Hi friends! Lammas is almost upon us, so you know what that means: the Lavender + Lupine School of Magick has released our Lammas course! For just $15, you’ll get lessons about how to celebrate this first harvest Sabbat, including working with your grimoire, making barley soup, learning the correspondences, and the astrology of the day. You can buy it here if you’re interested!
Today I’m sharing one of the lessons from the course – how to make your own ink for spellcraft or working in your grimoire!
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Making your own intention-infused ink is a great way to connect with your practice and add an extra dimension to your magickal workings. You can use this ink in your grimoire, in spells or rituals, or even just for day-to-day activities.
Note: This is a super thin ink that works more like a watercolor paint, so I recommend using a paintbrush to write or draw with it! I’ve never tried using a quill pen but I think that would work well, too. If you find the ink is too thin for your liking, you can add raw, unfiltered honey to thicken it up. You might need to do this when the liquid is hot so the honey combines easier.
You will need:
- Forged flowers, berries, and herbs
- Strongly-brewed tea, enough to cover your plants
- A large pot
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- Cheesecloth or colander, for straining
- Container to keep the ink in
- Optional: ashes from magickal herbs that have been burned in ritual
- Optional: essential oils (to cut the vinegar smell!)
- Place the plants in your pot and cover with the tea.
- Bring the entire mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. It’s best to let it simmer for about an hour, but a half hour is fine if you’re short on time.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool. Strain it into another container like a mixing bowl. Discard the plants in a respectful manner, such as composting.
- Stir in the vinegar, then the essential oils if needed. I like using strong but fresh scents such as spruce or peppermint to mask the smell.
- If you have any leftover ashes from herbs that you’ve burned in relevant rituals, this is a great use for them. I like to save the ash from incense during certain rituals, as well. Stir the ashes into your mixture at this stage.
- You’re all set! This ink might stain surfaces so I wouldn’t recommend using it on furniture (like for drawing symbols on your floor, for example), but it should show up well on paper. If the color isn’t to your liking, you can add food coloring or natural dyes so that it looks a little prettier, but I prefer it natural myself!
If you liked this little DIY, you’ll love The Modern Witch’s Guide to Lammas! I hope we’ll be seeing you in our exclusive Facebook group! <3
