Dove’s Blood oil

A dove came back to Noah’s ark with an olive leaf in its beak, and the bird has stood for peace and reconciliation ever since.

Origin & Traditional Use

Dove’s Blood is one of the symbolic “blood” formulas of American conjure and contains no blood. It is the gentle counterpart of Bat’s Blood: where that oil serves the night, this one serves love, peace and good will. Like Dove’s Blood ink, it is used to bring tenderness into a working, whether that is romance, friendship or quiet in the home.

Uses by Tradition

Hoodoo & Rootwork

• Love candles: dress a pink or red candle from the top down toward you, and burn it on a Friday.
• Petitions: anoint the corners of a love petition, folded toward you, and carry it in a red flannel bag.
• Reconciliation: dress two figure candles and move them a little closer each night until they touch.

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Peace at home: add a few drops to a bowl of water and wipe down the door frames after an argument.
• Friendship: anoint a small gift before giving it to someone you hope to grow closer to.

A Simple Working

• On a Friday, write your name and the other person’s name on a small square of paper.
• Dress the four corners with Dove’s Blood oil.
• Fold the paper toward you and place it under a pink chime candle.
• Anoint the candle from the top down and ring it with dried rose petals.
• Light it and speak, in a soft voice, the kind of affection you want between you.
• Let it burn out, then keep the folded paper in a red flannel bag near your bed.

Pairs Well With

• A pink chime candle: for gentle love and friendship work.
• Rose petals: the classic love herb to surround the candle.
• Dove’s blood ink: for writing petitions in the same current.
• A red flannel bag: to carry the finished petition.

Lore & History

The dove was sacred to Aphrodite and to her Near Eastern predecessors Ishtar and Astarte, and doves were kept at her temples. In Christian art the dove is the Holy Spirit, and in Genesis it returns to Noah with an olive leaf as a sign that the flood had receded. Dove’s Blood oil is a twentieth-century conjure formula; the dove’s meaning is ancient.

What You Receive

Dove’s Blood oil, available in 2 dram and 1 oz sizes.