Tonka Beans

Tonka Beans are a deliciously fragrant addition to a mojo bag. They smell strongly of vanilla, but are not edible, in fact the coumarin content which could be dangerous is the fragrance. Anything that smells as vanilla-spicy-yummy as this seed will be used in love magick, and that is exactly what it is traditionally used for, as well as an ingredient in perfumery. Catherin yronwood says to carry one for each of your love wishes for seven days in your pocket, then go to a moving body of water, throw the beans over your left shoulder into the water and walk away without looking back.

Tonka beans, ,Dipterix odorata, are a tropical legume from South America. Cunningham also ascribes it the powers “to attract money, bring luck, grant courage and ward off illness.” I have used it in a wish-making bubble potion. Kids love this! On a Friday in the waxing moon, add a Tonka bean to a bottle of ordinary soap bubbles. Allow it to set by for a month, and then when you blow bubbles, make a wish. The bubbles will carry your wish away, and when they pop, they smell delicious!

Because of the wonderful fragrance of Tonka beans, you will want to include them in as many types of mojo bags as you can. The smell lasts for a very long time, and will keep your mojo from getting a sweaty smell if you wear it next to your body. The smell itself is fixative, so it extends the lifespan of the other herbs in the mojo, and holds onto their fragrances.

The below correspondences are vis Cunningham, Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs in plain text, C.L. Zalewski, Herbs in Magic and Alchemy in brackets, or my own interpretations in parenthesis.

For other potions to bring Luck, see my blog article.