Bay laurel or bay leaf is a budget friendly and easy to find herb. Its been used magically for thousands of years in cultures around the Mediterranean sea where it grows as a tree. It's a powerhouse for protection, manifestation, psychic abilities, and success.
Bay is also easy to grow outside in warm climates or inside in a pot. And it’s available in the spice aisle at your favorite supermarket. Definitely something to have in your witches cupboard.
Manifestation
Bay leaves are very powerful for manifestation. You can manifest something you want or to banish something. Amethyst has strong manifesting qualities also so they work well together.
So for example, I just applied to teach a course at a local community college. I set a clear intention, focused on Apollo winning the race, wrote my intention on the bay leaf and then burned it. I focused on my success and allowed the leaf to burn in my dish.
I focused on Apollo because the Greeks often used bay laurel. Victorious athletes, celebrated poets, and military leaders wore the laurel crown as a symbol of honor and achievement.
Check out my video Artemis and Apollo: Family Ties, Family Vengeance
Financial Manifestation Spell
Bay is wonderful for manifestations involving finances. For this I like to dress a candle. I recommend using this method for manifesting money.
Materials:
green ritual candle
frankincense or orange essential oil
three bay leaves
cinnamon
Steps:
Dress your candle with the above ingredients. You may need to attach the bay leaves because dried leaves wont wrap without breaking. I use natural hemp string.
Light your candle and state your intention. Visualize it coming true. Focus on the candle flame and realizing your intention for several minutes. Snuff your candle.
Do this for three days in a row.
Another financial tip is to stick a bay leaf in your wallet.
Candle dressing is an important step in preparing candles for spells or rituals. I will give you two examples of different candles. Candle magic is easy for beginners and grows with you as you gain skills.
Cutting Cord Spell
A bay leaf cord-cutting spell is a simple ritual used to sever energetic or emotional ties to a person, or toxic dynamic. Used for ending connections, banishing, absorbing negativity, and protection. I personally love doing this when I am anxious as well, envisioning having that power over the negative feelings really helps me feel empowered.
Materials:
2 Bay leaves
Hemp string 3 inches long
Black candle
Marker
Smudge bowl or other fireproof dish
Steps:
Cleanse your space and light your candle
Visualize the person you wish to cut the cord with and write their name on one of the leaves
Place a your hemp string over your bay leaf with the name
Hold the second bay leaf over the string and using a sawing motion “cut the cord”
Next break up both bay leaves to signify dissolving the connection with this person and then burn the Bay leaves to release the energy.
I sometimes mix the bay leaves wit rosemary leaves for added protection.
Note: If the cord involves a passionate past relationship, strong anger, or intense emotional attachment you may wish to add a red candle for extra energy.
Read my article: What Do Candle Colors Represent in Rituals and Spells?
Check Out My Etsy shop For Pagan and Witch Resources
Lunar work
Use bay during moon rituals.
New Moon:
The dark moon phase is ideal for new beginnings, abundance, and drawing in what you want. For the New moon, write what you’d like to manifest on your bay leaf on the night of a new moon. This is a good time to set a goal of something you want to achieve.
Full Moon:
The peak of the lunar cycle is used to shed bad habits, blockages, or emotional weight. During the full moon write down what you need to release on a bay leaf and burn it to symbolize your release.
Solar:
Bay is a Fire and Sun herb and does well in a protective amulet. It pairs naturally with other solar safeguarding ingredients like cinnamon, frankincense, rosemary, and sunflower.
Kitchen Witchcraft With Bay
The kitchen is an active altar and bay is a popular cooking herb. I love it with carrots in vegetable stews.
Stir with Intention: When cooking with a bay leaf, stir your soup or sauce clockwise to attract positive energy and counterclockwise to banish negativity.
Want to Cleanse yourself? Boiling anything such as pasta? Add salt and Bay leaf to the water and bring it to a boil. Allow the steam to enter the area to cleanse your body. Stand as if you are cooking and focus on negativity leaving your body and escaping with the steam. (don’t stand over the pot since steam can burn)
Bay Divination
Bay is also key in helping you with divination. Bay laurel has been tied to divination and prophecy since ancient times. In ancient Greece, the priestesses at the Oracle of Delphe chewed bay leaves and inhaled the smoke of burning laurel to enter trances and receive visions from the god Apollo.
Burn bay leaves while meditating or scrying to help lower the veil between worlds and stimulate psychic awareness.
Daphnomancy
Daphnomancy is an ancient form of pyromancy or divination by fire. Bay leaves are burned to predict the future or seek answers. Historically, practitioners would throw laurel branches or leaves into a ritual fire. If the leaves burn with a loud, sharp crackling sound, it was interpreted as a sign of good fortune, success, or a "yes" to a question. If the leaves burn quietly or turned to ash without producing a crackling noise, it was seen as a negative omen, a false prophecy, or a "no" to the inquiry
Because the tree is evergreen, it was also widely seen as a symbol of immortality, endurance, and divine protection.
Learn how to use bay leaf magic for protection, manifestation, and banishing negativity in your daily spiritual practice. Whether you are interested in simple spells or ancient divination methods like daphnomancy, this video provides practical instructions for working with this powerful herb. It is designed for anyone looking to incorporate traditional herbal wisdom into their modern pagan or witchcraft rituals.
Incense
Bay works well when cleansing your space: Add Bay leaf to your mix of cleansing herbs depending on your practice. Personally, I like to use Bay leaf, orange peel, Lavender and Rosemary in an incense as it smells wonderful. You don't want to inhale the smoke from burning bay leaf because it can contain irritating particles.
Growing Bay Leaf
Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is a tree in nature and grows where it is warm. It is native to the Mediterranean region and countries such as Greece and Italy. In the USA that's zones 8 -10.
You can grow bay leaves inside as a houseplant. Put it in a bright, south- or west-facing window with at least 6 hours of sunlight daily. Use a well-draining pot and water when the top two inches of soil feel dry. Keep it away from cold drafts and hot air vents. It does need supplemental bright light and at least 50% humidity in winter. In summer I put my topicals outside on the patio.
Author, Ame, is the founder of CPH, an eclectic pagan and green witch. Learn more about us here.
Pine forests are some of the oldest on earth. And with that age comes great wisdom and energy. They are found throughout North America, northern Europe and Asia. The entire pine tree is magical including the evergreen branches, the resin, and the cones.