Tag: herbal magick

An Invaluable Herbal Grimoire Reference Guide

By Graphia, The Wordsmith Witch

Image credit: ©️Dana Freeman

No matter what your spiritual path looks like, every Witch can benefit from possessing a thorough, comprehensive Herbal Grimoire. Many practitioners include such contents as a guide for the magical correspondences of different herbs, a list of various herbal substitutions for spellcrafting, and last, but not least – a reference section that lists commonly found baneful herbs and their toxicity levels.

Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com
Photo by Julia Filirovska on Pexels.com

This herb correspondence chart is the culmination of years of research. We hope this reference guide will help you to understand the magical properties of herbs, roots, flowers, barks and resins. It is our goal to provide others with accurate sources of information to enrich their lives and their Craft. What are some ways you can implement the information in the following guide into your own practice?  Click on the link below to view the chart.

Herbal Grimoire

For Your Viewing Pleasure – Appalachia Mountain Roots Plants and Herbs

This is an interesting series by Donnie Law about the Appalachian Mountain people in the eastern USA. Included in this area is where Lady Abyss was from in Kentucky, USA. So, I always think of her when I am watching one of these videos.

Appalachia Mountain Roots Plants and Herbs

Appalachia – From Wikipedia

This article is about the region in the United States. For other uses, see Appalachia (disambiguation).

Appalachia (/ˌæpəˈlætʃə, –leɪtʃə, –leɪʃə/) is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia.[1] While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in Alabama, Appalachia typically refers only to the cultural region of the central and southern portions of the range, from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia southwest to the Great Smoky Mountains. As of the 2010 United States Census, the region was home to approximately 25 million people.[2]

Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of its inhabitants. Early 20th century writers often engaged in yellow journalism focused on sensationalistic aspects of the region’s culture, such as moonshining and clan feuding, and often portrayed the region’s inhabitants as uneducated and prone to impulsive acts of violence. Sociological studies in the 1960s and 1970s helped to re-examine and dispel these stereotypes.[3]

While endowed with abundant natural resources, Appalachia has long struggled economically and been associated with poverty. In the early 20th century, large-scale logging and coal mining firms brought wage-paying jobs and modern amenities to Appalachia, but by the 1960s the region had failed to capitalize on any long-term benefits[4] from these two industries. Beginning in the 1930s, the federal government sought to alleviate poverty in the Appalachian region with a series of New Deal initiatives, such as the construction of dams to provide cheap electricity and the implementation of better farming practices. On March 9, 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission[5] was created to further alleviate poverty in the region, mainly by diversifying the region’s economy and helping to provide better health care and educational opportunities to the region’s inhabitants. By 1990, Appalachia had largely joined the economic mainstream but still lagged behind the rest of the nation in most economic indicators.[3]

The Magick Of Bay Leaf

Written By Priestess Hypatia

For Witches of the Craft

19/12/2019

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Burn and banish with Bay

Burning of bay leaf has been used for banishing negative energies and cleansing space for eons!

An herb with a beautiful ancient history bay leaf is used to communicate with the Gods themselves.

About:

Bay leaf also known as laurel is a hardy evergreen tree with deep green foliage native to the Mediterranean region. When the leaves are dried they can be used in cooking, infusing the food in beautiful aromatic herbal earthy flavors or can also be used as an incense.

History- The first record of banishing using Bay Leaf:

This was the sacred plant of Apollo one that was used by the Pythia in the temple to Apollo at Delphi. It was Apollo’s desire and near obsession of the Nymph Daphne that drove Daphne’s father, who happened to be a river God, turning her into a bay tree to protect her from the lustful grasps of Apollo.

As a regret for his actions the God Apollo wore a crown of bay to banish his stupidity and to encourage valor and honor.

Magick:

Below is a wonderful way to use bay leaf to bring positivity in your life. Incidentally you can also use it for divination by writing what it is you desire to see on the leaf.

For banishing however you can try this method below. I carry dried bay leaves in a small mojo bag to banish bad energy around me and keep me safe when I’m out and about.

  • Ingredients- Dried Bay leaf, candle, fireproof bowl, lighter, pen.
  • Set up you altar space as usuall and then with the fire and bowl (i use a copper bowl to harness the energy) to the right that would represent the bowl of salt and the bay leaf and marker to the left that would represent the athame and wand.
  • Wrote the things you wish to banish, on one or so leaves. I like the number 3.
  • Write- whatever it is that you want to banish, be gone, no longer need such as toxic relationships, toxic thoughts, toxic actions and habits, procrastination, fear, anger, temper etc, things that debilitate us in our life and stunt our growth.
  • Light one by one and say “I release my attachment to old thoughts and patterns” (remember bay leaves catch on fire very quickly because of the volatile oils).
  • Drop the bay leaf into the fireproof container ( be careful) and visualize all the negativity literally being banished in the plume of the bay smoke. This is the best bit. It can feel so liberating!
  • Once this is done, dispose of the ashes outside of your home back into the earth to be neutralized by the Great Mother, and as you do say “Be gone” 3 times as loud as possible, releasing this negativity from your life for good!

Note: Begin to meditate by clearing your mind and relax into the stillness that you have created. Allow your thoughts to leave your head just like the smoke going up.  Breathe in the feeling of peace, possibilities, and newness. Be alive, be aware and remember to be you.

It’s always good to replace the banished negativity with something positive.  I find it easier by creating a happy memory, sing a little song, or ring some bells, my favourite is drumming. Some even like to dance.  Bring a little cheer and happines into your home, mind, and body. This is where the change happens . For an extra relaxing experience I often like to take a bath after a ritual with beautiful essential oils.