Creating witchcraft brews involves a combination of herbal ingredients, rituals, and intentions to create potions with magical properties. In witchcraft, brewing is seen as a sacred and transformative act that aligns the practitioner with the natural energies and elements. To start, it's important to gather the necessary herbs and ingredients for the brew. These can vary depending on the desired outcome of the potion. Common herbs used in witchcraft brews include mandrake, mugwort, vervain, lavender, sage, and wormwood, among others. Each herb carries its own unique properties and associations, such as protection, love, healing, or divination.
Each herb carries its own unique properties and associations, such as protection, love, healing, or divination. Once the herbs are collected, they can be brewed in water or other liquids, such as oils or alcohols, to extract their magical properties. The brew is usually prepared in a cauldron or a heat-resistant container over a fire or stovetop.
Hallowe’en Activities: Spells and Witches Brew
One of my favourite Hallowe’en activities as a teacher was creating spells and dancing around the cauldron. The children were transfixed by the iron cauldron that emerged from the kitchen and wondered if it might belong to a real witch. Dressed in witches hats and cloaks, we would imagine fantastical ingredients and create spells that would transform us into dragons, frogs or birds, that would make us fly, shrink or become invisible. It was a fun way to explore rhyme, share ideas and use our imaginations. We left ‘spell books’ in the mark making area and the home corner became a witches cave complete with potion bottles, spell books and jars of bugs, bats and frogs.
My girls love to make potions, so when I told them about it, they loved the idea but wanted to make a real witches brew.
To start, we made wands from tin foil and chose witches hats and capes. Tin foil wands are simple to make if you have limited time; wrap tin foil around a pencil or simply roll and scrunch the foil into your desired shape. If you are more ambitious, make wands from sticks by stripping off the bark, adding ribbons or painting them in special colours. I also like these Harry Potter wands from Red Ted Art
With wands in hand, they chose ingredients to go into the brew. They didn’t think witches and wizards used shaving foam or cornflour to make a spell, so they chose gruesome alternatives. Flour became giant’s dandruff, hair gel was ogre snot and fuzzy balls became warts.
The girls wrote down their ingredients so they could remember the order in which to add them .
It didn’t matter that my youngest is only just beginning to write, she found her own way.
Armed with spells, wands and witches hats, they made their way outside to the cauldron at our potion station. One by one, they tossed the ingredients into the cauldron, stirring it and modifying the quantities until they were satisfied. Then it was time for the spell.
Wibbly wobbly wibbly wog
See the little jumpy frog
Wibbly wobbly wibbly wagon
Turn the frog into a dragon
We looked for the dragon but decided it was hiding amongst the clouds.
The dance around the cauldron resumed with another spell.
Wibbly wobbly wibbly wog
See the little jumpy frog
Wibbly wobbly wibbly wat
Turn my mum into a bat
Thanks girls, I’m not sure I want to hang upside down from a tree.
The potion remained in the cauldron for sometime and became the central point of their witch and wizarding school.
Suggested ingredients for a witches brew
- Jello/jelly powder (makes it smell great)
- mud
- hair gel
- shaving foam
- flour
- glitter
- coffee grounds
- leaves and petals
- plastic bugs
- coloured water
- baking powder-
Further Ideas
- Give the children collection bags and a card with ingredients for a spell, in picture and written format. Ask the children to find the objects they need and place them in the bag.
- Give the children a group of objects and ask them one at a time to add a specific number into the brew.
- Chant around the caldron and make spells that require the children to make specific movements e.g make us slither like a snake, make us jump or stretch up tall.
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These jars are super simple and can be pulled together in under 10 minutes but have a big visual impact on a party!
During this process, the practitioner may recite spells or incantations to infuse the potion with their intentions and energy. Timing also plays a significant role in witchcraft brewing. Many practitioners follow moon phases, planetary alignments, or specific Sabbats to enhance the potency of their potions. For example, a brew intended for love or fertility might be prepared during a full moon, while a potion for banishing negative energies might be brewed during a waning moon. After the brew is simmered or heated for a certain period, it is strained to remove any solid particles, leaving only the liquid potion. The resulting concoction can be stored in bottles or containers for future use. Some witches prefer to charge their brews under the moonlight or in sacred spaces to further amplify their magical properties. Once the witchcraft brew is ready, it can be used in various ways, such as anointing tools, candles, or oneself, adding to bathwater, or ingesting for its intended effects. Each potion may have specific instructions or rituals associated with it, which should be followed carefully. It's important to note that witchcraft brews should always be made with respect for the natural world and the principles of magic. Moreover, it's essential to ensure that the ingredients used are safe for consumption or external use, as some herbs can be toxic or have adverse effects if used improperly. Overall, creating witchcraft brews is a deeply intentional and personal practice within witchcraft. It requires knowledge of herbology, spellcasting, and the magical correspondences of different ingredients. Brewing potions allows witches to tap into their innate power and create transformative magic to manifest their desires and intentions..
Reviews for "Mixing Magick: Creating Witchcraft Brews for Protection and Banishing"
1. Emily - 2 stars - I was really excited to dive into "Creating Witchcraft Brews" as I am a huge fan of all things witchcraft-related. However, I was sorely disappointed. The recipes in this book were overly complicated and required expensive and hard-to-find ingredients. Additionally, the instructions were confusing and poorly explained, making it difficult to follow along. Overall, I found this book to be more frustrating than helpful, and I would not recommend it to others.
2. John - 1 star - This book is a complete waste of money. The recipes are nothing special and can be easily found online for free. The author also fails to provide any scientific or historical context for the ingredients or brewing process, which I found disappointing. The book is also poorly organized, making it difficult to navigate between recipes. Save your money and look for better resources on witchcraft brewing.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - As a beginner in witchcraft brewing, I was looking for a book that would provide clear and concise instructions. Unfortunately, "Creating Witchcraft Brews" fell short. The recipes were poorly written and lacked important details, such as measurements and brewing times. The author also assumed a certain level of knowledge about brewing techniques, which left me feeling confused and overwhelmed. Overall, I didn't find this book helpful in my journey to learn about witchcraft brewing.