What is flying ointment ? What would someone use it for ? Is it a hallucinogenic of some sort or potentially dangerous ?
I’m going to answer two asks with this post so bear with me lol.
A flying ointment is a traditional witch’s tool made by infusing several plants in an oil or fat base. These include herbs that have natural concentrations of tropane alkaloids.These alkaloids affect the neuropathways of the brain and can cause hallucinations.There are accounts of witches using them to keep their bodies in their homes, while their spirit flew out to meet the devil, the man in Black, the horned god, other witches, or to go forth and do their workings undetected.They’re a traditional witches tool, and a hedge witch or hedgecraft tool.
The historical recipes can’t be used/trusted for several reasons.1, science has come a long way and with it, eliminating ingredients originally included for health reasons is natural. For example, there are accounts of the ointments being made in a base of boiled toads and frogs, baby and human fat, or include ingredients like Aconite/wolfsbane which we now know is highly toxic, and can cause death from even slight contact with the bloodstream (like a cut while pruning them)2, some of these recipes are recorded from witches and non witches while under torture or question while imprisoned. Some of the ingredients, processes etc, can be assumed to have been fed to the accused.
There are also some aphrodisiac effects that can be felt by some.The use of ointments has been to enhance trance work, and in a spiritual sense open peoples minds to new planes, beings etc. used in astral projection, and “thinning the veil” to make spirit and deistic communication easier. Like famous authors becoming I spirited while drink the supposed hallucinogenic absinthe, witches can find inspiration and secret knowledge while using them. And they can have a severely personal spiritual manifestation like First Nation people’s spirit walks. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING, but the personal experiences had can be very intense and spiritual. It can be treated as a religious right for some.
They can be dangerous depending on the ingredients, concentrations of alkaloids and application sites. They should never be put over broken skin, open wounds, or mucous membranes, between eye brows or genetalia. There are a few flying ointments/salves that are made safe for genetalia, and even sexual relations between people, but most of them are not.
Because of the concentrations of alkaloids and the plant matter, people with hay fever or allergies to ragweed may not be able to use them because a lot of them in modern day have artemisia and mugwort in them. They can also interact with certain NSAID medications or health conditions such as severe respiratory issues and heart conditions.
UPDATE: follow up post https://barberwitch.tumblr.com/post/170408585006/hello-just-curious-do-you-still-sell-your-flying
dededos
turnnoffyourmind
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