There’s something quietly powerful about making things with your own hands, especially when those things are meant for spellwork.

Over the years, one of my favourite little rituals has become crafting my own spell-infused botanical ink. It’s simple, meditative, and turns something as ordinary as writing into a deeply magickal act.

From jotting down a petition or affirmation, sketching a sigil, to filling pages in my grimoire, I love knowing the ink itself carries intention, infused with herbs, moon water, and purpose.

We’ve spent some time sourcing supplies for you (so you don’t have to!) and the links here in this article are affiliate, meaning when you click and purchase, a small portion of that comes our way, at no extra cost to you.

There’s just something extra potent about using tools you’ve made yourself, especially when they come straight from your craft space and your heart.

This recipe is one I use at home, and I hope it inspires you to stir up a little enchantment of your own.

Suggested Botanicals for your Ink & Magickal Properties…

Choose your ingredients with care, for each plant carries its own spirit and frequency. Below are some potent allies for infusing your ink:

• Walnut husks: Wisdom, grounding, protection from unwanted influence

• Hibiscus petals: Love, passion, attraction, awakening sensual energy (This hibiscus petal tea is perfect)

• Beetroot: Strength, vitality, courage, manifestation

•  Rose petals: Self-love, beauty, emotional healing – we LOVE these petals

•  Lavender buds: Peace, purification, clarity of mind

• Marigold (calendula): Solar energy, success, psychic vision

• Blueberries or elderberries: Communication, psychic awareness, dream work

• Charcoal or activated black pigment: Banishing, shadow work, spiritual depth

Let intuition guide your selection – and remember: the most powerful ingredient is your intent.

Ingredients & Tools 

• ½ cup of your chosen botanical (crushed walnut husks, dried hibiscus petals, beetroot slices, etc.)

• 1 cup of (moon-charged or rainwater for earthier grounding)

• ½ tsp Gum Arabic (for thickness and longevity) – get liquid here, and get powder here

• Small pot (preferably non-aluminium)

• Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

• Dark glass jar with lid (for storing your ink). We love THESE 8oz amber glass bottles, and THESE stuning 4oz saphire blue bottles

• Optional: 1 drop of essential oil (rosemary for clarity, rose for love, peppermint for focus) – GYA Labs are my favourite supplier… but THIS set of 6 essential oils by Cliganic is excellent.

Magickal Botanical Ink Making Method

Each stage of this process is a spell in itself, so work with intention and purpose. Let your mind become quiet and your focus sharpen as you begin to craft ink that speaks the language of your personal magick and frequency.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. The beauty of handmade ink is that it evolves with you – try different combinations of botanicals, adjust simmering time, or play with quantities to create deeper, richer colours. If you want a darker, more intense pigment, simply increase the plant material or let it infuse a little longer.

This is both craft and alchemy, so trust your intuition and allow yourself room to play.

1. Prepare the Base

Begin by placing your botanical into a small saucepan or pot, combining it with 1 cup of water. As you do so, focus your intention – what purpose will this ink serve?

Speak your desires softly, or visualise your goals infusing the water. See the energy curling like smoke into the blend.

2. Simmer & Infuse

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Allow to simmer for 20–30 minutes, until the liquid darkens and becomes rich with pigment. 

Whisper your personal spell or affirmation as it simmers, charging the blend with the resonance of your voice.

3. Strain the Ink

Once your brew is vibrant and strong, strain it carefully through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean bowl. Press gently to release all the precious pigment from the plant matter.

4. Stir in the Gum Arabic

Add ½ teaspoon of gum arabic to the strained liquid. Stir clockwise (to draw energy toward you) or counterclockwise (to banish), depending on your intent.

This resin thickens the ink and binds the pigment so it wil glide smoothly on paper and dry without smudging. Adjust slowly if needed for a thicker consistency.

5. Enhance with Essential Oils (optional)

To weave in another layer of intent and purpose, add a single drop of essential oil aligned with your goal. Stir gently and speak aloud a phrase or intention, such as:

“By root and leaf, by will and word, let this ink bring forth what I have heard.”

6. Bottle & Charge

Pour the finished ink into a dark glass jar with a lid, sealing in the ink. You may wish to place it under moonlight or on your altar overnight to charge it further with lunar or elemental energy.

Ways to Use Your Magickal Botanical Ink 

Once your ink is brewed and bottled, it becomes more than just a tool — it’s a magical medium, charged with your energy and the spirit of the botanicals you’ve chosen. Here are some beautiful and powerful ways to incorporate your spell-infused ink into your craft:

1. Write Petitions and Spells

Use your ink to write out spell petitions or affirmations on parchment, bay leaves, or handmade paper (read number 4 of THIS post). This adds another layer of intention to your candle spells or ritual burnings. 

2. Draw Sigils

Create custom sigils for protection, manifestation, clarity, or abundance. Use your ink with a dip pen, brush, or even a carved twig to draw them on paper, stone, or your altar tools.

Here’s a selction of our favourite dip pens and quills:

• Basic wooden calligraphy set with 11 nibs
• We LOVE this stunning Quill Feather Set, which also includes a Wax Seal Stamp Kit (ideal for sealing spell jars)
• THIS gorgeous black fude pen has an internal cartridge that can be filled with your own bottled ink – making life SO much easier!

3. Inscribe Candles

Use a fine brush to paint symbols, words, or affirmations onto spell candles. The ink will dry with a subtle tint — perfect for layering intention before you dress and light the candle. We love – 

• Pure beeswax tapers –  the creme de la creme of ritual and everyday candles
• Green spell candles for abundance magick
• Complete set of black candles, ideal for dark moon, protection and banishment rituals
• Set of 20 spell candles (assorted colours)

4. Enhance Your Grimoire

Bring beauty and meaning to your Book of Shadows or grimoire pages by writing rituals, journaling dreams, or sketching herbal diagrams with your homemade ink. This is a lovely way to turn your magical records into true heirlooms.

We love this selection of journals:

• Stunning green leather-bound journal with key detail – SO beautiful!
• Sun & moon leather journal
• Lunar moth journal – a stunning handmade notebook for your book of spells

5. Bless & Charge Tools

Paint small protective runes, elemental glyphs, or deity symbols on tools like your wand, mortar and pestle, or altar tiles. These markings needn’t be permanent – the energy of the ink still lingers.

Also read: List of 20 Must-Have Witch Tools Your Magickal Practice Needs!

6. Create Art

Turn your ink into a medium for magickal, mystical art – a botanical sigil painting, a moon phase diagram, DIY solstice or Yule cards for friends, or even a spell in poetry form.

Hang your art on your wall or place it in your sacred space to radiate your intention outward. Source thick, good-quality paper here:

• 9″x12″ Watercolour paper, 300gsm

• Pack of 50 heavyweight watercolour cards – ideal for DIY cardmaking for seasonal celebrations
• 75 Sheets deckled-edge handmade paper – SO beautiful!

7. Record Your Lunar Rituals

Write ritual intentions or draw symbolic motifs during full moons, new moons, and each llunar phase. Over time, these pages become a living record of your path and cycles.

Need guidance? Get our MOST popular lunar cycle guide HERE

8. Craft Charms or Talismans

Anoint charm bags, envelopes, or folded spell papers with a sigil or word written in your ink. Tuck them into your wallet, under your pillow, or in your sacred space. These become portable spells powered by your personal touch.

Reminder: Because your ink is made with natural ingredients, always test it first on your chosen surface, especially if you’re using textured paper or waxy candles. Shake the bottle gently before each use, and store it out of direct sunlight for longevity.

In a world that often rushes past the sacred, making your own ink is an act of reclaiming time, craft, and intention. It invites spirit into matter – enabling your written words to carry the echo of your will.

I hope your spell-infused ink becomes a sacred tool, an essential part of your witch’s armoury of accessories. Awhisper from the herbs, a chant from the flame, a mirror of your inner world poured onto the page.

Blessed be, and may your words take root in the unseen…