I was wondering what is a good, practical thread I can make that will contribute to the website while also semi-explaining my personal approach to magical/spiritual work, and figured this would probably be the most substantial.
I tend to put together my own workings that use Psalms, Hymns, Incantations, Herbs/Oils, Minerals, Animal Remains, etc. after analyzing and comparing recipes from these materia magica books:
- Papa Jim's Herbal Magic Workbook
- Talia Felix's collected recipes in The Conjure Cookbook
- Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magic Herbs
- Aima's Perfume, Oils, Candles, Seals, & Incense
I look at what planet and element various authors attach to each material/ingredient, and then cross-reference them with the common uses of Elements and Planets in Rankine & D'Este's Practical Magick books, the explanation of the use of planetary hours in Greater Key of Solomon, and Hygromanteia's explained uses for the planets & planetary hours.
I also compare planetary temperaments in the recipes. I've made a cross-reference charts for the temperaments here from various classic occult authors:
Spoiler: show
So when I analyze and compare multiple recipes with similar ingredients, it looks kind of like this.
This is a comparison of recipes which involve Poppy Seed and Cayenne Pepper as common ingredients, which is a combo often used for disorienting or confusing a target:
Compare to these counter recipes which involve Camphor and Mint/Salt, a combo commonly used for confusion clearing and jinx removal:
Cunningham classifies Poppy under the Moon's influence, and Pepper under the influence of Mars.
Some texts also classify Poppy under Saturn's influence as well.
Camphor is classified under the Moon's influence as well, while Mint is a bit trickier-- Cunningham generally places all Mint under Mercury, but certain variants can fall under dual influences of other planet's too (ie him classifying Spearmint under Venus).
While Agrippa's Natural Occult Philosophy, in comparison, places Mint under Jupiter's influence.
Looking at Hygromanteia's dual-influences of planets for Moon + Mars, Moon + Mercury, and Moon + Jupiter, we get these:
Of course it makes sense to me that the Malefic planetary pairing would have more 'combative uses', while the Benefic planetary pairings have more 'supportive uses'. But I wanted to present this info to the experienced userbase of SA, maybe someone can point me to even more recipe catalogues and texts to analyze and compare these dynamics with.
Personally, I use the Poppyseed and Pepper combo as a "primer" for my thought implantation work. I apply the mixture (w/ mineral oil) to a proxy of the target (ie photo, petition paper, or named carved into a candle), insert it into a wax or cotton skull (I crochet and sew my own lil human skulls for workings) or either place into a skull-shaped ashtray, and then recite an incantation for disorienting the target before proceeding to my thought implantation routine. Usually I get results the next day or within the same night.
As for how I apply the Camphor and Mint deal-- I'm real lazy and just go for the vaporub option, since it usually contains a mixture of Camphor, Eucalyptus and Mint-- and mix the vaporub with salt, then apply to whatever proxy I'm targeting. I usually use this mixture for "cutting connections", sometimes combatively-- if I want to remove a certain person from a place or situation, I apply the mixture to a blade or pair of scissors, and perform a routine where I "freeze, numb, and cut" their connection or desire to that circumstance/place.