Basil is a much loved herb in magic. It is an incredibly useful and versatile herb, making it perfect for a wide variety of spells for love, luck, success, prosperity, protection, and a number of other magical uses. This is all thanks to the planetary energies associated with this herb. Basil is ruled by the planet Mars but it also has some Venus energies and influences, and this combination of Mars and Venus is incredibly powerful.
If you’re new to the concept of planetary energies, that’s okay. Mars and Venus essentially elevate one another. Mars has a warrior energy, it’s aggressive, assertive, dominant, and has both positive, victorious overtones as well as some negative, more violent overtones. Venus is a planet of love, sensuality, creativity, harmony, joy, beauty, commerce, and all of the good parts of life. Venus does have some negative qualities such as being occasionally a bit lazy and vain, but in general, it’s a very, very positive energy.
When you combine these two energies they overcome one another’s negative energies and elevate their positive qualities. This means that Venus takes the occasionally brutish Mars and transforms it into a noble, determined form of action and willpower. Venus gives Mars a purpose so that it can channel its aggressive tendencies in a productive way. Meanwhile, Mars negates Venus’s lazier and more vain tendencies. It gives Venus a kind of passion and vivacity and allows Venus to become significantly more productive and alive.
When we have these two energies combined in a single herb, what we have is a powerful force for enhancing the good parts of our lives, whether that be love, money, success, or luck, and it also creates an incredibly protective force given that this combination of Mars and Venus can often symbolize the home as the domicile or domestic kingdom of an individual family. So let’s take a look at how we can use the magical properties of basil in our magical practices.
1. Money spells
One of the most common uses for basil is in money magic. Basil is a wonderful amplifier for all forms of money and prosperity magic. It has an energy that is the combination of Venusian luxury and enjoyment, the true energy of abundance with the willpower, drive, and action of Mars. This is a plant to use when you are ready to do the work necessary to change your financial situation. If you are not ready to do the work, basil may not be as much help to you as you want, but for those of you who are happy to do the work, basil will bring a huge amount of energy and motivation to your financial life and career. It will help propel you along toward the abundance and money that you desire. For the best results, make sure you have a plan to improve your financial life and then act on it!
2. Luck in business
Basil is also perfect for any kind of magic to do with business, commerce, and matters of luck. Venus has strong ties to business and commerce, and when combined with Mars’ penchant for victory, it can really help to elevate the opportunities that flow your way and your good luck in negotiations. Whether you are starting a new business, negotiating deals with business partners or other businesses, or trying to land your next big client, basil is fantastic for anywhere you want to boost your luck a little bit in your business. You can carry a basil leaf pinned over your heart (under your clothes) for courage and success in negotiations, or you can sprinkle dry basil in the bottom of a cash register if you have a brick-and-mortar business.
3. Discourage an unwanted suitor
Due to its association with love, passion, and lust, basil is often used in love spells, but one lesser-known way of using basil is actually to repel an unwanted suitor or love interest. If someone is pursuing you and you would rather they stop, take a leaf of basil, place it under your mattress, and let the piece of basil wilt under your mattress. You’re symbolically allowing their sexual and romantic interest to wilt under your bed by allowing the energy of basil to decay slowly.
One thing to note is that this is not a great method to use if you are currently in a romantic relationship or trying to attract a new lover. This is a very simple spell and so it tends to affect everyone with a romantic interest in you the same. Only use this if you are single and not pursuing a romantic relationship with anyone.
4. Home protection
Basil has incredibly protective properties, especially around the home and our loved ones. If we think about the Mars and Venus associations here, Mars has a defensive, protective energy in general, and when it’s combined with Venus, it really centers on the use of this more martial energy to protect the home and family. Planting a pot of basil by your door is a very traditional way of protecting your home from unwanted visitors, spirits, and spell work. You can sprinkle dried basil across the threshold of your home to ward the space if you don’t have a green thumb. Basil can also be used in talismans, candle spells, spell powders, and other forms of magic to create a little extra protection for yourself and the people that you love.
5. Extra protection for your sacred circle
If you need additional protection for your circle or your ritual space, you can line your circle with dried basil powder. This is especially powerful if you’re working in a salt circle. Combining salt and its element of earth with basil and its earth and fire energies can lend extra protective qualities to any kind of work that you’re doing. This is particularly useful when you are trying to keep out any energies that want to interfere with your work, such as spirits or other people’s magic. Simply awaken your basil and ask it to protect the work that you are about to do before sprinkling it around the circle.
6. Enhancing love and harmony
Basil is a very traditional love herb because of this association with Venus and when we take a look at the way that Venus affects Mars and these fiery energies, we can really see the effects that basil will have in love magic. Basil is particularly good at creating harmony, attraction, and a happy, stable home life through your love magic. This is a very important nuance! Basil is not something to use if you want a passionate summer fling. It’s also not a good herb to use if you’re trying to steal someone else’s partner or if you’re working any kind of love magic that would have disruptive, aggressive, or overly secretive tones. If that’s the kind of love magic you’re working, you’re better off using something like rose petals. The magic of basil is good for strong, stable, harmonious love and home life. It’s great for fidelity spells, for creating peace and harmony in your relationship, and for re-enlivening love and passion in a long-term, committed partnership.
7. Purification
Basil has excellent purification properties, so if you’re looking for a cleansing agent or spiritual purification herb, basil is a great choice. It is particularly good in instances where you are trying to clear out negative energy from fights and arguments, or emotional turmoil from a recent breakup or the loss of a job. Using basil to cleanse in these instances helps to replace these energies with that productive, driven, harmonious energy that basil is known for.
Now, basil does not smell very good when it’s burnt, so rather than suggesting that you burn it as you would with sage, I prefer to use a cleansing wash. Steep basil leaves in hot water, just like you would with tea, and then use this infused basil water as a natural cleaning solution to mop your floors, clean your doors and thresholds, wash your windows, or use it in a spray bottle to cleanse your home quickly and easily.
8. Emotional healing and balance
While basil’s energies may not initially seem like they would be useful for healing, they can actually be used in this context. When we are using basil for emotional healing, we are drawing on those Mars energies to bolster ourselves, to make us brave in the face of our own past traumas and struggles. Basil gives us the courage to confront things that might otherwise seem too painful or too daunting for us to tackle. It allows you to lean into the vulnerability required for emotional healing with courage and determination. At the same time, the influence of Venus helps to draw us toward the end resolution of inner peace and harmony. It ensures that your determination, bravery, and action culminate in true healing. This makes basil a perfect ally for shadow work and inner transformation work, where we are diving into the subconscious mind and our own histories.
9. Growing basil for magic
Finally, Basil can serve as a powerful plant ally and spiritual guide for those who wish to cultivate these energies in their lives more deeply. The best way to do this is not by simply using basil in your spells, but growing a basil plant as a magical companion and spiritual ally that can teach you and guide you in your own exploration of magic and healing. Growing your own basil for magic allows you to not only get to know basil as a spiritual entity and magical helper, but also as a physical entity, and you can learn many things about enhancing your magic through this dual knowledge. There are also many ways for you to enhance the basil that you grow for magical use, such as watering it with moon water, working magic with it under Mars and Venus, and casting spells to enhance the potency of the basil plant as it grows.
Basil is an incredibly magical ally, no matter how you choose to use it. I hope that you find this sacred plant beneficial in your own magic!
Ready to become a witch?
Join my FREE Witchcraft Foundations class!
