How to use spiritual oils

Before you start

• A few drops are enough. Three to seven drops on a candle, one drop on a paper or a doorway. More oil isn't better. It makes a mess and can make the flame jump.
• Pick the oil for what you are asking. Each oil has its own purpose: love, money, work, protection, a saint's devotion. Use the one that matches your request. If you are not sure, see "Choosing an oil" below, or ask at your botanica.
• Use your own words. There is no set script. Say plainly what you are asking for, out loud or in silence. Many people add a prayer they know, like the Our Father or a psalm.
• Days and the moon are optional. Many people start on a certain day of the week or with the new moon. That is tradition, not a rule. Starting with a clear mind matters more than the date.
• Keep the bottle away from the flame. Put the oil on first, cap the bottle and set it aside, and only then light the candle. Oil catches fire.
• Cap it after each use. A tight cap keeps the scent in and the dust out. Store the bottle in a cool, dark place.

Ways to use spiritual oils

On a candle

For a seven-day candle in a glass, put three to seven drops on top of the wax, around the wick but not on it. Some people first poke three small holes in the wax with a nail so the oil soaks in. Wipe the rim of the glass clean before you light it. For a plain candle without a glass, spread a little oil along it from end to end: toward you when you are asking for something to come, away from you when you want something gone.

1. Wipe the glass clean and set the seven-day candle on a steady plate, away from curtains and anything that can catch fire.
2. If you like, poke three small holes in the top of the wax with a nail or a toothpick.
3. Put three to seven drops of oil on the wax, around the wick but not on it, while you say your request.
4. Close the bottle, set it away from the candle, and wipe any oil off the rim of the glass.
5. Light the candle with a match and let it burn. Don't leave it burning when no one is home.

Tip: If the wax is hard and the oil pools on top, give it a minute to soak into the holes before you light the candle.

Oils often used this way: Come to Me, Money Drawing, Road Opener, Protection, Guadalupe, Fast Luck, St. Michael, Love Honey, Peaceful Home, Steady Work, Court Case, St. Jude

With a written prayer or photo

Write your prayer or request on a small piece of plain paper. Many people still use a piece cut from a brown paper bag. Put a drop on each corner and one in the middle. Fold the paper toward you if you are asking for something to come, and away from you if you want something to leave. For a photo, put the drops on the back. Set the paper or photo under the candle, or on the altar, while the candle burns.

1. Cut or tear a small square of plain paper. A piece of a brown paper bag is traditional.
2. Write your request in pencil or pen, in your own words. Many people add their full name and the date.
3. Put a drop of oil on each corner and one in the middle.
4. Fold the paper toward you to ask for something to come, or away from you to send something off.
5. Set it under the candle or on the altar while the candle burns.

Tip: Keep it short and clear: one request on one paper is easier to keep in mind than a long list.

Oils often used this way: Come to Me, Money Drawing, Road Opener, Guadalupe, Fast Luck, Love Honey, Peaceful Home, Steady Work, Court Case, St. Jude

On doors and windows

Put a drop at the top of the door frame and one on each side, or trace a small cross on the frame with the oil. Run a thin line of oil along the doorstep, and put a drop in the corners of each windowsill. Traditionally the front door is for what you want to let in, and the back door is where you send things out.

1. Start at the front door if you want to welcome something in, or at the back door to send something out.
2. Put a drop at the top of the door frame, then one on each side. Some people trace a small cross instead.
3. Run a thin line of oil along the doorstep.
4. Put a drop in the corners of each windowsill.
5. Say your request at each door and window as you go.

Tip: A cotton swab makes it easy to put the oil just where you want it on the frame.

Oils often used this way: Come to Me, Road Opener, Protection, St. Michael, Love Honey, Peaceful Home, Steady Work

On charm bags, stones and medals

A charm bag is a small cloth bag filled with herbs, roots or a stone, made for one purpose. Some people call it a mojo bag. When you put the bag together, add a few drops of oil, then add a drop or two every week or so, usually on the same day. A lodestone (a magnetic stone), a saint medal, an azabache (a black jet charm), a lucky coin or a rabbit's foot can get a drop the same way. Use the oil that matches what the charm is for.

1. Choose the stone, medal or charm bag that fits your request, and the oil that goes with it.
2. When you first put the bag together, add a few drops to the herbs or the stone inside.
3. Close the bag and say what it is for.
4. After that, add a drop or two every week or so, on the same day each time.
5. Keep it in a purse, a drawer, the car or on the altar.

Tip: Many people keep the bag out of sight and let no one else touch it.

Oils often used this way: Come to Me, Protection, Fast Luck, St. Michael, Steady Work, Court Case

On the altar and saint statues

Put oil on the candle that burns in front of the saint, the same way as any candle. You can also put a drop on the corners of a saint card or on the base of a statue. Leave the saint's face alone. Plaster and cloth soak up oil and stain, so most people oil only the base and the candle and keep the altar cloth clean.

1. Clean the altar and set out the saint's image and a fresh glass of water.
2. Put oil on the saint's candle the same way as any candle.
3. If you like, put a drop on the corners of the saint card or on the base of the statue. Leave the face alone.
4. Light the candle and say the saint's prayer or your own.

Tip: Set a small plate or tile under the candle so oil and wax don't stain the altar cloth.

Oils often used this way: Guadalupe, St. Michael, St. Jude

In your wallet or business

Put a drop on the corners of your wallet. Or put a drop on the first bill you earn and keep it folded inside. In a shop, put a drop in the four corners of the cash register drawer and on the front door frame when you open in the morning. Many owners do this on Mondays or on the first day of the month.

1. On a Monday or the first day of the month, put a drop on the four corners of your wallet.
2. Put a drop on a bill, fold it toward you, and keep it in the wallet without spending it.
3. In a shop, put a drop in the four corners of the cash register drawer.
4. When you open in the morning, put a drop on the frame of the front door.

Tip: Keep the folded bill apart from your spending money so it stays put.

Oils often used this way: Money Drawing, Fast Luck

In the car

Before a long trip, or when you get a new car, put a drop on each of the four tires. A saint medal or a small charm with a drop of oil on it can ride in the glove box. Keep oil off the dashboard and the seats.

1. Before a long trip, or when you get a new car, take the oil out to the car.
2. Put a drop on each of the four tires.
3. Put a drop on a saint medal or a small charm and keep it in the glove box.
4. Say a short prayer for the road before you drive off.

Tip: Keep oil off the steering wheel, the dashboard and the seats; it stains and makes them slippery.

Oils often used this way: Road Opener, Protection, Court Case

In mop water and around the house

Add a few drops to a bucket of mop water. To bring something in, mop from the front door toward the back of the house. To clear something out, mop from the back toward the front door, then throw the water out the door. Either way, finish at the doorstep. To keep the scent in a room, put a few drops on a cotton ball and set it in a corner.

1. Fill a bucket with warm water and add a few drops of oil.
2. Sweep first, so you are mopping a clean floor.
3. To bring something in, mop from the front door toward the back of the house. To clear something out, mop from the back toward the front door.
4. Finish at the doorstep. If you were clearing something out, throw the water out the front door, away from the house.
5. For a room you don't mop, put a few drops on a cotton ball and set it in a corner.

Tip: Open the windows while the floor dries; many people say it lets the old air out.

Oils often used this way: Money Drawing, Peaceful Home

With offerings

An offering is something you leave for a saint or for loved ones who have passed: flowers, food, a glass of water. You can put a drop of oil on the flowers, on the rim of the dish, or on the candle you light beside it. Keep it simple and clean; an offering is a sign of respect.

1. Set out the offering: fresh flowers, a glass of water, bread or a favorite food.
2. Put a drop of oil on the flowers, on the rim of the dish, or on the candle beside it.
3. Say the name of the saint or your loved one, and what the offering is for.
4. Change the water and flowers before they spoil, and keep the space clean.

Tip: For loved ones who have passed, many people add something they enjoyed, like a cup of coffee or a favorite sweet.

Oils often used this way: Guadalupe, St. Jude

Choosing an oil

Start with what you are asking for. Each group below names a few Atzi oils people traditionally use for it. Each oil's page says more.

Love

For those seeking love or a closer bond with a partner.Love, Come to Me, Love Drops

Money and luck

For asking for money to come in and for a run of good luck.Money Drawing, Fast Luck, Good Luck

Work and business

For finding a job, keeping steady work and bringing customers to a business.Steady Work, Better Business, Customer Drawing

Open roads

For when everything seems stuck: the job search, papers held up in an office, a new start that won't begin.Road Opener, Unblocker, Elegguá

Protection and cleansing

For guarding the home and family, and for clearing away bad luck, envy and the evil eye.Protection, Cleansing, Uncrossing

Peace and home

For a calm home, a family that gets along and a blessing on a new house.Peaceful Home, House Blessing, Peace

Saints and devotion

For prayer to the Virgin, the Sacred Heart and the saints, alongside their candle and their prayer.Guadalupe, Sacred Heart, St. Jude

Court and justice

For those facing a court date, a hearing or legal papers, who pray for justice.Court Case, Just Judge, Victory

Common questions

Words you may hear

Altar

A table or shelf set aside for prayer, with saint images, candles, flowers and a glass of water. It doesn't need to be large; a clean corner of a shelf will do.

Dressing a candle

Putting a few drops of oil on a candle before you light it. On a seven-day candle in glass, the drops go on top of the wax, around the wick.

Floor wash

Mop water with a few drops of oil added. The house or shop is mopped in one direction to bring something in, or the other way to clear something out.

Limpia

A spiritual cleansing to clear away bad luck, envy or the evil eye. At home, people often do it with a floor wash, rue or other herbs, and a white candle.

Lodestone

A magnetic stone kept in a charm bag or a small dish. Traditionally it is used to draw in money, luck or love, and it gets a drop of oil and often a pinch of iron filings.

Mojo bag (charm bag)

A small cloth bag holding herbs, roots or a stone, made for one purpose. People add a drop of oil to it every week or so.

Novena

Nine days of prayer, usually to a saint or the Virgin. Many people light a candle and say the same prayer on each of the nine days.

Ofrenda

An offering for a saint or for loved ones who have passed: flowers, food, water, a candle. On the Day of the Dead, the ofrenda is the altar a family sets up for its dead.

Orisha

A spirit of the Yoruba tradition honored in Santería, also called Lucumí or Regla de Ocha. Elegguá, Changó, Oshún, Yemayá and Obatalá are orishas. Many are honored together with a Catholic saint.

Petition (written prayer)

A short prayer or request written on paper, often on a piece of brown paper bag. It goes under the candle or on the altar.

Santero, santera

A priest or priestess initiated in Santería. People go to a santero or santera for guidance about the orishas and their offerings.

Seven-day candle

A tall candle poured in a glass, named for the week it traditionally burns. It is the candle most people use with these oils.

Storing the oil safely

Keep the cap on tight so the scent lasts. Store the bottle somewhere cool and dark, like a cupboard, not on a windowsill or in the car. Keep it where children can't reach it. Put the oil on your candle first, close the bottle and set it away, and only then light the candle. Never bring the bottle near the flame.