limit your selections to one, two, or three edible herbs / flowers for your infusion. I have included a link to a recipe for edible olive oil infusions using the instant pot below. Be sure to select edible plants and herbs if you plan to ingest your oil :X
*Choosing the corresponding moon phase, time of day, etc. For the purpose of your spell oils may enhance their efficacy / success rate!
Ye Old-Non- Instant- Pot Way
â˘Fill your jars about 3/4 of the way full with your oil of choice. If you have chosen to use a mortal & pestle to combine and mash your selections for infusion, do so now and drop them in your jars.
â˘Stir and add into your jars with any other components you desire while focusing on the desired purpose for your oil. Cap and seal. Label and date with the purpose that you have set and place them in a secure location.
â˘Return to your spell oil in a couple months (ideally the three month anniversary of the creation date). The longer your oil is allowed to sit and infuse, the stronger it will be in aroma and metaphysical strength. :)
Fill the bottom of your Instant Pot with about 3 1/2 cups of water. You will be using the standard steam release top for this.
â˘Add your herbs and flowers into your oil of choice in the jar. Again, you may use your mortar and pestle to combine them while visualizing / focusing on your intentions or purpose for the oil, otherwise you may simply mix everything together with a spoon or stirring stick. Stir in essential oils if you desire and seal your jars before placing them into the water inside your Instant Cauldron (Do not add any crystals at this point.) Make several at once if you can to save time, especially if taking advantage of a full moon or special date! I sometimes will inscribe a sigil on the jars or attach one on paper. You may even recite a blessing or invoke a deity for dedicating your oils to for future use as ritual oils working with them and offerings :)
â˘Seal/twist the Instant Pot until locked. At this point, I have read two different methods that yield pretty much the same results. However, one requires at least three days of running your Instant Pot and while ultimately yielding stronger, aromatic oils. This, in my opinion, takes all the pros out of using an Instant Pot because it's not really instant, is it? Instead, you can:
â˘Lock your lid. Put your Instant Pot on the 'Pressure Cook-High' (custom) setting. You are basically just creating your infusions through the high pressurization of the pot in this process with the heat, so you will set the timer to 0 mins. Push start. Let the magics happen.
â˘Let your instant pot pressurize until it says it is 'cooking'. Once 'cooking', you can press cancel or allow your oils to warm for some time, visualizing your purposes, desires, and intentions building within the pot as your spell oils infuse.
â˘Press cancel to end the cooking cycle. Allow your instant pot to release pressure through the steam release valve.
â˘Wait 30-45 mins before removing your spell oils.
From here, you will want to strain the plant matter out of your jars to bottle and label your spell oils and add crystals if you wish for use as ritual oils, fragrant body oils, anointing oils, etc.
I chose 10mL & 30mL Amber essential oil bottles for bottling with stainless steel roller balls in a pack of 24 for $12 on Amazon. You can purchase nifty aluminum screw cap 10-20mL glass bottles (better than corks, which will need to be sealed using a waterproof sealant or wax before storing liquids long term / safely) on Amazon (MaxMau & Vivaplex Brand) in packs of 24-36 for less than $10. My local Dollar Tree carries 10mL glass aluminum screw cap bottles in packs of 6 or 8 for $1, but even just using empty glass mason jars will suffice for personal use, it's totally up to you!
For my three spell oil jars, I created a Multipurpose Anointing Oil, Money Oil, and Love / Romance oil that will be available in my intuitively chosen mystery boxes and in the shop once I've let them marinate for a while. :)
Experiment with different components for different aromas and effects! Feel free to share your recipes for your unique spell oils and your experiences using them in the comments!
Complete Magickal Herb Quick Reference
Carrier Oils & Their Magickal Uses
Moon Phases & Correspondences in Witchcraft
Days of the Week for Witchcraft
An Intro to Essential Oils
Instant Pot Infused Olive Oil
5 Simple Things to Do With An Instant Pot
Verified September 11 2021
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! I hope I didn't flood you with this long post from my phone. Will definitely be editing in the future.
(Owner, Creator, Chaos Witch / Spiritualist)
