Simmer pots belong to a long lineage of scent-based purification. Medieval European households simmered rosemary and citrus to ward illness, while kitchens across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa infused water with mint, clove, and resins to bless rooms before guests arrived. Modern eclectic witchcraft borrows from many of these traditions, adapting them to tiny apartments and electric stoves.

A simmer pot is simply a pan of water warmed on the stove with herbs, spices, and fruit peels. As the water heats, scented steam rises and carries your intention through the home.

• Common intentions: cleansing, blessing, abundance, harmony, grounding.
• Favorite ingredients: citrus peels, cinnamon sticks, rosemary, bay, cloves, lavender, mint, apple slices, vanilla.

Think of the steam as a messenger. As you stir, you can speak or silently hold your intention: releasing heaviness, inviting warmth, calling in prosperity, or simply refreshing a stale mood.

Gentle care note: never leave a simmer pot unattended. Top up the water as needed so ingredients do not burn, and go light on strong scents if anyone in the home is sensitive.

Herbal sachets—small cloth bags filled with herbs—appear in many cultures: Celtic dream bags, European love charms, Appalachian “granny magic” bundles, hoodoo mojo hands, Mediterranean protection packets, and more. Modern witches often blend these lineages, drawing inspiration from different folk practices while striving to credit living traditions such as hoodoo and rootwork rather than treating them as anonymous folklore.

A sachet is a spell you can hold. You fill a small bag with herbs and charms aligned to a single intention, then tuck it under a pillow, carry it in a pocket, or hang it in a doorway.

• Common intentions: sleep and dreams, peace, luck, cleansing, love, prosperity, travel safety.
• Possible ingredients: lavender, chamomile, rose, mugwort, rosemary, bay, small crystals, coins, written petitions.

Many witches treat sachets as “slow spells,” refreshed over time: a new pinch of herb added at the new moon, or a whispered charm when the bag is handled.

Gentle care note: if sachets are used around children or pets, keep them out of reach and avoid any herbs that could be irritating or toxic if torn open.

Tea magic sits at the crossroads of herbalism and ritual. Monastic herb gardens, village healers, and wise-women all brewed infusions and decoctions for body and spirit. Modern witchcraft continues this work, often using simple kitchen herbs while also learning from more formal herbal traditions.

A cup of tea becomes a spell when you choose herbs intentionally, stir with purpose, and drink with awareness.

• Uses: grounding, emotional soothing, ritual preparation, divination focus, gentle healing work.
• Ritual elements: stirring clockwise to draw in, counterclockwise to release; inhaling the steam while visualizing your goal; blessing the cup before drinking.

Many witches keep their tea magic firmly in the realm of food-safe plants and treat stronger medicinal herbs as a separate study.

Gentle care note: only drink herbs you know are safe for you. Culinary herbs like peppermint, chamomile, ginger, lemon balm, and rosemary are a good starting place. Check interactions if you are pregnant, nursing, or on medication.

Charm bags are close cousins of herbal sachets, but often contain a wider mix of materials. Variations appear worldwide: mojo bags in hoodoo, medicine pouches in many Indigenous cultures, talisman bundles in European sorcery, and travel charms in folk Catholicism. Modern witches must navigate this diversity carefully, honoring closed traditions and drawing responsibly from those that welcome broader practice.

A charm bag is usually built around a single purpose—protection, courage, creativity, luck—and includes symbols tuned to that goal.

• Common contents: herbs and roots, crystals, coins, keys, shells, written petitions, knotted threads, personal tokens.
• Ways to use: carry in a pocket or bag, hang behind a door, place in a car, or keep on an altar as a “working anchor.”

Many witches “feed” their charm bags with smoke, candle flame, breath, or a drop of oil at regular intervals to keep the spell active.

Gentle care note: if your charm bag contains metal or sharp edges, reinforce the fabric and check it occasionally so it does not tear open in a pocket or purse.

Anointing oils are among the oldest ritual tools on record: temple offerings in the ancient Near East, perfumed oils in Hellenistic rites, chrism in Christian sacraments, and folk blends used by cunning-folk to bless homes and tools. Modern witches often create their own blends, sometimes inspired by ceremonial magick, hoodoo condition oils, or folk formulas from grimoires and family recipes.

A basic magical oil is made from a carrier oil—olive, jojoba, sweet almond—infused with herbs, resins, or a few drops of essential oil.

• Common uses: dressing candles, blessing ritual tools, marking thresholds, anointing the body before spellwork, sealing sigils or petitions.
• Symbolism: oil clings, warms with touch, and holds scent; it is excellent for magic that needs to linger.

Gentle care note: always dilute essential oils well and patch-test on skin. Avoid oils that are phototoxic (like some citrus oils) on exposed skin, and keep all essential oils away from pets, especially cats, whose bodies process them differently.

How you source, grow, and store herbs shapes the feel of your magic. Plants carry stories: of soil and weather, of the people who tended them, of the trade routes that moved them. Modern witchcraft pulls herbs from grocery stores, apothecaries, online shops, farmer’s markets, and windowsill planters—all valid, all with different textures of relationship.

Sourcing with care

• Grocery store jars: perfectly acceptable for most workings. They may be a bit older and less aromatic, but intention and symbolism still hold. Use more if the scent is faint.
• Bulk herbs & apothecaries: often fresher, with stronger color and scent. Look for shops that label country of origin and harvest dates when possible.
• Cultural respect: some plants—such as white sage or palo santo—are rooted in specific Indigenous traditions. Modern eclectic witches may choose locally abundant alternatives or purchase directly from Indigenous growers who explicitly invite broader use.

Growing your own

Even a tiny garden can transform your practice. A single pot of rosemary, mint, basil, or thyme on a windowsill becomes a living ally: you see how it responds to light, water, and touch; you harvest with gratitude; you notice its moods.

• Start with hardy herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, mint, or chives.
• Use containers with good drainage and a sunny window or balcony.
• Offer small “thank yous” when you harvest—water, compost, a whispered charm.

Fresh, dried, and processed herbs

• Fresh herbs: vivid and alive; excellent for kitchen magic, teas, and sachets used quickly.
• Dried whole herbs: long-lasting with strong scent; ideal for simmer pots, sachets, and charm work.
• Processed herbs: tea bags, finely powdered spices, pre-mixed blends. They work magically, but may have less fragrance and clarity of symbolism. Use a light hand so the working doesn’t become muddy.

Storage & potency

• Keep herbs in glass jars or tins away from heat, light, and moisture.
• Label with name and approximate date. Most culinary herbs are happiest within one to two years.
• If the color is dull and the scent nearly gone, retire the herb to compost or the earth and refresh your stock.

Caring for herbs—whether they come from your own garden, a supermarket shelf, or a witchy shop—is a way of caring for the spirits of your craft. The more attention you give them, the clearer and more grounded your magic becomes.