Satan and Suns

According to cat yronwode, valerian root (aka vandal root) has a dual reputation in the Hoodoo tradition for evil and protection . So while medically it can be used in a tea to calm nerves, magically it's really nasty. I saw a spell in her herb magic book on how to cause a car accident with the root.

Valerian root shuts down the psychic senses. I have used it when there is too much activity in the astral worlds, and I need my sleep, and also when attacked from higher worlds, it can bring you back into the purely physical realms. I am pretty much NOT able to do magick after I have ingested Valerian root tea! And it DOES taste like unwashed socks! ;p I was also told that the smell is much more noxious for males than females, and there is a complementary scent which females absolutely detest, but I cannot think of it!

Anatel, I was wondering if you have ever made bath or shower bombs from the oleums? I wanted to try that for personal use, but wasn't sure what the citric acid and baking soda would do to the scents. Have you made fizzies before? Also, coloring them adds another dimenson: color therapy.

Inanna wrote:According to cat yronwode, valerian root (aka vandal root) has a dual reputation in the Hoodoo tradition for evil and protection . So while medically it can be used in a tea to calm nerves, magically it's really nasty. I saw a spell in her herb magic book on how to cause a car accident with the root.

Ive spent more time discussing curses binding and black magick with her husband , Naga, who is more aligned with Satanism and has been for a great number of years. Not that i invalidate hoodoo, its just not my path. i still stand by my own opinion that for me, its an invalid herb for cursing in my practice.

Anatel, I was wondering if you have ever made bath or shower bombs from the oleums? I wanted to try that for personal use, but wasn't sure what the citric acid and baking soda would do to the scents. Have you made fizzies before? Also, coloring them adds another dimenson: color therapy.

Yes i have, I never noticed any issue with the citric acid or baking soda. I did notice that some of the lighter scents (mostly flowers) sometimes I would have to add a few more drops but Im not 100% sure that was due to the ingredients of the bath bomb. I didnt stick with them - no reason whatsoever other than I just rarely have time to take a long hot bath Let me know how you get on with them! I think making your own bath bombs is an excellent idea!

Anatel wrote:

Anatel, I was wondering if you have ever made bath or shower bombs from the oleums? I wanted to try that for personal use, but wasn't sure what the citric acid and baking soda would do to the scents. Have you made fizzies before? Also, coloring them adds another dimenson: color therapy.

Yes i have, I never noticed any issue with the citric acid or baking soda. I did notice that some of the lighter scents (mostly flowers) sometimes I would have to add a few more drops but Im not 100% sure that was due to the ingredients of the bath bomb. I didnt stick with them - no reason whatsoever other than I just rarely have time to take a long hot bath Let me know how you get on with them! I think making your own bath bombs is an excellent idea!

Yeah. I should be careful with the coloring, too! I Don't wanna be blue with orange hair! I really want the shower bombs more than the bath ones! XD

Anatel wrote:

Heidi wrote:Valerian root is related to cursing and to the dead. But I'm on a trip and hate typing on my phone, so you'll have to wait until Monday for more details

Nice topic btw

I have seen it being talked about as a substitute for graveyard dust and to enhance curses or hexes. However, i disagree with this (obviously my opninion not law) as the properties it promotes (love, sleep, peace, protection, purification) really dont resonate well with me for execration magick. As everything used in any casting is mostly a peripheral anyway (i say mostly. we can charge/program almost anything with intent thus altering its vibrations) to draw your own energy out and to enhance the intent of the working,i dont think this works for me. I prefer to use mandrake, hemlock, belladonna, henbane, yew, sulfur, black salt, blackthorn thorns, blood etc. etc...some of which i now grow myself. but.. eh. fun little peripherals. In an emergency or a situation where you cant openly cast, you dont need a thing but a tag (not even this if your energetic link to your target is strong enough) your intent and energy projection.

I'm back from my trip, so here's the more extended explanation of my statement above:
I first came in contact with valerian root when I started working with the spirits of different plants (which btw is how I work with roots and herbs; by working with the spirit of each individual root or herb, connecting with it and asking for its help, thanking it for what it offers me etc. I'm a not really a fan of the whole "charging herbs" thing). My experience is that it is a pretty aggressive root. In fact, it was by far the most aggressive plant I had connected with at the time.

I agree with some of the magical uses usually attributed to it, like protection and purification for example. It's an aggressive kind of protection though, not the "I'm making a protective talisman/mojo/whatever because it's good to have something for general protection around" but more of a "I want this person the hell away from me and my house/office etc". I also agree it can be used for purification, but its role is pretty aggressive in this case too. Not the kind of thing you'd use in a purification bath to remove negative energies for example, but something you would use to truly force every spirit in the area to leave when other methods have failed. The most common use when it comes to purification (that I know of) is combined with asafoetida, which is also used as a last-resort herb to force a spirit to leave. If you have smelled asafoetida, it's not something you want to burn unless you really have to. It truly stinks, and so does valerian root (which smells even worse than asafoetida in my opinion, but I guess opinions on what stinks the most vary).

Based on my experiences with the spirit of the root, I really, truly don't see how it could be considered a love root. I know it's part of some traditional "love" spells, but those aren't even love spells in my book. They are all some kind of really coersive spell that just happens to have a lover as the target (the "I'll make a spirit haunt you and brainwash you into loving me" kind of spell, not the "I want you to be sweet to me" or "every time you see me, your dick will immediately become hard as a rock" kind of spell). In all of those "love" spells, the root doesn't act by itself (meaning, it isn't included due to having natural properties of promoting love); it's included because the spell works with the help of the spirits of the dead and the root acts as a means to call them and get their cooperation. I agree that I wouldn't use it as a substitute of graveyard dirt, but it works well in combination with graveyard dirt. Which brings me to its potential when it comes to cursing: aggressive root that can be combined with your choice of aggressive spirit of choice in a working targeted against someone. This is how I'd use it in a curse (possibly combined with other materials too).

About the peace and and sleep, I don't really see how this would work from a magical point of view (unless you consider the peace a result of the protection against someone actively threatening you). I believe those are related to the medicinal attributes of the root, not the magical ones.

So this is pretty much my opinion about valerian root based on my own experience. I know not everyone has the same experiences though so if anyone has truly used it successfully for love or peace for example (not in the way I describe above) I'd be interested to read about it

Satan's Hellcat wrote:Oils and scents can be a great aide in your work with demons. Demons have a strong sense of smell, and can be greatly attracted to the energies of properly made and charged oils. Ritual oils, are also called 'oleums' due to the fact that olive oil is often used to dilute, preserve, and carry the scents. Smell can also have a profound effect on our own psyche. it can calm, invigorate, and we associate it strongly with particular memories. Although considered a weak sense in humans, it is our oldest means of interaction with our environment. The creation of oils and perfumes is a science in its own right! Oils are also used in the making of incenses, which is a common method to use in creating a sense of ceremony or signaling ritual and coming into our 'sacred space'. One of my oldest memories is a recipe for a perfume called 'triple lotus', which contains three different types of lotus flowers, and is sacred to the God Nefertum. The study of herbals and oils is a pleasant and potent way to enhance your studies!

Yes SH I have found this out myself that true oils are good with Demons I ues some when working with mines . so yes they can help you out .