The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews 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  - This book is from the 1980s, so it's a bit outdated.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.
• 
  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.
• 
  Katie

  An influential witch I will always look up to. Scott never failed to educate witches around the world about various subjects, and this book is no different.
  
  Although times have changed since his herbal advice in this book, many of the recipes are still relevant and able to be recreated, maybe even easier now with more advanced technology, products etc.
  
• 
  Lodane

  The 1-5 Star Review is the total of what I have to say about this book, specifically.
  
  Caveat: This review is historical/archival in nature. 'Date read' is speculative.
  
  This book is one of many books I have read about the occult/paganism/witchcraft. This was the readily available faith in my household as a child. Additionally, I worked for a company in this field, 2015-2016, and had to read an ocean of this stuff to do my job.
  
  Like televangelists, and snake-oil salesman, these publishers prey on the vulnerable. The authors are mentally ill: suffering from 'magical thinking' and delusions. Worst of all, most of them can't write worth a damn.
  
  Llewellyn Worldwide is the absolute worst on both counts. I wouldn't even trust their overpriced CALENDARS to be accurate.
  
  These books are also big offenders on the the 'cultural appropriation' front. In fact, they're in the running for worst case ever. So-called 'eclectic witches' steal aspects of other religions and mythology. They make it clear that they don't understand them, or feel the need to, before shitting in someone else's bed. The publishers/authors then profit off this, leaving the reader less smart and more broke.
  
  The living Venn diagram of demographics for these books would look like this:
  She's a white, American woman. She dropped out of college to attend massage/cosmetology school. Growing up, her strict parents took her to church every Sunday. She kissed a girl 10 years ago, and likes Katy Perry. To quote Holden from Chasing Amy, "Over- or underweight [people] who don't get laid - they're our bread and butter."
  
  Though a copypasta of it, these books never tell you about hermeticism. They don't prime you to understand hermeticism. Hermeticism, by the way, is also total bullshit. It is, at least, historic -- and seminal in almost all spooky fiction involving rituals or alchemy.
  
  If I give one of these books anything above 2 stars, it's a decent example of this type of book. It might have a redeeming feature, like reference material for fictional world-building. Having worked in this field, including sales of these exact books, I can tell you... the fix is in, they know it, don't buy this stuff.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  MiiyaMoon

  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!
• 
  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
• 
  Wise 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!
• 
  Ms. Widule

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

  Thoroughly enjoyed this. An excellent guide for beginners. Honest writing and a wealth of information.
• 
  Sheila Kanja

  This is a great book for beginners. I recommend it for anyone who’s interested in making oils, incense, gris gris, etc.
• 
  Rachael

  Scott Cunningham is the best in this field
• 
  Amanda Moore

  This is a good reference and recipe book for incense and oils to use in your witchcraft practices.
• 
  Pasquale Grasso

  Interesting little reference, didn't think I would actually sit and read it but I'm glad I did!
• 
  Paul

  A lot of recipes but a number of them are impractical and just for a historical reference.