Herbs for Creativity, Inspiration, Focus and Productivity - Witchcraft Basics

Last Updated: July 25, 2023

After divination, prosperity, love and protection, the latest herb in our series is all about creativity and inspiration. If you’re needing a hand for productivity, this is the magickal herb guide for you.

Herbs for productivity purposes is no different than a morning tea or coffee; it’s something that helps to boost your creativity, and get into the right mindset. There are a few herbs that have been used for centuries in magickal workings to promote inspiration too; here is your Backyard Banshee guide to some of them!

Why Use Herbs For Creativity

Herbs with their individual correspondences can make it perfect to be used to amplify the energy of your intentions. When we combine them with our magick, we can look at lots of different angles;

Herbs for Igniting Passion – You may really want to complete something but just not have the energy, and this is where a magickal herb concoction can come in for you. Whether this is using Chilli flakes to speed and spice things up, or it’s using Rosemary to provide some balance to get started, herbs can help to get you going.
Herbs for Productivity – When you’re in a creative slump, don’t forget about the herbs that give you focus and clear your mind. Chamomile can help to assist with this. Consider adding it to a bath or using it as an aromatherapy blend to get rid of mental blocks and allow yourself creativity flow.
Herbs for Increasing Divine Inspiration – Herbs such as Mugwort can help to open up your third eye and increase creativity. This herb is often used for dream work, but it can also be helpful for developing your psychic abilities and sparking creative inspiration from the divine realm. Remember when using herbs in magic, always start with small amounts so you don’t overpower your intention.
Herbs for Creative Inspiration – Whether you need to boost your imagination or come up with new ideas, there are a variety of herbs that can help. Basil and coriander are great for tapping into your creative well-spring, while Lavender can provide clarity and help relieve stress.

Herbs can be used to attract and protect inspiration, enhance productivity and creative flow. As with any magickal practice, it’s important to take care and use herbs responsibly. For best results, always research the individual correspondences of each herb before use and make sure you use them in a way that aligns with your positive intentions. I wouldn’t use more than a couple at the same time, as to not overwhelm the underlying message of your magick.

When Would I Need To Use Magick Herbs For This Inventiveness?

A witch might use herbs for creativity when they are stuck in a funk, and let’s be honest, we have all been there. This could include feeling uninspired, having a block in creativity, or wanting to break free of routines.

Another reason a witch may use plants is to manifest good fortune and energy during their creative cycle. Magick herbs can be used to draw in a certain type of energy or person, which will help bring about the desired outcome. Whether that is finishing a project for a client, or meeting a deadline for our employer, it’s hard to be creative when we are dispelling energy elsewhere first (which is totally normal and necessary in mundane aspects of our lives).

Herbs can also be used to enhance the connection between yourself and your work. When used with intention, herbs can help you access deeper levels of creativity and open up new channels of inspiration. A witch may use the plants to protect their creative projects from any negative energy or influences that could be blocking them from finding success in their endeavours.

Ultimately, using herbs for creativity in a witchcraft practice is a way to tap into the power of nature to help manifest our dreams and desires. By connecting with the vibrations of these magickal plants, we can summon up the courage and strength needed to take action on our goals – whether it’s a creative project or something else entirely.

How To Use Herbs For Creativity, Productivity And Inspiration

In this following in depth list of herbs, spices, resins, and plants, I have presented insights on the parts that are safe to use, such as “safe to handle” or “safe to consume.” These suggestions aim to help you infuse these remarkable elements into your personal practice, recognizing that witchcraft is an intuitive journey, unique to every individual. Remember, I’m not a botany PhD, so it’s crucial to conduct your own research and gather knowledge.

There are boundless possibilities for how to use these items, such as you can crush and grind them to fill spell jars, keeping you inspired as you write at your desk. Or perhaps, intentionally place them in the creation of witches’ poppets, or simply hang them dry in your workspace or near your favorite morning coffee mugs.

You can also create a creativity altar by combining your favorite items such as crystals, candles, and tarot imagery or productivity iconography. Burning herbal items as incense (in a well-ventilated room) is another way to set a encouraging energetic container for additional spellwork.

There’s no rigid set of guidelines for harnessing the power of plants in inspirational magick. It’s essential to experiment and discover what resonates most with you as part of your own journey. Maintain a personal Herbarium where you can record your experiences and delve into exploring the indigenous flora of your local area. And above all, be mindful of the delicate balance of nature – refrain from excessive picking, allowing the first plant you encounter in the wild to flourish undisturbed, thereby preserving local ecosystems

20 Magickal Herbs for Creativity, Productivity and Inspiration; meanings, correspondences and witchcraft spell ideas

We have to bring in a starter list somewhere, so for creativity magick purposes I would suggest sourcing some of these for your spellwork (or seeing what you can ethically forage nearby to cut costs). This list will be added to often, so you’ll find that you can pin this page for later via Pinterest or sign up to my newsletter for any updates, and you’ll get the current link to any updates on creativity magickal herbs in your email whenever I decide to make a new list.

1. Lavender

Latin Name: Lavandula angustifolia
Ruled by: Mercury
Element: Air
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Athena, Hermes, Brigid, Hecate, Saturn, Medea, Cernunnos
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Flowers – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Create a lavender-infused sachet and place it near your workspace or carry it with you to enhance creativity and mental clarity.

2. Passionflower

Latin Name: Passiflora incarnata
Ruled by: Mars
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Apollo, Sarasvati
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – 1-2 grams
Spell suggestion: Brew a passionflower tea and drink it before engaging in creative endeavors or studying to enhance focus and inspire innovative ideas.

3. Hemp

Latin Name: Cannabis sativa
Ruled by: Saturn
Element: Fire
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Thoth, Minerva
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Seeds – 20-30 grams
Spell suggestion: Create a hemp charm or talisman to carry with you for increased mental clarity, focus, and productivity. Types of charms you could make include a braid, a beaded hemp necklace, or a Hemp pouch/bag.

4. Sage

Latin Name: Salvia officinalis
Ruled by: Jupiter
Element: Air
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Apollo, Athena, Sarasvati, Zeus, and Jupiter
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Burn dried sage leaves as part of a ritual to clear your mind, promote inspiration, and invite creative energy into your space. It is extra potent if you can grow this for yourself.

5. Lemon Balm

Latin Name: Melissa officinalis
Ruled by: Moon
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Artemis, Brigid, Thoth
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Create a lemon balm-infused oil and anoint your temples and wrists to awaken and stimulate your creativity and inspiration.

6. Ginkgo Biloba

Latin Name: Ginkgo biloba
Ruled by: Uranus
Element: Air
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Urania, Sarasvati
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – 120-240 mg extract
Spell suggestion: Carry a small ginkgo leaf in your pocket or wear it as a pendant to enhance mental clarity, focus, and creative thinking. You could do this by incorporating a little knot magick and macramé a hanger for it.

7. Ginger

Latin Name: Zingiber officinale
Ruled by: Mars
Element: Fire
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Pele, Brigid, Mars, Vulcan, Amaltheia, Victoria, Lucina
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Root – 1-3 grams
Spell suggestion: Carve a symbol of inspiration or creativity into a piece of ginger root and place it on your desk or altar to enhance creative energy and motivation. I actually love to blitz fresh grated ginger with grated apple and ground cinnamon for a morning shot of what I lovingly call “get the hell up and get to work”, but you can also just pick up a shot of fresh ginger juice from most supermarkets now.

8. Calamus

Latin Name: Acorus calamus
Ruled by: Mercury
Element: Air
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Hermes, Sarasvati
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Root – 0.3-1 gram
Spell suggestion: Write down your creative intentions or goals on a piece of calamus root and keep it in your workspace to enhance focus, creative expression, and productivity. A great plant to grow on-the-sly if your area is prone to damp conditions.

9. Ashwagandha

- Latin Name: Withania somnifera
- Ruled by: Saturn
- Element: Earth
- Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Shiva, Athena
- Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Root – 1-6 grams
- Spell suggestion: Create a sachet filled with ashwagandha root and place it under your pillow or near your workspace to promote mental clarity, focus, and productivity during creative endeavours.

10. Shankapushpi

Latin Name: Convolvulus pluricaulis
Ruled by: Moon
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Sarasvati, Luna, Selene
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Whole plant – 2-4 grams
Spell suggestion: Use dried shankapushpi flowers and leaves to create a sacred bath infusion to enhance creativity, inspiration, and intuition before engaging in creative pursuits.

11. Blue Lotus Flower

Latin Name: Nymphaea caerulea
Ruled by: Venus
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Isis, Hathor, Sekhmet, Nefertem and Ra
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Flowers – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Place a few dried blue lotus flowers in a bowl of new moon water on your workspace or altar to invite inspiration, artistic flow, and heightened intuition. You can also anoint a blue candle and roll it in dried lotus petals specifically for the sake of creativity too, and have this lit as you enjoy some mental-space free time.

12. Hibiscus

Latin Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa
Ruled by: Venus
Element: Fire
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Oshun, Aphrodite, Kali, Persephone, Ganesha, Hathor, Venus
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Flowers – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Brew a hibiscus tea and use it as ink or paint for unlocking any unloving blocks on your art before engaging in creative activities to stimulate artistic expression, passion, and productivity.

13. Cumin

Latin Name: Cuminum cyminum
Ruled by: Mars
Element: Fire
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Mars, Brigid
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Seeds – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Grind cumin seeds into a powder and sprinkle it around your workspace or on your creative tools to invoke motivation, focus, and energizing vibrations. Mix with himalayan sea salt and clear quartz crystal chips in a spell jar as a mini booster that you can keep in a drawer or bag for when you’re on the go.

14. Kava

Latin Name: Piper methysticum
Ruled by: Saturn
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Neptune, Chango
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Root – 70-250 mg extract
Spell suggestion: Create a kava-infused oil and anoint your hands and wrists before creative activities to enhance artistic expression, intuition, and inspiration.

15. Lemongrass

Latin Name: Cymbopogon citratus
Ruled by: Mercury
Element: Air
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Mercury, Sarasvati
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Burn dried lemongrass leaves as an incense to clear the mind, enhance focus, and invite inspiration and mental clarity into your creative space.

16. Damiana

Latin Name: Turnera diffusa
Ruled by: Venus
Element: Fire
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Venus, Eros, Oshun, Hathor
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – 1-2 grams
Spell suggestion: Create a damiana-infused oil and anoint your creative tools or use it as a personal scent to ignite passion, enhance creativity, and boost artistic expression.

17. Gotu Kola

Latin Name: Centella asiatica
Ruled by: Mercury
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Athena, Hermes
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – 1-2 grams
Spell suggestion: Brew a cup of gotu kola tea and drink it before engaging in creative endeavors or studying to improve focus, memory, and mental clarity.

18. Bacopa

Latin Name: Bacopa monnieri
Ruled by: Jupiter
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Jupiter, Sarasvati
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Whole plant – 2-4 grams
Spell suggestion: Create a talisman with dried bacopa leaves to carry with you for increased mental clarity, focus, and enhanced creative abilities. This could look like a poppet or even a small pouch filled with the dried herb.

19. Marshmallow

Latin Name: Althaea officinalis
Ruled by: Venus
Element: Water
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Venus, Brigid
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Root – 3-5 grams
Spell suggestion: Burn dried marshmallow root as an incense during creative rituals or activities to promote emotional receptivity, inspiration, and artistic expression.

20. Mugwort

Latin Name: Artemisia vulgaris
Ruled by: Moon
Element: Air
Deities/Gods/Goddesses: Artemis, Hecate, Selene, Diana
Parts to use safely and smallest daily dose recommendation: Leaves – use as needed
Spell suggestion: Create a dream sachet filled with dried mugwort leaves and place it under your pillow to stimulate vivid dreams, enhance intuition, and awaken creative inspiration during sleep. If I would suggest one herb for creativity, for inspiration, for divination, for protection and general witchcraft, Mugwort would be it.

BONUS Herb Magick for Focus and Energy

There are several herbs, plants and naturally found components that have been traditionally used to enhance focus and providing energy. Here are a few examples you might not know:

Rosemary; A few cuttings in a glass of dark moon water on your desk whilst you study, and then a rosemary essential oil blend for the day of an exam, has always been a great way to help focus and aid memory for so many witches world over.
Turmeric; This vibrant yellow spice is known to be helpful for relieving stress, and can help get you through those days when there’s a lot of noise. Add it to a morning coffee and see how different your day is to normal.
Rhodiola; Commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine as a tonic to help the body deal with stress and increase energy levels. Take it in tea form (don’t reboil it though if it goes cold) and don’t take more than 500mcgs a day.
Mustard Seed; A powerful stimulant that provides a boost of energy for those long days and nights. Add it to your cooking or use it as an offering in your devotional practice.
Oats; Porridge is like the most versatile breakfast I know – and adding some cinnamon, some ginger, some nutmeg and maple syrup can really set up a day of success. It’s slow release energy that can keep you sustained for long periods of time, and we witches are here for it!

It’s important to remember that while these herbs are believed to have energetic properties, there is limited scientific evidence to support their magickal effectiveness. It’s also important to talk to a healthcare provider before taking any supplements or herbs to ensure they are safe for you to use. Until next time xox

Written by Lizzie Burgess

I love curating divination experiences for those invested in spiritual growth with secular honest vibes. I am that witch you come to for these honest, interesting and beneficial divination experiences!

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