“To make a countryman understand what feuille-morte colour signifies, it may suffice to tell him, it is the colour of withered leaves in autumn. “
— John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690
My favourite time of the year – Autumn! She is on her way! And the trees coming alive with colour; the freshness in the air signifies the Autumnal change from a fairly sweltering Summer. Funny how I would think the trees are coming ‘alive’ with colour when in fact, they are dying, the leaves are that is.… but I think that, in and of itself, has great significance to the time of year and its representation. We think of Autumn, being the time before Winter – when for many the world looks barren, plain, and dead – as the ‘old woman’ status of the world during the season. I rather think it more like the ‘late middle-aged woman’. She is still invigorating and colourful. She still has much to do and enjoys fun as much as the next. She dresses herself in bright colours – reds, purples, yellows, and feuille-morte: which in French literally means ‘dead leaf’ but think of the hues of those dead leaves! The colour name, feuille-morte refers specifically to a brownish-orange or yellowish-brown colour. I think that gives our late middle-aged season just that little bit more flair, don’t you? She deserves it.
Autumn Crone ~ art by Mollie Kellogg
Of course, the colourfulness of her dress does not completely cover the knowledge that she is dying. She knows it. We know it. But something we may not think about is that the sap is going to carry on rising within the tree just as the movement through Winter, or the ‘death’, is going to carry on shifting… until the Sun rises on Spring and the tiny green leaves will unfurl from the tree where the Autumn Crone enjoyed her last hurrah just months before. And she is reborn as a young Spring Maiden again with a pretty green frock and time to enjoy. One thing you can be assured of – her spirit never died. It has been there all along, resting up for her new adventure and her new youthfulness. And so, it is with us all.
My heartfelt thanks to those who read this. Warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x
Foxgloves can both ‘raise the dead and kill the living’. The Digitalis purpurea is, as you may suspect from the name, a common heart medication ingredient. I can remember when many the elder folk in my family spoke of someone on “the digitalis”. I did not know at the time that the beautiful Foxgloves my Nana raised right outside from where I was sat were the plants responsible for so many lives saved. Not her personal plants, obviously, but you know…
Still, at the same time, I was cautioned never to touch the stunning flowers, do not pick them. Just “do not”. For some children that would have been a dare but for me, it was enough. Not that I was any sainted child, far from it! But finding that they could kill me in the blink of an eye was quite enough to keep me from doing any more than observing as bumblebees from far and wide came buzzing round and enjoying the nectar. That was my Nana’s predominant reasoning with me for not messing about with her Foxgloves… the bees! She knew that despite having been stung once in a tender place – between my little toe and the next – that I loved bees as much as she did. So, that was a good enough reason for me to leave the Foxgloves alone.
photo from woodlandtrust.org.uk
Foxglove is a well-known plant across the UK, which produces a spike of purple-pink flowers between June and September. It can grow up to 2m tall and is found in heathland, woodland edges, and gardens. Because of its height, I nearly called this a “magickal tree” but then decided it may be closer to wortcunning… then again, we do not ingest this flower in any way [without doctor’s orders]– upon pain of death, literally – so it is simply this… it is Foxglove, purely a treat for the eyes.
Not to be confused with common Comfrey [Symphytum officinale]. Comfrey could be mistaken for Foxglove when not in flower, as the leaves are similar. However, Comfrey leaves are untoothed, meaning they have smooth edges, and Foxglove leaves are toothed. Great Mullein [Verbascum Thapsus] is another plant Foxglove might be confused with when no flowers are present. However, Great Mullein leaves are untoothed and are hairier than those of foxglove.
Foxgloves can be grown in partial shade, shade, and full sun. I have read where those grown in partial shade do not have Digitalis, or at least to a much lesser degree, but the ones raised in full sun are exceedingly poisonous. I would always wear gloves either way.
Magickal
Plant Foxglove to lure Faeries into your garden. Dew collected from the blossoms is used in spells for communicating with fairies, though gloves must be worn when handling the plant as Digitalis can be toxic. Foxglove grown in a garden around your home offers protection to you and your family. Do not worry about planting Foxglove if you have animals. They won’t eat it.
Other Names: goblin gloves [Wales], witches’ gloves, dead men’s bells [Scotland], great herb [Ireland], folk’s gloves, foxesglew/fox’s music [Anglo-Saxon]
Health
We have not read the words of Dr Nicholas Culpeper in some time. As we do not endorse using Foxglove medicinally [unless prescribed by your doctor] due to its deadly nature, I shall still give you Culpeper’s take on the medicinal purposes for Foxglove of which he waxes glowingly… only do keep in mind these remedies were written without proper testing back in the 1650’s and earlier. Culpeper’s book was published in 1653. Read only for amusement, please.
[Government and virtues] The plant is under dominion of Venus, being of a gentle, cleansing nature, and withal, very friendly to nature. The herb is familiarly and frequently by the Italians to heal any fresh or green wound, the leaves being but bruised and bound thereon; and the juice thereof is also used on old sores, to cleanse, dry, and heal them. The decoction hereof made up with some sugar or honey, is available to cleanse and purge the body, both upwards and downwards, sometimes of tough phlegm and clammy humours, and to open obstructions of the liver and spleen. It has been found by experience to be available for the king’s evil [1], the herb bruised and applied or an ointment made with the juice thereof, and so used; and a decoction of two handfuls thereof, with four ounces of Polipody [2], in ale, has been found by late experience to cure divers, of the falling sickness that have been troubled with it above twenty years. I am confident that an ointment of it is one of the best remedies for a scabby head that is.
I find it quite odd that he never mentions Foxglove as an aid to heart problems. Still, it was still early doors in medicine those days.
Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x
Here is one you don’t think about every day. The Vitex agnus-castus, or Chaste Tree, is a small shrubby tree from the Mediterranean with distinctive aromatic palmate foliage and elongated inflorescences of fragrant lavender-coloured flowers. It is one of only two species of the genus – the other being Vitex negundo – that can be grown successfully in cool temperate climates, the others all being tropical or subtropical trees. The Vitex agnus-castus has also been grown in the US since about 1670 after the Great Pilgrim Migration. It seems many tree genus’s which were taken to America in times past have eventually been given new genus names, but the Chaste tree apparently has not been renamed. The Chaste tree also grows in New Zealand, but its genus is Vitex lucens.
Today we will explore both the magickal and health-related connections of the Chaste tree for our purposes.
Magickal
Chaste flowers tropicalbritain.co.uk
The flowers of the Chaste tree attract bees! If you wish to help Mother Nature replenish our quickly diminishing precious resource, the honeybee, feel free to plant all the Chaste trees you like. No, it isn’t magick, but it is good for environment.
Chaste berries ~ saga.co.uk
Apparently, the reason the Chaste tree got her peculiar name is from the story of the festival of Thesmorphia, in honour of the Goddess Demeter, during ancient times. During this festival sex was forbidden, therefore Athenian women placed Chaste leaves and branches on their beds to dissuade men from making advances upon them. Similarly, maidens yet without partners wore the flowers to stay chaste. Curiously though in today’s times, herbal healers employ the use of the Chaste berries to increase fertility and sex drive! Funnily enough, the anecdotal findings of the use of the herb supports one in balancing one’s sexuality. So, it would seem it may increase where needed as well as slow down when needed… win, win, I suppose!
The berries can be dried and ground into powder for use in loose incenses for fertility magick and sex magick.
Corresponces
Planet: Pluto
Element: Water
Gender: Feminine
Powers: Fertility Magick, Goddess Energy, Protection, Sex Magick
Deity: Ceres, Demeter, Persephone
Sabbat: Mabon and Beltane
Folk Names: Monk’s Pepper, Chaste Berry, Mu Jing, Cloister Pepper
Health
by purenaturals.co.uk
Chaste tree contains iridoids, flavonoids, progestins, and essential oils. This combination may help control menstrual cycles and ease menstrual pain. It may treat some endocrine problems.
Chaste tree has been used to treat menstrual cycle problems and pain, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause. Chaste tree berries may help stimulate progesterone. This is a female hormone that rises 2 weeks before menstruation. It may help normalise oestrogen and progesterone.
Chaste tree is claimed to help treat painful breasts [mastodynia]. In European herbalism and medicine, vitex extracts are used for uterine fibroid cysts. They help boost breast milk supply in new mothers. The herb has a long history in balancing hormones. It may help lower the sex drive in people who wish to stay chaste.
Side effects, toxicity, and interactions
hyperdrug.co.uk
Chaste tree has no serious side effects. Mild side effects can include nausea, stomach issues, diarrhoea, and itchy rash.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use chaste tree. It isn’t known if chaste tree is safe for children.
This supplement should not be taken by people with hormone-sensitive cancer.
Don’t use chaste tree if you take any medicines, herbs, or other supplements. Check with your healthcare provider or pharmacist first.
Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x
Ah, the Boswellia sacra tree! The sap of this tree is the most used resin in all of history for purification, protection, consecration, and healing. It is most prevalent in northern Somalia and the Dhofar mountain range in Oman. Boswellia serrata also produces frankincense and is native to much of India and the Punjab region that extends into Pakistan. The Boswellia Sacra tree is rather small as trees go and it grows to a height of about 2 to 8 metres or 6 to 26 feet. The most famous product of either Boswellia tree is its resin… it is what we have come to know as Frankincense.
We learn about Frankincense from a very early age. As children, many of us were brought up in Christian households, but not relegated to being Christian; practically every religion has heard the story of the Three Wise Men visiting the Christ child and the gifts they brought to honour him, one of which was Frankincense. Frankincense was used long before Christianity as incense and oil for consecration, purification, and protection of sacred spaces and people. The Catholic religion was, as far as I know, the first Christianity-based religion to use Frankincense. The Church of England used incense throughout its history, until the mid-1600s, when it fell into disuse generally and subsequently became illegal. From that time, though, it continued to be used in worship in isolated instances, such as in York Minster, and since the mid-19th century its use has spread and increased. It forms a normal part of ACC liturgy and worship. Jewish rabbis use consecrated frankincense in ritual, particularly in the ceremony of Ketoret.
Our cherished Frankincense supply could be in decline over the next years. Read more in this article by the BBC.
Magickal
For most of you reading today, I would be hard placed to give you any new information about Frankincense in magick. You already are familiar with using the resin along with tree bark and herbs for different spells. You already know the oil is fabulous for protection. And, you most likely burn Frankincense joss sticks for purification of your home or any sacred space. I’m particularly pleased that I can still burn Frankincense for as I’ve grown older my olfactory sense has become very sensitive to Dragon’s Blood, which I adore. Now, I can regularly burn Frankincense as it is gentle on my poor nose.
But Frankincense does not need to be burned to be effective. It is one of the nine herbs, flowers, resins, and woods we use in our Protection Witch Bottles and Necromancer’s Witch Bottles. It is believed that carrying a piece of Frankincense is protective. It can be held in a small bowl on your altar as an offering to your favourite Sun God or Goddess. You can anoint yourself or another with the oil for protection as well as anoint your altar or witch tools. I would be interested to learn of your uses for the resin or the oil. Please use the comments section below.
Resin made from Boswellia extract has been used for centuries in Asian and African folk medicine. It’s believed to treat chronic inflammatory illnesses as well as several other health conditions such as arthritis, some cancers, osteoarthritis, asthma, and irritable bowel disease [IBS]. Boswellia is available as a resin, pill, or cream.
Boswellia products can differ greatly. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and remember to speak to your doctor before using any herbal therapy.
General dosing guidelines suggest taking 300–500 milligrams (mg) by mouth two to three times a day. The dosage may need to be higher for IBD.
The Arthritis Foundation suggests 300–400 mg three times per day of a product that contains 60 percent Boswellia acids.
Boswellia may stimulate blood flow in the uterus and pelvis. It can accelerate menstrual flow and may induce miscarriage in pregnant women.
Other possible side effects of Boswellia include nausea, diarrhoea, acid reflux and skin rashes.
Boswellia extract may also interact with medications, including ibuprofen, aspirin, paracetamol, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs].
Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x
It is July but I am thinking of Yule so Rosemary came to mind and its heady “pine-ish” aroma. It is a scent and a flavour I love wholeheartedly. Rosemary roasted potatoes come to mind! But I am not here to write a cookbook, am I? No, I’m here to explore all the wonderful magickal ways with which Rosemary can assist us in spells and healing. And even with Yule being a half a year away, Rosemary can be used in so many ways, from magick to good health. So, let us begin.
Rosemary in bloom ~ gardenaction.co.uk
Reading through Nicholas Culpeper’s The Complete Herbal and English Physician, I find it amusing that as he wrote about most herbs and plants, he would always say in the beginning of each plant’s description, ‘…it is so well known, I need not describe it.’ I would have to argue a few of his entries saying that as I would never know the plant without a description or picture, however, I can agree here…I imagine everybody knows the look of Rosemary! It has been around for so long and used by so many that it is a staple in all kitchens most likely and grown in many gardens. It is so easy and hardy to grow that it can flourish even in the gardens of those without green fingers. If you’re not sure of yourself as a gardener I believe you will find success at last by growing Rosemary.
Magickal
Rosemary is a favourite of mine to use in poppets and incense for courage and healing spells and for protection. It is also a fundamental ingredient in clearing rituals.
Rosemary bundle ~ netdoctor,co,uk
Burning Rosemary whether in an incense or as a smudge stick/wand is a long-favoured way of “clearing the air” in a negative home or room. It has been found to help students whom are swotting up for exams and whilst doing revision for it helps clear their minds and keeps them on task because it helps their memory.
Many people I have talked to use Rosemary oil for cleansing and consecrating their altar and tools, however, I have not tried this. I stick to using Myrrh. Still, I may give Rosemary a go sometime. I certainly know it can’t hurt.
Plant Rosemary near your entrance doors on your home to ward off thieves.
My family swore by Rosemary being left underneath the marital bed for increasing the chances of fertility. You can make sachets to lay under pillows on the bed to achieve the same if you don’t want to have to sweep Rosemary needles from under your bed.
For marital loyalty, have your groom’s buttonhole made to include a sprig of Rosemary and be sure to have it added to your own bouquet to use during your wedding / handfasting.
Rosemary can be used in wreathes and decorations for the Yule season [keep in mind for next year] for its protectiveness, heath-giving, and loyalty attributes.
Hanging a bunch of Rosemary above one’s bed can ensure nightmares will not come.
The Elven folk are said to be attracted to Rosemary and I can attest to that as we had a maisonette a few years ago with a massive, bushy Rosemary growing in the back garden. We also had an impish Elf we named “Squishy” who notoriously pulled pranks when we sat out at night with a glass of wine. He was a quite a lot of fun, however, we haven’t seen him since moving to our bungalow. If we did not come out, he would chuck pebbles against the bathroom window to get our attention!
Health
According to Culpeper, Rosemary “….is very much used for inward and outward diseases, for by the warming and comforting heat thereof it helps all cold diseases, both of the head, stomach, liver, and belly. The decoction thereof in wine, helps the cold distillations of rheums into the eyes, and all other cold diseases of the head and brain, as the giddiness or swimmings therein, drowsiness or dullness of the mind and senses like a stupidness, the dumb palsy, or loss of speech the lethargy, and falling-sickness, to be both drank, and the temples bathed therewith.” He also goes on to say it is good for bathing away pains in teeth and gums and is used “to clear away stinking breath“. Rosemary also helps a weak memory and a plethora of other maladies! It would seem that if you had Rosemary in your garden and knew how to use it, you could almost live forever!
How do we use it in these times? A lot of the same ways as in olden days. We use Rosemary in cooking much of the time to guarantee proper digestion, particularly during holiday meals. It is one of the reasons why I always add Rosemary to my roast potatoes. Not only does it make them taste wonderful, but it is also helpful to sooth our stomachs from the excesses of the day.
dried Rosemary ~ courtesy of Google Images
Other ways I have used Rosemary is to melt down some bee’s wax, then add a bit of camphor. Next, I add a good amount of ground, fresh Rosemary, and a few drops of Rosemary oil, then allow it to sit til completely cool. It is the most fabulous nose un-stuffer when you have a cold, not to mention very gentle round your sore nose. It can also be used on cuts and bruises with success. It works for sore muscles, of which I generally have many, and this balm also helps reduce the appearance of spots and scars in the skin. For very sore muscles a drop or two of turpentine won’t go amiss. The same as people used it for many centuries ago.
For our hair, my daughters and I make an infusion with castor oil and fresh Rosemary by stuffing as much as will fit into a large jar. Then, we fill it with either castor oil or extra virgin olive oil and let it set for thirty days in the sunny window sill with the lid on tightly. Note: Be quick about using it if you make your infusion with olive oil as it seems to go “off” quicker than castor oil. Just massage into your hair and apply heat, let it sit for an hour, then wash as normal. Your hair will be softer than ever, and it seems to help strengthen against breakage. Infusion made oils are also useable in your magickal work in place of their essential oil counterparts. In fact, I like using infusion made oils better.
Rosemary is a wonderful pick-me-up in the sickroom. Have fresh bunches of Rosemary placed about the room for the spirit-lifting aroma and the protection of the patient.
I warn you, though it is bitter, you can steep Rosemary flowers and needles in a diffuser to make a cup of tea for an upset tummy.
Correspondences
Planet: Sun
Zodiac: Aries *Many say Leo, however, I use the designation of Aries by Nicholas Culpeper
I hope you have found some use for Rosemary from my blog that you may not have already thought of. Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all this way wander. x
Sources
The Complete Herbal and English Physician, by Nicholas Culpeper, c.1700’s
The Mandrake is native to southern Europe; however, it does have a “brother” plant in the US called Mayapple. European Mandrake comes from several species of the genus Mandragora, a member of the nightshade family. Despite the Mandrake root’s poison, it was used in early Chinese and European medicine as a pain reliever and sedative. I would not suggest anybody try this at home! Its fascination in Witchcraft came from the fact it often looks like the body of a tiny person. Below we shall explore the ways it was used in the past as well as some ways you can employ Mandrake today.
American Mandrake [Podophyllum peltatum], also called Mayapple or Wild Mandrake, has a skinny brown root that does somewhat resemble the fatter European Mandrake with its similarity to the human body. The Mayapple is very much as poisonous as is its European cousin so do handle with care. To my knowledge, the European Mandrake is only poisonous by the roots, however, every part of the American Mandrake is poisonous, apart from the small fruit which I hear tastes like apples [however, the seeds are poisonous], hence the name Mayapple. I think you would get more enjoyment from a regular apple, if I’m honest!
If you’re not confused yet, enter the English Mandrake. English Mandrake [or “false Mandrake”] is another name for White Briony [Brionia alba]. Briony is an invasive vine related to the cucumber. Apart from having large leaves and being poisonous when ingested, Briony doesn’t bear much resemblance to other Mandrakes. I felt I must mention this as I would not like to think anyone tried to use this in vain for real Mandrake.
Mandrake Root ~ Google Images
Talking of real Mandrake. Be very careful. I have read that some sellers on eBay sell Mandrake root for great amounts of money. I am not saying they are necessarily selling you the wrong thing, but I can tell you that they may not be harvesting it correctly. Mandrake root should only be harvested in its fourth year. If people are selling Mandrake root to make a lot of dosh, chances are they are harvesting too soon in order to make that sale. And, if they can get away with it, very probably some of the Mandrake root being sold is fake. Buyer beware. You can grow your own and I’m sure there are many the reputable website or book which can tell you how to grow it properly. You will have to order your Mandrake seeds most likely from China or Greece or somewhere it is grown normally. Or, settle for American Mayapple which is recommended as a substitute for the European Mandrake and works just as well.
Magickal
Many calls Basil the Witches herb. In that case, I would call Mandrake the Witches root. It is legendarily used in all kinds of magick. If you are a neo-Witch [beginner] you may have at least heard of it from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when the stalky plant, when uprooted, shrieks lethally. According to one legend which bears similarity to the Harry Potter film is that a Mandrake will emit an ear-piercing scream if uprooted, killing the person who digs it up. According to the stories, the only way to uproot the Mandrake safely is to plug one’s ears with wax and tie a rope between a Mandrake root and a dog’s tail. Back away from the root and throw the dog a bone or try to have it fetch a stick, and the dog will lunge for it. The Mandrake root will be uprooted by the dog’s sudden leap, and its shrieks will kill the hungry dog. Truth to tell, I wouldn’t know.
My dried Mayapple/Mandrake root ~ photo by i.macy
There have been, over hundreds of years, recipes and tinctures to imbibe which would give the Witch or cunning person a psychic edge. I won’t publish any of what I know here for I would never forgive myself if someone tried it and died, which is a very real outcome if you ingest Mandrake root or any parts of the Mayapple. Therefore, all ideas are for sympathetic magick only.
A dried Mandrake root placed on the mantelpiece is said to protect and bring happiness and prosperity to the household and it will also prevent demons from entering the home. Placed on top of money, it will make the money multiply.
A Mandrake root can be used as a poppet for sympathetic magick. It can also be carved into various shapes for magickal use.
The berries as well as the root are used in charms to increase fertility. Carried, it is said to attract love.
Add a bit of Mandrake root to your moon water and/or holy water for ritual use as it increase the power of any kind of solution you use in your practise, if it is not used to rub on your skin or to eat and drink.
The Mandrake root can be used as a familiar. You would give it food and drink daily or on a different schedule such as the full moon or dark moon only. You can give it milk, wine, whatever you like. Clean the Mandrake root figure, speak to it, form a relationship of sorts, and invite the spirit whom would be your “familiar spirit” to live within the Mandrake root and do your bidding. The thing I know about creating a familiar is that the one thing you don’t want to do is expect everything from it. It is best to choose one thing you want most from it and this way it will do its job well rather than having too many spirits enter all with different ideas.
It is also believed that disease can be transferred from an ill person to the Mandrake root by a Witch or cunning person, then the root is destroyed, effectively freeing the person from whatever ailed them.
Likewise, a Witch can exorcise a demonic spirit from a person and cage it within the Mandrake root, and of course, destroy the root leaving the once possessed person free of demonic plague.
Your altar tools, such as your athame, wand, and so forth, can be given extra power by including Mandrake root in whatever oil you use for the consecration of them. Just a few pieces dropped into say, a bottle of Myrrh [my oil of choice when consecrating my altar and tools] and left inside the oil will do the job. You can also use it in specific oils you might use for dressing candles to empower your candle magick.
Prosperity Witch Bottle ~ photo by i.macy
Mandrake root is powerful for bringing prosperity into your life. Several ways of using it would be to put a piece of Mandrake root in your coin purse or wallet where the folding money is kept. Do take care not to put your fingers in your mouth afterwards. You wouldn’t die but you might get a little woogy! And, of course, one our favourite ways is using it as one of the nine ingredients in our Wealth Witch Bottle talisman which we sell in our shop. It can be worn to attract money to you, or it can be kept where you keep money to make it grow such as a safe or a home bank. If you have a home-based business, you can also hang it wherever you work. Mandrake root can be used in a money poppet which you can decorate in any way you see fit to draw money to you and good place to carry it would be in a handbag or a man bag if you’re a chap who carries one. Again, with adding the root to oils, add a few pieces of the root to Patchouli oil and put a few drops on your folding money to increase the attraction to more money.
Mandrake root is highly protective. Remember above where I mentioned adding the pieces of root to your homemade holy water? Use it to sprinkle round your home, particularly around doors and windows to protect from intruders.
Healing
The leaves [European Mandrake only] can be boiled in milk and used as a poultice for external ulcers.
This is where I leave it for, I am not qualified in any way as far as I’m concerned to tell anyone how or when to use Mandrake for health reasons. I have read many articles about it but the right dosages and so forth to do good and not harm are too iffy. Yes, I am aware that people through the years have used Mandrake for their health, still, as it is so poisonous, I’m just not going to try. I don’t mind giving some advice with the non-poisonous herbs, woods, leaves, etc but this one is not one I’ll recommend. So, if you insist on using it, please find the information elsewhere. Good luck and be careful, please.
Correspondences
Planetary: Mercury
Gender: Masculine
Zodiac: Gemini and Virgo
Element[s]: Fire
Powers: Fertility, Money, Luck, Protection, Love
Deity: Circe, Hecate, Diana, Hathor and Saturn
Other Names: European Mandrake, Mandragora, Mandrake, Mandrake Apple, Pome Di Tchin, Satan’s Apple, herb of Circe, witches mannikin, sorcerer’s root, main-de-gloire, hand of glory, mangloire
Many thanks for reading my blog and warmest blessing to all whom this way wander x
Sources
Experience
Wikipedia
The Witching Herbs: 13 Essential Plants and Herbs for Your Magical Garden by Harold Roth
The Mystic Mandrake by C.J.S. Thompson
The Encyclopaedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
Of the Juniper bush, Nicholas Culpeper wrote in his famous The Complete Herbal and English Physician, “They [Juniper bushes] grow plentifully in divers woods in Kent, Warney common near Brentwood in Essex upon Finchley Common without Highgate; hard by the Newfound Wells near Dulwich, upon a Common between Mitcham and Croydon, in the Highgate near Amersham in Buckinghamshire, and many other places.” Of course, Mr Culpeper would not have known they also were growing in Europe, Southwest Asia, and North America. He wrote about what was on hand mainly in England in the 1700’s and how each herb, spice, flower, and tree could lend itself to healing in the medicine of the times. His information was good for his time and is still as useful today.
We can not speak of the berries, which many of us use for different purposes in magick and healing without first speaking of the bush/tree, of course. And now that we have done, Mr Culpeper has more information regarding the Juniper, “The berries are not ripe the first year, but continue green two Summers and one Winter before they are ripe; at which time they are all of a black colour, and therefore you shall always find upon the bush green berries; the berries are ripe about the fall of the leaf.”
The Juniper bush can grow up to 25 feet tall…I would say that is quite a large bush, indeed! And any lover of a good G and T [gin and tonic] knows the primary ingredient in gin is Juniper berries. But we shall now ponder the magickal and healing ways of the berries.
Magickal
Juniper berries, if added to sachets and carried with, will protect the wearer from accidents and theft, as well as from attacks from wild animals and snakes.
The berries are also said to increase male potency.
If Juniper is grown by or hung dry by any entry door of your home, it is said that the home will be protected against evil forces and persons.
Juniper Berries are good for increasing psychic powers and other popular uses including incense mixtures for exorcism and breaking hexes. It is also used in love spells.
Juniper has been said to be the guardian of the veil – the veil between the worlds.
For any magickal undertaking, the berries can be dried and crushed to be used in incenses for your purpose. They can also be added to poppets and sachets for the reasons you wish to use their magickal properties and drinking Juniper berry tea is helpful when seeking out the other side as in hedgewitchery and necromancy. Do not drink the tea or work with Juniper berries if you are pregnant.
Healing
Juniper berries are known for having health properties that improve memory and mental clarity.
Juniper berries act as a parasiticide (parasite destroyer) and antiseptic. Nicholas Culpeper writes, “The berries stay all fluxes, help the haemorrhoids or piles, and kill worms in children.”
Apparently, a great ridder of ‘wind’ [after all the rich foods partaken of back in the day, no doubt!] for Mr Culpeper also states, “…strengthens the stomach exceedingly, and expels the wind. Indeed, there is scarce a better remedy for wind in any part of the body, or the cholic than the chymical oil drawn from the berries.”
Juniper berries ~ cma.org.uk
Juniper berries are excellent to use in a tea for its detoxifying properties and can aid in the treatment of gout and rheumatoid arthritis. This is confirmed by Culpeper as he writes, “…[Juniper berries] are excellently good in all sorts of agues; help the gout and sciatica and strengthen the limbs of the body.” The berries are also known as an excellent diuretic and is proved again by Culpeper, “they provoke urine exceedingly, and are therefore very available to all dysuries and stranguaries.”
Culpeper also says Juniper berries are “a most admirable counter-poison, and as great a register of the pestilence as any growing; they are excellent good against the bitings of venomous beasts.” I have no doubt this is true.
Correspondences
Planetary: Sun
Gender: Masculine
Element: Fire
Zodiac: Leo
Powers: Protection, Mental Health, Love, Male Potency, Increasing Psychic Powers, and Breaking Hexes
The Ogham alphabet was derived from sacred glyphs and it is mainly associated with Ireland and the Irish Gaelic language. It is, of course, often claimed by others, such as the Welsh traditions which says that Hu the Mighty invented the Ogham ‘for he first applied vocal song to strengthen memory and record’. This is even more plausible than where, in The White Goddess, author Robert Graves claims the tree alphabet as partly his invention. I don’t suppose he would ever think that people would learn, if they had not already, that the Ogham alphabet would turn up marked on trees and stone monuments, dating back as early as the first century AD. It is also plausible to understand that the Ogham alphabet was used all over the British Isles by Druids and the Bards alike so it could have been a collaboration of Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and English people. And, there are other claims that the Ogham was around before the first century AD, some saying it goes back to the first century BC. I suppose we will never really know definitively but it is enough to know that it is part of a much more ancient language than Robert Graves may have claimed.
All we need to be concerned with is understanding the Ogham…at the very least, in layman’s terms, so that when you see something regarding the Ogham you can understand how it fits in with the trees used and its basic meanings. If you wish to learn to cast the Ogham for divination, there are a good many books which are very thorough.
You’ll often see the Ogham called the “tree alphabet” and so it is. That is because each Ogham is assigned to a tree/shrub/bramble. It is a form of encoded wisdom which was once strictly passed on by initiation only. The Ogham itself is very magickal; it aided healing, science, divination, and initiatory learning through its potent wisdom based on trees, plant, and animal growth by their seasonal energies, not to mention its great spiritual power. Each Ogham letter has its own sound[s] to convey its meaning…it is said to be multi-layered in that it represented the sounds of nature, the air, the earth, animals and plants…all the sounds which veritably create music… can you imagine? The learned ones in their time communicating in this way? It lifts my spirit to imagine it. Music is recorded when written on an Ogham stave. Timeless.
It would be difficult then to imagine only one person creating the Ogham alone, so it is of my highest opinion that many are responsible for its being.
To understand why each Ogham ‘letter’ is so assigned, we must see the tree groups as the people whom invented this magickal communication did. There are four main groups: Chieftain, Peasant, Shrub, and Bramble. The Chieftain trees are Oak, Holly, Yew, Ash, Pine, and Apple with Apple being most frequently the host of Mistletoe, Mistletoe is known as the ‘hidden tree’. The Peasant trees are Alder, Willow, Hawthorn, Rowan, Birch, Elm, and Beech. Sometimes Silver Fir is included, depending upon whom is writing. Then, there are the Shrubs which consists of Blackthorn, Elder, Aspen and the Poplars, Juniper, and Reed with the possibility of Maples. Lastly, the Brambles: Dog-Rose, Bramble, Broom, Heather, Ivy, Vine, and possibly Honeysuckle, Fern, ‘Traveller’s Joy’, and The Spindle Tree. Each tree, shrub, and bramble and its associations, which I have not listed at this time, were created by the authors of the Ogham. The Irish Gaelic letters shown in the below illustration are in alphabetical order but not in their seasonal order.
The Ogham Alphabet ~ Sacred Chaotic Geometry on Tumblr
As room did not allow, I did not attach the tree name to each of the twenty oghams on the chart which are mainly used for divination purposes, therefore, I shall list them here: Beith – Birch tree, Luis – Rowan tree, Fearn – Alder tree, Saille – Willow tree, Nuin – Ash tree, Huathe – Hawthorn tree, Duir – Oak tree, Tinne – Holly tree, Coll – Hazel tree, Quert – Apple tree, Muin – Vine, Gort – Ivy, Ngetal – Reed, Straif – Blackthorn, Ruis – Elder tree, Ailim – Pine tree, Ohn – Gorse, Ur – Heather, Eadha – Poplar tree, Ioho – Yew tree. I have drawn a red line around those which are used in divination, leaving the five combination vowel letters to the side for another time. You may be familiar with this if you have read my blog, What’s Your Birth Tree is the New What is Your Star Sign.
My Celtic Tree Oracle and personal Ogham set
There is so much more to be said about the Ogham but in this writing, I am only presenting what is used in divination because so many people ask how they are used for this purpose. ***Of course, if I had a lot of time, I could explain it all, however, I do spend much of my time writing or creating things for our shop and simply can’t write about it all. In olden days the Ogham alphabet was a way of communicating – people even created a sign language with it – and for recording. It was a secret language of the Druids and the Bards. Nowadays, it is used nearly exclusively for divination. In this respect, the trees themselves, whilst providing anchorage for the whole system are regarded as doorways through which to enter deeper wisdoms. If you want to learn how to divine using the Ogham, it would be a good start to buy or make a set of Ogham for yourself and buy a book or two such as Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom, by Erynn Rowan Laurie or a less expensive option would be to purchase The Celtic Tree Oracle: A System of Divination, by Colin Murray, where you can divine with oracle cards.
I hope this has clarified a few things for some of you who queried. *** This is an update to my original blog – beginning this week, I shall begin posting my blogs from 2019 where I explain how to divine with the Ogham, spread over twenty easy lessons, one each for the Ogham you would use in divination. Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom wander this way.. x
Of course, I have written about the wonderful Hawthorn tree in the past, but were you aware of how magickal the leaves are? Many of you have probably used the berries and spines / thorns in your magickal workings as well. But, today I would like to take you on a little journey through what the leaves can do for you.
Magickal
Hawthorn Leaf ~ woodlands.co.uk
Leaves can be harvested any time. Be sure to ask permission and leave an offering. The leaves, curiously enough, are also used to enforce or maintain chastity or celibacy. The leaves are placed beneath the mattress or around the bedroom for this purpose.
Worn or carried, the leaves promote happiness in the troubled, depressed, or sad. Call on the Goddess Grianne to bring some sunshine and happiness into your life.
Use Hawthorn leaves for protection, love, and marriage spells by using them in poppets, sachets, and witch bottles. We use Hawthorn leaf in our Protection Witch Bottle which we sell in our shop. You can also use the leaves in loose incense but if you are using the Hawthorn wood in the incense there really is no need to use the leaves. As with any part of the Hawthorn tree, faeries are very attracted to Hawthorn, so you may spy one whilst burning an incense with Hawthorn in it!
“Hawthorn is burned to purify,And draw a faerie to your eye.”
And talking of marriage, a beautiful headdress can be woven of the leaves and flowers of the Hawthorn for a bride!
Healing
My dried Hawthorn leaf ~ photo by i.macy
Like the berries and flowers, Hawthorn leaves have properties to reduce high blood pressure. Use the leaves in a tea to not only reduce blood pressure but is also said to help ease a broken heart after a break up. All of a Hawthorn tree is very good for ones’ health and the leaves are definitely as good for your health as any other part of the tree. The leaves can be used to make a tincture for use on your face after washing it, much the same as using witch hazel or a toner. The tincture is great for reducing the small broken vessels on your face and if you have flushes of the skin or reddish outbreaks, the tincture can reduce this as well. If you boil the leaves down to make a paste, try this on heavier areas of small broken vessels or red areas of skin, by leaving it on for a bit longer. Hawthorn leaf tea is excellent for a sore throat.
Fun Folklore Hawthorn leaves can be eaten and were once referred to as bread-and-cheese.
During World War I, young Hawthorn leaves were used as substitutes for tea and tobacco.
This blog was published in 2018, including part of my 2017 Beltane blog…I like reusing things, so why not the reuse of a blog? Especially if it touches on some very good points! Besides, it does aide me in getting more of the blogs from the old site over to this one…win! So, here in 2022 with much water under the bridge between here and 2018, I wish everyone a very happy and safe Beltane. May everyone be blessed with good health, prosperity and protection.
lone Hawthorn tree, courtesy of Google images
Happy Beltane, everyone! Or, if you are in The Land Down Under, Happy Samhain! I thought it appropriate to re-visit our Hawthorn tree blog today as it is traditionally used as the “May Pole” being today is also May Day. And then I get thinking “what more can I say about the wonderful Hawthorn?”. I really couldn’t think of a thing, however, as I sat researching a herb I plan on writing about by reading in Nicholas Culpeper’s herbal, The English Physician, I ran across his passage on Hawthorn! What better way to begin my re-blog than to quote the words of the foremost herbalist of his day and still popular in our time? So, forgive the misspellings, for the English language had not quite been tamed yet, or, the authors of many of the olde worldy books just could not spell! Without further hesitation, I give you Nicholas Culpeper’s take on Hawthorn:
“HAWTHOEN.
It is not my intention to trouble you with a description of this tree, which is so well known that it needs none. It is ordinarily but a hedge bush, although being pruned and dressed, it grows to be a tree of reasonable height.
As for the Hawthorn Tree at Glastonbury, which is said to flower yearly on Christmas-day, it rather shews the superstition of those that observe it for the time of its flowering, than any great wonder, since the like may be found in divers other places of this land; as in Whey-street in Romney March, and near unto Nantwich in Cheshire, by a place called White Green, where it flowers about Christmas and May. If the weather be frosty, it flowers not until January, or that the hard weather be over.
Government and virtues.] It is a tree of Mars. The seeds in the berries beaten to powder being drank in wine, are held singularly good against the [kidney] stone, and they are good for the dropsy. The distilled water of the flowers stays the lask. The seed cleared from the down, bruised and boiled in wine, and drank is good for inward tormenting pains. If cloths and sponges be wet in the distilled water, and applied to any place wherein thorns and splinters, or the like, do abide in the flesh, it will notably draw them forth.
And thus you see the thorn gives a medicine for his own pricking and so doth almost everything else.” ~ Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician and Complete Herbal, 16th century
Culpeper’s way was to assign a planet to every tree, flower, and wort and every part of the human body was assigned a planet as well. If a wort or tree was ruled by Mars you only need to use it for healing the part of the body also ruled by Mars. This was not something you took lightly in those days. He spent most of his life researching by astrology, biology, and the science of making people well again. On the top of it all, he was quite a prolific writing. Although centuries have passed since this writing, we have found all to be true the things Culpeper learned in his research. Many times when I am writing about a herb I consult The English Physician to see what Culpeper made of the herb back in his time and I find that we are still, for instance, using Angelica to help with stomach ailments or Cherry to cure a sore throat or chest congestion. It goes to prove they did get it right in those days and we owe Culpeper and many others a huge debt of gratitude for what they learned and left with us.
Today is May Day and the first day of Beltane. And in many places a tall post of Hawthorn may be being used today for a May Pole. But I do hope in preparing the Hawthorn for its celebratory ritual that people remembered to use all of the Hawthorn and not to waste it…keeping leaves, bark, and so forth for healing potions or protections.
So, please enjoy the rest of the blog, if you have never read it before, and if you have, I hope you have enjoyed the re-visit with new information. Happy May Day and Beltane to all!
From August, 2017:
Hawthorn Huath Ogham Pendant ~ photo by i.macy
The Hawthorn tree represents the sixth month of the Celtic Tree calendar, 13 May – 9 June, and this period is represented by the Ogham for this tree, which is also the 6th letter of the ogham alphabet, Huath (Huathe, Uath). The Hawthorn Tree, or Mayflower tree, is sacred to Roman Goddess Flora, Celtic Goddesses Aine and Brigid, along with the Manx – Celtic God Manannàn Mac Leirr. This Ogham symbol is used in Celtic Reiki and its essence represents the energy of cleansing and preparation. It clears the mind of negative thoughts and mental confusion, offering clarity: it gives patience and offers stillness. The Hawthorn tree is masculine and usually, but not always, grows in hedges, but a lone Hawthorn tree, growing on a hill is a portal to the world of faery and is also considered one of the three trees of the Faery Triad, including Oak and Ash. We offer a Hawthorn Ogham pendant in our Etsy shop for those born in the lovely month of May, or in fact, to anyone who loves Hawthorn. Not available as of this writing.
The Faery Triad Talisman: Oak, Ash, and Thorn ~ photo by i.macy
Hawthorn Faery “Along with Oak and Ash, Hawthorn forms the “faery triad” that is especially inviting to the fae. Hawthorn is, in some ways, the faery tree, forming a portal to the faery realm and holding strong magick. The Hawthorn faery offers access to the Other-World, but also protects the unwary, so it is important to be patient with this spirit. She can enchant your life, bringing growth and fertility to all areas, and when the Hawthorn flowers in spring, it represents the bridal gown of the young Goddess. Hawthorn is sacred to the Welsh sun goddess Olwen, the “white lady of the day.” Where she trod she left white footprints on hawthorn, and her father, Yspaddaden Pencawr, was “Giant Hawthorn.” Thirteen tasks were demanded of her suitor, Culhwych, before he could marry her and overcome the power of the giant. Thirteen is a number associated with the moon, for the moon makes 13 circuits of the zodiac to one of the sun. Thus, the Hawthorn suggests union of sun and moon, male and female. The Hawthorn faery promises cleansing, fulfilment, guardianship, and fertility. Keeping grounded and practical is the best way to access her and use her gifts.” ~ The Faery Bible by Teresa Moorey
In Ireland, Hawthorns have always been highly respected as faery trees. They were often referred to as ‘gentle bushes’ after the custom of not naming faeries directly out of respect. Solitary thorns were known as the faeries’ Trysting Trees, and frequently grew on barrows and tumps or at crossroads, thought to be a favourite location of pagan altars.
Folklore: Much of the folklore attached to it seems to come from the fact that the tree is covered in long branches of early, white blossom around the time of Beltane – the First of May. In England, the Hawthorn is known as the Mayflower tree in honour of the month during which it blooms. Symbolising hope, it was the name the Pilgrims took for their famous ship, The Mayflower.
Hawthorn flowers ~ Courtesy of Google Images
If 1st of May seems early and the blossom is not ready – remember that the British calendar was changed and went forward 12 / 13 days in 1752 – trees have long memories and so work to the ancient dates! This is evident as well in Hawthorn’s place in the Ogham Tree Calendar – beginning now on 13th May – it would once have started on May 1st. Hawthorn is still prevalent in May Day celebrations, whatever the case.
A Pagan Maypole celebration, led by the Green Man, photo courtesy of Google images
But whilst Hawthorn was a propitious tree at May-time, in other circumstances it was considered unlucky. Witches were supposed to make their brooms from it, and in some parts, it was equated with the abhorred Elder, as in the rhyme:
Hawthorn bloom and elder-flowersWill fill a house with evil powers.
In magick, Hawthorn is known as a psychic shield that can lift the spirits, and a little charm of the wood is a thoughtful gift for a friend going through a time of vulnerability or depression. It is also especially effective against malevolent spirits.
Protection Spell: Carefully gather a few thorns from the tree. “On a piece of paper, write the name of the person or situation from which you seek protection, and then wrap it around the thorns. Bury this in the ground – if possible near the tree from which the thorns were collected.” ~ Whispers from the Woods, by Sandra Kynes
Correspondences: Planet: Mars and Venus Symbolism: Purification, sacred marriage and male-female unity
Crystals: Lapis Lazuli, Blue Calcite Birds: Blackbird, Owl, Purple Martin Colour: Midnight Blue, Purple Deity: Olwen, Blodeuwedd, Gardea, Hymen, Hera, Virgin Mary Sabbat: Beltane, May Day Folk names: May bush, May tree, quickset, thorn-apple tree, white thorn.
“A hundred years I slept beneath a thornUntil the tree was root and branches of my thought,Until white petals blossomed in my crown.” From The Traveller ~ by Kathleen Raine
I hope you have enjoyed the re-visit. Many thanks for reading and warmest blessings to all whom this way wander x
Sources: Druidry.org
thoughtco.com
thegoddesstree.com
Whispers from the Woods, by Sandra Kynes
The Fairy Bible, by Teresa Mooney
The English Physician and Complete Herbal, by Nicholas Culpeper
WytchenCrafts 