Romantic Love Drawing Incense

This is a quick, easy recipe for love drawing incense.  You can modify it however you like,  The measurements are approximate, as all natural materials vary widely in potency.  This recipe was designed for use by women to draw men, but I don't really see why it wouldn't work for other people.  Really, I think you can use it for any Love or Venus magic.

Scent Ingredients (all plant material is dry, if using fresh, you will need much more)

• 6 parts red rose petals (these can be purchased quite cheaply at Indian or Middle Eastern grocers)
• 3 part jasmine blossoms
• 1 part mugwort
• 1 part dried berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc)
• 1 part ceylon cinnamon
• 2 parts powdered frankincense
• 1 part honey

Magical Materia (You don't need to add all (or, really, any) of them, and you can add others too.  Anything you have that's full of lovey-dovey juju will work)

• roses of sentimental value (I use roses my late father gave my late mother)
• 1 freshwater pearl, crushed
• 7 drops of your own blood
• a little bit of "vital essence"
• 1 white goose, swan, dove, or pigeon feather (it's better to find this than buy it, I think)  
• "rip" apart the barbs (the soft part) so they are separate
• with scissors, cut the barbs (the soft bits) off of the rachis (the hard "stalk" in the middle) in small pieces, directly into the incense
• a couple of clovers, from a "magic spot"
• a dried honey bee, crushed into powder
• a small piece of honey comb
• a pinch of copper filings (this produces an awesome green aura when burnt)
• crumbs of wedding cake
• dirt from the graves of a happy couple

Recipe: Red Beet Eggs

Red beet eggs are a Lancaster County / PA Dutch specialty.  I used to make them with my dad all the time.  My mother and younger brother HATED them, but Dad and I loved them.  They're cool, and slightly sour, and sweet, and delicious.  They're especially good with crunchy, salty snacks like potato chips or pretzels.  They're also good deviled or in egg salad.  I mentioned on facebook that I made a batch this evening, and someone requested a recipe.  So, here you go...


I don't really measure when I make them; these measurements are all estimated.  It's totally ok to use more or less of anything; I like mine extra sour.  You might want to cut back on the vinegar slightly.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 dozen hard boiled eggs, shelled
• 1 large glass jar.  You can make these in plastic, but the container will be pink forever after.  A tall container is better than a short, wide one.
• 1 15oz can sliced beets, cut up
• about 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup (more or less) white vinegar  (you can also use apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup salt

NON-TRADITIONAL, but delicious additions (I use all of these)

• about 1 Tbsp whole cloves
• 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed
• about 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS

• Put the eggs in the bottom of the jar, whole.
• Dump in the beets and onions.
• Mix the vinegar and everything else together in a bowl.
• Pour over the eggs and beets.
• Put in the refrigerator and wait about a week.  (Because they are pickled, they will keep without being refrigerated, but people FREAK OUT when they find out I eat eggs that have been sitting on the counter for weeks.
• The longer they pickle, the better they get.

I make all kinds of other pickled eggs as well.  Ginger and black tea.  Garlic and balsamic.  etc, etc... Basically, you just need to make a brine of vinegar, salt, and sugar and whatever spices you want.  At Christmas time, we used to make a dozen red beet eggs and a dozen without beets, and with green food coloring.