Sachets are all over the place. They’re sometimes used as spice bags to aid in cooking. They’re sold as tea blends. I’ve even bought heavily scented sachets to keep my car or closet smelling fresh. In magick, however, sachets can be a quick and crafty spell that works in a similar fashion to an amulet or talisman.
Before we get too far into this, let me just say that this is a word I frequently have a lot of difficulty spelling. My mind likes to go with “satchet” or “sashay” or “sache” for some reason, so if you happen to find strange variations of the word that spellcheck did not identify, please excuse them.
A Little Sachet History
The practice of creating sachets apparently goes back to China, possibly as early as 2300 BCE. They were used in folklore practice to protect against evil spirits, as air fresheners, as mosquito repellant, and for other purposes. I read that a typical herbal blend included chrysanthemum, wormwood, cinnabar, and calamus. Interesting mix!
Sachets were particularly popular in Qingyang, where they were called “chu chu” or “shua huo” (“hidden stitch”). The crafting process used pieces of silk, which were sewn together in a variety of shapes and then embroidered with different colors of thread.
The Qingyang sachet is way, way more complicated than what I’ll be showing you how to make. Today, we’re going to keep it as simple as possible. For me, anyway, that simplicity is part of the appeal.
The Appeal
You can use a sachet for pretty much anything.
It gives you a chance to use a nice combination of intuition or learned facts, plus everything smells great.
You could make a chamomile sachet to aid insomnia, or a lavender sachet to aid anxiety, or a cinnamon sachet to draw money. There’s tons of different options. And they only take about 5 minutes to make!
Making Your Own Sachet
One exercise we like to do with our students is making simple herbal sachets. Everyone gets a piece of cloth and some ribbon or string, then we throw a collection of herbs in front of them and they choose what to use and why.
Oh, and did I mention you can also use oil and color correspondences here too?
You’ll need a few things, but it’s really easy:
That’s the general guidance for making any sachet. I usually cut the fabric squares and yarn to be 9” — it’s a decent amount to work with, but you could try 5” or 7” if you want something smaller. We witches love our odd numbers, don’t you know?
It’s so simple, you almost don’t need instructions with pictures, but I’m going to give them to you anyway.
Step 1
Cut a 9” square of fabric and a 9” length of ribbon or yarn. It’s best to use cotton or natural materials, but you can use anything you have around.
Step 2
Sprinkle a pile of herbs into the middle of the fabric. For this “calming” sachet, I used a mix of Lavendar, Chamomile, and Red Sandalwood Chips.
Step 3
Add a few drops of oil to the herbs. A little goes a long way. If you add too much, it will soak through the fabric. I used Lavender.
Step 4
Gather all corners to meet in the middle directly above your pile of herbs. This should leave a little ball or bundle in the center of the fabric where the herbs are.
Step 5
Wrap your yarn or ribbon around the “neck” several times to secure it. I like to give the neck a little twist before I wrap the yarn around.
Step 6
Trim off the excess fabric and snip the leftover ends of yarn or ribbon. This is optional. Perhaps you like the look of all the fabric on top. Cool.
Step 7
Enjoy your sachet. I guess this is optional too. You don’t have to like it. Maybe you’re a masochists who hates sachets, but makes them anyway. Who am I to judge?
It’s nice to have scraps of fabric in different colors so you’re always ready to make a sachet on the fly. You can also buy packs of pre-cut fabric squares online for pretty cheap.
That was clear enough, right? Might as well watch a video of me making one, too. Videos are fun. Plus, you’ll get to hear the random guitar music that I play in the background.
Purification Bath Sachet
If you add epsom salts, you can extend this concept to be used in the bath or shower. This is a quick recipe for a purification bath sachet. They are quite effective.
- Epsom salts
- Peppermint
- Salt
- Hyssop
- Lavender
- Clove (lightly)
- Blessed Thistle
- Pine
You’ll also need:
- Cheese cloth or tea bags
- Ribbon
- Markers
Combine the herbs in whatever quantity and ratio you wish. I would recommend going very lightly on the clove because it will completely overpower the mix. You want to add as much epsom salt as the total amount of herbs.
Wrap a handful up in cheese cloth or place it inside a tea bag. You may choose to tie it closed with ribbon. If you want, you can draw runes or a sigil on the sachet.
Throw this in the water when you draw a bath or grab it in your hand and scrub yourself down in the shower just like you would with a loofa. Make sure to visualize an energetic cleaning while you do this. They’re great! Not only will give your body a good cleanse, but your bathroom will also smell great afterwards.
Cats Join in the Fun, Too
When our cat Loki was just a kitten, he didn’t really understand how to play with toys for some reason. We got him all sorts of annoying cat entertainment objects, but he never knew what to do with them.
One day I decided to make him a sachet filled with catnip. He absolutely loved it.
I used a “calming” blend with catnip and lavender flowers, but really any old catnip should do just fine. Just be sure to keep the string or ribbon on the shorter side. If your cat is anything like ours, this toy will be eventually ripped to shreds.
Cats are people, too. They deserve a nice little magickal toy that was made with love.
A photo obviously taken with one of the first cameras ever invented
And the best part is… when it does finally get destroyed, the cost of making another one is less than $1, assuming you have the required materials.
Keep It WIth You
Your sachet doesn’t really serve any purpose unless it’s with you. They’re small, so they’re easy to tuck into a pocket or purse. You could also tie it onto a string and wear it around your neck, if you’re so inclined. Ultimately, you want to be close enough to smell it.
Conclusions
Whatever your intentions are, I’m quite sure there is a sachet mix that can help you accomplish it.
Have you made any sachets recently? What were they for? What types of herbs or oils did you include and why? Tell me all about it in the comments.
Aerik Arkadian 
Leave a comment