If you enjoy Indian cuisine, you’ve likely eaten a bowl of soup with a few dried leaves floating inside– these are called bay leaves. They’re commonly used to add flavor to food, but did you know that you can use these leaves in your spiritual rituals, as well?
In fact, bay leaves, otherwise known as bay laurel, have been recognized for centuries for their high-vibrational power. Whether you’re hoping to fine-tune your home’s vibe, attract wealth, or manifest love, this common spice can help! Here are 10 ways you can benefit by using bay leaves in your spiritual practice.
Ten Spiritual Benefits of Bay Leaves
1. Use bay leaves for protection & cleansing rituals
You may have tried smudging your space with Sage, Palo Santo, or even Frankincense, but did you know that you can burn a bay leaf for the same purposes? This sacred plant has been used for centuries in protective and aura-cleansing smudge rituals.
What’s unique about the bay leaf is that it’s flat and paper-thin; this means that you can write messages on the leaf before burning it, if you want to. If you’ve been feeling worried, drained, or negative lately, this ritual may work perfectly for you! Try writing your worries in pen on a dried bay leaf, and then burn it in a safe container. If you want, you can include some sage or another sacred plant or resin in there, as well.
As your bay leaves (and other desired herbs) burn, imagine those stressors floating away as the smoke dissipates. You’ll have a clear visual for the Universe absorbing your worries, and in addition, the bay leaf smoke will help to extract any negative energy from your space and your body.
2. Place a bay leaf in your wallet to attract wealth
Not only can you write your worries and stressors onto a bay leaf– you can also write down what you do want! If you’re hoping to attract wealth, try this ritual:
First, write your desires onto the bay leaf. Remember that these don’t all have to revolve around money; “abundance” can also mean material objects, a healthy body, supportive community, and so on.
After writing down your desires, hold the bay leaf and visualize those desires. Vividly imagine how you’ll feel when you receive them. Take your time doing this.
When you’re done, simply place the bay leaf in your wallet. Now, you’ll carry around that energy of abundance everywhere you go! This will signal to the Universe that you’re ready to receive all which you hope for.
3. Use a bay leaf for manifestation rituals
You can also try the above abundance ritual without tucking the bay leaf away in your wallet. Simply write your desires– what you’d like to manifest– on the bay leaf, as per the above point. Take plenty of time to visualize what you’re manifesting with the bay leaf in your hand.
This time, instead of keeping the bay leaf, you’ll burn it. Again, feel free to burn sage or anything else with your bay leaf. As your leaves burn, visualize your desires drifting upwards and becoming one with Source energy; then, allow Source to take care of your desires for you.
4. Drink bay leaf teas for stress relief & relaxation
Bay leaves might taste great in stews and soups, but you can prepare them as a tea, as well. The tea will taste slightly spicy, but if you’re a fan of its aroma, it makes a powerful stress-relief and health-boosting tonic for everyday use.
Many bay leaf tea lovers swear by its calming effects. If you’re anxiety-prone, try this tea once or twice a day and you may find that it gently soothes your frayed nerves and worried mind. This works for everyday use as well as for spiritual rituals. You may try a cup of bay leaf tea before meditation or yoga, or during a new or full moon ritual, for example. Try this West Indian bay leaf tea recipe from The Spruce.
5. Place a bay leaf under your pillow for lucid dreams, clairvoyance, and astral travel
Bay leaves are widely known for their power to develop psychic abilities, and most commonly, what’s known as the “clairs”: clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, claircognizance, clairgustance and clairalience. In short, what this means is that bay leaves can help to heighten your extrasensory abilities, in order to receive psychic messages, communicate with your spiritual team, and connect to the Universe. You can sleep with a bay leaf under your pillow to receive psychic messages in your dreams.
This same method also helps with lucid dreaming or astral travel, both of which are difficult techniques but, once mastered, can help to connect you with ancestors.
6. Healing recipes: use bay leaf in soups and stews
If you browse recipes online, you’ll notice that plenty of soups and stews call for a couple of bay leaves, as they add flavor and aroma to meals. You can, however, also cook with bay leaves to boost your overall health. Bay leaves contain loads of antioxidants, and they carry antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, as well. So, next time you come down with a cold, trying a stew that contains bay leaves might help!
7. Use bay leaf during full and new moon rituals
Whether or not you already practice any rituals around the moon cycle, bay leaves are a great addition to your routines. We’ve talked above about using bay leaves to banish negative energy and to call in abundance– these practices attract the best results when completed at the correct time of the moon cycle.
First of all, the new moon works best for manifestation, i.e. attracting abundance. When the new moon rolls around each month, use these rituals as described above: placing a bay leaf in your wallet, or burning a bay leaf with your desires written on it.
On the other hand, the full moon carries a strong energy for releasing all that is not serving you. Around the time of the full moon each month, try using the releasing rituals: use bay leaves to release negativity as described above, burn bay leaves to cleanse your space, or drink bay leaf tea to soothe worry.
8. Use salt & bay leaf for cleansing your body & space
Similar to clear quartz, salt can work as an energetic cleanser and as an amplifier of other spiritual tools (such as bay leaves). Thus, adding salt to any bay leaf ritual can make the practice even more powerful.
You might try placing bowls of sea salt dotted with bay leaves in every room of your home. In addition, you could take a bay leaf bath: add a cup of Sea Salt or Epsom Salt to your bath water, and throw in a few bay leaves. The salt and leaves will work together to create an energetically cleansing and recharging bath, and you’ll get a delicious-smelling, spiritual spa-like experience.
8. Burn dried bay leaves to attract love
We’ve already discussed the magic of using bay leaves to manifest abundance, but “abundance” can also include love! If you’re looking for an effortless, supportive romantic relationship, burning bay leaves can send a message to the Universe to attract that energy towards you.
The easiest way to do this is to simply write the word “love” on a bay leaf, and mindfully burn it, visualizing that intention of receiving love drifting up towards Source.
You can, however, get a little more detailed with your request. Affirmations work well in this case; ask yourself what exactly you’re looking for in your desired relationship. Do you hope for emotional support? Adventure? Stability? Turn your wishes into an affirmation! This might sound something like: “I love supporting and feeling supported by my loving partner!”.
Write your affirmation on the bay leaf, and then follow the burning ritual: safely light your leaf, place it in a fire-safe container while it burns, and visualize the Universe receiving your request as the smoke drifts upwards.
It’s important to remember that, when practicing love manifestation spells such as this one, it’s not a good idea to write a person’s name on the leaf in hopes of making that person love you back. The Universe can’t make anyone love you – they have to choose it for themselves! Plus, it’s healthy to remember this: you deserve a relationship that you don’t have to beg for.
10. Grow bay laurel plant to attract good luck and raise your home’s vibration
For all of the green thumbs hoping to attract luck using bay leaves, you may see best results by growing your own bay laurel plant! Feng Shui tells us that strategically placing a bay laurel plant in your home can provide spiritual benefits.
First, if you already happen to have salt or crystals placed around your home for fine-tuning your home’s energetic frequency, a bay laurel plant can make these tools even stronger. Bay laurel, when grown, strengthens the energy of any room and also helps to balance emotions.
Thus, if you want to use a bay laurel plant to attract luck, you might first try placing lucky crystals around your home. Green aventurine works well for attracting money! Then, place a bay laurel plant in your home to strengthen that lucky energy.
In conclusion, you don’t even need to purchase expensive crystals to raise your vibration or enhance your spirituality. Simply visit the spice aisle of your local grocery store, and pick up a jar of dried bay leaves– or take home your own bay laurel plant to enjoy all these powerful spiritual benefits!
Bay leaves make money and love-manifesting simpler. As always, remember to show gratitude to the Universe for all that you’re ready to receive!
