Sage oil

Medieval students at the medical school of Salerno repeated a riddle: why should a man die while sage grows in his garden?

Origin & Traditional Use

Garden sage (Salvia officinalis) is a grey-leaved herb native to the northern Mediterranean, grown in kitchen and monastery gardens for cooking and household use. Its genus name comes from the Latin salvere, ‘to be well’ or ‘to be saved’. This is the culinary sage, distinct from the white sage of the American West.

Uses by Tradition

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Wishes: write a wish on a slip of paper or a dried sage leaf, anoint it with the oil and put it under your pillow for three nights.
• Wisdom: dress a blue or purple candle with sage before study, divination or a hard decision.
• Cleansing: add a few drops to spring water and wipe down altars, tools and doorways.

Ceremonial & Occult Magick

• Jupiter work: anoint a blue candle or a tin talisman on a Thursday in Jupiter’s hour for wisdom, good counsel and long life.
• Banishing: sage oil on the hands and censer before a banishing ritual to clear the working space.

A Simple Working

• On a Thursday, write a wish clearly on a slip of paper.
• Put three drops of sage oil on the paper and fold it towards you three times.
• Set a blue chime candle in a holder and dress it with the oil.
• Place the folded paper under the holder and light the candle.
• Say the wish aloud once.
• When the candle is out, put the paper under your pillow for three nights, then burn it.

Pairs Well With

• A blue chime candle: Jupiter’s colour for wisdom and wishes.
• Dried sage leaves: to write wishes on with the oil.
• Rosemary oil: another Mediterranean herb of memory and cleansing.
• Bay leaves: for wish work with a second Jupiter herb.

Lore & History

The Salerno verse ‘Cur moriatur homo cui salvia crescit in horto?’ made sage a byword for long life in medieval Europe. English folk sayings link a thriving sage plant with a prosperous household. Cunningham assigns sage to Jupiter and Air, listing it for immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection and wishes.

What You Receive

Sage oil in 2 dram, 1 oz and 16 oz (1 lb) sizes.