How to Use Tonka Beans in Your Witchcraft Practice

Use tonka beans in your Witchcraft Practice to attract love, money and all good things! The tonka bean is one of my favorite go-to botanicals. It is a powerful, delightfully scented spell ingredient that I use often in my own Craft practice. Once you discover the mystical secrets the tonka bean holds, it will become one of your favorites, too!

Tonka really isn’t a bean at all. Rather, it is the seed of the Dipteryx Odorata (commonly known as Coumarou) tree’s mango-shaped fruit. This aromatic seed doubles as a heavenly culinary ingredient and powerful magickal correspondence, just as many other botanicals do. Its complex flavor and scent is absolutely divine, boasting notes of vanilla, caramel, almonds, and even a trace of cacao. This wrinkly little bean is truly one of Nature’s most lovely gifts!

A heads-up to the Kitchen Witches out there, tonka beans are used to make the most delectable desserts! Strangely, the FDA classifies them as toxic due to their high coumarin content even though they aren’t dangerous in the amounts one would use in any recipe. To put things into perspective, it would take 30 whole tonka beans to become poisoned. This is about the same volume at which nutmeg and other everyday spices are considered potentially toxic. Just some food for thought.

Between the kitchen and the altar, there are many ways to use tonka beans in your Witchcraft practice!  

Magickal Aspects of Tonka Beans

Although they originate from South America, tonka beans are commonly used in North American Hoodoo and Witchcraft. They have been a regular part of my own Witchcraft practice for decades, and I never tire of using them. 

Tonka beans are easy to fall in love with! My first experience with them happened at an enchanting little shop in the West Village (in New York City) called Aphrodisia more than thirty years ago.

While exploring the contents of pretty much every apothecary jar in the store, I was stopped in my tracks when I came upon this interesting little curiosity.

I removed the lid from its jar, and out wafted the most heavenly fragrance! Immediately, I was hooked and bought a bagful even though at the time I had no idea what I would use them for. I firmly believe that sometimes a botanical chooses us before we even get the chance to choose it!

Correspondence-wise, tonka beans are associated with the element Water and the planet and goddess Venus. They are known for attracting good luck, good fortune, love, money, prosperity and abundance. Tonka beans are therefore perfect to use when working with Venus.

Tonka beans energetically align perfectly with Jupiter, too. Associated with good luck, good fortune, and large sums of money, Jupiter is basically our ‘big daddy in the sky’ for all good things. Use tonka beans to work with him in the same way that you would with Venus.

How to Use Tonka Beans in Your Witchcraft Practice

Before using tonka beans in your Witchcraft practice, always smudge and charge them with your specific intention first. Here are some great ways to use them:

1. Whole Tonka Beans

Whole tonka beans are very hard to grind or cut, but you can ‘crack’ them to release more of their delightful essence by hitting them with a meat tenderizer against a thick wooden cutting board. This is actually a great way to charge and drive your intention into the bean.

• Use one or more whole beans as a talisman to attract money, prosperity and abundance
  • place one in your wallet or purse to attract money
  • place in a few in a tiny bowl in the North area of your altar to attract good fortune, prosperity and abundance
• In mojo bags and other container magick such as spell boxes and honey jars
  • place one or more whole beans in a red mojo bag to attract love and romance
  • place one or more whole beans in a green one to attract money 
• In candle magick
  • use a tonka bean as a magickal component
    • place one next to a spell candle
    • carve a hole in the outer edge of a 7day spell candle, place a tonka bean in it, then burn the candle as usual
  • dress candles with homemade tonka bean oil
• Hold a tonka bean, make a wish, and then throw it into running water

2. Tonka Bean Oil

Use homemade tonka bean oil in spells, rituals, for anointing, and for offerings.

• for all magickal purposes—anoint sigils, dress candles, place a few drops into mojo bags, spell boxes, etc
• use as offerings to Venus or Jupiter
• as a personal anointing oil or perfume to attract love, money, good fortune, as well as other corresponding Venusian and Jupiterian qualities  

3. Work with Deities or Planetary Energies

A gratitude and offerings practice with Venus and/or Jupiter can really bring great blessings into your life.

• use tonka beans to connect and be in relationship with Venus and Jupiter energy
• offer a tonka bean or seven drops of homemade tonka bean oil to Venus on Fridays to attract her/its qualities into your life
• offer a tonka bean or four drops of homemade tonka bean oil to Jupiter on Thursdays to attract his/its qualities into your life
• do any Jupiter or Venus-related spell work using tonka beans
• create a magickally-charged, decadent dessert with tonka beans and other Venus correspondences such as vanilla and almond, and offer a piece of it to Venus while you also indulge on a Friday (this just oozes with Venusian energy!); you can do this on Thursday with Jupiter, too

How to Make Tonka Bean Oil for Your Witchcraft Practice

This magickal oil is my own formulation. It smells exquisite and is quite easy to make yourself. Use it to attract good fortune, love, money and other corresponding Venusian and Jupiterian things into your life. Definitely use it if you work with these deities or planets!

Materials:

• 5 tonka beans (if they are really hard, crack with a meat tenderizer as described above and break into pieces; if not, grate then cut into pieces with a sharp knife; breaking the tonka beans helps to release its volatile oils and essence into the oil, and helps them fit into your bottle)
• 2 ounces almond oil or fractionated coconut oil
• 2 ounce eyedropper bottle
• mason jar or other glass jar with a tight fitting lid

Procedure:

1. Place prepared tonka beans and the oil into the mason jar on a Friday during any lunar phase except Waning. Give the jar a good shake and allow the contents to infuse in a cool dark place for a month.  

If you are making oil specifically for Jupiter, you can make it on a Thursday. If you are making it for both Venus and Jupiter, and for your Craft practice in general, then it’s ok to make it on either day. 

2. Shake the mason jar often during the course of the month, further charging it with your intention each time. 

3. After the month has passed, use a small funnel and pour your oil into the eyedropper bottle. Allow any pieces that fit into it. Try not to get tiny pieces in your bottle as they may clog your eyedropper. Any remaining pieces that do not fit into your eyedropper bottle may be disposed of with gratitude (dispose indoors to prevent a small animal from ingesting it)

4. Use this delightful, powerful magickal oil for any of the purposes mentioned, or any other way that inspires you.

Incorporate the deliciously-scented, magickal tonka bean into your Witchcraft practice to help you attract the things you desire. I guarantee you will love working with it!

Disclaimer: This article does not promote ingesting this or any toxic ingredient. Do so your own risk. Do your own research, and speak to a qualified medical professional to determine if ingesting tonka bean is right for you. 

About Fiona

Fiona Duncan is the Creatrix of The Magickal Path School of Witchcraft, Conscious Spirituality & Personal Transformation. She holds a Master of Art in Teaching, a Master of Science in Education, and is New York State certified in both Art and Special Education to teach grades K-12. She is a retired NY State public school teacher and college Graphic Design Instructor & Department Chair. Her professional strengths are Student Relations, Teaching, and Curriculum Development.

In her spiritual and magickal life, Fiona is a seasoned Practical Magician, Reiki Master and is a practicing Eclectic Witch of 30+ years. She is not the type to be drawn to witchy ‘woo’, but rather, she practices and teaches Magick and Witchcraft as an empowering spiritual path that is both ‘Art’ and ‘Science’ in equal measure.

Fiona’s favorite thing in the world is teaching and coaching new and intermediate Witches in her WAY OF THE WITCH: Witchcraft 101 A Comprehensive ‘Year and a Day’ Course & Coaching Program in the Spiritual, Magickal and Esoteric Practices of Eclectic Witchcraft, available in monthly 1-1 coaching, independent study with personal email support, and self-paced formats.