Charged Waters: Flower Waters

Last week I introduced charged waters and talked about Holy Water. This week I would like to cover Flower Waters. There are a number of flower waters used in a variety of magic, especially rose water. Although some spells demand very specific flower waters, they may be substitute for regular water in many magical workings, especially those for healing and romantic purposes and for inks and incenses.

Rose water is frequently used in Indian, North African, and Middle Eastern cuisine (might be why I love it so much) and is easily purchased at specialty vendors. Sometimes health shops will also carry rose water, so keep an eye out the next time you venture out. However, pre-packaged rose waters vary greatly in quality as there are no set standards. Some contain very little trace of the flower while others are excellent. That being said, fine hydrosols are more popular now and thus more readily available in today's market. Hydrosols may be the best source of rose water.

If you don't wish to purchase your rose water, you can easily make it at home. However, do not use florist flowers as they are more often than not coated with pesticides which can concentrate in the flower water.

There are two methods you can use to make Rose/Flower Water.

Method 1:

1. Wash and remove petals from roses. Place in a small pot and cover with a quarter of an inch of spring water.
2. Simmer gently until the petals are limp and pallid. When in doubt simmer longer.
3. Strain and allow liquid to cool. Refrigerate up to 1 week.

Method 2:

1. Place washed petals or blossoms in a mason jar.
2. Cover with boiling water and allow to sit overnight.
3. Strain and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Both methods can be used to make any type of flower water as long as the flowers are not poisonous or toxic of course. I will post a more in depth guide in the future.

Rose Water is used for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

• Love Magic
• Aiding the the awakening of one who has been in a trance
• Used in a ritual cleansing bath
• To relieve headaches and bruises
• Stimulate sexual appetite and enhance beauty
• Induce prophetic dreams
• Healing magic
• Stress relief

I will talk about lavender water in another post, as it is made from distilling instead of boiling. Until then, do you use rose water in your magical workings?

Charged Waters: Holy Water

This week's Pagan Blog Project letter is W, so I thought I would talk about charged waters.

Charged water is very simply water that has been charged with magical power and intentions. However, not all charged waters are really water. Some are alcohol-based as the roots of perfumeries and liqueurs lie in magical potions and brews. Alcohols commonly used include aquavit or whiskey (which derives from the Gaelic for "water of life") and vodka. Vodka is most common because it has little to no scent. Rubbing alcohol is avoided as it typically has a very strong aroma.

There are several types of charged waters including the infamous Holy Water, Rose Water, and Florida Water. I'll talk about Holy Water as it is probably the most familiar, yet misunderstood of charged waters. Many assume Holy Water indicates Church-blesses water only, but this is an oversimplification of a complex subject. The Roman Catholic Church did not in fact invent Holy Water, but instead adopted it from earlier pagan customs. Holy Water is a crucial component in magical workings, although how it is made varies greatly between traditions. It can refer to:

• Church-blessed Water
• Jordan River Water
• Modern Wicca claims it to be either spring water with salt added or more personal recipes as decided by the coven or witch.
• According to Pow-Wow traditions, it is water with salt and vervain added.
• Some believe water charged by the Full Moon or a lunar eclipse is holy.
• Balinese tradition has a variety of recipes including one that involves unripe coconuts or bamboo. Sometimes ocean water is used.
• British folk traditions say that rain falling on Holy Thursday (Ascension Day) can be used as Holy Water. Other sacred days may be substituted, such as the Summer Solstice, May Eve, New Year's Day, Samhain, a saint's day, or even your birthday.

Balinese Holy Water, Church-blessed Holy Water, and Wiccan Holy Water are all consecrated via ritual. It is the ritual itself that activates the water. Other traditions say no ritual is needed because the sacred, magical power of Holy Water is innate and that a ritual can interfere with its power. So, depending on what you believe, Holy Water can be easily obtained through collection or involve a complex ritual.

Holy Water is used for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

• Altar cleansing and blessing.
• Healing spells. Holy Water is believed to be capable of magically transmitting physical relief for headaches and tensions when used in a compress or massage.
• Cleansing and purification for both an individual and sacred space.
• Cleansing and empowering magical tools and materials.
• And of course, exorcisms and banishing spells.

I personally use ocean water as my holy water. Why? Because it contains salt, a natural purifier of negativity and "disease." I collect ocean water in a glass jar whenever we visit the ocean. I try to do it in the moon light to further charge the water, but I find water collected at high noon is just as powerful. Its really a personal choice.

Do you use Holy Water? If so, which tradition do you identify with the most?

Vampires

In the spirit of Halloween I thought I would write this Pagan Blog Project post about vampires. No undead spirit retains as much fascination from the living as vampires. Many understand vampires to exist somewhere between the living and dead, but are they tortured souls or rewarded ones?

Interpretations differ between cultures and myths, but the one quality universally accepted is that they suck vitality from others, either in the form of blood or sexual energy. The most famous vampires, including Bram Stroker's Dracula, Anne Rice's Lestat, and Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, are all blood suckers. Some vampires kill their victims by draining all of their blood quickly while others prolong the process. Others still use the blood as merely a means to drain the victim's life force. However, vampires such as Lillith and her daughters, Herodias and her daughters, La Diablesse of the French Caribbean, and the Karina, drain sexual vitality from their victims. This is often done through sexual intercourse, whether physically or through dream hauntings. Many of today's portrayals of vampires combines the blood-sucker with the more ancient incubus/succubus (drainer of sexual vitality).

So how does one become a vampire? Well, there are many different traditions citing very different causes.

• Inadequate/improper funeral rites
• There is a contagious quality to being a vampire. Once attacked by a vampire you either become one yourself or die.
• In Transylvanian folklore, illegitimate songs, born outside Church-sanctioned marriages are doomed to become vampires.
• Some spirits are believed to be innately vampiric without rhyme or reason.
• Other traditions claim those born on Christmas Day are potentially future vampires.
• And my personal favorite is from Ukrainian folklore. According to this legend a vampire is the inevitable result of sexual relations between a witch and werewolf.

Some of these are much crueler than the others if you consider the implications. I am curious to know how many people killed their illegitimate sons out of fear.

Of course among the legends are many antidotes. These traditionally include bells, bright light or sunlight, garlic, onions, and silver bullets or bullets made from melted down bells. Crosses and Holy Water is still up for debate. These do not appear in any traditions prior to the Church introducing them and many believe them to be Christian propaganda. Of course there are always spells to repel vampires.

The Gypsies of India suggest wearing a charged and consecrated iron ring set with pearls to ward off vampires. After an encounter they say to cleanse the ring in incense smoke. Wearing dried peppermint around you neck will also ward off vampires. You can mix it with dried garlic to make an even more powerful ward. However, my favorite is the idea that vampires are OCD. Supposedly if there is fishing net, or in our case modern screens, over your windows the vampire will compulsively count all the knots or holes before entering. The idea is that he/she will either be so distracted they get caught in sunlight or they give up and move to another home.

If you are daring you can try to capture a vampire in a glass or metal bottle like a genie. Don't use plastic as they can presumably bite through plastic. This works like a fly-trap. Place some kind of tempting food in the bottle. Set the bottle out and wait. You will know you have caught a vampire when you observe a bit of straw or fluff within the bottle. Seal the bottle securely and toss it into a fire to destroy the vampire. This spell of course only works on a vampire who is understood to have once been a regular human.

So this Halloween, take solace in the fact that you very likely have screens on all your windows and simply putting out some peppermint and garlic or having some bells on hand will keep you safe. And remember witches, don't do anything naughty with a werewolf else you could create your own little vampire.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween. May your ancestors be with you.

Uninvited Banishing Spells

With Halloween around the corner, scary movies are flooding the theaters and the television. I don't know if any of you guys have seen the previews for Ouija, but it got me thinking about the Uninvited. The whole premise of the movie is that some teenagers use an Ouija board to communicate with the dead and all hell breaks loose. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I have overheard people talking about summoning spirits, demons, etc using any and all variety of methods. In fact, the daughter of a close family friend admitted to her mother that she was summoning spirits in an attempt to help them pass over. She was dabbling, as most people who talk about this sort of thing are, and her mother noticed very marked changes in her daughter. She asked me what I thought (she is a pagan Christian and clairvoyant), and I looked at her and told her that B had invited something in that she had not intended, something very dark.

Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence when people dabble and/or misuse magic. In many cases, it is easier to summon than to banish. Always keep this in mind when summoning anything, especially if it is malevolent. However, it can even happen to the most skilled practitioner. So for this week's Pagan Blog Project post, I would like to cover how to get rid of the Uninvited, both physically and metaphysically. Sometimes a guest overstays their welcome, a neighbor moves in that is completely awful, or you have accidentally let in something malicious.

Depending on what you need, there are several ways you can handle this problem. Banishing powders are very common in dealing with people. My favorite is based on an old Hoodoo recipe. To make Hoodoo Vanishing Powder, simply combine black pepper, cayenne, salt, and sulfur and grind into a fine powder. Visualize your intent while grinding to infuse the powder.

Banishing powders can be sprinkled on the clothes, especially shoes, of the person you wish to leave, under their bed, on the ground where they will walk over it, or used to enhance other banishing spells including banishing oil. Remember, powders are intended as a subtle form of magic so less is more. You don't want what you are doing to be obvious. Also keep in mind that if you sprinkle this on someone's clothes, you could cause an adverse reaction, so the bottoms of shoes are safest.

Of course, this is only one powder recipe. Mixing any of the following herbs will produce a Banishing Powder:
     Angelica
     Asafetida
     Basil
     Bay laurel
     Citronella
     Cloves
     Cumin
     Devil's bit
     Dragon's blood
     Elder
     Fleabane
     Fumitory
     Garlic
     Heliotrope
     Horehound
     Juniper
     Lovage
     Mistletoe
     Mullein
     Mugwort
     Nettle
     Oleander
     Pepper (both black and cayenne/hot chili)
     Yew

Growing these plants in quantity around your home will also discourage uninvited guests and can be used in your Poison Garden.

To make a Banishing Oil cover your banishing powder in Castor oil and shake vigorously until well combined. If the oil is too thick you can thin it with jojoba oil.

All of the above methods are generally used to banish people, not spirits. If you have accidentally let spirits into your home, whether malicious or not, there are several ways to handle this. A general word of caution; if you wish to practice malevolent magic, know that it attracts the attention of equally malevolent spirits, whether you want them or not. Once present, they often become bored and restless, causing destruction and grief in their wake. The best option for banishing spirits is to contact a knowledgeable professional, but I understand not everyone can or is comfortable doing this. When all actions must be taken into your own hands, the Spirit Banishing Bell and Incense Spell is extremely potent. Burn benzoin, frankincense, and juniper as a triple threat and for triple protection. Evil spirits cannot abide by any of these fragrances, let alone the combination, and should leave. Ringing an iron bell while the incense burns will increase the effectiveness of this spell as it disturbs most malicious spirits. Make your intent known by commanding the spirits to leave and never return.

I hope none of you ever have to use any of these spells, but in case you ever do, do not do it maliciously. These are also not intended to be used all willy-nilly because you can't get along with someone. These are for extreme cases only so please exercise caution and your best judgment.

Have you ever had to use a banishing spell? If so, for what?

The Three Tricksters

Last week several people wrote about their totem animals for the Pagan Blog Project. Since none of them mentioned mine, I figured I would cover them. I call them the Three Tricksters because each of them is known as a "trickster" in many traditions due to their cunning and ability to quickly adapt. My three animal guides are the Fox, Raven, and Raccoon.

The Fox

The fox has a long and rich history. It is often associated with the "dark" side of magic and seen as a bad omen in many traditions. In some Native American traditions, the fox represents the practice of dark sorcery and the manipulation of magic. Despite this, the fox is revered for its witty and quick intelligence. It is a great teacher, providing guidance on swiftly handling obstacles, adapting, and quick thinking. The fox can also help you see through deception and aid in dream work.

The Raven

Throughout history the raven has been associated with both positive and negative aspects. The most common aspects are magic, personal transformation, intelligence, adaptability, prophetic insight, and death. The raven is present in many shamanic traditions as the totem animal of choice for those who use magic. Furthermore, ravens are great teachers for guiding you through adversity, difficult situations, and transformation. It also aid in magical workings.

The Raccoon

The history of the raccoon is not as rich as those of the fox and raven, but it is also often associated with the trickster. In some Native Americans traditions it is associated with shape shifting, disguise, dexterity, and ingenuity. Like the raven it can aid in personal transformation and adaptability. Furthermore, the raccoon is a great teacher in problem solving, ingenuity, and exploration. It can also aid you in undertaking new experiences and calming you in stressful situations.

I hope this has been useful and if you are looking for more information, there are many helpful websites out there, including Spirit Animal Totems, Spirit Animal Info, and Shamanic Journey. This, of course, is just a brief introduction to each of the animals.

Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

It's not quite fall yet, but it sure as hell feels like it in this house. I have started cooking and baking again, something I loathe doing in the Georgia summer, and I have about 20 pumpkin spiced candles burning. I can tell that the days are shortening and the heat is starting to subside. I am beyond happy. Fall is my favorite time of year by far. I wish I lived somewhere with milder summers. I think I would be much happier living in the Northeast, preferably Maine. But I digress. Today I would like to share my Spiced Pumpkin Muffin recipe. I made a batch over the weekend and they are oh so good.

Ingredients:
     3 cups all-purpose flour
     1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
     2 teaspoons baking soda
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1 teaspoon salt
     2 cups of sugar
     1 can pumpkin puree
     Egg replacer for 4 eggs (or 4 eggs)
     1/2 cup water
     1/2-3/4 cup oil.
     Half a bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat together sugar, egg replacer, pumpkin, water, and vegetable oil until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually beat into sugar mixture making sure there are no lumps. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Fill lined muffin tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

This makes between 20 and 24 muffins. When it comes to the oil, you can reduce it depending on the consistency of your mixture. If you put in part whole wheat and part all-purpose flour you will need more oil than if you just use all-propose.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a fantastic fall! We are having a dinner party tonight to celebrate Mabon early!

The Raven

"Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore--
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."
                                                                 --The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe

The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe is my favorite poem, followed closely by Blake's The Poison Tree. Ravens also happen to be my favorite animal and one of my totems. Today I would like to touch briefly of their magical meaning and give you a Raven Invisibility Feather Spell.

Ravens have a long and rich history. Like many birds, they are seen as messengers between this world and the next. Odin kept two ravens named Thought and Memory as messengers as did Apollo. If a raven appears in your life, turn your focus inward as ravens symbolize change. However, the change ravens bring are generally meaningful and revelatory. Ravens are very perceptive and will only visit those who should expect change. If you are struggling to realize what should change, you may need to change the way you are looking at the problem or yourself.

Apart from being messengers, ravens are also considered powerful teachers of the magical arts. This is part of the reason I am drawn to the raven. I'd like to say I picked the raven, but in reality it he picked me. I have had an extremely strong connection to them since I was a small child. He has been an incredibly great teacher and when I have struggled, he has pointed me in the right direction. Just as ravens can mimic the calls of other birds and animals, we too can learn to understand the meaning in various symbols and messages that surround us. As a totem the raven teaches and reveals magic within.

If you dream about a raven it generally means big changes are coming or an end to a phase or habit in your life. It could also mean someone is taking advantage of your misfortune as ravens eat carrion or will steal food from others. On rare occasions it can signify an impending death.

Spirit Symbols:
Introspection, Self-knowledge, Magic, Creation, Wisdom, Truth, Answers, Messages, Secrets, Change, Instruction

This spell does not actually make you invisible. Instead it promotes the inability of others to see you as in they will be more likely to look past you or allow you to go unnoticed. However, this can aid in invisibility during astral projection or other times where you walk in between worlds.

1. Find a raven feather freely given. This means capturing a raven and taking its feathers will not work. You must find it on the ground.
2. Charge the feather with your desire.
3. When you wish to be invisible hold the feather in your hand.

In order for this to work you must be very still, quiet, and discreet. With practice this spell can be extremely effective.

Have you used the raven in any of your magical workings? What totem animals do you use?

Q is for Questions

For this week's Pagan Blog Project post, I wanted to address some questions I often get regarding my spirituality. Where to even begin? Anyone who is part of the pagan community knows that as soon as someone finds out you're pagan, the dam breaks and the questions and judgement flow out

However, I don't want to address the most common questions, the one's you will find in my FAQ and the ones we are all generally asked. I want to talk about some questions that even other pagans ask me. The first is if I am Wiccan. No, I am not Wiccan. I used to be in a very loose sense of the word. When I first started "dabbling" in the Craft, Wicca was convenient. The books cover shelves in every major bookstore and information online is prevalent. This made it easy to study, but after about a year I realized it wasn't for me.

Why wasn't Wicca for me? Wicca is a religion. I didn't need religion; I needed spirituality. I didn't need the structure or the deities or the rules. I needed a way to harness the gifts I knew I had to bring harmony to my own life; to make me happy; to make me feel whole. Wicca did not make me feel whole. It made me feel trapped and in so doing threw my life off balance, just as Christianity had done years before. To some, this is hard to understand, and I realize that. However, please consider that not all faiths work for everyone. Wicca did not work for me, but that doesn't make me wrong and you right.

The third question is what I do believe. I think that it's pretty obvious on this blog that I am a hedgewitch. I also don't believe in any deities, a pagan atheist if you will (Sagan Pagan, anyone? Read my FAQ's for more details). What is a hedgewitch? Well, I have a wonderful post explaining what a Hedgewitch is to me. Mind you, everyone has a different opinion on what a Hedgewitch is. Some say they are Green witches. I don't agree with that. I work closely with nature and use herbal remedies like a Green witch, but I also cherish the hearth and home and dismiss most formal rituals. I move to the beat of my own drum.

The last question I am asked is how did I get here. That is an excellent question, and the answer is long and complicated. I arrived here through years of study and work. I experimented, much to my husband's dismay, and it wasn't until I let the walls come down that I realized exactly where I wanted to be. It actually took a book by the often dreaded Silver Ravenwolf to lead me here. In 2010 I purchased her book on Hedgewitchery. I have never done the 13 rites she outlines in the book, but I did read it cover to cover. For the first time I had a name for what spoke to me the most. Her book, along with several others on hedgecraft, are much more structured than I like to be, but the foundations are there. The entire idea that hedgecraft grew out of the term "hedge riders" spoke to me. It screamed at me actually. Witchcraft, to me, is being a witch in so much as our ancestors who lived on the edge of the towns and forests were. They cared for their homes and they healed others. They brought life back to a world often shrouded by death. I spend every day breathing life into everything I do. This was what I needed; hedgecraft was the answer I had been searching 5 years for. It hasn't always been easy, but I don't regret my choice. And that's it; that is what is so awesome about paganism. We can essentially choose our fate, our destiny, our path. Unfortunately we can't do this free from persecution, even from other pagans, but that is a whole other can of worms.

I hope this has been enlightening and if you have any questions for me, please feel free to comment or email me. I love to hear from my readers!

Magical and Medicinal Uses of Quince

Gender: Feminine
Planet: Saturn
Element: Earth
Powers: Fertility, Love, Lust, Marriage
Magical Uses and History: The quince appears in numerous folk legends and myths around the world and is connected with a number of deities who "fall." In the Greek tale of Huntree Atalanta, Atalanta is able to outrun all of her suitors, remaining unmarried as a result. However, her fall comes with Hippomenes who threw 'golden apples' aka quinces on the ground in front of her to distract her as they raced. Each time Atlanta caught up to him, he would throw another off the path for her to retrieve. Ultimately, Hippomenes wins the race and therefore the hand of Atalanta. The quince was also the catalyst for the Trojan Wars. Eris, the goddess of discord, rolled a quice with the words "to the fairest" into the middle of a wedding banquet, which led Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena to vie for the position of fairest. When Paris, the most handsome of mortal men, could not choose, Aphrodite promised him Helen of Sparta. This, of course, led to the Trojan War, but as a result, the fruit became associated with Aphrodite. Others still attribute the fall of man in the Garden of Eden to the eating of a quince (golden apple). Either way, the quince is thus associated with downfall, but also with love. It was common for the quince to appear in Greek weddings due to its association with Aphrodite. In 594 BC Solon was elected chief magistrate of Athens and during his rule, he passed a number of social and cultural reforms, which included making the quince a wedding food. It is he that solidified the quinces role in weddings where it was used to sweeten the breath of the bride before she entered her marital chambers, baked into wedding cakes, and used in decoration to ensure a fruitful or fertile marriage. Its association with love continued on into the age of the Tudors in England, who had it cooked into marmalades and wrapped in golden foil to use as an aphrodisiac. The desire for quince was so strong that the marriage between Portugal's Catharine of Bragacanca and Charles the Second of England not only provided the country with money but also an ample supply of tea and quinces. As such, quinces can be used in love spells and rituals, specifically those designed to bring fertility, fidelity, and faithfulness, but it can also be used to break up love, as seen in some of the earlier stories of the quince. 

Quince can be used in a number of spells including:
         Love Spells
         Marriage Spells

Medicinal Uses: Due to the high fiber content of quince seeds, they can be used as a gentle yet effective laxative, especially in cases of constipation. They are also used as an astringent to treat gastritis and enteritis and even mild burns. quince seeds are also anti-inflammatory and an expectorant making them great for mouthwashes to treat inflammation and dry coughs.

Preparation and Dosage:  For medicinal purposes, both seed and the entire fruit are used. They should be collected between September and October. Internally- For an infusion, soak seeds for 3-5 hours until a slime forms on the outer coats of the seed. Drink as needed or three times a day. For a tincture, take 1-2 milliliters as needed or three times a day (made from seed). Eating the whole quince can work just as well. Externally- Rub the mucus from the seeds on mild burns.

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy! 

Prophetic Dreaming

While we sleep, the floodgates for psychic ability are completely open, making prophetic dreaming easy. You can stimulate prophetic dreaming and enhance and encourage clairvoyance with various spells. However, some spells may work better for you than others, so it's best to experiment to find which methods to use to enhance your own innate power. Today, I would like to touch on a few of the ways you can enhance or induce prophetic dreams for this week's Pagan Blog Project prompt. Remember to keep your dream journal close at hand so you can jot down your dreams down for evaluation later.

As a hedgewitch, I love using botanicals, so those are the methods I am going to focus on. Certain botanicals stimulate clairvoyance, psychic perceptions, and prophesy more so than others. These include:

1. Angelic
2. Anise
3. Basil
4. Bay
5. Copal
6. Dittany of Crete
7. Dream Herb (zacatechichi)
8. Gardenia
9. Mimosa
10. Mugwort
11. Peppermint
12. Roses
13. Sandalwood
14. Syrian Rue (harmel)
15. Wisteria
16. Wormwood

You can use any combination of these herbs to stuff dream pillows or conjure bags. You can also use any combination to make a Botanical Blast. Place an assortment of the above herbs in a covered box to keep beside your bed. Before sleeping, uncover and inhale this potpourri to receive a "blast" of power.

You can also place fresh gardenias by your bedside so that you can inhale the fragrance while you sleep. Gardenia's fragrance potently invokes prophetic dreams, as well as invites benevolent spirits to visit. To intensify this method, you can make a Gardenia Crown, which draws its inspiration from Hawaii. Weave fresh gardenias into a crown while focusing on the desired dream and knotting your goals and intentions into the garland. Wear it or place it next to your bed while you sleep.

Another method is the Bay Laurel Quick Fix. Bay leaves stimulate clairvoyance while awake and asleep, and since they are cheap and readily available, this is a quick fix when you want or need to induce prophetic dreaming. Just tuck the leaves beneath your pillow. You may wish to pin them to the sides to avoid scattering them or being pricked during your sleep.

You can also use a Mugwort Mixer Bouquet. Burn dried mugwort and vervain before bed to induce prophetic dreams, truthful dreams, and enhance your ability to recall and comprehend them.

The last method I would like to address is Rose Tea. Simply make an infusion using dried rose petals and drink before bed. If you make this on your own, make sure your roses are organic. Most roses on the market today are heavily sprayed with pesticides, making them very unsafe to drink.

As I mentioned earlier, any of these methods or all of them may be used, but their effectiveness may be different. Furthermore, remembering enough of the dreams to record and analyze them is another topic altogether. I would like to address the issue of remembering dreams in the next few weeks. Until then, how do you enhance your prophetic dreams?

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy!

Protection Magic

For this Pagan Blog Project post, I would like to talk briefly about protection magic. Protection spells are intended to prevent, protect, and repel danger, evil, and negativity. Many witches are confused by protection magic, thinking it foolproof. Let's be very clear: there is NO magical spell that works exactly like an armed response guard. Magical protection spells provide magical protection and their aura enhances other protective methods. If you are afraid of someone robbing you, a protection spell will enhance other methods you use, not replace them, and it doesn't matter how many spells you cast or the number of amulets you post if you don't lock your doors. Use common sense.

That being said, there are many forms of danger lurking out there. Locking your door will only protect you from physical threats while magical spells can protect you from malicious spells, hexes, negative enchantments, and other assorted dangers from a vast variety of magical and spiritual sources. However, just because these dangers derive from a magical source does not mean they cannot manifest in a very physical way. This can be in the form of illness, accidents, and general disasters.

There are thousands of protection spells out there. I posted recently about my threshold protection spell and my home protection ward. Both of these are magical ways I use to not only physically defend my home but also to magically defend it. I have mentioned before my husband is a funeral director. Sometimes things follow him, and I do not want them in my home. Marietta, at Witchy Words, also has a great DIY protection sachet post. I want to focus on some of the basics today.

As with all spells, numbers, colors, and gemstones can be used to enhance their power. Five is the most common number associated with protection spells as it's the number of fingers on each hand. Seven and nine are also used. For colors, you can use red, black, and blue. Amethyst, agate, and quartz are most commonly used for protection, although their auras are all very different so use what feels right.

As a hedgewitch, I find working with herbs to be the most rewarding. The Anglo-Saxons recorded nine herbs as sacred. These herbs appear in a poem, commonly referred to as the Nine Herbs Charm or Nine Wort Charm, found in a 10th- or 11th-century manuscript called Lacnunga. It recounts the story of Woden and how he obtained the sacred herbs of old to defeat a serpent. The poem not only names the herbs but lists their uses as well. The herbs mentioned are:

1. Mugwort
2. Plantain
3. Lamb's Cress
4. Nettle
5. Chamomile
6. Crab Apple
7. Chervil (some say Thyme)
8. Fennel

You may notice there are only eight listed. This is because the identity of the ninth herb, atterlothe, which translates to "Venom Loather," remains unknown. Some sources believe the ninth herb is cockspur grass, while others believe it may be betony or fumitory. You can use only these eight in honor of all the botanical species driven to extinction or you can use betony, which is most commonly believed to be atterlothe. Betony is basically a cure-all, so substituting it will not alter the effectiveness.

Apart from using these herbs, you can also use "Witch Soldiers" to protect your home. In order to have access to a wide variety of botanical magic, witches historically had very extensive gardens. However, because they were also commonly midwives and healers, many of these plants had dual purposes. By the Middle Ages and the Burning Times, however, a garden was a necessity as a means of protection. They designed their gardens to keep persecutors out and protect those within. The classical European witch's garden was surrounded by three rows of scarlet flowers, known as "witch's soldiers." These served as the front-line of protection against witch hunters. Today, you can use your soldiers to protect you from harm in general. This is on my list of to-dos for my garden next year. I suggest planting them around your mailbox or in planters on the edge of your property. Completely surrounding your property is not necessary, nor doable in most situations.

I hope this has been enlightening. Do you use protection magic? What kinds do you prefer?

Magical and Medicinal Uses of Thyme

Folk Names: Common Thyme, Garden Thyme
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Powers: Courage, Healing, Health, Love, Psychic, Purification
Magical Uses and History: Thyme's reputation as a healer and protector dates back thousands of years to the time of the Romans. The Romans believed that eating Thyme before or during a meal would protect you from poison. This made it a favorite herb of emperors for obvious reasons. It was even believed that taking a bath in warm water and thyme would stop the effects of poison. Today, many people take a magical cleansing bath composed of marjoram and thyme to ensure all sorrows and ills of the past are removed from the person.

Due to its healing and purification properties, the Greeks burned it in their temples to purify them. Because of this, many people today still burn thyme before a ritual.

Thyme is also associated with courage and bravery. Roman soldiers exchanged sprigs of Thyme as a sign of respect. This association persisted into the Middle Ages as a traditional gift offered to men going to war. Smelling Thyme, fresh or burnt, will give you courage and attract good health.

When the Black Death struck in the late 1340s, Thyme was used to heal blistered skin as it contained thymol, an antiseptic. Using Thyme in healing spells will amply your magic.

Thyme can also be placed beneath your pillow to ensure a restful night free from nightmares. It can also be worn in your hair to make you irresistible. Furthermore it is said to allow the wearer to see fairies, a belief propagated by the Victorians.

Thyme can be used in a number of spells including:
     Love Spells
     Healing Spells
     Courage Spells
     Protection Magic
     Purification
     Sleep Spells
     To attract Fairies

Medicinal Uses: The leaves and flowers of Thyme are often used to aid in sluggish digestion and for its antiseptic properties. It can be gargled as a mouthwash to treat laryngitis, tonsillitis, and coughs. It can also be taken to treat asthma, bronchitis, and whooping cough as it works as an expectorant to reduce unnecessary spasms. Externally it is used to treat wounds, burns, and sores.

Preparation and Dosage: The leaves and flowers should be collected between June and August on a dry day. Leaves can then be dried. Thyme can be taken internally as either an infusion or tincture. To make an infusion, pour a cup of boiling water onto 2 teaspoons of dried leaves and seep for 10 minutes. Drink or gargle with this solution up to three times a day. As a tincture, take 2-4 milliliters up to three times a day. Externally use a Thyme infused lotion on infected wounds or soak bandages in a Thyme infusion before applying to wound.

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy!

The Oak King

Welcome to those reading from The Pagan Blog Project! This was going to be my post last week, but as you know I was rather ill.

Of all the trees in United States, Great Britain, and Ireland, the oak is considered the king. Even today it is synonymous with strength, endurance, abundance, and steadfastness. The classical world regarded the oak as the "Tree of Life" as its roots run deep and its branches touch the sky.

The word oak derives from the Anglo-Saxon word ac and the Irish word duar. Some scholars believe this is where the term druid arose since druids revered the oak, using the tree as a place of worship and a symbol of the God. When combined with the Indo-European root wid (to know), druid may actually literally translate to "knowledge of the oak."

The oak tree litters classical mythologies, but the most notable in the pagan community is the story of the Oak and Holly King. This is probably one of my favorite stories in the pagan tradition as it corresponds directly with which tree dominates each season. The Oak King is often referred to as the "Lord of the Greenwood" or the "Green Man". He is the golden twin of the waxing year and rules from Beltane to Samhain. At Samhain he goes to battle with his twin, the Holly King and is slain, allowing darkness to cover the Earth. At Beltane, the Oak King slays the Holly King and spends the next 6 months ruling over Earth in light. The Oak King reveals himself as the Vegetation God, who must die each year so that life can be renewed. It is therefore not surprising that images of the Green Man carved in medieval churches show oak leaves growing out of his head.

The oaks connection with sacrifices rings throughout many stories, including the story of Cuchullian and Curoi (the forerunner of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) and the Welsh story Math, son of Mathonwy. It's reputation as a tree of strength and endurance depends on its yearly death and rebirth, which is personified in these stories. In fact, its reputation is so strong King Charles II, when fleeing from the Roundheads after the battle of Worcester, took refuge in the branches of a great oak, knowing he would be protected. After his restoration to power on May 29, 1660, the day was henceforth celebrated as "Royal Oak Day."

The oak continues to be one of the most prominent figures in paganism, not only as the representation of the dual aspect of the God, but also for its magical uses. I find oaks to be my second favorite tree, as they tell the best stories. To learn more about the magical and herbal uses of the oak, please refer to the Herbarium: Oak page.

 

O is for Overtired

I was originally going to make this post for the Pagan Blog Project about the oak tree, but Tuesday one of my teeth decided to freak out on me. I have a degenerative enamel disease coupled with naturally more acidic saliva and no matter how hard I try, my teeth just rot. I have been to 5 dentists over the years and many are taken aback by how well I care for my teeth compared to the amount of problems I have. Well, I have a couple very weak teeth in my mouth that I have been slowly fixing and one of these teeth became infected. By Wednesday that pain was beyond anything I have ever felt before. The best example I have is placing your hand on a hot stove for 5 minutes then running it under hot water all day. Now imagine caring for a 2 and a half year old and a 7 month old (I'm a nanny right now) while in that much pain. Yeah, it was bad.

Yesterday I finally called my dentist when home remedies and self medicating didn't soothe the pain. He called in a heavy duty antibiotic and anti-inflammatory to take care of the infection until I can come in to have a root canal done. I have hardly slept all week and the medications make me extremely sleepy. I spent the entire evening yesterday laying on the couch or floor (hey, it was colder on the floor) watching Criminal Minds.

So O is for Overtired, Overworked, and Ornery this week. To calm my nerves last night I made a hot cup of green tea. It may have hurt to drink it, but it lowered my blood pressure and soothed my aching muscles. While drinking my tea I put the TV on mute, sat up right, closed my eyes, and breathed deeply. I didn't full on meditate because I knew if I did I would surely fall asleep, but I did focus intently on the flavors in my tea and my slowing heartbeat. In the 10 minutes it took me to finish, most of the pain I was feeling was gone so when my husband finally came home to cook me something soft to eat, I was able to get some food in me. Simple, but effective.

What do you do when you are overtired and overworked? And remember to check back next week to learn about the oak tree and pick up your own free BOS page!

Magical and Medicinal Uses of Nettle

Welcome! This is my very first post for the 2014 Pagan Blog Project. Since the blog is new, I haven't been able to participate in past posts. However, I hope you find this post and free BOS page on the herb Nettle useful. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you will be back soon!

Folk Names: Ortiga Ancha, Stinging Nettle
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Powers: Exorcism, Healing, Lust, Protection
Magical Uses and History: Nettle has long been used in protection magic. Sprinkling nettle around your house will keep evil out and send it back. It can be carried in a sachet or poppet to remove curses, worn as an amulet to keep negativity away, or even held in the hand to ward off ghosts.

For healing purposes, place freshly cut nettle in the room of one who is ill to aid in recovery. You can also pluck nettle up from its roots and recite the name of the sick person and his/her parents to aid in recovery. According to Welsh folklore, if you place freshly cut nettle under the pillow of the sick and it stays green the person will live; if it turns yellow they will die.

In Ireland, nettles are believed to mark the places where Elves live.

Nettle can be used in a number of spells including:
     Protection Spells
     Exorcisms
     Dispelling Evil
     Body Cleansing and Purification
     Healing Spells
     Love Spells (uncommon)

Medicinal Uses: Nettle is one of the most widely applicable herbs and can be used as an astringent, diuretic, and tonic. It strengthens and supports the entire body. Many use it to treat eczema, especially nervous eczema. As an astringent, it can be used to treat nosebleeds and relieves symptoms of hemorrhaging. Figwort or Burdock aid in the treatment of eczema.

Preparation and Dosage: Leaves should be collected when the flowers are in bloom. Internally- To make an infusion, pour a cup of boiling water over 1-3 teaspoons of dried leaf and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes. It can be drunk up to three times a day. Externally- 1-4 milliliters of a tincture may be taken up to three times a day.

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy!