How to Use Bay Leaves for Protection


How To Use Bay Leaves For Protection

Disclosure: Wiccan Gathering is reader-supported, so posts may contain affiliate links. When you click on affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission, at zero cost to you. If you enjoyed our content and want to pay it forward (even if you don’t intend to buy anything) please click on any of our product links. Blessed be!

There are many options for invoking energetic protection. One of the most powerful, convenient, and easiest (especially for beginners!) is the application of bay leaves.

Use bay leaves for protection by employing them to “manifest” your intention into the universe and have the solution come back to you. This occurs in the same way benevolent acts are rewarded with positive equivalents. One way to express your request is to write it on a bay leaf then burn it.

Read on for the specifics of this interesting and useful process.

What Is Bay Leaf?

Also known as the wishing leaf, the bay leaf comes from the bay laurel shrub, also known as the prosperity plant or wishing plant. You may know it already from its common culinary uses.

This potent herb is used in witchcraft for creating potions, essential oils, and spells. It is great for invoking manifestation, clairvoyance, wisdom, healing, and protection.

Practitioners of ceremonial magic traditions believe that the bay laurel creates magic. Burning its leaf can eradicate negative energy, cleanse a venue, convey one’s requests to deities, and destroy curses.

This is one reason why it’s a major component in the toolkits of witches, Wiccans, pagans, herbalists, spiritualists, and traditional healers.

The bay laurel plant is sacred to the Greek god Apollo. Bay leaves are also the same ones found on the laurel wreaths of legendary Greek and Roman deities and historical figures. They wore these crowns as symbols of victory.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a devotee of Apollo or any Greek or Roman deity to use bay leaves for protection. 

What Are Bay Leaf Spells? 

Most complicated spells require time, planning, and strategy. But there are quick and simple ones that involve just you, herbs, and your whispered intention. You can cast almost daily if you like.

With bay leaves, we offer simple prayers whispered over the smoke of a burning leaf. These spells are great because they work extremely fast due to their casual nature.

After the spell, all that’s needed is continued belief in your intention or goal to bring it to fruition.

How to Cast a Bay Leaf Spell for Protection

Intention

Choose from a wide variety of intentions, depending on your personal situation. The type of protection you can seek using bay leaves might be deeper than you initially think. Consider protection against:

  • Hostile spiritual and energetic forces
  • Natural disasters
  • Those who would cause physical harm
  • Unforeseen danger
  • Accidents
  • Crime
  • Lost property

Materials Needed

You only need a few simple ingredients in your bay leaf spell, and you probably have them in your home already. Gather:

  • Bay leaf
  • Candle
  • Matches or a lighter
  • A felt-tip pen or marker (a regular pen may tear the leaf)
  • A fireproof container to hold the burning leaf

Your materials can vary depending on what kind of protection you need?

To protect a sacred space by cleansing it, add sage to the bay leaves. If you want to rid your house of negative energy or evil spirits, just bay leaves are enough.

Important Reminders

  • Please observe fire safety always. Have a bucket of water or fire extinguisher ready for emergencies. View our disclaimers for further information.
  • Only proceed with the spell if you have adequate ventilation.
  • Dried leaves are easier to write on and burn. Fresh herbs don’t burn well due to their water content.
  • Adopt a positive, happy stance while performing the procedure.
  • Bay leaf spells are part of the law of attraction, which is similar to the Wiccan Rule of Three. The law of attraction states that whatever you give or put forth into the universe will come back to you. So it’s essential to extend good vibes during the procedure.

Step-by-Step Procedure

Real-life witch Elena Rego spells it out thus:

  1. Collect your spell supplies: bay leaf, candle, matches/lighter, marker, and fireproof container.
  2. Set the mood by taking several deep breaths to center yourself.
  3. Be specific about the intention you’d like to manifest. Include other herbs into the spell if needed, such as sage for cleansing.
  4. To channel energy into the leaf, focus on your intention while holding it. You can also meditate. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. What’s important is believing in the outcome and adopting a positive mental state. Do what feels comfortable. 
  5. Light the candle.
  6. Stare at the flame while going into a meditative state. Visualize your manifestation—how it looks, sounds, smells, and feels.
  7. After successfully visualizing a clear image, write your intention on the bay leaf.
  8. To release the energy, burn the leaf, letting the flame ignite your intention and propel it out to the universe through the smoke.
  9. Drop the leaf into the heat-proof container. Once the entire leaf is burnt, offer a prayer of thanks and put out the flame.
  10. Discard the ashes outside your spell venue. Some look at the ashes as symbols of banished negative energy, and so you may want to dispose of them permanently away from the home. Others view ashes as previous threats or dangers that have now been vanquished and can no longer harm them, so this may make you feel comfortable disposing of the ashes in your home.

Note that as another variant, you don’t have to burn the leaf. You can instead bury it, rip it up, or even keep it in its current state. The important thing is to follow your intuition and focus on your desired outcome.

How Many Leaves Should You Burn?

You can burn as many as you like. Some Wiccan practitioners burn two to three, depending on their purposes. One leaf should suffice for a modest intention. Use more leaves for larger intentions and added protection.

One common question is whether whole leaves are required, or if they can be crushed, as is a common form in the grocery store.

The answer is that it doesn’t matter if the leaves are whole or crushed into pieces. What does matter is your intention.

Do Timing and Venue Make a Difference?

You can cast bay leaf spells anytime on a normal day. You don’t have to wait for a full moon, new moon, midnight, or any other special or auspicious time.

You can also perform them either outdoors or indoors. Just make sure that if done indoors, the room has adequate ventilation, and you have the permission of everyone in the room (or the owner of the building).

Some people also like to do burning-leaf spells in their workplaces. If you want to do the same, please get the permission of your supervisor or building manager first. Many offices do not allow burning herbs (or any material) or rituals anywhere on their premises, so ensure you are not putting your job at risk with the ritual.

Can You Be a Proxy?

Yes! You can absolutely cast spells on behalf of other people. For example, you can perform a bay leaf spell to request protection for your children.

You may use any burning-leaf method on behalf of anyone, as long as you are acting in their best interests, and in the case of adults, have their permission to do so.

Bay Leaves for Financial Protection

If you want to invoke material or financial prosperity, you don’t need to burn bay leaves. Simply place one in your wallet.

Many Wiccans believe that simply keeping a bay leaf in the wallet will bring financial protection and abundance, regardless of whether or not you set an intention. However some do like to write their goal on the leaf first.

Other Intentions for Bay Leaf Spells

Bay leaves aren’t just for protection. These are myriad other purposes for their use:

  • For success: Carry bay leaves or decorate your clothing with them, emulating your Roman and Greek deities. 
  • For prosperity: Using gold ink, write the word “prosperity” on a bay leaf, then burn it.
  • For psychic readings: Bay leaves supposedly enhance their accuracy and increase psychic awareness.
  • To materialize wishes: Channel your need or want into a bay leaf, then burn it.
  • To alleviate stress: Crush bay leaves into a powder. Sprinkle this on a slab of charcoal for use as incense. Wiccans believe this mixture provides instant relief from worry, nervous tension, and anxiety.
  • To relieve insomnia, nightmares, and other sleep disorders: Sleep with one bay leaf inside your pillowcase or underneath your pillow. You don’t have to change the leaf. Erin from Kilmain Crystals actually recommends using the same leaf for as long as possible.
  • To improve psychic abilities: Place leaves inside your pillowcase to make psychic dreams more vivid and heighten astral projection.
  • To find lasting love, bring back a lost one, or cure a broken heart: Set the intention specific to your circumstance and infuse this in the leaf.
  • To boost healing powers: Healers wear bay leaves while performing therapeutic procedures to intensify their curative powers.

Is Bay Leaf Used in Witchcraft or Manifestation?

It depends on who you are. Regular folk use bay leaves for cooking, health, and many other purposes.

Mystic communities like the Wiccans use them for magick, manifestation, and divination.

Traditional healers and allopathic doctors value them for their curative properties.

The important thing is, bay leaves help everyone, no matter how they are used.

Where to Buy Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are common culinary ingredients, so you can easily order them online or find them in your local grocer’s spice aisle. They are also common in ethnic groceries, occult stores, and health food and vitamin stores.

Consider whether you’re comfortable using organic or non-organic leaves. Also think about your usage. Bay leaves in small quantities can be quite expensive, so if you’re going to use them frequently in spells and rituals, purchasing in bulk may actually be cheaper in the long run.

Conclusion

The bay leaf is valued globally as an essential ingredient in cooking, but it is equally precious to the spiritual healing and ceremonial mystic communities due to its magical properties. Good thing for you, it is affordable and accessible. Take advantage of it whenever you need protection. May it grant you the peace and tranquility you deserve.

Sources

Luna Clarke

Luna Clarke is a leading contributor to WiccanGathering.com and is known for her open-minded and thorough interpretation of all things Wiccan and magickal. In her free time, Luna loves to worship her cat while he ignores her. She also has some great books for beginners, like her Guided Wicca Workbook: Wiccan Starter Series (click to view)

Recent Posts