Juniper Berries, Whole, 2 oz (Juniperus communis)

An ancient purifier. Juniper has been burned for cleansing since antiquity; its sharp, resinous smoke clears a space of stale, heavy, or unwanted energy.

A protector and banisher. Cunningham seats juniper under the Sun and Fire, naming protection, exorcism, and anti-theft among its powers.

Whole berries, the two-ounce working jar. Whole berries keep their resin and potency longest, and this size supplies a season of censer work, sachets, and charms rather than a single working.

• Botanical name: Juniperus communis (juniper)
• Tradition: Cunningham places juniper under the Sun and the element Fire
• Form: whole dried berries
• Weight: 2 oz; also offered in a 1 oz starter size and a 1 lb bulk size
• For spiritual use only; not a food, drug, or supplement, and not for ingestion
• Storage: keep sealed in a cool, dark place
• SKU: HJUNW

Juniper is one of the great old cleansing plants of the Northern Hemisphere. Long before the word smudge entered common use, juniper boughs and berries were burned across Europe to purify, smoked through homes, barns, and sickrooms to drive off harm and clear stale or heavy air. The berries turn up in ancient Egyptian records as well, including among the goods left in tombs. Cunningham seats juniper under the Sun and the element Fire and names protection, exorcism, and anti-theft among its powers, and its sharp, resinous smoke is the heart of that magic: a strong, clean purifier that clears a space and guards it in the same breath.

Beyond the censer, juniper berries are hung at doors and windows to turn away theft and ill-wishing and tucked into protective charms. Juniper is also famous as the botanical that flavors gin and is used in cooking; that culinary use is not what we offer it for. Plentiful Earth sells these berries strictly for ritual and spiritual use, not as a food or flavoring, and they are not for ingestion.

1. Burn for purification. Burn a few berries over charcoal in a fire-safe dish in a well-ventilated room, within sight and away from anything flammable, to cleanse a space. Crushing them lightly first releases more of the resin.
2. Sew protection sachets. Tuck whole berries into warding sachets for a person, a room, or a home; two ounces will fill a good many.
3. Guard against theft. Hang a charm of juniper at a door or window in the old anti-theft tradition.
4. Banish ill will. Add juniper to banishing and exorcism charms and to homemade purification incense.
5. Store them sealed, in a cool, dark place away from light and moisture between workings.

• Juniper Berries, Whole, 1 oz: the same berries in a starter size, for a first working.
• Bay Leaves, Whole, 1 oz: a protective, purifying leaf for the censer and charm.
• Mullein Leaf Cut, 1 oz: a protection-and-exorcism herb for warding work.
• Protection Oil: dress the warded threshold or charm.
• The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham: build your own purification incense.

What are juniper berries used for in magic?

Above all for purification, burned as a cleansing smoke to clear a space of heavy or unwanted energy, and for protection, hung against theft and ill-wishing and added to warding and banishing charms. Cunningham places juniper under the Sun and Fire.

Can I eat these or use them to make gin?

No. Although juniper flavors gin and appears in cooking, Plentiful Earth sells these berries strictly for ritual and spiritual use, not as a food or flavoring, and they are not for ingestion. Culinary juniper is sold separately as a food product.

Should I buy the 1 oz or the 2 oz?

The 1 oz is the starter size for a first working or a single sachet. This 2 oz jar is the working size for practitioners who cleanse regularly, fill charms for others, or keep a censer supplied through a season.

How do I burn them for purification?

Set a few berries, lightly crushed, on a lit charcoal disc in a fire-safe dish, in a well-ventilated room, keeping the censer within sight and away from anything flammable. Carry the smoke through a space to cleanse and guard it.

How should I store them?

Keep the whole berries sealed in a cool, dark place, away from heat, light, and moisture. Whole berries hold their resin and scent far longer than crushed, so a sealed jar will supply many purification workings.