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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Chickweed, Stellaria


Chickweed, Stellaria
 A gentle herb, Chickweed is often used in workings to strengthen and maintain relationships or other rituals of love and fertility.  It is associated with the Moon and the element of water, which makes it also useful in Lunar magick. 

~  To attract new romance or maintain a relationship, mix chickweed, roses and orange blossoms into your bath water.

~ To bring peace to your home, lightly sprinkle chickweed powder throughout each room in your home.

Chickweed is also said to discourage obesity and help with weight loss, add a small amount to your food (great for salads) or try the old folklore recipe of "Chickweed Water"

1 tablespoon of dried herb (2 for fresh)
1 cup of boiling water

Steep for 10 minutes, drink in 1/2 cup doses 2 to 4 times daily

(This recipe is also said to work for fertility issues)


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Dogwood Wish Spell

Dogwood for Wishes
This spell was found at:  Magickal Herbalism
(Posted by  Fen Alraun)

 Dogwood is the tree of wishes! A dogwood flower is an excellent charm to bring about wishes. Here is a spell from the Lewellyn Publishing website from 2009:
"To make a wish come true, collect three red dogwood berries, a dogwood leaf that has also turned red, and a few pieces of bark. Place all of these items on a piece of white fabric or in a pouch, and tie it up with red yarn. Speak words of power affirming your wish over this magic bundle. Pass the bundle above the flame of a red candle. Extinguish the candle and hide your magic bundle until you receive your wish."

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Fairy Folk and Samhain

Samhain marks the third and final harvest


Samhain is considered to be one of the four Greater Sabbats, a time to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on, and it often involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, elders of the faith, friends, pets, and other loved ones who have died. In some rituals the spirits of the departed are invited to attend the festivities. It is seen as a festival of darkness, which is balanced at the opposite point of the wheel by the festival of Beltane, which is celebrated as a festival of light and fertility.

Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year, a time when it is believed the gates to the otherworld were opened and they could communicate with the dead. The Celts did not have devils or demons in their belief system, nor the concept of heaven and hell until these were introduced by the Christian church. The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the Fairy Folk, who lived in the mounds or sidhe that dotted the country side.
 

The fairies (particularly the Puca or Phooka) were thought to be potentially dangerous and hostile to humans because men had taken over their land. On the night of Samhain, Fairy Folk would be out and about to tricking humans into becoming lost and trapped in the sidhe (fairy mounds), where they could remain forever lost.

When the last of the crops are brought in, anything remaining in the fields is considered “puca,” or fairy-blasted, and hence inedible. In some locales, reapers leave a small share of the crop, the “puca’s share,” to placate the hungry creature.
 

Folklore says that at night when humans are asleep, the fairies would busy themselves under the silver rays of the moon making magickal fairy brews from dandelions and collecting dew from the tubular flowers of primrose, which is the substance that gives them their power of invisibility. An old wives' tale (unknown origin) says that if a mortal man or woman wears the herb thyme, he or she will have the power to see fairies.

To ward off and protect your self and home from mischievous fairies or evil mannered nature spirits of any kind, use or plant any of these herbs: Dill, Morning Glory, Prickly Gorse, Rosemary and Peony.

The peony is reputed to be effective as a natural amulet against evil fairies, to harness its magickal powers wear a necklace or charm of peony root (can also add to consecrated mojo bags).

The Celts devised numerous charms to protect themselves against the Fairy Folk, the ringing of bells (especially church bells) and the hanging of iron horseshoes above doorways were two methods believed to be effective in keeping spiteful fairies at bay. Many people in various parts of the world still believe that iron is a metal that repels and protects against all manners of fairies. It is commonly used in the making of magickal amulets and talismans for protection.



Friday, October 10, 2014

WOOD SORREL (Oxalis acetosella)

YELLOW WOOD SORREL (Oxalis acetosella)
This is one of the magickal herbs associated with the fairies, elves and woodland spirits. In the old and enchanted country of Ireland, shamrock (or wood sorrel) was held sacred to the leprechauns, believed to attract them if planted in a secluded garden or woodland. 

As a herb of magick, wood sorrel leaves are commonly used in healing rituals, and carried as charms to protect the heart. The tiny flowers are called by the Welsh "fairy bells" and are believed to ring the merry peals which call the elves to moonlight dance and revelry. 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28497/28497-h/28497-h.htm
The Elf-Dance N. J. O. Blommér



“Merry elves, their morrice pacing
To aërial minstrelsy,
Emerald rings on brown heath tracing,
Trip it deft and merrily.”
~Sir Walter Scott.






Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Wormwood Spell



Ease and release the bitterness of anger, hurt and pain with wormwood.


Bitter Wormwood Powder