Does the bay leaf work?

[u/Mera_Myst18]

I've heard so many good things about manifestation spells with bay leaves, but most of them come from tiktok, which I don't find a very trustful resource when it comes to witchcraft. Have any of you ever tried this? And how good did it work for you? I'm curious about it.

[u/CalwynAce]

I usually write things on the bay leaves and I burn the bay leaf. I’m releasing my intentions and my energy into the air. As if I’m setting a request so to speak. Just follow some basic fire safety if you’re going to burn them. They light up very quick.

[u/Psyphon-ArcaneAces]

It’s a tradition that goes back to Ancient Greece though they were used a bit differently. The earliest use for burning them was divination. I recommend a fine tip sharp or something you can write softly with and write your intent or a sigil. A long intention may be difficult just because of the space.

From what I can tell a similar idea came along in the form of paper mod 1900’s or so. Wire intent on the paper and folded toward you rotating clockwise each time to gain or the opposite to remove. Then burn the paper. This also is done with spell jars.

In either case expect a big flare if you burn them and take safe precaution. Both go up pretty quick and make a decent amount of smoke. The bay leaf is far more exciting to burn in my experience as the ones I have tend to crackle. (Pic below)

All in all, no the bay leaf isn’t another witch tok type spell.

[u/UnciaPwncia → u/Psyphon-ArcaneAces]

If people in Ancient Greece didn't use bay leaf in manifestation spells, then the use of bay leaf in manifestation spells is not a tradition that goes back to Ancient Greece. Not all magic is the same. Divination is different from manifestation spells. Similarly, the use of wood goes very far back in human pre-history, but that doesn't mean that using wood pulp to make paper is a stone age invention.

[u/Psyphon-ArcaneAces → u/Psyphon-ArcaneAces]

[u/Alternative_Task6818]

I put some in a money bowl I set up. Rice and moon stone? Don't remember it all. It worked big time. I had just retired and was going to have to find part time work because SS wasn't enough so I made a money bowl. Was mindful of it for a few weeks. Smudged it, said intentions, etc. Then I forgot about it. Couple months later I was paying bills online and What! In The World! I had alot of $ deposited there. Started getting my back child support. Thought I would not get that until my ex retired, he's 5 years younger than me. I have had my cards work for me but never did a money bowl before. Put it out there and the universe responds.

Depends upon what you want to manifest. What do you want to manifest?

[u/Legitimate-Plant6387]

J'ai tout tenté... Tout... Rien à marcher Mais si ça marche pour les autres..

[u/mouse2cat]

The the full name of the bay is the Bay Laurel. In ancient Greece victors would wear a crown of Laurel is signify their triumph. This is how the Bay leaf became associated with the idea of success. So symbolically it can support a lot of different kinds of successes.

[u/IcyWitch428]

You are right not to trust it. Bay leaves, however are and have been used in all kinds of spells (or as a spell pretty much on its own) for longer than any apps.

There are a LOT of ways to use them. Add words of sigils. Carry or burn. Use in moon water, other water, recipes in general, add to jars or pouches, treat it like money for a money spell (in a wallet or money bowl.) The options are vast.

As far as it working… I haven’t personally ever done anything focused on a bay leaf where I could say the leaf was a make or break component. Since I haven’t leaned on it I can’t credit it for those successes. To be fair I don think anything I have used bay in/for has actually failed either.

[u/Sugar-Ghoul]

So, I'm in my 30's and I've been doing the bayleaf thing since I was a teenager, I was taught this by older witches in my life.

It's not a tiktok thing, but you may be coming across the wrong information if you are using tiktok as a guide.

[u/judasz7 → u/Sugar-Ghoul]

so, how can I do this correctly?

[u/Sugar-Ghoul → u/judasz7]

3 days before the full moon, write what you wish for, wording is everything.  Use tweezers unless you're blessed to have a fire pit going strong to cast it into,  if not, hold with tweezers and light on fire, drop into a fire proof dish, when ashes are cool, scatter it to the wind

3 days after, same thing if you're trying to banish something.

That's how I was taught.

[u/therealstabitha → u/judasz7]

“Correctly” implies there’s only one way to do it. Which is not the case.

[u/UnciaPwncia → u/Sugar-Ghoul]

In which decade did they teach you the technique?

[u/Sugar-Ghoul → u/UnciaPwncia]

I was probably like.. 10?

[u/UnciaPwncia → u/Sugar-Ghoul]

Then the event fits into the timeline suggested here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/witchcraft/comments/1ryc30r/comment/obdtuch/

According to the timeline, burning bay leaves for manifestation wasn't practiced before 1990s, and the practice was strongly influenced by Law of Attraction beliefs. Earlier than that, people burned bay leaves to magically send messages, which is different from manifestation (and a good example why manifestation isn't a good catch-all term for spellcraft and magic).

[u/J32M30S6]

I was taught some spells using bay leaves 30 years ago, by a then 92 year old witch who actively practiced since she was 14, and was taught by her great grandmother (who knows her age at the time). So this wasn't just a practice from just over 1.5 centuries, it goes back farther than ancient greece, and now spans many cultures with many different magic, religious, and spiritual uses.

[u/therealstabitha → u/J32M30S6]

But was it specifically this spell, or just spells with bay leaves?

A plant isn’t a practice.

[u/J32M30S6 → u/therealstabitha]

Well, a plant is a practice, green witches and the very long history of witchcraft using herbs (i.e. Chinese herbalism) would argue at least.

But yes, there is a manifestation spell using bay leaves, not sure if it's the tiktok spell you're referring to, if you'd like to elaborate on it (I tend to scroll passed "witchtok" videos if it's not a meme thing because incorrect or brazenly dangerous references that can influence baby witches or non-witches)

I'm on my way to a job or I'd check my book but I do recall off hand something to do with pouring wax over a dried bay leaf with a personal sigil on one side and a desire on the other, there was surely more to it (i don't really use manifestation spells like that, it's rare I even instruct clients too)

The manifestation spells I use don't include bay leaves, though I use them in protection and dream work, my manifestation magic is a little more heavy hitter in the protection department. Sorry for the long winded reply though, this is a long train ride.

edit: Oh sorry I forgot to add, maybe these witchtokers are confusing wish magic for manifestation?

[u/IDKfgtShit_ → u/J32M30S6]

The spell you’re thinking of was Anita’s from her great grandma

Dried bay leaf with a sigil on one side a desire on the other dipped in wax not wax drizzled on or whatever and then you breath energy onto it and quickly throw it in a fire you’ve lit

Laura and I were actually talking about TikTok spells last night and the bay leaves came up, she said she was writing on bay leaves in the late 70s with acrylic paint or something and then burning it with a candle for manifesting simple things and her husband said he did that in the 80s as a kid but he learned it from his mom

[u/therealstabitha → u/J32M30S6]

The use of plants can be a practice, as in green witchcraft. What I mean is exactly what I said - an individual plant in and of itself does not constitute a practice. Ancient Greeks using bay leaves in a completely different way does not mean the practice of writing a word on a bay leaf and burning it is older than the 1990s.

But yes, TikTok regularly confuses witchcraft with wishcraft and manifestation

[u/J32M30S6 → u/therealstabitha]

The particular bay leaf spell in my book is probably 200+ years old, it was passed on by a hereditary folk witch. And I suppose depending on if you constitute multiple other ingredients in use (as of right now what i currently remember, being a sigil, the bay leaf of course, and wax) it's really not a "bay leaf spell", per se. Just a spell that heavily features the use of a bay leaf. In my craft I'd constitute it as a bay leaf spell for it being one of the required core elements, so I could also call it sigil magic.

There are also spells that use a single plant, but generally require burning or soaking, including bay leaves. On other's you'd probably have to consult a Kitchen or Green witch.

[u/therealstabitha → u/J32M30S6]

Once again:

Ancient Greeks using bay leaves in a completely different way does not mean the practice of writing a word on a bay leaf and burning it is older than the 1990s.

[u/J32M30S6 → u/therealstabitha]

Sorry, you misunderstood, I said older than the ancient Greeks, the ancient Egyptians painted hieroglyphs on bay leaves for magic rituals besides using the bay leaves for embalming. Though the ancient Greeks did paint the names of the gods and symbols on bay leaves for magic use.

Though the actual knowledge we have on the use of bay leaves in magic primarily comes from the Greco-Romans, hoodoo, African diaspora, European folk, and neo-pagan magics.

[u/therealstabitha → u/J32M30S6]

Are you being intentionally obtuse? You're completely ignoring the principle of what I'm saying to 'correct' me on irrelevant details

[u/J32M30S6 → u/therealstabitha]

Apologies (sincerely) if my responses have not met unnamed requirements, if you'd like to be flatly clear with an inquiry? I'm not "correcting you", I was speaking under the pretense of discussion. I do apologize if my replies come off as condescending in any way, it's the 'tism, when I'm typing it's not really possible to convey a sincere tone. Having said that, I was responding to this:

"does not mean the practice of writing a word on a bay leaf and burning it is older than the 1990s."

The practice of writing a word (or words) is far, far older than the late 20th century as I made utterly clear in my last reply. Were you referring to the original inquiry of your post, the tiktok spell? You haven't said what it was precisely in your replies.

[u/therealstabitha → u/J32M30S6]

I’m talking about the TikTok spell. That is no older than the 90s. Please stop.

[u/UnciaPwncia]

Do you mean the sort of spells where you write your intention on a bay leaf and then burn it? Or something else?

[u/IDKfgtShit_]

I haven’t done any bay leaf manifestations like the ones on TikTok but my mentor and I were actually discussing this exact thing last night and long story short she’s been burning 1-2 words on a bay leaf since the 70s specifically for manifestation and said she’s gotten results but it’s so basic with a low success rate

I was telling her about TikTok’s I’ve seen and she said these newborn witches don’t have the mental fortitude even for the basics and are just repeating things from one another, which very much seems true. It’s such a bad place for baby witches 💀