Reference:
The Magical Household: Spells & Rituals for the Home Scott Cunningham
You will need:
2 teaspoons of black tea
1 pinch of rosemary
2 teaspoons of black tea
5 pinches thyme
5 fresh mint leaves
6 fresh rose petals
1 Cinnamon stick
5 pinches nutmeg
6 lemon leaves
3 cups pure spring water
Honey
Instructions:
Add all the ingredients to a cauldron/ saucepan and bring to the boil.
Before drinking the tea recite the following:
I have brewed this tea,
In the hope that my love
will desire me.
THE PERFECT BREW
As most of you will start of using herbal remedies in the form of herbal tea I thought I would write directions for what I consider the perfect pot of tea. Warm your teapot or cup – this maintains the temperature once you add the water. It makes a lot of difference for very little effort. I like using glass or pottery. Of course you can dig out the good china too. If,using metal, there are some great cast iron pots or stainless steel pots when making decoctions.
Do not over boil the water – it drains the water of oxygen. Water temperature: Use water just below boiling point – as low as 70C is perfect for fine aerial parts of the plant. If you are using a kettle, the water is ideal when it starts to make a “rumbling” sound.
Brewing time – adjust your brewing time depending on what herb you are using. Some teas can become quite bitter if left to infuse too long. Others can withstand a number of brews. As a rule of thumb use a standard of 10 – 15 minutes to infuse your herbs. You need enough time to release the active ingredients but not so much to make it too strong and unpleasant.
Sweetening herbal tea – if you like a sweeter tea you can certainly use some honey to improve the flavour. I personally use a bit of sugar as honey adds another flavour dimension which may not always be what you want. However, I would not recommend adding milk.
If you are planning to use herbs to make your own remedies at home then you will likely encounter the process of both infusions and decoctions. Infusions and decoctions are time honoured methods of delivering the health benefits of herbs.
References:
Making Herbal Remedies (Herbology At Home) (p. 23)
Author:Bialas, Anke (2010-03-11)..
There is one rule you must commit to memory if you wish to make any kind of water into a herbal tea. It applies to healing as well as to magic with herbs, and is one of the few rules which applies to both arts. The rule is that leaves and flowers must be steeped, while roots and barks should be boiled. Until you have at least several years experience working with herbs there are no exceptions to this rule. There are a few exceptions which relate to specific advanced spells. Meanwhile, do not experiment!
Most of the herbs used in magical work are not the same as those you use for healing. Not only are different parts of the herb used, but some magical herbs have no place in the wildest and most eclectic herbal pharmacopoeia. The universal life force of the herb is extracted when you use herbs for healing or for magic, but that is the only similarity. If you use herbs for healing as well as for magic it might be noted that when your healing herbs lose their “virtue” from age or poor storage they may still be strong enough to use magically. The opposite condition does not hold true at all. Some magical herbs are simply members of a general family of herbs, and any member of that family will do. Others must be taken from very specific plants, under very specific conditions to obtain the virtue desired. Again-NEVER DRINK magical herbal teas. They are not meant for internal use!
There are two general methods for preparing magical herbal teas. They give different effects, depending on the prayer made over them at the time they are “brought to life.” The two methods depend upon the temperature of the water used in making the teas. The cold method, using room temperature or cooler water, is preferred for fresh picked herbs and flowers. The cold method allows the water to absorb the astral magnetic influence of the herb as well as some of the “akashic” influence-the influence of the universal life force of the herb. In the hot method you use some form of boiling water, and only the akashic influence or its universal life force content transfers to the water. Any magnetic influence in the herb tea must be added by the prayer of the magician when the herb is used.
It is quite possible to have clients make teas by the cold method for their own use. However, teas made by the hot process should be prepared by the magician. Or the magician could give a few ounces of water (which the magician has prayed over) to the client to be added to the hot tea once it has reached room temperature. Another way of dealing with this is to purchase small (single service) bottles of vodka, which the magician prays over, and these could be added by the client to the completed herbal tea. In this way herbal baths, cleansers, or other herb ally based spells used by far-away clients will be as effective as the ones actually made by the magician. Vodka will take a good magical charge, especially if it is a higher proof. Vodka also has the ability of preserving herbal teas that are not refrigerated.
Comfrey (root or leaves)
Before using this tea, or any tea, for an eye bath be sure to strain it through a folded handkerchief or several layers of paper towel. If you are using a handkerchief, it is a good idea to boil or even pressure cook it before pouring tea through it. Comfrey is soothing for inflamed eyes and conjunctivitis. The easiest way I’ve found to apply herbs is to dip a washcloth in the strained herb and lay the cloth over closed eyes, while you lie on your back. Enough of the tea will seep into the eyes to be effective. Put a towel under your head to catch the drips. This herb also promotes skin growth on scrapes, cuts, burns and bruises. (It was great when I got mugged. My hands were completely covered with skin again within a week — I also used aloe vera juice to draw the new skin together.) Do not let the leaves contact any part of the body for any extended period of time — the leaves promote skin growth, and skin will grow right to the leaf in a matter of hours. (I know — I did this after a motorbike accident.)
To Brew Tea from Herbs
Some herbs are stronger than tasting than others, and some batches of the same herb are more powerful than others, so you will have to experiment. As a general guideline, put 1 Tbs. dried herb (cut and sifted) or 4 Tbs. fresh herb into a teapot. Add 1 quart boiling or very hot water. Let steep for 20 minutes. This is long enough to extract the medicinal properties of the herbs and long enough to let the tea cool-off enough to drink.
Predicting by using tealeaves was in the 19th century in Europe quite popular, but nowadays it is hardly practiced. Not, because the techniques were that extremely difficult, but much more because almost everyone uses teabags in stead of just unpacked tealeaves. That causes, that no leaves are left in the cup after drinking.
So if you feel invited to this prediction method, the first thing to do is drinking tea at that ‘old-fashioned’ way. You need for each cup one teaspoon with tea and one extra for the teapot. You’ll notice it tastes nice, but if you plan to use it too for prediction, I suggest the use of white cups, because it gives a better background for the dark leaves. Each person in your ‘tea session’
who wants to hear something about their personal future, should leave a little liquid behind in their cup. This is stirred to let the leaves floating in stead lying quiet on the bottom of the cup. Immediately after that is done, the liquid part is carefully poured out. By doing this, the tealeaves stick behind on the inside and the bottom of the cup.
Than comes the moment for you to fix a strong and deep concentration on those tea leaves. Close your eyes halfway and give your powers of imagination ‘freeway’. Try to discover in these tea leaves a known picture, i.e. a book, an axe, trees, a hat, etc…etc… The following step is the interpretation of that discovered picture. You can use for that the next explanations:
Anchor:
A journey, at the end of that trip happiness.
Arrow:
Luck in love affair(s).
Axe:
(A pickax or a saw is also possible) Be warned to deal carefully with your money and your emotions.
Balloon:
(Also a non-army airplane): An unexpected promotion, going for the better or inheritance.
Bird: See flag.
Book:
Ask advice before going further going on in things your are (or are going to be) involved.
Bottle:
Your social activities will increase.
Bow:
There will come a meeting or a date that is important for your further life.
Butterfly:
Your partner/spouse/life mate takes your affair not as serious as is essential/ necessary in your view.
Chain:
In a certain activities in your professions you should give more and better efforts.
Clock or watch:
An important meeting will happen.
Crown:
Promotion.
Cross:
Big tough luck. If you can see a second picture in the leaves, than that can give more details on the area that is involved.
Dice:
Avoid risks.
Doorbell:
You may expect good news.
Envelope:
Good news is coming.
Fish:
You will get unbelievable news from far away.
Flag:
Your level of prosperity will increase.
Foot:
Expected good news will not come.
Gate or door:
An unexpected change in your personal circumstances.
Hammer:
You should make more efforts to give your best.
Harp or harpsichord:
Prosperity and luck will become yours.
Hat:
You have to go through some touch luck.
Heart:
You will get emotional excitement.
Key:
You will get a better understanding about certain things that are unclear to you now.
Knife:
You’ll get a quarrel or even a row.
Ladder (Household):
Improvement.
Moon (Waxing):
A little profit will become yours.
Ring:
A lot of non-material luck/happiness.
Rocks:
In short time you will get some problems. (Not very big).
Roof:
At home with you something will change.
Scales:
You should improve your dealing with weighting advantages and disadvantages. Things have more than one side.
Ship:
A journey will bring luck and happiness.
Street:
(Two tealeaves straight between each other): Business in which you are involved will go well.
(Two tealeaves not straight between each other): Business in which you are involved will not turn out well.
Trees:
Everything will bloom.
Such a picture that is close to the edge of the teacup points to a time period from three till six weeks on the things that are predicted. If the picture is on the bottom it means a time period of at least two years before that prediction will happen. In the middle of the inside means about a year.
By training and experience you will become able to interpret more pictures as are described here.
Don’t forget: as with every prediction method, it will only work as it’s fully implemented in yourself. The fewest doubt will make that your efforts to predict will fail. (The ‘client’ need not believe that).
How about some teas to aid you in past life regression (-: Place 1/2 teaspoon of each herb into a boiling cup of water and let. steep for about 5 – 10 minutes.
1) Valerian, Peppermint, Hyssop
2) Catnip, mugwort, ginger
3) Valerian, Orange peel, mugwort
Blessed Be, Tir-Na-Nog
This should be done with a partner, in case you get into such a deep trance, or you get upset and need someone to help pull you out.
You must perform a cleansing and grounding ritual
Lay down
Make sure you tape or have your partner writing down what you say
Make your partner say out loud, and visualize the scenario
“Picture a huge beautiful architecture library”
“In front of there, are 10 giant steps leading up to the front door”
“Very slowly climb up the stairs counting each one” (To get you in trance)
When you get to the top of the stairs, imagine a huge door with a giant knocker
Knock the door
Someone will answer the door; this is your spirit guide
Tell him/her what is you would like to see (as in certain past life or general)
At this point you may or not have a conversation with your guide
Next, ask your guide to lead you where you can get this information
Picture another door behind the guide, and have the guide walk you trough there
He/she will guide you into another room and sit you down
At this point whether you are audio, visual or written, comes into play
You may take down a book and start to read a story of a past life
Look at the pictures, movie or listen someone tell you the story
When you are done, thank your guide very much
Open the main door to go back down the stairs to get out of the trance
Play back the tape or read what your partner has write. You may not remember.
I thought you might find this handy especially today. You might want to use it to go back to the Burning Times and see if you were one of the individuals killed. Then you will be as passionate about our Ancestors and our Heritage as I do.
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