Hello!
My name is Rose and I’m new to the craft. I currently am in the broom closet from my mother who I don’t feel comfortable sharing that I have chosen to follow Wicca, therefore I don’t feel comfortable lighting herbs in my room cause I’m worried it will bring her attention. (I love her, but she can be very judgmental and may reject the change)
Anyhoot! I wanted to know if for rituals instead of lighting an herb, can I diffuse an essential oil and use the steam as my “smoke substitute?”
I hope this makes sense and thank you for all your help! I hope this doesn’t sound too silly!
Welcome @RosiePosie I’m Siofra_Strega, one of the moderators here in the forum from Cape Cod.
If you are diffusing essential oils that is absolutely a great substitute for using incense of any kind, loose or rolled. There are different blends that you can make for different reasons too & come up with new ones!
My family knows I’m a witch & which means the people that live in my house with me. Anyone else, they either know or they don’t know really. I have made some great friends here, it’s close to a second home & I have learned so much from everyone.
I hope you are able to learn & share with us too! I look forward to getting to know you!
My name is Megan and I’m one of the moderators here on Spells8 – nice to meet you!
You absolutely can! The cool thing about using a diffuser, one of those sonic ones with the water, is that it can most likely be substituted for literally all of the elements and I’m just thinking of this right now! You’ve got the water for water, the essential oil for earth, the mist for air, and the pulse of electricity for fire that’s all of them!
I mean, of course you can approach this however you want – the short answer is yes
You’ve got some great input here and it looks like you found your answer- I think using essential oils and a diffuser is a very good substitute for burning herbs! Another possible option is to bury the herbs and return them to nature- although whether this works or not would depend on the intent of the spell and what role the herbs are taking
Anyways, just wanted to pop in and say hello! It’s a pleasure to meet you and I hope you make yourself at home here
It’s very nice to meet you @RosiePosie & I think @MeganB has a great point about it using all of the elements too! I hadn’t put that together before, but I am slowly working in elements to my practice, so this is perfect for me too!
I hope you enjoy using the diffuser! I know there is a cleansing blend called Florida Water that lists a way to use your diffuser & the essential oils used:
Hey there @RosiePosie! Welcome to the forum! Everyone has given you some great advice, so I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I’m Ailey. I live in Georgia. I’m newish… I’m so excited you’re here and can’t wait to get to know you better!
It’s nice to meet you, Rose, I’m Marsha, an eclectic solitary witch, from Colorado. There are many witches here who are still in the broom closet, so you are not alone. I don’t usually tell anyone I’m a witch but I still use magic. I think Magic is just another word for Miracle.
I always use a diffuser with essential oils because I have asthma and smoke really bothers me. It works beautifully and never bothers me. I think Megan is onto something amazing, I really love her idea that it can represent all the elements!!
I am looking forward to getting to know you better Rose, welcome to the family
@RosiePosie welcome! And no it’s not silly at all! You’ve received some great replies already, as you can see you’re not the only one that’s in the broom closet when you need to be. I’m one of those, too!
I have to point out how cool this is. I had a little diffuser that stopped working, my husband got a new one and then I didn’t set it up due to having plants and critters in that area. I’ll need to find a new spot and get to using it again! This post is inspiring me!
And @RosiePosie I’m sure you’ll love it here. As @Susurrus said already, it’s like a family here!
I want to add that Eden’s Garden is a great place to find essential oils. It’s what I use. They have a Frankincense oil that combines different versions from around the world and it’s a beautiful scent. It’s one that I love for sacred space.
Aww thank you It’s amazing what my mind can come up with as I’m typing away. I really like the idea of combining different elements in different things. Diffusers are great!
I am so glad you asked this question because I am also new to the craft and this has helped me solve my issue with burning incense and herbs. Now that I have read the answers you received, I plan to use a small diffuser that I already have because my husband is very sensitive to smoke and has anxiety around fire. It is nice to meet you, and I’d also like to thank everyone who answered your question. It was so helpful!
and I’m just thinking of this right now! You’ve got the water for water, the essential oil for earth, the mist for air, and the pulse of electricity for fire 
that’s all of them!
thank you!
and Welcome home 
always