Good-Night Oil for Stressed Cats
It's safe to say that many people struggle to sleep as of late, but as a cat with a few chronic issues, sleep has been a serious struggle for me for more than a decade. So of course developing spells and rituals for better sleep was one of the first quest I embarked upon when I started practicing witchcraft, and here I'm sharing a very simple one that I use every night.
Before we start, let me just break character for a second and make it clear that you must not give this oil to your cats, or any other pets! Oils, and especially essential oils, can be toxic for our animal friends, so this is for you only. If your cat isn't sleeping at night, that's because cats don't sleep at night.
The Ritual
You'll need a bottle of oil for this, in any scent that you associate with peace and rest. Lavender is a classic choice, but other examples are jasmine, rosemary and eucalyptus.
Sitting in bed, just before sleep, put a drop of oil on your wrist and rub it in an outward spiral to draw out worries and thoughts of things to do. Then put some more oil on your other wrist and rub it in an inward spiral to attract a peaceful sleep. While you do it, you can say or think something like "Drawing out worries" and "Drawing in peace", if you like.
That's it! Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!
The Oil
You can buy any relaxing or sleep-inducing oil that you like, but if you want to make your own, here is my recipe.
You'll need:
- flowers or herbs with relaxing scent, fresh or dried (I use roses, actually)
- almond oil
- a clean bottle, preferably with a roll-on or dropper cap
Place the flowers inside an airtight glass container, like a mason jar. Dried plant material has a lesser chance of growing mould, but fresh herbs typically grant a stronger scent, so choose wisely. Pour in the oil and make sure that the petals are completely covered by at least a couple of millimeters; again this is needed to prevent mould. The quantities here are not very relevant. A good rule of thumb is to use two parts oil for one part herbs (i. e. two spoons of oil for one spoon of herbs) but in this case we want to smell the perfume, so I like to stretch the quantity of petals as much as I can. Just remember that the more flowers you use, the more oil you'll need to cover them... the more end product you'll get.
Now, the most basic way of making your oil is to simply let it sit in the jar for at least 2 weeks. Keep it away from heat and light, both because otherwise it can spoil and because, being a sleeping aid, it fits in the darkness. Shake it a bit every day, checking that everything still looks good, and at the end of the steeping period strain the herbs with a fine strainer or cheesecloth and pour the oil into a clean bottle. Start the preparation on an evening with waning moon, on a Monday if possible, and make sure you don't bottle it during the full moon. Your oil is ready to use!
If the scent is too mild, you can just re-infuse the oil in the same way with a new batch of herbs.
The Before
This ritual is even more effective if you make sure to properly prepare for bed. In addition to winding down, lowering the lights, et cetera, I like to make sure my mind is fully at rest before I go to bed.
I'm a long-time bullet journal enthusiast, so I strive to prepare the page for the next day in the evening, going through the things that I've done and writing down those I'll still need to do. I also like to do what I call a "tarot thoughts dump", where I pull just one tarot card and use it to process whatever thoughts and feelings might still be on my mind. Even if you're not one for journals or tarot cards, try keeping a notebook next to your bed and writing down 3-5 things to do and things that worry you; it is a signal to your brain that it can stop holding on to them, as they have been in a way taken care of. This should keep it from spinning all night long while you are trying to fall asleep.
That's it for now! Have a good night, and see you next time!