Fertility Customs and Magic

The Beltane season is a time of fertility, not only for people but for the land as well. If you plant a garden each summer, Beltane is a good time to do some fertility magic so that you will have an abundant crop by the time the harvest rolls around. There are many different methods of ensuring the fertility of the land, and you can incorporate any of these into your rituals and ceremonies.

• In ancient Rome, it wasn't uncommon for the master of the land to take his wife out to the fields and have sex right there on the ground. If you had a lot of land, this could take all day, but it was practically guaranteed to ensure that the field would be fertile and productive once your slaves got the planting done.

• In some traditions, menstruating women add a bit of their blood to the soil to add potency. It's a scientific fact that blood contains a lot of nutrients, so it makes sense to blend this in with the dirt before planting.

• Farmers in the Congo region of Africa make offerings to the spirits of the land before they begin clearing it for planting. In addition to the offerings, there is also a great deal of chanting, drumming and singing, and it is only after the spirits indicate that they are pleased with the gifts and performances that the farmers may plant their crops.

• The Algonquin peoples of the mid-Atlantic region performed ritual dances to ensure a bountiful agricultural crop each year. Dances involved a lot of noise, in order to wake the sleeping earth.

• In Crete, a sword dance called the Kuortes was held each spring. During the Kourtes, a group of men gathered together, moving in unison with sticks or swords. Although it sounds warrior-like, it wasn't a martial dance but one that scholars say promoted fertility, instead. If you think about it, banging a stick or sword on the freshly plowed earth has quite a bit of fertility symbolism.

• Roman women paid tribute to Flora, the goddess of flowers, in order to ensure fertility of both the land and the womb. A woman who was having trouble conceiving a child might offer flowers at Bona Dea's temple on the Aventine Hill. In an interesting paradox, Bona Dea was a goddess of both virginity and fertility, and was represented by the snake, often connected to fertility as well.

• In Nagoya, Japan, residents still celebrate the annual Honen-sai festival. This is held each year in the spring, to make sure the crops will be plentiful, and includes a parade - the highlight of which is a giant penis on a float (the penis, carved from a cypress tree, is about fourteen feet long and quite impressive indeed).

Reblogged By Patti Wigington
-The Crafty Witch

The Magical Moon Garden

Many Wiccans and Pagans love to garden, but a lot of people don't realize you can grow plants and flowers that bloom at night. Cultivating a moon garden is a great way to get in touch with nature, and it provides a beautiful and fragrant backdrop for your moonlight rituals in the summer. If you plant these lovelies close to your house, you can open the windows and take advantage of their aromas as you sleep.

Many night-blooming plants are white, and give a luminous appearance in the moonlight. If you plant them in a circle or a crescent shape, when they bloom, you'll have the moon herself right there "as above, so below." There are a number of plants that open at night -- mix them in with silver-foliaged day bloomers.

Night Blooming Plants

• Moonflower: Yes, it should be painfully obvious, but the Moonflower really does bloom at night. It releases a slightly lemony scent when it opens up, and during the day the white flowers are tightly shut. Some species of this climbing plant, a cousin of the Morning Glory, can get up to eight feet long*. The flowers, when open, are around 5 - 6" in diameter.
• Evening Primrose: This perennial spreads rapidly, and can cover a lot of ground for you. The pale pinkish-white flowers open at dusk, and release a sweet aroma.
• Night Phlox: these pretties open up at dusk, and have a fragrance reminiscent of honey or vanilla.
• Evening Stock: the tiny purple and pink flowers aren't very fancy, but they smell divine when they open at night.
• Angel's Trumpet: Another vine, this annual spreads like crazy. Its trumpet-shaped, white flowers have a bell-like appearance when open.
• Night Gladiolus: this plant isn't actually nocturnal, but that's when the creamy yellow flowers smell the strongest -- it's a very spicy scent that's a glorious addition to any night garden.

Day Blooming White and Silver Plants

• Dusty Millers
• Silver Thyme
• Lamb's Ears
• Mugwort (Artemesia)
• Silver Sage
• White vegetables such as Alba eggplants or Baby Boo or Lumina pumpkins

Herbs and Flowers with Lunar Connections

• Camphor
• Eucalyptus
• Gardenia
• Jasmine
• Moonwort
• Sandalwood
• Willow
• Water Lily
• Sleepwort

What to do With Your Moon Garden Plants

When you have plants that have blossomed under the powerful energy of a full moon, the possibilities are just about endless. Harvest the flowers and dry them to use in talismans or charms. Use them to dress a Moon Candle or as part of a purification bath. Include them in incense blends to help enhance your intuition and wisdom.
*Note: Be sure to provide a trellis or other support for climbers like the Moonflower. If they don't have a stable surface to hang onto, they're less likely to fully bloom.


-The Crafty Witch

Witches Simple Herb Garden

I believe any spiritual healer, practitioner or witch should always have these herbs in her garden or on your shelf. They are super simple to find/grow and have a wide range of use

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CHAMOMILE: luck and gambling 

CINNAMON: money and success or to use as a healing charm.

CLOVES: banishing evil, clearing your head, protection, love, and money. Using cloves in your magickal spells is said to ensure that your magickal intention is realized.

LAVENDER FLOWERS: Lavender has been used for protection, chastity, longevity, purification, and happiness.

MUGWORT: to aid in strengthening Psychic Powers. strength, protection, prophetic dreams, and healing. 

ROSE BUDS/PETALS: These are wonderful for use in spells to draw Love. Use red for passionate love. Use pink or white for romantic or true love. 

ROSEMARY: can be used as a substitute for just about any herb. It's powers include love, lust, protection, exorcism, purification, healing, longevity, youth, mental powers, and sleep. 

SAGE: Sage is useful for protection, healing, wealth, fulfilling wishes, and spells to increase longevity. 

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-The Crafty Witch