The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews

Llewellyn's Practical Magick

by Scott Cunningham, Victoria Poyser-Lisi (Illustrator)

ISBN: 0875421288

Genres: Witchcraft, Wicca, Nonfiction, Paganism, Reference, Occult, Spirituality

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

Scott Douglas Cunningham was an American writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects.
His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published; he was a friend of notable occultists and Wiccans such as Raymond Buckland, and was a member of the Serpent Stone Family, and received his Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven.

Reviews

[Heather Purri]

Difficulty Level: Beginner
No magickal background necessary.

Pros:
- It's an occult/Pagan classic.
I believe this book was written for Pagans in general, and would be useful for Pagans. However, just know that it's written from a Wiccan perspective.
Make sure that you have the second edition, as it's longer and better organized.
I highly recommend getting the ebook, so you can quickly find what you need.

- Written for practitioners at any level.
This is a how-to book on using magickal herbs, spices, etc. and includes recipes for anointing oils, incense, ritual baths, etc. If you want to know more about anointing oils, read Cunningham's book Magical Aromatherapy.

- Botanical names are given for each resin, gum, wood, etc. so that you won't confuse them with plants that have the same common name.

- Contains the proper warnings.
Potential hazards are clearly laid out and explained. Poisonous plants (mentioned for historical purposes) have asterisks (*), plants that might be harmful to certain people have a tilde (~), and plants with a capital P (P) should not be used when pregnant or nursing.

Cons:
- No in-text citations. There's a bibliography though.

- No step-by-step drawings or photos for crafts. You might have to supplement some with non-Pagan blog tutorials, video tutorials, and/or craft books. If you're going to make something potentially dangerous, like candles, please read some step-by-step blog posts or watch some step-by-step videos just in case. You should always use multiple sources if you're going to attempt anything dangerous, and have your fire extinguisher near by.

- Doesn't contain any botanical drawings.

- This book is from the 1980s, so it's a bit outdated.
What I mean by that is it talks a lot about how to obtain the ingredients, more so than in his other books. Nowadays, you can get any of these ingredients and tools online or at your local metaphysical supply store, botanica, Asian food store (they usually have a large herb section), or possibly even a Hispanic food store. For instance, in Cunningham's day, pure amber essential oil was rare. I typed in "pure amber oil" on Amazon and there's 5 ml of it for $13. If you want your ingredients to be hard to obtain, so that you hold them in higher reverence, you can start gardening.

The upside to this is that for more exotic ingredients, he has recipes for substituting them, using more common ingredients. These common ingredients have similar magickal properties and a similar scent to the exotic ingredients. Although the rare ingredients are mostly no longer rare, it's still cheaper to use common ingredients.

[Matal “The Mischling Princess” Baker]

Scott Cunningham’s “The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews” is a really excellent go-to general reference on the use of herbs and herbal creations. What I really appreciate about Cunningham is the fact that he was practical and no nonsense, not to mention his healthy dose of common sense that floods his writing.

This book is in three parts with a glossary, appendixes, and a bibliography and is a prime example of truly practical magic. Throughout the text, he encourages readers to utilize substitutions. For example, I used his recipe for the Psychic Bath (page 214), but being out of lemongrass, I substituted the lemongrass for some grated lemon rind that I had frozen last year.

When I was in graduate school, my mother gave me a CD of Gail Twersky’s guided meditation for stress relief. After I made the Psychic Bath sachet, I lit a yellow candle, put on Twersky’s meditation, and soaked in the tub. To be perfectly honest, the bath relaxed me more than I have ever been, and I’ve previously used the candle and the guided meditation—both separately and in conjunction with one another.

The book is an easy read and highly informative. I absolutely recommend this book, and particularly so given the author was continually adamant about the dangers of certain herbs. Cunningham is an author whose works continue to be trustworthy sources.

[Jolanta]

A key book for anyone new to making incense, oils, brews and more. Scott Cunningham does a great job explaining basic information in a very easy and understandable manner. At the same time, it’s information-packed, to the point and valuable. This book contains proper warnings, a solid glossary, principals of changing and adapting recipes and more. It’s a classic and a good book for practitioner of every level. Even if you are not interested in witchery or rituals, it’s one of the top books about essential oils, herbs, oils, brews, incense and more.

[Jo M]

An excellent resource. But I've found that that is all that this book is: a quick reference. While I enjoy having that at hand I would have rather seen Cunningham dive a bit deeper into the meaning, symbolism, and history of some of the incense/oil combination he provides.

[Keshia]

More than just Incense, Oils, & Brews, this book gives the beginner a great foray into the art of aromatherapy, soaps, and sachets. This book is a quick read with more than enough recipes to blend incense, oil, and much more with purpose and intent. Although very informative, ultimately this will wind up on your shelf as a handy reference guide.

[Dave/Maggie Bean]

I seldom review books of this sort, but in this case, I'm compelled to give credit where it's due.
Hocus-pocus aside, many of these concoctions are actually quite pleasantly scented. A sufficiently entrepreneurial individual could use the information to supplement his/her income via cottage industry; hawking "Organic AirWick," (if you will), at craft shows, love-ins, and outpatient rehab clinics.

("Bean, radish, and sprout salad *again*? Aww, jeez! Guess we'd better burn a few of these -- and open a window...")

If, on the other hand, you're counting on any of this humbug to make you rich or get you a date (not to mention a suite in the Outer Darkness Hilton), I have a more constructive suggestion: Learn a trade -- and social skills.

[David S]

Cunningham gave me the start I needed to begin to understand how to channel energy with herbs and scent. This book is a primer without being too elementary. I highly recommend this book to those whose craft is amplified through scent.

[Charity Bedell]

The complete book of Incense, Oils, & Brews is a wonderful guide to working with these practices. Like many of his other texts the author Scott Cunningham created a very useful and effective resource for working many different types of magical spells and rituals. This text works great in companion with his Aromatherapy book and his two Herbal Magic books-Herbal Magic and his Magical Herbal encyclopedia or it can be used effectively on its own as its own resource. The text provides a comprehensive list of tools you will need as well as instructions on how to make the different items found within the book.

This book is broken up into three different sections. Each section addresses a specific aspect of working with and creating incenses, oils, soaps and more. This organization makes the book ideal as a reference guide for making these powerful spiritual and magical aids. By having the three sections a beginner to incense and oil work will be able to get the most out of it while an experienced crafter will also be able to find just what they are looking for and nothing else.

The first section deals with magic basics, proportions, empowering the creations, ingredients and creating your own recipes. This is the foundational portion of the book. Here the author goes into the very basics of what you need to know in order to make the most out of thi reference guide.

The first chapter here is on magic basics. While many people interested in this text probably have a basic understanding of the practices and concepts associated with magical practice this chapter is a nice refresher. For those new to magic the information here is very basic and a great introduction for some one who wants to have practical applications right away. The chapter covers ethics, power, working for yourself and working for others. It also covers the basic magical tools that you may need in your journey within this text.

The second chapter is very brief. This chapter was included because people asked for specific proportions to the ingredients in individual recipes from an earlier edition of this book. This chapter says to use them as guidelines but also to trust your intuition and personal judgement. The importance of keeping a record of your work is stressed here as well.

The third chapter focuses on empowering your creation. After you make an incense or an oil they need to be charged for use. This chapter gives you a small ritual way to empower these new objects as well as explains why additional power is needed for the incenses, oils, and brews to be effective.

The fourth chapter is a chapter on the ingredients that you will find in some of the recipes. Here the author mentions how we can obtain the items for various recipes. The chapter also gives information about uncommon terms and ingredients that might be found within magical oils and incenses. The explanation here provides an easy guide to the ingredients listed later on in the book.

The last chapter in the first section is all about creating your own recipes. As some one who makes their own incense blends this is a chapter I refer to often to check my process. Here the author explains that you can use what you have to make things work. The guide includes thinking about the form of what you are going to make and then herbs and other associations. There is even a sample incense process given to illustrate the process involved.

The second section makes up the bulk of the book. This is where you have the recipes for the incenses, oils, brews, and other items contained in this book. This is the real reference section here. This section provides beginners with step by step recipes to work with from the beginning and allows experiences crafters and practitioners to find inspiration for their own work. The types of items covered allows every one to find something they can work with.

The section starts off with incenses. Working with incenses is one of the most common herbal and magical or spiritual practices and it covers many cultures so it makes a great starting base. In the first section of this chapter the author talks about the two different types of incenses and the benefits and issues of working with either one. He gives a step by step guide on how to make the different types of incenses. Then he starts the recipe selection. One of the key parts of this section is how the book notes which incenses shouldn't be inhaled and or that contain dangerous ingredient so you may want to look up a substitute.

After the incenses Cunningham discusses making oils. In this section the author talks about how you can make oils and also which oils work well on their own for different purposes. The first part of this chapter is the how to and the second section covers the recipes and guides on making the oils.

After oils the author covers in this order Ointments, Inks, Tinctures, Herb Baths, Bath salts, Brews and potions, Soaps, Herbal satchels, Powders, and miscellaneous. Each section contains as the previous sections did how to make the items and why they are being used. The recipes cover many different needs allowing for a wide variety of practices and magical tools.

The last section deals with different ways you can make substitutions in your work allowing for a person to work with what is available rather than needing to get a lot of expensive new herbs and items. The author includes planetary substitutes, herbs & basic ingredients,elemental, and need based. This section allows a person to be able to make anything they want and need based on what they have in their home and maximize them to the fullest extent.

[Iulia]

I really like Scott Cunningham's style of writing and I think he is a very important person for the world of witchcraft.
This book was very thorough in rituals, explanations, recipes and so on and so forth. However I feel like some information was slightly outdated and was not allowing much room for innovations for our modern times.
I also liked that he has a wonderful view about witchcraft (aka it is not used for harm) but he did not impose it on his readers, he simply stated it was his own belief.
Overall I managed to get plenty of wonderful information out of this book and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.

[Gene Brickman]

He gives get recipes in this book about oils and incense. I like how Scott writes as a casual guy and straight forward with you. He does not try to flower or impress you. Just a friend who is sharing his technique.

[Letitia]

Finally purchased this book today, and I'm so glad I did.
An invaluable reference book for working with herbs to mix incense, potions and ritual baths.
Will surely be a very well used addition to my occult bookshelf.

[Sylvia Moore]

A magical recipe book becomes much more useful when it teaches you how to stop needing the recipe book. That is what I have always appreciated about Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews.

There are hundreds of formulas here, and the sheer quantity makes this an excellent reference on its own. Incenses, anointing oils, baths, sachets, powders, soaps, inks, and other preparations cover an enormous range of magical purposes, so it is easy to open the book looking for something specific and immediately find a place to begin.

What makes the book special, though, is Cunningham's insistence that formulas are adaptable. He does not treat magical recipes like chemical equations where changing one ingredient ruins the entire operation, and his discussion of substitutions is one of the most practically useful sections in the book.

That attitude quietly teaches something important about spellcraft. If a formula calls for an obscure resin, herb, or oil that you cannot obtain, the magical operation does not have to stop. You can determine what that ingredient is contributing to the formula and choose something capable of performing a similar function.

Once you understand that, you are beginning to think like a formulator instead of simply following instructions.

I also appreciate Cunningham's preference for actual plant materials in incense. He encourages making mixtures rather than relying entirely on commercially produced magical products, which brings the practitioner into direct contact with the substances being used. Grinding resins, combining herbs, adding oils, and adjusting proportions makes scent itself part of the construction of the spell.

That sensory dimension is one of the book's great strengths. Smell is immediate, associative, and incredibly effective at establishing atmosphere, so incense and oils can give ritual an emotional and psychological character before a single word is spoken.

Cunningham clearly understood that.

A prosperity working scented with cinnamon and patchouli feels different from a lunar operation built around jasmine and sandalwood. Those differences are not merely decorative because scent helps shape attention, memory, mood, and expectation, all of which become part of the magical environment.

The book is also refreshingly practical about experimentation. Cunningham provides formulas, but there is an underlying encouragement to modify them, adjust proportions, learn the materials, and eventually create blends suited to your own practice.

That is exactly how a craft should be taught.

Following established recipes gives you experience with combinations that already work. After enough repetition, you begin noticing patterns: which materials dominate a blend, which ones provide depth, how resins behave differently from leaves or woods, and how several ingredients can express the same magical intention through different symbolic routes.

Eventually the recipes become examples of a language you can speak yourself.

I would still approach some of the safety information with contemporary caution. The book is several decades old, and although Cunningham does flag dangerous substances and repeatedly discusses safety, modern practitioners have access to more current information about toxic plants, essential-oil safety, allergies, smoke exposure, pets, pregnancy, and contraindications.

That is easy enough to supplement with reliable modern sources. It does not diminish the book's usefulness as a magical formulation reference.

There is also something wonderfully uncomplicated about Cunningham's writing. He rarely makes the process sound more mysterious than it needs to be, and reviewers frequently praise the book for being straightforward, organized, and useful for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

That accessibility may be part of why it has remained in people's working libraries for so long. You can read it early in your practice and simply follow the formulas, then return years later and recognize that the more valuable material was teaching you how to depart from them.

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews is therefore much more than a giant collection of magical recipes. It is an introduction to the craft of magical formulation.

Cunningham gives you the blends first, but underneath them he is teaching flexibility, correspondence, sensory magic, substitution, and experimentation. At some point you realize you are no longer asking, “Which recipe should I use?” and have started asking, “What should I put in this?”

That is when the book has really done its job.

[Sandra Fargo]

This is one of those books that has spent more time on my worktable than on my bookshelf. Scott gives recipes for incenses, oils, ointments, inks, tinctures, baths, soaps and all sorts of other magical preparations, and I've made enough of them over the years that certain pages practically open themselves. What I especially like is that he doesn't just hand you recipes. He explains the basic methods and ingredients well enough that eventually you stop needing the recipes quite so much and begin understanding how to construct your own.

I also have a tremendous fondness for the old-fashioned practicality of this book. There was a wonderful do-it-yourself quality to magical practice when books like this were appearing: buy the herbs, find a jar, get out the mortar and pestle and make the thing yourself. Scott also provides substitutions, which saved many of us when an ingredient was impossible to find locally and ordering every obscure resin or herb with a few clicks wasn't an option. I still think his insistence that substitutions should be based on magical properties rather than simply throwing in something convenient is a useful lesson.

Some formulas and ingredient recommendations deserve a modern safety check before putting anything on the body, and I wouldn't use a decades-old magical recipe book as my only source for information about essential-oil or herbal safety. That doesn't diminish what this book does so well. It taught generations of us how to move beyond buying magical products and start making them, experimenting with them, and eventually creating formulas of our own. Mine has stains and notes all through it, which is probably the most appropriate condition for a book like this to be in.

[Mark Rundle]

Scott Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews is the sort of book that makes a magical practice smell better almost immediately. Cunningham explains the uses of incense, oils, brews, tinctures, baths, and other preparations, then provides recipes built around herbs, resins, flowers, roots, and essential oils. The book is practical without losing the sense that making something by hand can itself become a ritual of attention.

I especially like the way Cunningham connects ingredients with magical purpose rather than treating them as interchangeable decorations. The recipes cover protection, love, prosperity, healing, purification, psychic work, and ritual atmosphere, with enough flexibility to encourage experimentation. His writing is clear and welcoming, though the book’s correspondences are sometimes presented without much historical explanation, and some older recipes require careful updating around skin safety, ingestion, ventilation, and essential-oil use. This is a book to work from thoughtfully rather than follow blindly.

Its greatest strength is how easily it turns the kitchen, garden, and supply cupboard into extensions of the altar. Grinding herbs, blending an oil, steeping a brew, or burning a chosen resin gives intention a physical form that can be smelled, touched, and remembered. Cunningham’s instructions are simple enough for a newcomer, but there is plenty here for a more experienced practitioner to adapt. It remains a useful working reference, especially for anyone who believes the sensory life of magic deserves as much attention as its symbolism.

[Mary]

Well I requested this from the local library in an attempt to learn more about modern day witch craft and its practice (which, of course, has more in common with how witch craft has always been practiced than most people think). Between the time I requested the book and the time I got around to actually sitting down with it and reading it, I've come to some conclusions.

Everyone should practice their craft, should they choose to practice it, their own way. My strengths do NOT lie in cooking and brewing things. That, and I'm allergic to many different types of plants. Yeah, for safety reasons whipping up my own incense and playing with burning charcoal bricks is probably not in anybody's best interest, and I'm okay with that. I also worry because my kids have allergies, and we have a houseful of cats, and some essential oils and strong scents are not good for them to breathe in over extended periods. I would rather not take the chance.

But, if you are into this sort of thing, and want to make your own incense and essential oils, bath bombs and other things, and want to put positive intention behind the making or usage of those things, well, this book certainly has a great deal of information. It just wasn't a good fit for me personally.

[Marcus de Babilonia]

Muy buena guía para empezar con el tema de hierbas y recetas mágicas. Da buena explicación de como crear las recetas y te da muchísimas de ejemplo, además de una completísima tabla de correspondencias y alternativas.

Es un buen punto de comienzo para aquellos que están interesados en este apartado mágico, aunque lo mejor es utilizar las recetas originales e investigar por uno mismo, ya que las correspondencias suelen ser muy personales y modernas en comparación con el uso mágico de las plantas, también recomiendo conectar e investigar con la flora local de tu zona, ya no de tu país sino de tus 20 km alrededor de donde vives, te sorprendería la cantidad de plantas sagradas por tus ancestros que hay y no hay nada más poderoso que la tradición y la tierra de tus ancestros.

[Sara]

If you like natural incense, like I do, this book offers a few interesting ideas but too much emphasis on using saltpeter and other self-combusting ingredients. I will definitely return to this book for some ideas for non-combustible incense. I also found it both frustrating and interesting that the author included a bunch of antique recipes that use harmful or federally illegal ingredients. Why include a recipe when you also list right next to it, "do not do"? I guess it's for historical purposes, but still, if you're going to list a recipe that uses cannabis and henbane, people are going to try and make it!

[Edward Taylor]

As with many of Cunningham's books, this is a primer for newer practitioners and older ones alike. Less a reading book than a recipe book that provides good information for the making of soaps, oils, tinctures, and such that is recommended. Only issue (and disclaimer) I had with the book is that it sets your expectation that this is a very Wicca heavy book and some of the preparation items are not needed for all who cast or follow the path.

[MariaIsoldde]

To this day this is my go-to book for anything herbal when it comes to incense Brews and potions. it has everything you need and more if you really want to be a green witch kitchen witch Etc. That being said there other books that are just as good but this is definitely the book if you want a good foundation on Herbal Magic. It cuts all the fluffy stuff and gives you the nitty-gritty and the reality of it.

[Nicole]

I think every budding Wiccan/Witch has owned this book at some point. Scott Cunningham was the author many of us were introduced to during the "Wicca Boom" of the 90's. Don't let the age of the text put you off, however. Even advanced practitioners might find the simple recipes, with generally easy to acquire ingredients, useful for a working. This is a nice addition to any library.

[Olivia]

A good resource if you're interested in herbal magick, I'm definitely going to try a few of the recipes. Some of the ingredients are a bit out there but there's a whole chapter on substitutions that could be very useful ! Of course you can find endless lists of correspondences online, but personally I always like to be able to reference these things in books as well.

[Caleb Mar]

Taught me how to value the power we all have within us and the power that human beings have within themselves. I really do value, my fellow man, through reading things like this and the plants, and I love the practicality and wisdom that comes in this guide.

It did what it set out to do. So, I give it five out of five.

[BooksaremagickT]

There's alooot of information in this book and I will definitely reference back if I need any inspiration, and it gives an awesome intro to making incense, brews, oils, even soaps and satchels. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because it can drag on a bit. But a great amount of information!

[Michael P]

This book has a fair amount of interesting information about creating your own incense oils and Brews as the title suggests if you are somebody who likes to work with incense or has an inkling to create your own incense and wants to make magical use of said handmade incense then this is a good book for you to pick up

[Melanie Reasor]

Though Scott Cunningham is gone, his books and works are a mainstay in my library. His insight, guidance and brilliantly written books are with out saying. Once you read his work, I believe that you will feel the same.

[Kyla Stan]

A fantastic book for any practioner. Cunningham is the foundation for Neo Paganism. He helped shaped my practices tremendously, and I am so sad that he is no longer with us to continue writing great material

[WIZE FOoL]

Another great book from Mr. Cunningham.
It's pretty much summed up in the title.
There are some great combinations in this book. Explanations as always are clear and concise!
Always a pleasure reading his works.
Enjoy!

[Aris O'Hara]

Es un libro de consulta muy útil, no solamente en la rama wicca sino para toda persona que quiere aprender a hacer inciensos, jabones, sacos de hierbas, etc. Incluye tablas de sustitutos y advertencias sobre plantas que son perjudiciales para la salud.

[Ms. Widule]

Fine reference guide for the practitioner of earth-based spiritualities.

[Anita]

Great instruction book on how to make all kinds of potions and incenses.