Category: Herbs

Mother Nature’s Golden Rule

Health is a product of internal harmony and the expression of vitality. Our well-being should be pursued with cautious patience. Tonics are gentle and have been proven effective for thousands of years. They are highly nutritious foods requiring special preparation and application. We should approach these tonics with respect, never abusing their benefits carelessly. Too much of a good thing is still too much! Give your body time to appreciate these new foods, just as you would nurture  a child.

Tonic herbs have several properties and may also be indicated when disease is not present. They are excellent choices for preventative measures. Be sure to use them in moderation and observe how your body reacts to the energy. Allow tonic herbs to keep you young and beautiful like Mother Nature herself.

Let’s Start Off With…..Ginger Soak

Ginger Soak

For aches and pains, this is a stimulating, dispersing and circulating soak. It is a great way to warm up in the winter too!

2 – 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

Cook grated ginger in a 4 cups of water for 10 minutes. Add water and ginger root to your bath or footbath. Relax in warm water for 30 minutes.

To Form an Incense Cone

  1. Dissolve gum arabica in water, approximately one part powder to two parts water.

  2. Allow the material to soak for approximately three hours.

  3. In the meantime, pulverize the herbal material to be used until it is finely powdered (using mortar and pestle or other grinding tool).

  4. Mix this powder into the liquid until it can be shaped into small cones.

  5. Allow to dry completely in a warm area.

Casting Spells by Burning Herbs

Magick spells are cast by burning herbs (incense), thus releasing their magick power into the atmosphere (fumigation).

One of the most ancient methods of casting spells is consciously, carefully and deliberately  burning herbs. This method incorporates all four primal elements into one spell. By applying the power of fire, herbal power (which has been nourished by Earth and by water), is transformed into smoke (air) and dispersed into the atmosphere to provide magickal solutions and fulfill magickal desires. If you burn incense on a metal pan or burner, then you incorporate what many consider to be the fifth element, metal, into your spell as well.

Modern incense frequently taken the form of sticks and cones, which require a little technical know=how. However, incense is an ancient, ancient art. If cave people had the technology to create fine, viable incense, of course you do, too. The material original incense was loose dried herbal material, ground and powdered. Most magick spells assume incense will be in this form.

Mortars and pestles are ancient magickal, medical and culinary tools. They may be used to break down and blend herbal material. Once upon a time, incense was created by repeated grinding with a mortar and pestle, and then sifting with a sieve (also an ancient magick tool). However, if you desire the fine powder that many spells specify, a coffee or spice grinder, particularly an old-fashioned manual one, can make life easier.

If you prefer stick incense, blanks may be purchased and doctored to your taste.

Drying Herbs

Hang herbs upside down in small bunches, so that they are not too crowded. Professional herb dryers, resembling horizontal ladders, can be used, or attach bunches to a wire hanger. Allow herbs to hang in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight until dry.

Casting Spells Using Dried Herbs

The most prevalent ingredient of magick spells are processed herbs, especially dried plants and oils. Drying plants preserves them for extended use, allowing you to work with  plants out of season and those that cannot be grown in your personal region. Dried herbs from all over the world, representing many magical traditions, may be purchased from herbal suppliers.

Dried herbs are frequently sold already chopped up, cut or powdered. As this frequently needs to be done before spellcasting purchasing herbs in this form can be a real-time and effort saver–with one caveat. Leaves and blossoms, even chopped, other remain easily distinguishable. Peppermint doesn’t smell like vervain or hibiscus, for instance. Roots on the other hand,  other the most magickally potent part of a plant,  once chopped or powdered, are fairly indistinguishable from  each other. It is not uncommon for unethical or ignorant vendors to substitute one  root for another. If you are looking for a distinct root, say High John the Conqueror, for whom this is a common problem, buy the whole root and ground and powder it yourself, even though this can be difficult.  It is the only way to guarantee that you are receiving what you want, the only way to maintain control over what may be a pivotal ingredient. Familiarize yourself with herbs. Know what they should look like and what they should smell like, and you will be less likely to be fooled.

If you grow plants or have access to fresh plants, it’s extremely easy, virtually child’s play, to dry them yourself.

Sacred Space

If you regularly use the same part of your home for your Magickal work then hang this sachet in that area to retain the Magickal integrity and positive energies created whilst working. Just before starting any Magickal act take the sachet down and carry it around your working space three times to release those Magickal energies. Use a violet cloth tied with a silver and gold cord.

2 parts jasmine

2 parts rose petals

2 parts rosemary

1 part bay

1 part cinnamon (either use 1 stick or 1 part powdered)

1 part fennel

2 part corarse salt (rock salt)

Tranquil Home

This is a sachet to bring about peace to the home. It is an excellent one to give to anyone who has just moved house.

3 parts jasmine flowers

3 parts rose petals

3 parts rosemary

1 part lavender

1 part bay

Place in a pink cloth tied with green ribbon or cord and hang it over the main entrance to the home.

Herb Sachets and Gifts

Herb sachets are used to fragrance the house, as wards of protection and defence and can even be carried on the  person, in addition to herbs, flowers, spices, leaves, and so on, they may also contain stones, charms or crystals, all imbued with Magickal energies. Some people even create totem bags which also contain pictures of their loved ones, a lock of hair or many other things which link them to those they care about. Herb sachets make excellent gifts or ways of working Magick for others. Much of the work of the Witch is for other people. I sincerely the posts in this section will inspire you to do a little “Magick” today!

Sachets can be made from almost any natural fabric; it does not have to be specially bought for the purpose. Whilst silk squares look very attractive, you can recycle old clothes or cloths, or anything else you have to hand.

Make sure the fabric is thoroughly washed and if you have any doubts about is psychic cleanliness then hang it overnight in the light of the Full Moon before use. The easiest shape to use is a circle, but a square also looks quite attractive. Place your ingredients in the centre and tie up all the ends to create a bundle. To tie your sachet you can use thread cord, ribbon or even twine or string.

If giving sachets away, it is a good idea to make them reasonably discreet – not everyone wants their home to look as though a Witch lives there. Alternatively, you can make the highly decorative in their own right perhaps by placing several sachets onto a strip of attractive ribbon which can then be hung on the wall. Remember whilst making up your sachet to keep your Magickal goals clearly in mind and to imbue it with Magickal power.

If you want the sachet to look decorative then you do not have to stick to single colour fabric, but try to choose something where the right colour for your intention is fairly dominant Alternatively, you can cover the sachet twice, once for the Magickal intent and once with an overlay which is in keeping with the decor of the area it is intended for.

Herb Magick

Herbal healing remedies are becoming increasingly popular in the modern world as it is discovered that some hold the key to curing modern ills; generally too they are gentler and less toxic than drugs created artificially. This knowledge has been around in some cases for hundreds or even thousands of years, but became disregarded or forgotten and is now being incorporated further into modern medicine.

Herb magick is an equally ancient tradition, one that does not need elaborate tools or complex rituals. However, there is a great overlap between herb healing and magick, for herb rituals too can trigger the body’s own self-healing system because of their abundant life force.

Though herb magick is simple, it is also very potent. As well as using spells, you can draw on their strengths in a number of ways in your daily life.

But it cannot be said enough, do not use herbal medicine in the place of actual doctor’s care. You might think you can diagnosis yourself but you can. In situation such as this seek medical attention. Never take a chance with your life.