A variety of resins and saps are used in witchcraft. Their
uses abound. People spend a lot of money buying special resins
from far away places, but most regions have everything you’d
need. So browse the list, and if you have things that are more
easily available in your area, consult your elders/mentors about substitutions.
Just make sure it’s actually going to do the job.
Almond Gum
Almond gum is often used in place of mastic.
It is calming to the stomach, and in moderation, it helps children who
are sometimes picky eaters, to put on weight by easing their digestion,
and helping them to get the most of their food. Too much, and it
has the opposite effect, and can lead to nutrient disorders.
It also helps the body to cool itself. It is
a wonder in this way for people who live in hot climates. It
prevents the depression and malaise that some lighter skinned people
feel in the summer. In India, it is often drank with milk,
rosewater, or added to ice creams and sorbets. For this, it
should be soaked overnight.
You can find it by searching for badam
pisin. Be mindful that there is a big difference between
the sweet almond (Prunis dulcis) gum and the “Indian
almond” (Terminalia catappa) gum. The Indian almond or
“Desi badam” gum is very toxic, and should only be used as
incense. Its color is somewhat more reddish, and its scent
sweeter. They have completely different magickal properties as
well.
Sweet almond gum facilitates peace and
harmony. It cools and relaxes. It is great for very humane
spirits, and for situations wherein angry or frustrated people need
cooling off. It can be very compelling in that way. It also
opens people to receive good things. So if you have a sick pet
who is refusing treatment, burning some as incense can help them to
make them a little less resistant.
Indian almond gum and even its seeds and leaves
kill parasites. Its magickal properties revolve around destroying
things that don’t belong. Use this with much care but
decisiveness. To drive bad energy out of a person, dip one of the
leaves in their drink for just a second, or give them a bath with one
of the leaves in it. You can also use them in your fish tank as a
water conditioner if you have fish that are vulnerable to parasites.
If you have almond trees around, just explore them
occasionally for oozing sap. Put a bag over your hands and pick
it off.
Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba)
Also called the “incense tree” or “palo chino”,
it’s commonly found in somewhat tropical areas. Trees in the same
family have similar vibration, but not exactly the same. So if
you don’t have an indigenous or trained elder to guide you, get to know
the tree well before harvesting any of its bark or sap.
Gumbo limbo is used in healing almost everywhere
it grows and people remember. It’s good for reducing swelling,
snake bite, and curing urinary tract infections. If you’ve got a
bad sunburn, boil some of the bark in sweet water, let it cool, and
gently paint your skin with the water. Raw, it smells and tastes
kind of like turpentine, but as an incense, it is very pleasant, and
similar to frankincense and myrrh mixed. However, it is a more
suitable substitute for mastic.
Nobody is selling this except for industrial use,
so if you want any, you have to harvest it yourself. Take some
freshly fallen bark, or look around the trunk for injured places to
take some clumps from. Its various properties, including but not
limited to the texture of its bark, make it a good smoke offering to
fire and reptilian deities.
Photos from Ken Cook.
Pine Sap
If you have friendly pine trees around, you can
use their resin in recipes to sustain positive things. It is
cleansing and purifying, but it is also enduring. A more
aggressive and lesser known use for pine is to hold things steady or
keep them in place. If you have a good thing going, and don’t
want it to change, burn an incense with pine. If someone is
having wide mood swings, it’s good for steadying them too.
Different kind of pine trees have different
properties. Firs have an adapting through changes energy, while
spruces have a more staying in place and weathering the storms kind of
energy.
Cypress
Cypress oozes oils from almost all its parts, so
there is no need for more processing than chopping. It is very
healing, and is great for helping people to recover from injuries or
traumas. Its “cones” are round like the moon, and it seems to
give off a special scent at night.
It is very good for women who have been through a
rough relationship, and need to move past some of the bad things that
happened to them. It’s good for men this way too, but it has a
very feminine energy, so overexposure may lead to too much passivity
during the phase of grief when men need to have those bursts of anger
to get past the past.
Banyan
The sap from the banyan tree is very masculine,
and in fact, helps men to maintain their virility and stamina.
Three drops in the morning juice or yogurt, and you’re good. It
brings good luck, and has the energy of shading or shielding from harm.
It is good to use the leaves as plates for
offerings to deities of fortune and protection. Burn the bark or
powdered wood as incense to designate a safe place or to help a shelter
be more of a shelter.