I just did a little spell for myself to give a healing boost to my voice. Lately, my voice has felt a bit tired from my job as a hospice music therapist. One of the best ways to get hydration to your vocal cords, other than drinking water, is through steam. You might ask, "Why don't you just drink tea?" I have acid reflux, and sometimes drinking tea can cause issues for me. When I was sick a while ago, I used an herbal steam to help with decongestion. So, I figured I could try something similar to boost my voice in this situation.
I started out by creating a sigil for myself based on symbols presented in Sigil Witchery by Laura Tempest Zakroff. I was reflecting on the ways my voice goes out from within me while I am also breathing in energy to fuel the sound I put out.
I placed a clear bowl over the sigil and boiled my water in a tea kettle. Then I poured the water into the bowl. In order to cleanse and consecrate the water and the sigil, I added salt to the water. After adding all of the ingredients, I traced the sigil to activate it.
I took a look at the herbs I had available and decided to use the Ostara Tea from Tamed Wild, with chamomile (for relaxation) and peppermint (to clear my throat). I also added rosemary since it does a little bit of everything in terms of magic. Then I decided to add some lemon peel for an energy boost.
I also remembered I had oils for each element and decided to add Air Element oil consisting of a mix of lavender, lemongrass, and peppermint. The element of Air helps with communication, so I figured this mix would support my throat chakra. I realized the bottle was closed when I first attempted to add the oil, so added some after the mixture was completed.
I placed the lid on the bowl to let the mixture steep. Then when ready, I placed a piece of fabric over my head and held my face over the bowl. I took several deep breaths, feeling the air and steam coat my throat and flow through my nose.
I kept my original intention in mind and watched the herbs swirl in the water. At times, the herbs appeared to swirl in a formation similar to the swirl of my sigil. I noticed that some herbs fell to the bottom and created a cross over the same point where there was a cross on my sigil. I felt like it was where the breath, flow, and intention all intersected.
As I was sitting there, I realized I was doing a bit of scrying or “tea leaf” reading as well when I noticed the cross. That is another way to take this working a bit deeper if you want to add a bit of divination into the process. The process could potentially be used for glamour magic as well if you are using the steaming process in skincare.
After a few moments, I sat up. I noticed how relaxed I felt. My face felt smooth. I felt rejuvenated and a little proud that it all seemed to go so smoothly. It was like I created my own little potion.
There could be many variations of this kind of working. The intention could be related to almost anything you are hoping to instill in yourself. You don’t have to use a sigil. You could simply write what you want and place the paper in the water. You could speak or chant words as you breath in the steam. You could use whatever herbs you feel called to use.
I don’t often use herbs, but this is a simple way to begin incorporating them into practice. I made sure to research what herbs would be safe to inhale. Another disclaimer, is to make sure you don’t stay over the mixture too long as the steam can cause sweating and you want to make sure you do not overheat.
When doing a quick search about herbal steams just to double check my approach, I found this page from Herbal Reality very useful
When finished, you can strain the herbs and keep the water for other uses. Or you can simply pour the mixture outside on the land.
How do you use herbs in your practice? What are your favorite resources about herbs?
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