The Witches’ Flying Ointment: Myth-Medicine-Magic

Presentation 1

The medieval witches’ flying ointment has become an important symbol of modern traditional witchcraft and entheogenic ritual practice. It has come to represent the witching herbs and the altered states of consciousness that they create, as well as their folkloreic association to the Witches’ Sabbath. The plant’s mentioned in the recipes of medieval flying ointments are the very same plants that we seek to connect with on the Poison Patch; deadly nightshade, wolfsbane, poppy and more. Each of these plants has their own unique spirit, and offers some very specialized characteristics of interest to the occult herbalist.

In this class we will explore the history of the medieval witches’ ointment, and the journey it has been on to arrive at where it is today. We will discuss the different world views that have influenced our definition of the flying ointment, as well as the plants that make them. We will look at some of the medieval recipes that have survived and discuss the ingredients, and the purpose they would have served. After looking at historic ointments, we will discuss modern ointment, their usage, applications and how to safely and effectively create and use your own entheogenic formulas.