Powerful Powders - Charity L Bedell

A pinch of powder can be a full spell if you know what you are doing. We sit down with returning guest Charity L. Bedell to get practical about Powerful Powders and why magical powders remain one of the most versatile tools in spellcraft, hoodoo, conjure, and Southern folk magic. From dressing candles to building container spells, from dusting a threshold to laying a “path” that activates when people walk over it, powders turn intention into action in a way that is simple, portable, and surprisingly powerful. 

We also go deeper than recipes. Charity breaks down how correspondences actually form by studying the whole life of a plant: medicinal uses, where it grows, what it pairs with, and what it resists. Then we look at folklore and myth as another layer of meaning, and we talk about UPG (unverified personal gnosis) and why your lived relationship with an herb, crystal, or ingredient can outperform a list from a book. If you have ever wondered how to adapt traditional formulas like hot foot powder or black salt without losing the point of the work, this conversation gives you a clear method. 

Finally, we keep it grounded in everyday magic: shower and bath techniques using essential oils, directional washing for drawing in vs clearing out, and kid-friendly options like wish powders that let beginners learn without flames or complicated tools. We also cover responsible practice and safety, including why you should separate tools for edible powders versus non-ingestible blends. If you want accessible witchcraft that works in real life, start here. 

Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this episode with a friend who loves practical magic, and leave a review with your favorite powder or daily ritual takeaway.

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Bio: I am a witchcraft and nature spirituality author who has been published by Union & Square (Formerly Sterling Ethos) and Llewellyn. My first book The Good Witches Guide: A Modern day Wiccapedia of Magickal Ingredients & Spells focused on the connections between medicine and magic. My other two books Container Magic and Divine Dirt, focus on the connections between folk magic and the spirits of the land. My newest release is Powerful Powders! 

Transcript

Welcome and Guest Return

GDC 0:01

Welcome to Belief Being Beyond with your host, Granddaughter Crow. Hi everybody, Granddaughter Crow here with yet another episode of Belief Being and Beyond. And I have a returning guest with me today, Charity L. Bedell. Now, if you remember, Charity, we had her on talking about container magic, divine dirt, and we were looking forward to her new release, which now has come out, which is Powerful Powders. Oh my goodness, brilliant conversation. Let's hop on over and talk to Charity.

Charity 0:47

The powders are a really fun thing to make to begin with. So writing about them was a lot of fun. I love that. Yes. They're one of my favorite things to do and make and work with because they're so versatile. You can use them in candle spells, you can use them by themselves. You can use them as fillings and satchets and balls or containers, or you could use them to sprinkle them around, you know, like keys and crystals and candles that you're burning to make add more power to the spell. So there's so much you can do, and there are so many different types of powders, and that even powders like um sweeps and um sweetening stuff powders, which are traditionally only used in one or two ways, can be used in other forms.

GDC 1:52

Oh wow. When you said did you say in sweeps? Because I've not heard that before.

Charity 1:57

What is Yes, um magical sweeps is something that I bring up in this book, and that's something uh technique and practice I I came across through my training in Hudu and Conjure and Southern folk magic. And the idea is that um when you're sweeping your house and cleaning, you can sweep to remove, but you can also sweep to bring things in. It's about the matter of motion. So like sweeping to remove might be left to right across the door, especially if left is your non-dominant hand, the hand you receive the most energy from. So left to right, it would be the out of the house, and right to left or front to back would be bringing something in. Oh, I love that. The idea is that um one of the other names for many magical powders is uh dusting powder. Dusting powder, okay. And the idea is that you could use uh a mini broom, um those big poofy makeup brushes that have all those little bristles, and just dip the brush in the in the powder and then dust it over whatever you're doing. So like for a um for a business that was trying to attract sales, they might um put some put put some of it right over their front store front step, but they also might make a path that the customers walk on from the parking lot to the front door and through the store, and that the more people that walk on it, the more pe that energy is impacted and activated, and the more people will actually um cut be likely to come in and activate the magic.

GDC 4:15

Oh my goodness, I love that because you study the like a lot of folklore, and I've I've seen that in your books is that you are able to draw direct correlations between different practices when it comes to not just the powders, but the dirts and the animals and the recipes and all of that. I guess my question is, how did you it takes that's a lot of work to do to be able to draw those correlations? Is that something that you just naturally do, or how did you get into drawing the correlations?

Charity 5:05

It started by um basically treating that um going into conjuring who do I approach it as if I had when I first started studying like this 10 years ago, I took the approach that I knew nothing. Right. Even though I had heard a cup seeing a couple of things, and I knew a little bit from seeing posts and stuff online, and so then I looked through that I I read that stuff, and as I was reading through a lot of the herbal correspondences, I'm like, wait a minute. That looks very familiar. So then I likely drew out my Cunning Hands herbal encyclopedia and looked up the same herb and noticed I that there was the same base thing might be the same, like they mo both might have protection as its both traditional witchcraft and conjure might in might have protection as its use and correspondence, but how both sides use it could be different. So a lot of what I do is I focus on where they have similarities and I've then I and I acknowledge the differences and I try to find ways to where um I might look at a traditional hoodoo cadre working like I really like this idea, but I don't have this and I don't have this, and I or I don't want to do that, so what can I do? So then I would look so that I look at what the orbit what the material did or what a step was for in the spell, because all spells have been working, every step has a reason why it is done, right? And if I can look at it for the whole and see, okay, so that was that was to bring money, wealth, and success. Okay, so and then I look at everything else I had and like okay, money, wealth, money, wealth, money, wealth, money, wealth. Oh, look, I don't have anything for success yet, so then I would go look over and find try to find another herb or material that acts similarly. And another way to do that is to also look at the physical plants and um their medicinal properties, as well as where they grow, what part of the plant is used, what plants grow with them, what plants are their enemies. And by looking at the whole picture of the plant, you can get an idea of everything you can use it for, and how and why they got these magical associations.

GDC 8:37

I love that because it's kind of like looking at the plant almost as a personality that does certain things, gets along with certain things, has certain attributes, shouldn't get along with other things, and just it's very animistic. It's got that personality with it.

Charity 8:58

It is, and one of the things I've noticed is that many books on magical practices will talk about correspondences and that this is associated with this, this is associated with this. And some of them, if you know the like the medicinal properties of things like basil and rosemary and thyme, you can understand why they have that. But other herbs um like mustard seed, um success, fertility, and prosperity are things that m a lot of people don't necessarily associate with the with the plant. But this is where the um the other thing I look at is the act is actual folklore regarding the plants. And in the case of mustard seed, this is where going through and reading the Bible and finding ver Bible verses or um reading the Edas and sagas from Norse mythology and seeing, like in Norse mythology, mistletoe, you can see why mistletoe has the properties it does because of what how it was used in the lore, it mentioned in the lore, and it also explains why, even though it was a common plant, it wasn't really used a whole lot because it killed one of the most beloved gods. Alder, yes. So I mean, it's also why it's also sacred to him.

GDC 10:55

Yeah.

Charity 10:56

Because it killed him and put him in Hellheim and then made him ready to be when they everything was reborn after Ragnarok, but still, because of that one piece of lore, it's not a plant that really gets a lot of appreciation, even though it's got some really cool things.

GDC 11:20

Right. I agree, I absolutely agree with that. That's what I love is that it's like you are looking around to see what is accessible where you're at. Like you don't have to order something from across the world or whatever, work with the magic that is right here with you, and you can study them in the lore. That's what, and and bring and draw up those meanings, which is kind of like you're doing a lot of that work for us in your work. You're doing a lot of that work for us, whether it's in container magic, divine dirt, and now powerful powders. Oh my goodness, powerful powders, recipes and formulas for magic and spellcrafting. Go ahead.

Charity 12:16

And I mean, one of the reasons why I do that is that it gives people a place to start because in powerful powders specifically, I actually finally go in and explain why correspondences exist and um also how to make your own create your own understanding of the correspondences because traditional correspondences are great, but if your relationship with something screams one thing that uh that other people might not see it with, go with what it screams to you. Your personal relationships and personal correspondences will always be more effective than something from a book. Yes, you use the book if you're not a hundred percent sure if what some of the things are, but if I'm holding um like I have this Lathus palm stone right here, right? And for me, it's all about water energy and communication and the throat chakra and healing work, and this is one of the crystals I use majorly in my healing work, but there's also a little bit of um, I would also consider this a healer's moneymaker stone because of the little bits of iron pyrite that are for about it and because it has has iron pyrite or fool's gold, it has that money attribute. So if I'm doing money work and I'm trying to be a professional healer and make money for my healing work, Lapis is a stone I would use for that because I just and I just explained how I came to my personal UPG just by what just by looking at the stone and knowing what its contents are.

GDC 14:33

I love that. You said UPG. I might be too old. What does that mean?

Charity 14:38

UPG it basically is uh means unverified personal gnosis. Oh it basically is my experience, what I've had felt, and acknowledging what is your personal unverified knowledge and experience versus what is accepted is important. And there are times where your personal gnosis may end up being the same as several other people, and then it becomes accepted as modern lore. Like that's where that's where Freya liking chocolate and strawberries came from. Chocolate and strawberries weren't things in the in the Icelandic world. They might have they had other sweets and they had other berries, but chocolate and strawberries weren't something that would have been given to Freya. That is something that came about because enough people had the same experience, the same gnosis about giving her strawberries and chocolates as an offering that it then became accepted.

Turning Old Recipes Into Yours

GDC 15:56

I love that. I bet because, you know, chocolate and strawberries have that sensuality, and so does she. But in the Americas, we really do associate, you know, dipped strawberries dipped in chocolate in a glass of champagne or wine or whatever. So it gives that feminine sensuality with it. I love that, you know, it's funny because Charity, I I know that, you know, the unverified, you know, personal gnosis. I just never heard somebody just you pee, and now I've got that in my bag, and I'm gonna start saying that as well. I absolutely love it. So on our journey, powerful powders. Do you have in this book over a hundred and thirty recipes and having to do with just about anything anybody could think of ancestor work, attraction, banishing, blessings, removing hexes, wishes, friendship, work, any justice, which I think we need a lot of that right now, but all love, all of these things, and I find it beautiful because it helps an individual to take their magic and their powerful powders and apply it to something that is practical within their life. How did you come up with all of these different how long did it take you to?

Charity 17:28

Um a lot of the formulas are based on traditional formulas that were I was either passed down through my teacher or I found like hot foot powder, for example, which is in my Baneful Magic chapter. I found in my conjure books at least seven different recipes.

GDC 17:54

Wow.

Charity 17:56

And that is a very traditional powder in Hebrew conjure work. So what I do in that case, when I have that many similar recipes to look at, I see where the what the key common ones are, and then I see, then I look to see what the secondary most used items are, and then I look up the correspondences for anything else that was listed, and then I make it my own. Oh, yes. And it's I take that same approach with um which is black salt. I've I made my black salt recipe my own by adding things to it because traditional which is black salt is charcoal and sea salt, charcoal, ash, and sea salt. But I add things to it because I add a couple extra herbs, like I add nettle and gallon gal root, and um I think I might have added patchouli in the past too. Um but these are materials that I associated with the protection and also the sting that I wanted because black salt can be used for protection, it can be used for bashing and removal, but it can also be used in hex work and baneful work. So the black salt formula that I create and sell or give to people is one that can be that will have stuff so that it can be used for however you like to use your black salt.

GDC 19:42

I love that.

Charity 19:43

And all the other formulas, well, a lot of them came uh were based on products that I used that I actually crafted and sold when I had my um metaphysical shop open that had to close down a couple years ago because of various things in the world, COVID aside. Okay. Um but it is something now that we've l we've moved on and have a bigger space. We my husband and I actually own our own home now. Congratulations. Thank you. Um and that took some magical work to make happen. I love it. Yes. Um but we actually have space downstairs where I'll be able to do my herbal work and be able to make powders and baths and things.

GDC 20:40

Love that. I love that. So, what part of the United States are you coming from? Are you on the east coast or I'm in Colorado?

Charity 20:49

I'm in the east coast. I am a proud New Englander from Maine.

GDC 20:55

Nice, I love it, I absolutely love it. So I love that you were able to get a home with using the magic that you write about, because that's what I love about people that write books when they walk the walk, when they actually do it, which leads me to my next question. Like, how long have you, I guess, consciously been doing magic? Because my thought is when we're kids, we're always doing magic. We just don't call it magic. But how long um have you been consciously doing uh spell casting and magical work or whatever?

Folk Protection for Daily Life

Charity 21:42

That's cool to answer because um I did some stuff in my some experimental stuff in my teens just to you know test magic and see if it what it how it worked and get an idea for okay, this is what this. What a spell is like. This is what a formal ritual is like, and just you know, the cut the light dabbling that a lot of teenagers do when they're interested and curious and just trying to start out. It wasn't until um about 20 years 20 years ago in 2006 when my husband and I were in our first apartment, then I started actually being able to use it in part of my day-to-day life. That's when I started to realize um and use it, especially when we had a very hard time happen in the um early 2010-ish. And when we had that really hard time, I used magic to bring to bring work. I used magic to make sure we had food. I used magic to make sure I had money, I made magic to make sure we were both healed and had everything we needed. And it just became a part of my everyday life. And then and at that same time, um, that's when I started studying voodoo and conjure, because I reali because that's when I also learned that um a lot of the folk magic practices are pretty much set and due or they're ingrained in your daily life. Like one of the most basic um common protections for the crown and the spirit of your head of your head is simply wearing your hair in a braid. Oh that's why you see that's why you see so many southern women with their hair in tight braids, either a single braid or all kinds, or the box braids and things like that, is because it is a cultural protection against the crown. And the crown chakra and the crown area of your head is one of the easiest ways for spirits and negativity to attack you and attach to you and your body and your life. So things like that. Um wearing wearing blue to and and like to protect against the evil eye. Um and just, you know, various little things like that. I've learned how you can make any item piece of jewelry um a protection from your ancestors just by keeping it on their altar and praying over it with your ancestors for 30 days and 30 nights, and after a month, it'll be so charged with their spiritual energy that when you wear that ring, you now have their protection.

Shower Spells With Essential Oils

GDC 25:02

That is so magical. I love that. You know, that was right around like in 2006, 2008 was the recession, and a lot of people got hit, you know, and and a lot of people started turning to magic because you know, logic left the building, you know. Hard times come. And I think that we're at that time again, not saying that we're at a recession, but we've got our own stuff going on here in the United States. And I think that we are at that time again where we need to, as magical and spiritual practitioners, share the knowledge, the basic, like you said, the knowledge that is day-to-day. It's ingrained in taking a bath and washing your house and doing all of these things. And this is a really good time for powerful powders to to hit the I was gonna say box office, but you know it to be released. Yeah.

Charity 26:08

And I mean, one of the one of the best ways to bring simple magic into your daily life is with your daily shower. You can simply uh essential oils, add a couple drops of an essential oil to your soap or body wash, whatever you use, and you make sure that that oil corresponds to a need. So if let's say you're going out for a job interview, I would add um patchouli pine and chamomile, all three have money, wealth, and pros prosperity, fertility, and success thing. So I would add those three drops to my to my bath or bath soap or whatever that day, and I would wash myself growing from my legs up because I want to grow the opportunity. Whereas if I was um like I was going to a legal counsel because I was trying to get people out of my life, I would do some same thing with banishing herbs, probably like frankincense, mirror, and sage, and I would go from the top down because you want to remove it. And I've I I think of the top down, kind of like when I'm laying in bed, I kick off the blankets from the top down, so that's removal and cover up and grow and warm ground up.

Wish Powders for Kids and Teens

GDC 27:54

I love that because it's so basic, but it's so energetically perfect. I mean, it's correct, energetically correct, and the more that we can put into our magic in mindful actions, not just making or working with it, but in the way that we work with it, which I think is so great. I want to get into a couple of your recipes um around like how the book is set up so that listeners will be able to see it. It's really great, guys, because it's a very small book in that you can fit it in your handbag, you can fit it in your purse, you can take it with you. It's a very utilitarian, what do you call that? It's a utility. Yeah, utility, yep. It's it's something that's very, very useful that you can take along the way. And I love the way that it you can just flip it open. So how would like share one of your favorite ones or a story about one of the recipes that we would find in your book?

Charity 29:09

Okay, so um and in the common magical powders chapter, which is the first chapter with formulas. Um I'm not sure if it's in the middle of the chapter or if it's at the end of the chapter, I have the wish powders. Um one of the reasons I did that is that I've had a lot of people come that have eight, six, seven, eight, nine-year-old kids that want that are curious about magic and spellcraft, and they see their mom or dad as a witch doing loose spells, and so they want to learn how to do it. Wit wish powders are a great way to introduce children to magical work, and in fact, magical powders in general is a great way to introduce children to magical work. Same with container magic, these are simple things that aren't doesn't require form big formal invocations. You tell them what they need to do, how they put it together. So simple, they're crafty, kids can do it with the with you, they can do it themselves. So it really brings magic into the possibility of everyone's life and because you don't want a ten uh eight to ten year old necessarily burning a candle because that's not unless you're gonna be right there with them. Right. But you want them to be able to do magic or spell on their own without you watching over their every step. These powders and these containers in my container magic book and the divine dirt, those are all great ways to introduce kids and teens to magical work without necessarily having the requirements of candles and crystals and because I lived for a couple years during my teenhood in places where I couldn't burn candles, I couldn't have earths, I couldn't have crystals, so I had to come up with other ways to do my magic. Right. And that's where learning about dirt and powders and making containers using pen and paper and ribbon came about.

GDC 31:53

I love that. And that's what I'm saying. It's so functional the way that you see see magic. And I love how I mean, that's an extension of what we were talking about last time. You also talked about how, you know, different things in the book are child friendly, and you know, but that the adult has the responsibility always to watch over. And I love that not only because it unites the family, but because that childhood is a place where magic lives always. And watching children play and wish on a star and say their prayers or or imagine and move things and all of these things, that's where spirit is really playful. And to be able to do that with children or to encourage them, hey, this is how you do it even more, actually not only helps the child, but also the caregiver, too, or the adult in the room, or whatever it is. I I love that you do that, Charity. It's very broad in your thinking that it's not just one witch in the back closet that's doing this. There's a whole bunch, I mean, it's for everyone.

Charity 33:14

And part of that was I was uh my I have a little brother who is 22 years younger than me. So he just became an adult. So during his early childhood, from six to ten-ish, he would ask me questions about the spells and magic because he came to see me at my events several times, and he used a couple of the tinctures that I made because they helped him relax and focus in school. So as I started writing books, I started thinking what were what how are some things what are some things that would that a child could do to feel like they have the magic magical power in control and do on their own without having to necessarily have their adult in the same room. Because an adult not practicing in the spell but just standing and watching might might upset their flow of energy because they'd be more worried about what the adult is thinking than actually doing the work. So I think you can, you know, get them the powder get them the powders and stuff and give give them a couple of ideas of what they can do on their own without needing candles, without needing, you know, to burn anything or deal with incense or sharp objects and knives and tools. Right, right, right. These powders for and dirt and containers provide great ways, tools for them to learn and explore magic growing up. As always, obviously, it is up to the parent or guardian to go through these my books and make sure that it's something that they don't mind their child reading or using that spell, because yeah, I do have spells and rituals in here for in there for sex and lust and you know adult topics. But I also have things for friendship and grades in good grades in school and you know, self-love and healing, and everybody every every age needs healing, and so I love it.

What Counts as a Powder

GDC 35:48

So powerful powders. This is a very odd question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. What constitutes being a powder? Like define powder.

Charity 36:00

That's actually a really good question. I'm glad you asked. In my view, it's basically um any material that is as finely ground as possible, so it feels like a powder. So it could be like um, you know how there there are different levels of grains of sand. So like at an ocean beach, you have the very, very fine beach sand, which is one level of powder, then you get closer to the water and it's more compact, but still has that ability to just sprinkle quickly easily. So essentially they're mostly herbal blends, but things uh but things like dead insects and dried animal skins and things like that that can also be ground into that fine consistency um can all can also be used. I also would consider the person that considers uh most herbal bath most magical baths and teas are could also be considered powders because they also have that ability to just reach and you take a pinch and just sprinkle. So it can have a little bit of um actual have to actually feeling the various materials, but it should be very they should be as fine as possible. And I mean, I consider incense is another ma herbal and dried herbal incense that you let over a charcoal. That's a that's a magical powder. Baths are a magical powder, teas could be a magical powder. I love it. It just like if you could put it in a shaker and shake it and have it come out in fine things. Like and I mean I know they and they have different sized shakers, like they got ones with really small holes, and they got ones with bigger holes, so you can have things like peppercorns come out and stuff. So if you could use something like an herb shaker with those, you know, medium hole, medium-sized holes and get your powder out, that's that's what I'm how I can what I'm considering.

GDC 38:30

I love that. It's very broad and it's more like it's the it's the consistency, it's the it's the ability to to crush or crumble or shake and and yeah, pour out.

Charity 38:43

Yeah. Basically, if you could if you could put and can dip a brush in it and basically dust sprig dust it around and have it feel like it comes out in a powder, then it's a magical powder.

GDC 38:59

I love it. Powerful powders, powders, you know, and it goes straight into everything that you're doing with the container and then the dirt and now the powder. These are things that are clearly accessible to all of us, irregardless of where you land on the globe. And I love that you kind of bring to life the things that are right inside of our kitchen, you know, they're right inside of our kitchen. So, charity, what things would you like for the reader to know when they pick up powerful powders?

Charity 39:39

Um really that the big thing is that in the book in the book, when I go the chapter that goes over tools, you hear it specify that you should have use a different bowl for mixing your magical powders in than your herbal blend and stuff for your own for your work, because not every er um powder is safe to be ingested. I do have a chapter on magical powders that are edible, that are things that you can ingest. And those could be made with your regular kitchen stuff, but I would still make them with the separate magical bowl.

GDC 40:30

Love that.

Charity 40:31

And that's it's and that's just because it helps keep the stuff that you know you must might not always be able to be ingested from the stuff that can be ingested. Absolutely.

GDC 40:43

That's wise, yeah.

Charity 40:45

It it says the same thing about a grinder and mixing spoons and things like that. Yeah. And it basically boils down to a safety because not everything is gonna be is safe to be ingested, not everything is safe to be mixed together with something that could be ingested. So use two separate bowls and two separate things with thorough cleaning between uses.

Closing Thoughts and Where to Start

GDC 41:18

I love that. And I, you know, I actually agree with that beyond, you know, the powerful powders. I agree that magical tools are sacred and they they they vibrate at a certain energetic level, meaning that if something is dedicated to for a certain purpose and maybe even consecrated for that purpose, it then takes on a spirit, a meaning, and all of that, and it gets diluted if it wasn't. So, for example, a wedding ring is a consecrated, it's just a ring, like expensive ring, mind you, sorry, but it is just a ring. But when it sits on this certain finger for this certain meaning placed on this by this person, that that basically takes on, you know, a magical, sentimental, blessed practice. And I feel like it's the same thing with our magical tools, same concept. And I and I love that you said that because you're right. We got to practice with uh understanding that not everything can be ingested. I know that we are witches, we are magical, but we're not trying to, you know, ingest something that is toxic to our bodies. You know, Charity, this has been such a lovely conversation, and I love that you are so respectful too and honest and um help the readers be responsible with their magic. I really enjoy that aspect of you. It's very ethical and respectful of all of the things. I love that. There is so much, and I know I just put you on the spot, and people, she's got all of this, she knows this stuff, she has written the book on it. Pick up powerful powders by Charity L Badell. I love it, I love it. So keep an eye out for more of Charity L Badell. Charity, thank you so much for once again coming on to Belief Being and Beyond. And thank you, listeners. Like, subscribe, subscribe, hit the notification button, do all the things, go out and pick yourself up powerful powders. I love you guys, and we'll see you on the flippity flip.