What are Spell Bottles?
For as long as I can remember I’ve loved collecting jars, bottles, and any little containers I could get my hands on. I collected all sorts of things I thought would look pretty stashed away in one of my little treasure keepers. I believed in magic and the power of containing the energy of little objects together in their own special place. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered there was such a thing as spell bottles! These little bottles are packed with enough power and beauty and mystery to fill one’s most curious wonders.
One of the first known type of spell bottle is the witch bottle. Records and archaeological finds have dated witch bottles back to at least the 15-1600's. (www.luckymojo.com/bottlespells.html) But one gets the feeling when working with them that they have most likely been around for as long as there have been bottles. Original uses of these early known spell bottles were thought to be to protect the owner or user from negative energy or sorcery. They were found to be stashed up chimneys, buried in gardens, and underneath doorsteps. Whether you currently believe in magic or not, it certainly is curious how much our ancestors were sure of its power.
Though in the distant past the contents of spell bottles were a little less charming than they are now, we have thankfully evolved to a higher place of love and understanding that allows us to work with much more loving and desirable ingredients in our spells! Today, most witches go for aesthetic and good intentions when choosing ingredients for their spell bottles. At The Nightbird Apothecary we use only natural, small batch ingredients either grown here at home, picked wild in our local wilderness, or purchased from small businesses like ourselves. Our point is to keep it natural and beautiful!
The intentions and results of working with spell bottles are entirely up to the user. All ingredients are correspondences of the specific intention of the bottle. Combining the energies of these natural ingredients to work toward that common intention is where the magic lies in creating spell bottles. This allows one to channel universal magic into the bottle which can then be used by themselves or others. In fact, channeling magical energies for others is where I think the MOST magic lies. I believe we create magic by first giving it away.
If the idea of working with spell bottles is interesting to you, you’ll be happy to know that there are multiple ways of using them. Simply place in a special spot in your home like on a shelf, in a cabinet, or on an altar that you keep up with and spend time around daily. You can also hold a spell bottle during meditation and mantra work, sleep with it by your bed, or even just gaze into it and envision your intention working and manifesting in your physical reality! Magic is ALL about your intentions and your belief in yourself! So, create on, Creators! Onward and Blessed be!
