Fill a bottle or something similar with cold water. Then add:
Dill for wisdom; Anise for good dreams; Chervil for friendship; Caraway against infidelity; Sage against plague; Rosemary for improved memory; some roses that help against everything; Parsley for love; Wormwood against sea-sickness and Angelica against magic.
Let this steep for a while and drink. It tastes like life itself! A little sweet and a little bitter.
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Copal
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Rosemary
1 pinch finely powdered Salt
1 sm. purified Quartz Crystal point
To use, pour a bit of the incense (leaving the crystal in the jar) onto charcoal. Smolder, and pass the crystals to be purified through the smoke, visualizing the smoke wafting away the stone’s impurities. This incense can be used in conjunction with other recommended purifying rituals, or in place of them. To cleanse the crystal, leave it in sunlight for a few days, place it in running water overnight, or bury it in the Earth for a week.
Burdock is a commonly found herb. It is often seen along waterways, an usually in partial or shaded areas. Burdock grows best in alkaline soil, but this is not imperative for cultivation. Easily grown from seed, burdock is a biennial plant, that is direct sown in the garden, early in springtime. Stratification helps germination, but be aware that burdock has an incredibly high germination rate, so unless you have precious few seeds, stratification is not necessary.
For the least amount of problems, it is best to grow burdock in an area where it can self seed freely. This will ensure endless crops of seeds and roots for years to come. Since it grows so well in a shady area, if you have a large tree on the side of your landscape, oftentimes this is the perfect spot to plant your burdock crop.
Burdock has long been considered a vegetable in Asian cooking. Known as Gobo, you may have seen the root in your local grocers and not even known that it was what we Americans consider a common weed.
Burdock is a biennial, meaning that it grows for two years. The first year plants, offer the roots. The seeds are harvested in the fall of the second year. They are contained in the familiar burrs that we all recognize, and our pets have unfortunately brought home, tangled in their fur.
The burdock root,harvested in the first year. This is best done after a bit of moisture has been applied to the soil, as burdock has a very deep, large taproot. This taproot needs to be dug out with a spade or garden fork. Do not attempt to pull the root, it is impossible to do.
Both seeds and roots can be dried for storage. Wash the roots very well to remove all loose dirt or sand before drying. The roots also need to be chopped or sliced before drying, as they become rock hard once dried.
Seeds should be removed from their prickly outer coating and then dried before storage. Look them over well for hidden insects. Do not use second year burrs, as they will probably contains some insects.
Fresh burdock leaves (either first or second year) can be lightly steamed and then applied as a poultice, to draw out infection and speed healing.
To store burdock, the fresh root is simply refrigerated or pickled for a nourishing food. The roots can be peeled and roasted with all fall vegetables, and the pickled gobo is delicious as a condiment. I like to combine gobo with my potatoes and then mash everything together. The roots add an earthy taste, that is pleasant.
Burdock is also made into tinctures, infusions, salves and balms, and infused oils. Wildly useful, this herb is easy to grow and store.
Burdock is one of those herbs that people are surprised has so much to offer. Known as a common weed here in America, in Asian cooking, burdock (Gobo root) is commonplace. Burdock is known as a medicinal food; meaning it nourishes the body and offers deep nutritive health to the body, notably the liver and urinary tract and skin.
I use burdock for skin issues, both from within and applied directly to the surface of the skin.
Burdock is a safe herb to ingest with some knowledge. As a root vegetable, it is a wonderful addition to the diet for all ages. As a poultice, it is also safe for anyone who is old enough to understand what is being done to them, and can indicate if the application becomes too hot or uncomfortable. As a tincture or decoction, it is noted by Herbalist Richo Cech, that burdock works a little more strongly, and should be combined with a diuretic herb such as dandelion to move the toxins to the urine and not out through the skin. Burdock seed tincture should not be used by the home herbalist, due to its strong efficiency.
Rhiannon is an old Welsh Goddess of the earth and fertility, of horses and birds, who has links to the Underworld and who is much featured in the Mabinogion. She finds antecedents in the British Goddess Rigatona (“Great Queen”) and the continental Celtic horse-goddess Epona, who is also linked with dogs and birds like Rhiannon.
In the later Christianized version of the tale, Rhiannon’s first husband was Pwyll, (“Never was there a man who made feebler use of his wits”, in Rhiannon’s own words) who had once done a stint as King of the Underworld.
Their son Pryderi vanished the night of his birth while the new mother and the women sent to guard them slept. In fear of the consequences for slacking off on their duty, the serving-women smeared Rhiannon with the blood of a puppy and accused Her of murdering Her own son. Their word won over Rhiannon’s own, and as punishment, She was made to sit outside the castle on a horse-block, and offer each visitor a ride on Her back for seven years. Pryderi was eventually restored to Her by his foster-father Teyrnon, who recognized the boy’s resemblance to Pwyll.
She later took Manawydan (the Welsh equivalant to Manannán, the Irish Sea God) as husband after Pwyll died.
Rhiannon is said to possess marvelous birds that can wake the dead, or lull the living to sleep. In the Mabinogion She is intelligent and wise, and doesn’t hesitate to speak Her mind.
Rhiannon is deeply associated with horses: Pwyll first sees Her riding a marvelous white horse that no one can catch; The vanished child was found by Teyrnon in place of a new-born foal; and Her punishment is to act as a horse.
This card in a reading indicates a time of trial or injustice, that, with patience and faith, will come right in the end. Misunderstandings and mis-communications may be in the air, but understanding the deep roots of the situation will help.
Alternate spellings: Riannon
Pronunciation: hree AN non
From: Thalia Took
Rhiannon is also associated with otherworldly brids, the adar Rhiannon (birds of Rhiannon) which are explicitly named in the Mabinogion of Branwen ferch Llŷr. Mortally wounded after the battle in Ireland, Brân tells his companions to cut off his head and take it with them on their return journey …you will be on the road a long time. In Harlech you will be seven years in feasting, the birds of Rhiannon singing to you. The head will be as good company to you as it was at its best when it was ever on me. And you will be at Gwales in Penfro for eighty years. Until you open the door facing Aber Henfelen on the side facing Cornwall, you will be able to abide there, along with the head with you uncorrupted. But when you open that door, you will not be able to remain there…. They reach Harlech and as soon as they began their feast …there came three birds, which began to sing a kind of song to them; and when they heard that song, every other [tune] seemed unlovely beside it…. The brids of Rhiannon are next mentioned in the Mabinogion of Culhwch ac Olwen where Culhwch is set forty impossible tasks by Ysbaddaden Pencawr in the wooing of his daughter Olwen. The thirteenth task is the gaining of Rhiannon’s birds that they may sing at the wedding feast. These birds have a woderous song and are …to wake the dead, and send the living to sleep…. There may also be a hint of Rhiannon’s magical birds in the Mabinogion of Iarlles y Ffynawn. The Arthurian champion Cynon relates one of his adventures to Oweni and Cei: He comes to amagical glade where a spring emerges. Water from the spring must be poured on the slab and there will be a mighty peal of thunder and hailstones will fall from the sky. Then the weather becomes fair, but the tree is denuded of its leaves. At this point a flock of birds fly in and they will alight within the bare branches of the tree and sing. Their melody will be the sweetest sound ever heard by any mortal ear. Some time within the course of the song the black knight — guardian of the fountain — will appear to challenge the usurper. For the shower of hailstones will have stripped the black knight’s lands bare, denuding it of all life. Only by defeating the challenger can the balance be restored. Cynon is defeated by the knight but Owein then re-traces Cynon’s tracks and experiences the same things but he defeats the black knight. From their description it seems highly likely that the birds described here are the adar Rhiannon (the birds of Rhiannon).
Riannon’s association with horses is also unquestionable. We are told of the way Rhiannon rides past the gorsedd of Arberth on a great steed that no-one can catch. After the loss of her son, Rhiannon’s punishment is to be effectively turned into a horse. She has to stand by a horse-block and offer to carry any traveler upon her back and into Pwyll’s llys. Here she is beng symbolically transformed into that which she symbolizes. The link between Rhiannon and horses is further exemplified by her son Pwyll and the fact that he was born on the same night as a foal and that he and the foal grew up together and effectively ‘became one’. Symbolically therefore the ‘horse’ Rhiannon gives birth to a foal ‘Pryderi’. All of this leads to the inescapable conclusion that Rhiannon is strongly hippomorphic in aspect and probably represents at the very least an aspect (and may well represent a continuation of) the mythos of that great pan-Celtic hippomorphic goddess, Epona. A further indication of the link between Rhiannon and Epona may be the episode of the killing of a puppy to frame Rhiannon for her son’s disappearance for a dog is often seen as Epona’s companion.
Rhiannon’s name is derived from the Brythonic Rīgantona (Great Queen). Continuation of the name would indicate the existence of a Brythnoic goddes known as *Rīgantona, though no trace of her (save for the name of Rhiannon) has been left to us. Whether this *Rīgantona was an independent deity or represented an aspect of Epona (who is occasionally referred to in the plural and may be a triple-goddess) may not be known for certain though the surviving tales of Rhiannon would suggest the later interpretation. Thus there may once have been an insular Brythonic deity known as *Rīgantona Epona. If this is the case, and the Epona aspect of the goddess is fairly clear, what does the Rīgantona aspect represent. In the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is plainly ‘otherworldly’ in nature though this aspect of her nature is not explicitly drawn out. However, from how she and Pwyll met is is fairly obvious that Rhiannon does not originate in the World of Men. Moreover, she appears immediately after the episode of Pwyll and Arawn and originally Rhiannon may well have originated in one of the ‘Happy Otherworlds’ that are beloved of the Celtic storytellers. Epona herself was probably a psychopomp and the association of Rhiannon with horses and with her magical birds (both of which could transport/accompany the deay on their journey to the next world) would indicate that Rhiannon may once have performed a similar function. In the Mabinogi of Branwen ferch Llŷr Rhiannon’s birds are described as singing ‘across the waters’ which is the only direct evidence we have for Rhiannon’s otherworldly home; the ‘Happy Isles of the Blessed’. Thus Rhiannon may originally have been the ‘Great Queen’ of such a realm; a realm to which her steeds transported the spirits of the dead who were entertained on the way by the singing of the ‘Great Queen’s’ magical birds. The association between horses and birds also seems to be a recurring theme in Celtic mythos and the image above comes from a coin of the Unelli tribe of modern-day Normandy.
Rhiannon’s name is directly cognate with the Irish goddess Mórrígan (which also menans ‘Great Queen’). In terms of attributes, however, Rhiannon is most closely similar to an aspect of the triple-goddes, Mórrígan known as Macha; a goddess of war, horses and kingship.
From: CeltNet
The Welsh horse goddess of the Underworld, Rhiannon (pronounced ree-ah-nin) is also known as Rigatona or “Great Queen” in Welsh lore. An equine goddess-turned-magical queen, she is unique in the sense that she is exclusively a horse deity — while other goddesses of antiquity typically have other identities and functions.
Accordingly, horse themes are very strong in Irish and Welsh mythology. As such, Rhiannon’s Irish sister Macha, a trans-functional goddess spanning all possible functions of society as priestess, warrior, and nurturer, has also been represented as a horse.
Nevertheless, Rhiannon is one of a kind with the exception of one Gaulish equine goddess counterpart known as Epona — a diety who has no other function than being the patroness of horses.
Even more anomalous however, is her legendary fairy tale: one that is fraught with ambivalences. Appearing in the first “branch” (or chapter) of the Mabinogi as a mysterious lady riding a horse, Rhiannon is depicted as a graceful and wild goddess — untamable and free to the point that no one can ever catch her or overtake her gallop.
Alas, she is finally tamed in the sense that Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, convinces her to stop and speak with him. As if fated, the two marry and Rhiannon bears him a child — one who mysteriously disappears at birth. Because the attendant maids (who should have been keeping vigilance) shirk their duties by falling asleep, the baby is effectively spirited away by an unknown creature. Trying to absolve themselves of any blame, the maids then resolve to kill some puppies, smearing the blood and gore on Rhiannon, claiming that she had killed her own child.
In light of the goddess-queen’s presumed guilt, Pywll does not divorce her, since that had been an act reserved exclusively for barrenness. Instead, she is sentenced to sitting near a horse-block outside of the city gate and is correspondingly instructed to carry passersby inside the city walls, becoming a horse in all but physical appearance and wild freedom.
Incidentally, right after Rhiannon’s son disappears, a mare of a villager named Teyrnon Twrf Liant gives birth to rather attractive colt. At the moment of delivery, a great claw reaches through the window of the house as if to seize the newborn. In bewildered response, Teyrnon slices off the arm and rushes outside only to find a noble baby boy — Rhiannon’s child.
Raising the boy as his own for over four years, the man eventually hears about the unfortunate plight of the goddess-queen, sees the resemblance between the two, and brings the child to the castle. Happy and free from her position as a compulsory horse-substitute, Rhiannon embraces her long-lost son, naming him Pryderi. And then they all live happily ever after . . . until the story changes again.
In a twist of fate, in the third “branch” of the Mabinogi following her husband’s death, Rhiannon marries her son’s friend Manawydan. After a number of experiences and adventures, she and her son eventually disappear into the magic fortress of Llwyd, (son of Cil Coed) where she is made to pay a horse penance once again, wearing the collars of donkeys.
The beautiful Welsh underworld goddess traveled through earth on an impossibly speedy horse, accompanied always by magical birds that made the dead waken and the living fall into a blissful seven-year sleep. Originally named Rigatona (“Great Queen”), she shrank in later legend into Rhiannon, a fairylike figure who appeared to Prince Pwyll of Dyfed near the gate of the underworld. He pursued her on his fastest horses, but hers–cantering steadily and without tiring–exhausted any mount of Pwyll’s. Finally, the queen decided to stay with Pwyll; she bore him a son soon afterward.
What can one expect of a goddess of death? Her son disappeared, and the queen was found with blood on her mouth and cheeks. Accused of murder, she was sentenced to serve as Pwyll’s gatekeeper, bearing visitors to the door on her back; thus she was symbolically transformed into a horse. All ended happily when her son was found; Rhiannon had been falsely accused by maids who, terrified at finding the babe absent, had smeared puppy blood on the queen’s face.
Behind this legend is doubtless another, more primitive one in which the death queen actually was guilty of infanticide. This beautiful queen of the night would then, it seems, be identical to the Germanic Mora, the nightmare, the horse-shaped goddess of terror. But night brings good dreams as well as bad, so Rhiannon was said to be the beautiful goddess of joy and oblivion, a goddess of Elysium as well as the queen of hell.
The horse goddess. Rhiannon was the Welsh equivalent of the Epona (Gallic) and Macha (Irish). Rhiannon was also associated with a Romano-Celtic goddess Rigantona (“Great Goddess”).
Rhiannon was the daughter of Hereydd the Old. She married Pwyll, a chieftain of Dyfed.
Rhiannon was unfortunate figure in Welsh myth. Rhiannon had many suitors, among them were Pwyll, chieftain of Dyfed, and Gwawl, the son of Clud. Pwyll won her hand and married her. Gwawl and his father laid a curse upon Pwyll’s household. Rhiannon was barren for many years. Pwyll blamed his wife for their inability to have a child, mistreated Rhiannon.
Even though she managed to give birth to a son named Pryderi, she was accused of killing or devouring her infant.
Later, when Pwyll died, Rhiannon lived with her son, before she married Manawyddan, after the death of Manawyddan’s brother (Bran) from the war in Ireland. Upon her son arrival back, Rhiannon and Pryderi were beset by curse from Llywd, the son of Kil Coed, and friend of Gwawl, Rhiannon’s former suitor. Their subjects in Dyved had vanished. Llywd had transformed Rhiannon into an ass, while her son was transformed into a gate-hammer. They were released from the curses through Manawyddan’s cunning and resourcefulness.
See Manawyddan son of Llyr, in the Mabinogion.
From: Timeless Myths
Waning Moon
Moon phase: Fourth Quarter
Moon Sign: Aquarius
Incense: Lily
Color: Gray
–Llewellyn’s 2019 Magical Almanac
Charlie Rainbow Wolf
App[e on a String (Love Spe[[)
Select a large red apple. Mark sections on the outside peel by scraping lines into the skin. Into each one of the sections, scrape the name or initials of the persons that you wish for lovers. Tie a string to the stem of the apple and hang it from any support. Next, twirl the apple around so that when you release it, it will spin in a clockwise direction. Hold a 3-inch needle in your hand and as the apple begins to twirl, close your eyes, and repeat the following chant:
Bountiful Queen, Goddess of love,
Shower your blessings from above.
As I work this apple spell,
Show me the one who will love me well.
As you finish the chant, push the needle all the way into the apple, steadying the fruit with your other hand. The name in the section were the pin has pierced will be your true lover.
It is a popular custom for the Wiccans of Wales and Ireland to honor the Goddess Rhiannon this day. Known as “Rigantona,” meaning Great Queen, Rhiannon has been identified with the popular Gaulish mare Goddess Epopna.
Rhiannon’s divine status is indicated by her first encounter with Pwyll, the king of Dyfed. Riding slowly past him on a large white horse, he was entranced and pursued her. But even with the swiftest of mounts he could not overtake her. Finally, in desperation, he called out to her. Rhiannon stopped to converse with him, admitting she was seeking him out. Pwyll won Rhiannon’s love and when she arrived at his court to be married, she brought precious gifts for all the nobles. Thus her image of a generous, bountiful queen-Goddess.
MAR. 4: Celtic Feast of Rhiannon: Moon Goddess, Underworld Goddess
MAR. 5: Navigium Isidis – Egyptian festival honoring Goddess Isis as Lady of the Moon and Ruler of the Sea; celebrated with the launching of a boat of offerings.
MAR. 9: Mother Goddess Day – honoring all Mother Goddesses – the loving, nurturing Goddess.
On this day in Ireland and Wales, the annual Feast of Rhiannon is celebrated by many Wiccans in honor of Rhiannon, the Celtic/Welsh Mother Goddess who was originally known as Rigatona (the Great Queen) and identified with the Gaulish mare-goddess Epona.
On this date in ancient Greece, an annual ritual called the Anthesteria was held to honor the souls of the dead (the Keres). The ritual lasted for three days.
On this date in the year 1968, the Church of All Worlds (founded by Otter Zell) was formally chartered, thus becoming the first federally recognized church of Neo-Paganism.
–The Wicca Book of Days
Gerina Dunwich
Monday is the sacred day of the moon, personified as the goddesses Selene, Luna, and Mani. The moon is ruler of flow, affecting the changeable and impressionable aspects of people. If a full moon falls on a Monday, then the powers of the moon are at their most potent.
Deity: Mani
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Planet: Moon
Tree: Willow
Herb: Chickweed
Stone: Agate
Animal: Crab
Element: Water
Color: Green
Rune: Lagu (L)
Celtic Tree Month of Nuin (Ash) (February 18 – March 17)
The Runic Half Month of Tyr (February 27 – March 13)
Goddess of the Month of Moura (February 20 – March 19)
Source
The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick
The Maiden feels a yearning
to know a glow within
Tis the cycle of the seasons
about to start again
She dances in the moonlight
She sings and leaps with joy
She dances in the Moonlight
and calls her Darling Boy
He’s now a mighty hunter
A warrior swift and strong
Protector of the animals
He joins her in the song
She dances in the moonlight
She sings and leaps with joy
She dances in the Moonlight
and calls her Darling Boy
The Lovers come together
their passion begins to burn
the joining of their bodies
ensures the Wheel will turn
She dances in the moonlight
She sings and leaps with joy
She dances in the Moonlight
and calls her Darling Boy
Within the seed is planted
and soon it will grow true
as it has since the beginning
life is born anew
–Balinnor, Author
Published on Pagan Library
The Hawthorn Tree rules the sixth month of the Celtic Tree Calendar. It’s a tree of contradictions and opposites, it pulls together the complete idea of duality and oppositions.
The tree has strong links to male energy, however, it is symbolic of fertility and it also deeply rooted to female deities. This balance and unity of male and female energies gave this tree the name the “marriage tree”.
The hawthorn is sacred and its thorny branches produce an abundance of foliage and blossoms that have healing properties thought to circulatory disorders and high blood pressure.
Those born under the sign of the Hawthorn are a paradox and are not at all what they seem at first glance. Seemingly quite average on the outside but inside is burning bright with a creative passion. They are quick witted with an excellent memory making them knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics. They can adapt to almost any situation and will more often than not be able to see the bigger picture making them great listeners and ones to go to in a time of need.
Hawthorn signs pair well with Ash and Rowan
It’s the Willow tree that rules the fifth month in the calendar. The tree thrives in wet boggy areas and can often be found planted next to areas of water.
Willow has deep roots with spirituality and psychic ability with specific links to the lunar realm. The strong association with the moon comes from the trees love for water.
It’s a symbol of fertility and new life, a willow branch can be planted in the ground and from it a new tree will grow in its place. Willow trees are flexible, the branches can be contorted in ridiculous ways without any signs of snapping, this makes it a popular wood to use in weaving and wicker work..
When it comes to medicinal values, the willow has many healing properties. The bark could be used as a treatment for cold and flu and young twigs from the tree were once be chewed in aid of pain relief.
People born under the Willow sign seem understand the world around them a little more than others. They are very intune with their psychic side and their personality is ruled by the moon. They are intuitive and have deep roots within other worldly realms, in particular, the lunar realm. Willow signs are intelligent and highly creative however do not like showing this side of their personality in fear of seeming arrogant or over the top. Other signs find them mysterious and hard to get to know but once they are friends, willow signs are fiercely loyal and great at keeping secrets. They have a realistic outlook on life giving them much more patience than other signs.
Willow signs are compatible with Birch and Ivy signs.
The Hawthorn Tree rules the sixth month of the Celtic Tree Calendar. It’s a tree of contradictions and opposites, it pulls together the complete idea of duality and oppositions.
The tree has strong links to male energy, however, it is symbolic of fertility and it also deeply rooted to female deities. This balance and unity of male and female energies gave this tree the name the “marriage tree”.
The hawthorn is sacred and its thorny branches produce an abundance of foliage and blossoms that have healing properties thought to circulatory disorders and high blood pressure.
Those born under the sign of the Hawthorn are a paradox and are not at all what they seem at first glance. Seemingly quite average on the outside but inside is burning bright with a creative passion. They are quick witted with an excellent memory making them knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics. They can adapt to almost any situation and will more often than not be able to see the bigger picture making them great listeners and ones to go to in a time of need.
Hawthorn signs pair well with Ash and Rowan
Ogham Letter: Saille (S)
Symbolic Meaning: Fertility, Flexibility, New Life
Ruling Planet: Moon
Ruling Element:
Season:
Corresponding Star Sign: Taurus / Gemini
It’s the Willow tree that rules the fifth month in the calendar. The tree thrives in wet boggy areas and can often be found planted next to areas of water.
Willow has deep roots with spirituality and psychic ability with specific links to the lunar realm. The strong association with the moon comes from the trees love for water.
It’s a symbol of fertility and new life, a willow branch can be planted in the ground and from it a new tree will grow in its place. Willow trees are flexible, the branches can be contorted in ridiculous ways without any signs of snapping, this makes it a popular wood to use in weaving and wicker work..
When it comes to medicinal values, the willow has many healing properties. The bark could be used as a treatment for cold and flu and young twigs from the tree were once be chewed in aid of pain relief.
People born under the Willow sign seem understand the world around them a little more than others. They are very intune with their psychic side and their personality is ruled by the moon. They are intuitive and have deep roots within other worldly realms, in particular, the lunar realm. Willow signs are intelligent and highly creative however do not like showing this side of their personality in fear of seeming arrogant or over the top. Other signs find them mysterious and hard to get to know but once they are friends, willow signs are fiercely loyal and great at keeping secrets. They have a realistic outlook on life giving them much more patience than other signs.
Willow signs are compatible with Birch and Ivy signs.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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