Magical Herb Use

So you've decided you're ready to do a magical working... but you're not sure which herbs are the best ones to use. Use this list as a reference point to determine which herbs, plants and flowers are the best choices for your purposes.

Be sure to visit the Magical Herb Gallery for images of many of the herbs listed on this page.

Anxiety: Valerian, skullcap

Beauty: Rosemary, witch hazel, avocado, catnip, ginseng

Business: Hawthorn, sandalwood, basil, frankincense

Courage: Cedar, mullein, tonka bean, cinnamon, yarrow, thyme

Depression: Catnip, dandelion, honeysuckle, goldenrod, hazelnut, mugwort, lavender, saffron,
shepherd's purse, coltsfoot

Employment/jobs: Bay leaf, bergamot, pecan

Fortune/luck: Anise, hazel, holly, pomegranate, snakeroot, cinquefoil, basil, clover

Friendship: Orange, lemon, sweet Annie, vanilla

Gambling/games: Chamomile, Buckeye

Healing: Apple blossom, lavender, barley, comfrey, eucalyptus, fennel, chamomile, goldenseal, feverfew, horehound, allspice, olive, rosemary, rue, sandalwood, wintergreen, peppermint

Intuition: Sage, tobacco leaf

Legal issues/justice: Chamomile, hickory, High John root

Love: Allspice, apple blossom, bleeding heart, catnip, lavender, periwinkle, peppermint, tulip, violet, daffodil, clove, yarrow, marjoram, basil, fig, valerian, endive

Lust: Allspice, cinnamon, clove, dill, foxglove, vanilla, ginseng, yohimbe

Money/prosperity: Bay leaf, basil, chamomile, clover, cinquefoil, tonka bean, Buckeye, myrtle, apple, sunflower, pennyroyal

Prophecy: Jasmine, mint, mugwort, sage, rose, tobacco leaf, heliotrope

Protection: Aloe vera, hyssop, asoefetida, mandrake, heather, holly, mugwort, onion, wood betony, valerian, sandalwood, snapdragon, fleabane, mustard, garlic, foxglove, dill, mistletoe

Sleep: Comfrey, lavender, rosemary, thyme

Strength: Oak, acorns, bay leaf, thistle, yarrow

Wisdom: Rowan, hazel, sage


-The Crafty Witch

Love Spell

For the month of April I had opened up to some of my followers and asked what type of spells do they use and need on a daily bases or just in general - each blog post except for holidays or days of importance I will be posts a different spell every day.

Todays Spell

The Wiccan Rede

One of the most often quoted "laws of Wicca," a variation of the Wiccan Rede appeared in the writings of Gerald Gardner.

A similar rule is found in the work of Aleister Crowley around the turn of the century, in which he advised his readers, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law, love under Will."

One version was made famous by Doreen Valiente in the early 1960s, and in 1974 a lengthier version, by Lady Gwen Thompson, was published in the Green Egg, a Pagan magazine. Thompson credited her grandmother, Adriana Porter, with the original work. Although there is no scholarly evidence for this claim, the work remains one of the most popular writings in Wicca today.

Thompson's version reads as follows:

 The Rede of the Wiccae

Being known as the counsel of the Wise Ones:

 Bide the Wiccan laws ye must,

 in perfect love and perfect trust.

 Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give.

Cast the Circle thrice about

 to keep the evil spirits out.

 

To bind the spell every time,

 let the spell be spake in rhyme.

 Soft of eye and light of touch,

 speak little, listen much.

Deosil go by the waxing Moon,

 sing and dance the Wiccan rune.

Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,

 and the Werewolf howls by the dread Wolfsbane.

 

When the Lady's Moon is new,

 kiss thy hand to Her times two.

 When the Moon rides at Her peak

 then your heart's desire seek.

 Heed the Northwind's mighty gale;

 lock the door and drop the sail.

 

When the wind comes from the South,

 love will kiss thee on the mouth.

 When the wind blows from the East,

 expect the new and set the feast.

 When the West wind blows o'er thee,

 departed spirits restless be.

 

Nine woods in the Cauldron go,

 burn them quick a' burn them slow.

Elder be ye Lady's tree;

 burn it not or cursed ye'll be.

 When the Wheel begins to turn,

 let the Beltane fires burn.

 When the Wheel has turned at Yule,

 light the log and let Pan rule.

 

Heed ye flower bush and tree,

 by the Lady Bless'd Be.

 Where the rippling waters go

 cast a stone and truth ye'll know.

 When find that ye have need,

 hearken not to others' greed.

 With the fool no season spend

 or be counted as his friend.

 

Merry meet and merry part,

 bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

 Mind the Threefold Law ye should,

 three times bad and three times good.

 When misfortune is enow,

 wear the Blue Star on thy brow.

 True in love ever be

 unless thy lover's false to thee.

 Eight words ye Wiccan Rede fulfill:

 An' it harm none, do what ye will.

 

reblogged

-The Crafty Witch

Sybil Leek's Six Tenets of Witchcraft (3 of 6)

Trust

 A key part of many NeoWiccan paths today is the concept of perfect love and perfect trust. To someone who is spiritually whole, trust is a many-layered principle. It not only means trust in those around us, but also in our gods and in ourselves. Trust is not blind, but it does involve faith. For example, we may know that the gods walk with us and guide us; we trust them to do so because of past experience, not because someone has told us to believe this. Trust is being willing to close your eyes and fall, knowing that the person waiting to catch you will do so.

 

Original author *Pattie Willington

 

-The Crafty Witch

Imbolc starts (Feb 2)

By February, most of us are tired of the cold, snowy season. Imbolc reminds us that spring is coming soon, and that we only have a few more weeks of winter to go. The sun gets a little brighter, the earth gets a little warmer, and we know that life is quickening within the soil. There are a number of different ways to celebrate this Sabbat, but first, you may want to read up on:

Rituals and Ceremonies
Depending on your particular tradition, there are many different ways you can celebrate Imbolc. Some people focus on the Celtic goddess Brighid, in her many aspects as a deity of fire and fertility. Others aim their rituals more towards the cycles of the season, and agricultural markers. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.

Imbolc Magic
Imbolc is a time of magical energy related to the feminine aspect of the goddess, of new beginnings, and of fire. It's also a good time to focus on divination and increasing your own magical gifts and abilities. Take advantage of these concepts, and plan your workings accordingly. Because of its proximity to Valentine's Day, Imbolc also tends to be a time when people start exploring love magic -- if you do, be sure to read up on it first!

-The Crafty Witch

25 Best Movies of the Holidays - 11-13 Of 25

This weeks best movies of the holidays features Kids Classics, all movies that we grew up on (maybe even your parents) and have come to know and love. I present you with movies 11 - 13. Enjoy!

 A Charlie Brown Christmas

Rating: NA           Length: NA mins.               Year: 1965

Cast: Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus van Pelt, Lucy van Pelt, Schroeder, Sally Brown, Pig-Pen, Patty, Violet Gray, Frieda, Shermy

Movie Description

A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.

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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rating: NA          Length: 85 mins.               Year: 1964

Cast: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Hermey the Misfit Elf, Sam the Snowman

Movie Description

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass.

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The Muppet Christmas Carol 

Rating: NA          Length: 85 mins.               Year: 1992

Cast: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson

Movie Description

The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve.

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-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

Celtic Tree Month Of Ivy Begins -- Sept 30 - Oct 27

Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins -- 

As the year comes to a close and Samhain approaches, the Ivy moon rolls in at the end of the harvest season. Ivy often lives on after its host plant has died -- a reminder to us that life goes on, in the endless cycle of life, death and rebirth. The Celts called this month Gort, pronounced go-ert. This is a time to banish the negative from your life. 

Do workings related to improving yourself, and placing a barricade between you and the things that are toxic to you. Ivy can be used in magic performed for healing, protection, cooperation, and to bind lovers together.

via paganwiccan


-The Crafty Witch

Full Moon Magic

* Full Moon Magic *

It takes about 14 days of growing bigger for the moon to grow or wax completely full -- that night you will see the Full Moon rise as a perfect circular disk. This is the Light of the Moon, and it is reserved for light works and dedications to benevolent lunar deities. It is used for celebrations and prayers for peace.

                      The Full Moon
                      rises almost exactly at sunset
                      and sets almost exactly at the next sunrise.

From fourteen to seventeen-and-a-half days after the new moon. Prime time for rituals for prophecy, protection, divination. Any working that needs extra power, such as help finding a new job or healing for serious conditions, can be done now. Also, love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams.

-The Crafty Witch