North Appalachian power oil

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Note: This article was originally published by @gritchenwitch on Instagram. To learn about me and my practice, including more info on folk witchcraft, mountain magic, knot work, and hearthcraft, please visit gritchenwitch.com or join my Patreon at patreon.com/gritchenwitch.

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Here’s how to make North Appalachian Power Oil, a simple folk elixir created by The Pennsylvania Dutch for boosting magical and divinatory power.🌞

The Pennsylvania Germans or Dutch (“Dutch” doesn’t refer to the Dutch language or people, but stems from the endonym “Deitsch”) had a huge impact on folk magic in this area. Also known as brauchers or “pow-wow” healers (a term applied to power doctors by the English), these men and women specialized in diviniation, blessing and blocking magic, and herbal remedies. While much of their work used faith healing, it also has roots in pre-Christian traditions.

Like many of their treatments, power oil was made using the ingredients they had on hand. In this case, you want to gather your most vibrant yellow and orange fresh flowers. I used coreopsis and sunflowers, but you can also look for roses, dahlias, carnations, yarrow, marigold, dandelion, etc.

1. Pack your blossoms into a mason jar.
2. Cover the flowers with olive oil.
3. Leave the jar outside in the sun to charge, bringing inside to your bedroom every evening, for three days. Shake every so often.
4. Strain well using cheesecloth.
5. Repeat the process twice more, making sure to use the same oil but new, fresh flowers.
6. Strain one last time into a bottle.

If your oil still isn’t a vibrant yellow, repeat twice more (for a total of 3 or 5 rounds of steeping).

Power oil can be added to spells or rituals for a power boost or massaged into the forehead or hands to increase divinatory ability (do not ingest or use on your skin if you have allergies or sensitivities to the flowers).

This is the perfect time of year to bottle the last of the sun’s power in preparation for longer nights!

🌻