How to Make Florida Water

What is Florida Water? It’s been around for centuries and is has been known as a “Cologne Water” or “Eau de Cologne.” It can be a mixture of half alcohol (isopropyl, vodka or grain) and half distilled or spring water that contains various herbs and essential oils with an emphasis on sweet orange, clove, lavender and citrus.

How can Florida Water used? Florida water can be used in many ways. There are many spiritual practices that use it as a part of ritual, as an offering or to cleanse ritual tools and spaces. It can be used like a cologne. You don’t drink it but rather add it to enhance other things. For example, some people use it in their bath water or as a body splash to cleanse their spirit, prepare for rituals or prayer or use as protective shield. Sometimes it’s added to a bucket of water and cleaning solution to help cleanse the energy of a space as you’re doing your normal cleaning. It can be added to the washing machine as you’re laundering clothes or linens to add protection and clear negative energy in the linens. It can be used in addition to or as an alternative to burning sage to cleanse the energy of a space. It can also be used to attract whatever energy you are focusing on when you make it. It’s uses are widespread and unlimited.

How do I use Florida Water? I typically use it in a spray bottle. I’ll put mostly water in a small spray bottle and then add just a touch of Florida Water to the bottle. I’ll then use the bottle to spray in the air above and around me in between tarot readings or anytime I need a boost in my energy. I’ll also use it to spray all around a room when the air feels heavy or negative. Sometimes I’ll spray it in my bedroom when I’m having trouble sleeping and it helps calm and relax me. Lately I’ve been using it way more than I usually do. I typically burn sage regularly to cleanse the energy in my home and my reading space. I usually do this when no one is home. However, everyone has been home on self-quarantine. Sage can sometimes be a bit much to my family if they’re here when I’m using it. Instead, I can spray my Florida water. It’s a great alternative to burning sage! One thing I want to mention is that you don’t want to get caught up in the rules here. The things I’m including are choices to consider. As with everything, choose what works for you and leave the rest. You need to do what works for you. You may have herbs and essential oils already that will work great without having to make any new purchases.

Tools and Ingredients needed: This is how I’ve made it. I’m using a quart size glass canning jar with a wide mouth, whatever herbs and essential oils you wish to add, approximately 12 oz. alcohol (isopropyl, vodka or grain alcohol), approximately 12 oz. spring or distilled water. Tarot cards or Oracle cards that contain the messages and meanings that you would like the Florida Water to embody. Once you’ve let the final mixture sit for a while you’ll need a way to strain the herbs out of the water and then can either put the Florida Water back into your canning jar or pour it into a prettier bottle. You may need a funnel, depending on the bottle you’re using for your final product.

Herbs needed: This time I wanted herbs that focused on the following qualities - protection, calming, healing, purification, cleansing, and love. We’re right in the middle of “Stay-At-Home” orders due to the pandemic so whatever help we can get with that is great. The dried and fresh herbs I chose are: bay leaves, lavender, rose buds, sprig of pine, sage, ginger (I used a ginger tea bag because I was out of fresh ginger), rosemary, basil, and thyme. I have some 100% essential oils - lemon, sandalwood, lavender, and lime. I also have some 100% essential oil blends that I added that included the following essential oils - cinnamon, rosemary, sweet orange, clove and peppermint. You can do a search for the qualities that you’re looking for in your Florida Water, either what you want to attract or if you want protection, then search for herbs that hold those qualities. I typically put as many drops of essential oils in that I feel compelled to add (usually 5-15 drops each). For the herbs I’ll usually put a sprig or two or a small palm-full.

Tarot & Oracle Cards needed: This time I wanted cards that focused on similar qualities that I was looking for in the herbs. With this in mind I picked the Medicine Shield, a card from the Shamanic Medicine Oracle deck, and several pentacle cards out of my Universal Waite tarot deck. I chose the Ace, Nine, Ten and King of Pentacles. I also pulled several cards from the #IAmPower Oracle deck. The cards I chose from here are “I am strong, I am peace, I am safe, and I am healthy.” You can choose one card or if you want to throw everything at it like I did, choose a lot.

Directions:

Step One: Decide the intention and energy of the Florida Water you are making.

Step Two: Choose the herbs, essential oils, tarot and oracle cards that express the energy that you are looking for, i.e., cleansing, protection, love, energy, etc. Document what you have chosen so you can replicate this again or make changes if it isn’t quite what you wanted.

Step Three: Place the chosen tarot and oracle cards nearby or surrounding your work area (out of the splash zone) so that the energy of the cards is near at hand as you’re making your Florida Water. The cards you choose should compliment the energy of the herbs and essential oils you have chosen.

Step Four: Place the herbs and essential oils in the glass jar. You’ll want a jar with a wide mouth so that you can easily pour the mixture when it is finished into a strainer to remove the herbs.

Step Five: You’ll want to keep in mind the final vessel that your Florida Water will end up in when you decide how much liquid to add. I have an old glass liquor bottle I’m re-purposing to eventually put the mixture in. It’s less than the quart jar I’m using for my mix. For this reason I only added about 12 ounces of isopropyl alcohol and 12 ounces of distilled water to the jar. It didn’t fill up the quart jar but once I strain the herbs from it, the remaining Florida Water will fill up the bottle I have for it nicely. Close the lid tightly and give the container a shake.

Step Six: Place the jar of Florida Water in a special place or an altar. Many people will leave the mixture in a window to soak up the energy of the sun and moon. Put the tarot and/or oracle cards you’ve chosen around the jar. Place your hands on the jar and focus on the feeling from each of the cards you’ve chosen and then focus on sending that energy to the jar. If you pray, you can say a prayer with your hands on the jar. You’ll want to leave the mixture to blend for up to 30 days. Each day take a few moments to place your hands on the jar and focus on the energy you want the Florida Water to contain or say your prayers asking for the energy that you need to be placed into the water. If you feel like the Water is ready before the 30 days are over, then it is finished.

Step Seven: Pour the mixture from the jar into a bowl with a strainer in it. Then, using a funnel, pour the mixture back into the jar you want to keep it in. It is ready to be used.

Some things to keep in mind when using your Florida Water:

-I’ve had a lot of success using this and a batch of it lasts me a long time. It’s worth the effort to make it. Have fun with it! Do this when you’ll enjoy making it and that good energy will leave a positive imprint on the Florida Water.

-This is NOT a drink. Please don’t drink it and make sure the bottle is clearly marked if you share your house with others so they don’t drink it. Also, don’t leave it where children can get to it. Treat it like any other cleaning product to keep your kiddos safe.

-This mixture has alcohol in it and can damage the finish on furniture and floors if used undiluted. For this reason I’m really careful about only using diluted versions of this around my furniture. If I use it in a spray bottle near furniture, I make sure the sprayer works well and isn’t a cheap one that drips a lot. I’ve never used this on real wood floors but I would use only a diluted amount on water-safe floors.

-I have sensitive skin so I can’t use this as a cologne or in an undiluted body splash. It makes my skin irritated. I also don’t bathe with it because of this. Test this on a small spot on your skin before you jump into a tub of this or splash it all over yourself. Your body will thank you.

-I treat this like perfume when I’m spraying this over my head, diluted in a spray bottle with water in it. I’m using my spray bottle that puts out a nice fine mist and I don’t spray it into my eyes. I put lemon and lime essential oils in my Florida Water. Have you ever gotten lemon juice in your eye? You feelin’ me? Don’t spray it in your eyes or anywhere else you don’t want perfume.

-Depending on the essential oils you use, if you spray this on fabrics, it could discolor them. I use mostly water in my sprays with just a little Florida Water and I’ve never had any problems but you’ll want to keep this in mind when you’re deciding how to use this.

I hope you found this useful! Thanks for stopping by!

Do you use Florida Water? How do you use it? Do you have a different recipe? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE:

Shamanic Medicine Oracle Deck by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free & Flavia Kate Peters by Llewellyn

Universal Waite Tarot Deck by Stuart R. Kaplan (author), Pamela Colman Smith; Mary Hanson-Roberts (Illustrator)

You can watch me make Florida Water on my YouTube Channel here - https://youtu.be/pI8nwVuaiGU