Tag: Plant

Magickal Intentions – Protection

From the overwhelming number of herbs used for this purpose it is obvious that protection is (and has been) of the utmost concern for many people. Most of the protective herbs are  general in their effects; they guard their bearer against physical and psychic attacks; injury; accidents, poison, snake bite, lightning strikes, wicked spirits, the evil eye and so on. In other words they are protective in a general way.

Naturally they won’t do you much good once something  has happened–protective herbs should be a preventative. This doesn’t mean that if you wear a protective root or carry a sachet you’ll breeze through life unfettered with annoyances. But carrying some of those herbs will certainly help screen out potential harmful situation.

In today’s world we should guard ourselves with every available means. Protective herbs are one of these.  They create a type of force field around your home, possessions, or self. When carried they also increase the effectiveness of your body’s natural defenses.

An ounce of prevention, after all, is worth a pound of cure.

Happy and Glorious Saturday to All!

I hope everyone is having a beautiful Saturday so far.  I fell asleep in the floor last night and woke up this morning at 3:00 a.m., to Hitler invading Russia.  Great to wake up to early, early on your Saturday morning. I got up when to wash dishes and here comes hubby wanting to know if there is any coffee made. Of course, seeing all the violence on TV, I wanted to pop him on the head with the coffee pot. Then I got to thinking coffee, not a bad idea. So I made us a pot, rather me a pot. He had one cup and went back to bed. Dawn was beginning to crack, so I did what I love to do. Take my coffee outside, curl up on my bench and watch the beautiful Sun come up. Curling up wasn’t in the picture this morning. Two of the wildcats were already outside waiting on me. The biggest one and the  smallest one and would you believe they were occupying my bench, lol! They wanted to play and love. But out of all of them, the big one is the most hostile. It took me forever to befriend him. Now if there is any of the others out there, forget they don’t come close to me. We played and loved a little bit, then I broke up fights, then I went and got their food. I figured that was the only way I was going to get any peace.

I had noticed when I came back in the house, I had wasted an hour and a half playing with the cats. The sky was beginning to lighten up, so I figured it was a great time to water the garden (since I forgot to last night).  I gathered up my pitchers and flashlight. Now remember I said it was just starting to lighten up, you still couldn’t see that great. I put the garden on the back side of the porch. Turns out it was a pretty smart move. I can stand on the porch and water the garden in cast it is super muddy. I forgot to mention, when I was digging this spot up the ground was just so soft and it took no strength what so ever to dig it up. This is very, very unusual for the ground around here. I didn’t think anything about it, I was just thrilled I didn’t have to kill myself. The day I dug up the garden, I went into to get a glass of ice water. When I came back I found out why the ground was so easy to dig, I was digging in a wolf spider’s nest. It was almost down right funny, I went to observe my handy work and there in the middle of the dirt had to be the grandpa of all wolf spiders. He was huge. I figured after I watered the ground some more, they would leave. I brought the hose around the house and started watering. Oh brother, did I get a reaction out of that spider. He jumped at me. Needless to say, I had forgotten they could jump and it scared the crap out of me. Now back to this morning, I had my flashlight and was up on the porch. I noticed one of my plants had been moved. Miss Perfectionist couldn’t stand that. She had to go and put it back in its place. I had totally forgot about the spiders. I pulled the plant up and move it over just a little bit. I wasn’t paying attention but I had opened the spider’s hole back up. I had just stood up and the evil spider jumped on my foot. I am sure I woke up every neighbor in a five-mile radius. I screamed a dirty word while dancing around on one foot. I never did think I was going to get that damn spider off of my foot. Finally after throwing my foot out-of-place, I got the spider off of me. Thank the Goddess he didn’t bite me. I can do some of the stupidest things at times. Please use this as a what not to guide when gardening.

Beware of soft dirty. (It is a mean, cruel joke played on you by some creature or critter)

If your plants get up and move on their own. (Leave them alone, the plant will be happier and so will you)

Never garden by flashlight. ( This should be a no boner)

If you find a spider of any kind in your garden, leave him be and maybe he will do the same. (If not, just give him a good drink of water and a shower. Hopefully the shower will do him in, lol!)

A Few Tips On Your Spring Planting

Advice on Pest Control

Here’s a better way to prevent insect invasion than choking your herbs with chemical sprays.

  • Create a balanced, organic soil environment. Use organic compost and amendments.

  • Adjust the soil pH to 7.0.

  • Companion plant to reduce infestation. Plant chives or silvery herbs like silver king artemisia to reduce aphids.

  • Vary the color, size, texture, and scent of plants to confuse insects.

  • Rotate crops, amending the soil biannually, to reduce fungal and viral disease prone to one crop. Amend the soil to introduce microorganisms which will reduce nematode and fungal growth.

  • Use plant traps, colors, and pheromones to lure insects away from your garden. Marigolds will lure spider mites away and yellow or sticky paper will attract whiteflies and catch them.

  • Remove dead or diseased debris and weeds to prevent insects such as grasshoppers from hatching or over wintering in their protection.

  • Row covers and netting deter chewing insects. They are available at feed stores and nurseries.

  • Use biological insect control. Release ladybugs at night to reduce aphids. Dig earthworms into the soil to enhance aeration and reduce fungal disease. Use lizards and frogs to reduce the insect population.

  • Spray with soapy water and plant-derived insecticides only when necessary and after using biologicals, companion planting, and common sense.

Herb of the Day for May 20th is Borage

Herb of the Day

Borage

Folk Names:  Bugloss, Burrage, Herb of Gladness, Star Flower, Borak, Lisan selvi, Lesan-El-Tour

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element:  Air

Powers:  Courage, Psychic Powers

Magickal Uses:  Carry the fresh blossoms to strengthen your courage, or place one in your buttonhole for protection when walking outdoors.

A tea of borage induced psychic powers.

Herb of the Day for May 11th is Lemon Grass

Herb of the Day

Lemon Grass

This herb is a native of Southeastern Asia growing in tropical climates all over the world. From a distance it may be mistaken as Johnson grass, but this herb is very useful. It yields the finest commercial lemon oil and make the best culinary herb for lemon lovers. The bulb helps digest fatty meats and its’ leaves flavor teas, seafood and vegetable. Grow me in full sun with lots of water. Propagate the herb from root division or buy a bulb at the Chinese vegetable market, root it in potting soil and it will be producing new leaves in three weeks.

Magickal Goody for May 10th: Lighten Up Sparkle Spray

Lighten Up Sparkle Spray

This one is a good one to have on hand for after an argument or for anytime things get too serious, heavy or overwhelming. It’s also a great support in times of grief or trauma. It creates perspective, loose stuck energy, lifts the spirits and enhances harmony and joy.

Ingredients:

Lepidolite essence or an actual lepidolite

Apophyllite essence or an actual apophyllite

Bach Rescue Remedy

Essential oil of Lavender

Essential oil of peppermint

Essential oil of spearmint

Rose water in a mister

Put 3 drops of lepidolite essence or the lepidolite, 3 drops of apophyllite essence or the apophyllite, and 4 drops of Rescue Remedy in the mister. Put 4 drops of lavender, 3 drops of peppermint, and 4 drops of spearmint in the mister. Shake. Hold the bottle in both hands and visualize very bright, sparkly, robin’s egg blue light filling and surrounding the bottle.

Smudging as an Air Ritual

Smudging as an Air Ritual
 
Smudging is an easy Air ritual designed to purify, provide balance, cleanse, or sanctify a sacred space. You can smudge a room, a piece of furniture, or even yourself.
 
Let’s say that you inherit a bookcase from your in-laws. You need the extra room, but you want to eliminate their essence. A smudging ritual can purify the bookcase and bring some harmony back to your living space.

There are any number of smudging herbs, but some are more traditional than others. These three are most closely related to the Element of Air:

Sage–There are several different kinds of sage, and all types work for smudging, but perhaps the king of sage is white broadleaf sage. It is the most aromatic and is excellent not only for smudging to cleanse and purify, but also for meditation.


Sweetgrass–As its name suggests, sweetgrass produces a sweet, light fragrance when burned. Believed to attract only positive spirits, it is excellent for cleansing a sacred space.
 
Lavender–Most useful for attracting peace, happiness, and restful sleep, lavender imparts a lovely aromatic, refreshing scent when burned.
 
Smudging can be accomplished by using a smudge stick or by burning loose herbs in a smudge pot or a firebowl. First dry the herbs by hanging them upside down in a still room, a pantry, or some other dry room where they won’t be disturbed. They will need to dry for several weeks.

If you want to use a smudge stick, cut your dried herbs into 5- or 6-inch lengths, bundle them together , and bind them tightly with red thread, which represents the Fire Element. Use a candle to light the bundle because you will want to hold it in the flame long enough to get the stick really smoking. The combination of Fire and Air purifies the space or object and disperses negative energy. Use a feather or your hand to fan the smoke into the corners of the room you’re purifying. Smudging is the equivalent of spritual spring cleansing. You might find that the house feels cleaner and brighter, even though you haven’t dusted or vacuumed.
 
Sweetgrass is often braided into a small rope to be used in smudging. Tie off the ends with red thread. Although you can find sweetgrass growing wild in some prairie places, it’s rare; you might have to grow your own.

Rose Dye

Rose Dye

The Native Americans removed the spine by rubbing the cactus in the sand.

Plant: Prickly pear cactus

Harvest time:  September

 Material:  Fruit, fresh

Vessel:  Earthenware or enamel kettle

Squeeze the juice from 2 pounds of cactus and strain into 3 gallons of water. Add 1 pound of yarn and soak for 1 week in a warm location. Rub the yarn daily. Rinse several times. To deepen the color, repeat the process a second time.

Green Outdoor Weekend Activities

Green Outdoor Weekend Activities

posted by Greennii
 

Spring has finally arrived here in Northern California and all this sunshine begs for fun things to do outside, which often also happen to be green. I tend to go outside at even the slightest hint of sunshine (then again, I’ve also been known to walk the dog in the rain just for fun), and do whatever it was I was doing inside, out under the sky. For instance, I’m sitting at an old-fashioned school desk, replete with wooden cross-bars under my seat for holding my books, and peeling green paint; outside; half under the Wysteria-covered arbor and half in the sun (the computer screen is oh-so-much easier to see in the shade); occasionally throwing the ball for my dog, who earlier got a little bath during the watering of the lettuce.

As I sit here considering the glistening, black-bottomed pool, I’m also considering the possibilities for the weekend:

1. Plant some organic lettuce. It’s so fun to open up your front door (or back door, or kitchen window) and snip off a few pieces of lettuce for your sandwich, a garnish or your dinner salad. I love lettuce and would have thought it beyond me to grow such a delicate, frilly, easily wilty plant, until my husband forced me to do so by planting a half-dozen little teeny baby lettuce plants and then promptly leaving them in my daily care. Turns out, lettuce is easy! Oh joy! So hop on down to whatever nursery is nearby and pick up a couple of six packs of the lettuce varieties which suit you. Then, rummage around in your backyard, ask your neighbor, scour the garage sales and thrift stores, and find yourself some shallow, wide pots (you could also plant each lettuce in its own pot, which would be very cute, but perhaps space-consuming). Stop by your local ACE and pick up some organic potting soil (or grab some where you get your lettuce). You’re ready to plant! Lettuce wants its little neck sticking out a bit, so don’t plant all the way up to the leaves. Keep the soil moist. Cut leaves from the bottom as soon as the plant starts growing.

2. Visit the Alameda Point Antiques Faire, held the first Sunday of every month, which just so happens to be next Sunday, April 3. Take a list with you of things you were otherwise going to buy brand new and see what you can find. I have not yet been, but I have it from a reliable source (read: friend who loves antiques and has discerning taste) that this is the best show in the Bay Area.

3. Go to any of the local farmer’s markets held all around the Bay Area. Most have food (the kind someone makes for you, not the kind you buy and take home as ingredients) vendors, so you can take your appetite and eat there. Take your refillable coffee mug along and get your morning dose from one of the local coffee shops along the street. Use these guides to find the market closest to you:

4. Unplug your life (and that of your family or a group of friends) and go outside with a picnic made from the organic stuff you bought at the farmer’s market (or at least from a small, local market). If you drive in a group, you’re lowering your carbon footprint, as well as not using all those electronic devices you’d be using if you stayed at home. Check out any of the local beaches, state parks or local parks and enjoy nature. The California State Parks system is vast, and their website has great ideas and guides for getting outdoors:

I’m likely to do at least two of the above, unless I decide to help my husband and our friend finish changing a Land Cruiser from right-hand-drive to left. I’m guessing the beach will win out over that. At least for me and the dog.

-Jocelyn Broyles

Herb of the Day for 4/1 is Dandelion

Herb of the Day

Dandelion

Dandelion is a hardy perennial salad weed originating from Eurasia. Weed killers were invented for herbs like this. As a culinary herb, the leaves are an excellent blood tonic and diuretic. The roots can be roasted and brewed as coffee. Let the dandelion live near fruit trees and it will help them produce more fruit. Just don’t pull it up–it is a non-allergic lawn cover that blooms, perfect for xeriscaping.