The Art of Potion Craft

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Comment by magia apostolou on May 18, 2009 at 5:27am

Comment by Athena on April 12, 2009 at 9:57pm

hello--
I can' claim this as being from me, but I thought it was good and wanted to share. I got it from Bellaonline written by Trish Deenan.
I hope it can come to use for someone --Blessed Be--Athena
Four Thieves Vinegar

Four Thieves Vinegar is used by modern witches, magicians, and hoodoo practitioners for personal protection against psychic attack and to banish an enemy from their surroundings. Being easy and cheap to whip up in your own kitchen has made it a popular magical item.

There are several legends associated with the use of the vinegar. Perhaps the most well known is that of four thieves who lived during the time of the plague in France. They were caught for their thievery and imprisoned but were promised that if they buried the dead and lived, they would be set free. The legend says that one of these thieves knew the art of herbalism well. He made some of the magical elixir to keep he and his friends safe from the plague as they were busy burying corpses. Other legends place this tale in Italy.

While I can't vouch for the veracity of the story, it certainly has woven its way into folklore and permeated magical culture. A French origin is plausible however since this recipe was and still is so popular in hoodoo, which has strong roots in New Orleans, a city heavily influenced by the French. But I'll leave that question to the experienced folklorists.

Just as legends vary about the vinegar's origins, so do the recipes. Basically, you need at least four protective herbs, one for each thief as it were, and apple cider vinegar. Garlic is usually among the five ingredients. It wouldn't be too far fetched to assume these were used because garlic has long been known as a protection against evil and vinegar as a cleansing agent. But what of the other ingredients? Noted hoodoo teacher and folklorist Catherine Yronwode uses garlic, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. The recipe I have calls for those three plus black mustard seed.

Rosemary, sage, lavender, and thyme are all considered protective and cleansing herbs. This is where you can have fun and let your kitchen witch out and use what is appropriate for the work at hand.

Herbal vinegars are quite easy. Here is a basic technique:

• Place your four (or more) ingredients in a jar and cover with the apple cider vinegar. Seal and let steep for at least a week to 6 weeks. Strain the vinegar into a clean jar and use as needed.

• Put your intent into what you're doing as you mix the vinegar and herbs, i.e. all-purpose protection, cleansing or other specific magical use.



Regular or red wine vinegar can be used if you don't have the apple cider vinegar. If your herbs are safe for eating, you can even use the vinegar as a condiment. Bless the food you put it on as a vehicle for your protection before you eat it.

Other uses are to pour some in your bath which you could turn into a full-blown rite of protection. One traditional hoodoo use is to sprinkle it across the doorsteps of the person you want to banish from your life or simply to stop them from hassling you. Four Thieves Vinegar is an excellent tool to have on hand, especially for magic that you aren't able to prepare for ahead of time.

Comment by Nathaniel Red on March 23, 2009 at 3:55pm

Hello, found this place due to the fact I love the spirit of potions and brews. :) Look forward to getting to know ya. :) Howdy from Texas.
~Nate

Comment by Athena on March 13, 2009 at 8:32pm

Thank you for the invite. I hope to learn some cool stuff. I don't visit this site as often as I would like, but I hope to check in and hopefully contribute.
Blessed Be-Athena

Comment by Witch Daughter of Aradia on February 24, 2009 at 12:43am

Hope everyone is doing well...haven't been here for a while myself. How are ya, MtMoonKitty? Have a great week, hon! love ya.
~CSgirl

Comment by MtMoonKitty on February 17, 2009 at 1:40am

~Magickal Graphics~ Several new members have joined in the last week. Merry Meet and welcome to the group. In the next few days I will post the first "lesson" on potion crafting. Thank you all for being patient. Its been a busy few weeks.

Comment by mistymoon on February 8, 2009 at 8:37pm

Comment by Richard on February 7, 2009 at 5:21am

Hi! I'm hoping to get some ideas for different oils and finding what herbs/oils/whatnots some of you all are using when creating candles , as well as ingestibles. It sounds like a good platform... I hope to learn lots of good stuff here! (or at least trade some ideas)

Comment by RavensFlight on February 6, 2009 at 3:06am

Merry Meet! I'm looking forward to learning more and sharing what I have I learned thus far..
Blessings and Light, Ravensflight

WITCHYS WIKKED GRAPHIX

Comment by Cowboy on February 5, 2009 at 12:23pm

Thankyou for the invite,would love to learn about potions and spell crafting.

Blessings Cowboy...

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