Tag: Seed

Obtaining Herbs: Growing

Obtaining Herbs

Growing

Growing your own herbs is an intriguing art. Herbs can be difficult to successfully grow, but when they do, you’re rewarded with a plentiful supply of flowers, leaves, seeds, barks and roots.

Any bookstore or library will have good books outlining the basic steps in growing herbs. Find one and utilize the information in it, taking into account local growing conditions. Most nurseries and department stores stock herb seeds and starter plants.

Magickally guard herbs when growing them by placing small quartz crystals in the soil. To ensure that they flourish, wear jade when watering or tending them, or put a piece of moss-agate in the earth.

When the plant has matured or is large enough, begin harvesting by using the basic system mentioned above. Thank the plant and the Earth for its treasures.

Scott Cunningham

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews

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Starting the Herbs

Starting the Herbs

Herbs can be grown from seeds, cuttings or roots.

Seeds
If you know someone who grows herbs from seed, see if you can beg or barter a
few seeds from them – why buy a whole packet if you can get just enough for your
needs? Seeds are easy to work with. You can start seeds growing in trays filled
with potting mix – try using egg cartons, paper cups, cut-off milk cartons, or
plastic trays (try take-away food trays, or the kind you buy cakes, etc, in).
Keep the soil damp and preferably have the trays somewhere where they will catch
a great deal of light and be kept warm. Transplant them into a larger container
after the second set of leaves has formed and the seedlings look strong.

Cuttings
If you know someone with herb plants, perhaps they would let you have a few
cuttings. Herbs that grow well from cuttings include rosemary, lavender, mint,
thyme, scented geraniums and oregano. Take the cutting in spring or (preferably)
summer, using a section of stem without flowers which is at least a few inches
long. The stem should be firm enough that it can’t be merely pinched off. A side
branch growing from the main stem of the plant is best. Use shears to remove the
stem, and make a slanting cut below the lowest set of leaves. If you can take a
cutting which has a ‘foot’ on it, so much the better – this means that there
will be more space for the stem to suck up water and nutrients from the soil.
Remove the lower sets of leaves, leaving a reasonable section of bare stem –
this is where the roots will form. However, you should leave a few sets of
leaves at the top of the cutting. Poke a hole gently into the potting mix and
insert the bare stem of the cutting, then press the rest of the potting mix
firmly around it. Water well, and after the first watering keep the soil moist
but not completely saturated. The cutting will be ready to transplant when it
has started to grow more leaves, or when it has formed enough roots that it
resists being pulled out of the ground when you tug very gently on it.

Roots
Certain herbs grow best from root pieces – comfrey and ginger being good
examples. Take a healthy-looking ‘finger’ of root, plant it in the soil and keep
it well-watered and in a warm sunny place. The root will grow into a healthy
plant, which in turn can have more root fingers taken from it when it’s mature.

Care of Container Plants
I suggest you buy, beg or borrow a good book on caring for herbs in your own
country, as what you should do with them does vary greatly depending on
conditions.

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Calendar of the Sun for February 7th

Calendar of the Sun

 
Ancestor Day

Color: Black and grey
Element: Earth
Altar: Spread a black cloth, and lay it with photographs, paintings, and other depictions of our ancestors. Add also symbols of their old tools, and statues of ancestral deities, a bowl of seeds for the future garden, pots of soil, a pitcher of water, and many candles of black and white and grey.
Offerings: Things they would have liked to eat, drink, smoke, or smell. Tend a cemetery and clean up the graves.
Daily Meal: Food from an earlier era, using authentic recipes.

Invocation to the Ancestors

Our ancestors got up at dawn,
Slaved in the dirt,
Sweated in the sun,
Chilled in the cold,
Numbed in the snow,
Scattering each seed with a prayer:
Pray that there be enough,
That no one starve this winter.
Pray that no bird nor beast
Steal the food I have struggled for.
And most of all,
Pray that each seed I save
Of this harvest
Shall next year
Bring forth a hundred more.
We live today
Because they worked
Because they sowed
Because they harvested
Because they prayed.

Chant:
Those who came before
We are your children
Those who came before
We honor your names

(Each person takes seeds from the bowl and plants them in the pots of soil, speaking the name of one of their ancestors as they do so, as in: “In honor of _______.” The pots are watered, and the candles put out one by one.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

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‘THINK on THESE THINGS’ for January 24th

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

There must be a great many persons who have questioned their own wisdom in having fought for a principle. To so many, it seems all they gleaned from it was the title “different”. Isn’t this why so many refuse to stand up for what they believe? We look at them in disbelief, the idea that someone is trying to attract attention. If they are not twitted about their actions they are treated with cold indifference which can be even worse.

It seems that if persons have the strength to say they will fight for a certain truth, they must also have the strength to fight alone without depending on those around them to tell them how they should conform. They must not be embarrassed to be counted as unusual in the pursuit of their particular belief.

But the individuals who find themselves alone in the stand they take must remember that if it is truth they are following it will eventually win and at least they can live with themselves. Not everyone can say that.

H.W. Beecher has written, “It is often said it is no matter what a man believes if he is only sincere. But let a man sincerely believe that seed planted without ploughing is as good as with; that January is as favorable for seed-sowing as April; and that cockle seed will produce as good a harvest as wheat, and is it so?”

Sincerity, like trust, must be rooted in those basic truths that are for the good of everyone. If that which we sincerely believe in and live by is truly good, then the results will speak so loudly that all who really want to will see. Until we sincerely want to know good and do good, we will never know it. And until we do, we only half live
_____________________________________

Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Elder’s Meditation of the Day
By White Bison, Inc., an American Indian-owned nonprofit organization. Order their many products from their web site: http://www.whitebison.org

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A Question for Pessomancy

A Question for Pessomancy

Wolf Moon
Pessomancy is a form of divination that uses seeds or pebbles. Traditionally the diviner throws the seeds, then from  their pattern interprets their meaning.
To perform this spell, you will need a white candle, a blank piece of paper with a line drawn down the middle, and nine  bean seeds or nine pebbles.
Light the candle while dedicating it to the Goddess. Place the candle in a holder, and put it on your altar. Lay the  paper down in front of it. The line down the middle of the paper should line up with the candle. Say the following:
Goddess of light
Let my future shine bright!
Think about the question, and as you do, drop the seeds or pebbles on the line drawn on the paper. The seeds and pebbles  that fall on the left side are favorable to the outcome of the question, whereas those seeds and stones that fall on the right side point to things not  working out. The number of seeds and stones that fall on either side of the line indicate whether or not the overcome will be positive or negative. When you  are done, allow the candle to burn out completely.
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Calendar of the Moon for January 1st

Calendar of the Moon

1 Luis/Gamelion

Day of the Rowan Tree

Color: Light grey
Element: Earth
Altar: On a cloth of light grey set a vase of rowan twigs, gathered ahead of time and forced into budding, dried rowan berries from the preceding year, a single red candle, a pot of soil, seeds, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offering: Plant seeds. Keep your dreams alive.
Daily Meal: Vegan. Red food.

Invocation to the Green Man of the Rowan Tree

Hail, Green Man of the Winter!
Rowan tree of the mountains,
Slender of stalk and many of leaf,
Sacred berries that break any spell
And ward any home,
Red as the ochre of our ancestors,
Red as the food of the gods,
Brigid’s pride, magical branch,
Protector of doorways,
Protector of children,
Expunger of evil,
Fire of the forge,
Floods across the plain,
Duck who rides the flood,
We hail you, sacred rowan tree,
Green Man of the Winter,
On this the time of your dreaming.

Chant:
I rise with the sap,
I feel the deep spark,
I find joy in the cold,
I bend with the winds.

(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

The Witches Spell for Nov. 20th – Spell to Start A New Beginning

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Spell To Start A New Beginning

To start a new endeavor

Items You Will Need:

Yellow candle

Seeds

Small pot of soil

Water in a decorative pitcher or jar

This spell can be used to give a boost to a new endeavor (or even a new relationship) or to help you find a new start if you’re not sure what to do next. It can be done at any time, but for an extra boost, try doing it at the New Moon.

Focus on what you are starting ( or on what you might want to start or achieve, if you aren’t sure), then light the candle and follow the directions in the spell.

(Hold the Seeds in your Hands)

Bless this new beginning
A gift from the Gods
Which I accept with gratitude and appreciation

(Put seeds in soil)

Let it be productive like the Earth
And nurtured by the warmth of the Sun

(Pour Water on seeds)

Let it flow smoothly like the water
And carry me in a positive direction
Like a seed blown on the winds
Bless this new beginning
That it may broaden my horizons
Strength and enlighten me.
And help my spirit to grow and blossom

So Mote It Be.

 

Calendar of the Sun for November 10th

Calendar of the Sun

Ancestor Day

Color: Black and grey
Element: Earth
Altar: Spread a black cloth, and lay it with photographs, paintings, and other depictions of our ancestors. Add also symbols of their old tools, and statues of ancestral deities, a bowl of seeds for the future garden, pots of soil, a pitcher of water, and many candles of black and white and grey.
Offerings: Things they would have liked to eat, drink, smoke, or smell. Tend a cemetery and clean up the graves.
Daily Meal: Food from an earlier era, using authentic recipes.

Invocation to the Ancestors

Our ancestors got up at dawn,
Slaved in the dirt,
Sweated in the sun,
Chilled in the cold,
Numbed in the snow,
Scattering each seed with a prayer:
Pray that there be enough,
That no one starve this winter.
Pray that no bird nor beast
Steal the food I have struggled for.
And most of all,
Pray that each seed I save
Of this harvest
Shall next year
Bring forth a hundred more.
We live today
Because they worked
Because they sowed
Because they harvested
Because they prayed.

Chant:
Those who came before
We are your children
Those who came before
We honor your names

(Each person takes seeds from the bowl and plants them in the pots of soil, speaking the name of one of their ancestors as they do so, as in: “In honor of _______.” The pots are watered, and the candles put out one by one.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Samhain Prosperity Spell

Samhain Prosperity Spell

Pass a skull (plastic or wax), some pumpkin spice and some dried pumpkin seed, a large white plate, a small bowl, a black bag, and a gold cord through incense smoke. Mix the seeds and spice in a bowl and stir counterclockwise to banish negativity, clockwise for the blessings of your ancestors. Place a list of your ancestors on the plate, and set the skull on top, sprinkling it with the seed and spice mixture. Hold your hands over the skull asking that your ancestors bring harmony and prosperity into your life, and cover the skull with the bag for seven days. On the seventh day, place the spice, seeds, and skull in the bag, and tie it all securely with the gold cord. Place it in the west part of your attic or basement.

—-RavenandCrone

Daily Motivator for Oct. 24th – Vast abundance

Vast abundance

You have much more than you can ever possibly realize. Life is a process of  connecting with deeper and deeper levels of value that have always been there,  and always will.

Does it ever seem that the world has passed you by, or that there are just no  opportunities for you? Then it’s time to move to a more profound and fulfilling  level.

You are capable of much more than you have yet attempted. Fill your heart  with goodness, make the commitment to express that goodness, and there will be a  way.

The reason you get stuck is not because you have too little. It is because  you expect too little.

The way to expect more, at your deepest level, is to make the commitment to  give more goodness to life. Make that commitment, and suddenly new, exciting  possibilities come into view.

Think for a moment, and realize that always, there is something good you can  give. In that simple thought you know without a doubt that life’s vast abundance  is always available to you.

— Ralph Marston

 The Daily Motivator

Calendar of the Moon for October 24th

Calendar of the Moon

24 Gort/Puanepsion

Apaturia Day 3: Koureotis

Color: White
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a white cloth set the carved root of a tree, the leafy branch of a tree, scattered seeds, a bowl of water, a loaf of bread, and either fresh milk or nourishing herbal tea.
Offerings: Oneself, to the Order.
Daily Meal: A feast of any correct foods of the harvest, prepared for all.

Koureotis Invocation

Hail to those who have come together today!
Hail to those who live outside the Houses,
Yet follow the Rule as best they can,
Spreading the seeds of our Light beyond our walls.
(One comes forth with a handful of seeds, and gives them out to the lay members who have come to the House on this day, and says, “Take these with you, and plant them well.”)
Hail to those who are like the branches of a tree,
Reaching for the light, seeking for grace,
Who come to us like birds alighting,
Perhaps to stay and nest, perhaps to fly away.
Hail to you, and may you touch that Light
With your outstretched arms.
(The tree branch is carried around, and all Branch members brushed with the water.)
Hail to those who are rooted here,
Flesh and bone, heart and soul,
Giving up their lives for this our Life.
Hail to those who are the ground beneath our feet,
The stone beneath the field, the mountain
Beneath the path that climbs. Hail!
(The carved root is carried around, and all Root members are touched with water via the root.)
Bring forth those who would enter,
Who would come further, who would go deeper!
Bring them forth and hear their vows!
(All cry, “Bring them forth!” and those who would enter the Order as lay members are brought forward, and then those who would enter the Houses as Branch members, and then those who would take Root vows. Each in turn makes their vows before all.)

Song: Blessing Song

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Seedy Spellwork

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Seedy Spellwork

After carving up those pumpkins, don’t just throw the seeds away or eat them all. In each little pumpkin seed lies a large store of natural energy. Save seeds to bring magick to your life year-round. They’re great for increasing strength, promoting prosperity, encouraging health, and enhancing growth and expansion. Grind them to include in incense and magickal powders, carry one in your pock for a good luck talisman, or tie a few inside a small square of fabric to make a charm to promote peace and balance in the home. You can even use pumpkin seeds to create your own set of biodegradable runes—just use a pen and some natural ink to make the glyphs.

—-Melanie Marquis

Calendar of the Moon for October 16th

Calendar of the Moon

16 Gort/Puanepsion

Day of the Blackthorn Tree

Color: Dark Blue
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a dark blue cloth set a vase of blackthorn twigs, a single dark blue candle, a knife, a pot of soil, herb seeds, a bowl of water, and a bell. Several wooden staves lean against the altar.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Face conflict.
Daily Meal: Vegan

Invocation to the Green Man of the Blackthorn Tree

Hail, Green Man of the Autumn!
Blackthorn tree of the hedges,
Whose thorns dissuade cattle
And intruders from trespassing,
Tree of the walking staff
Whose name is Strife
And whose job is Boundary,
You teach us that sometimes
Guardianship can lead to battle,
And that not everything can be held
Peacefully, be it land or goals
Or objects or rules or values.
Sometimes there will be strife
By the very nature of the universe,
Which encompasses both equally
And sees conflict as the necessary
Adjustment that points out our blindnesses.
Tree of thorns, hulking and sullen,
You will not stand to be mistreated
Or taken advantage; your nature
Does not lend itself to yielding.
We hail you, sacred blackthorn tree,
Green Man of the Autumn,
On this the day of your bloodshed.

(Let one who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual arm themselves with a staff, and guard the altar. Each approaches the altar, and is swung at; they take up a staff and meet the blow with it. After this they are allowed to approach and plant a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for September 11th

Calendar of the Moon

13 Muin/Boedromion

Day of the Aspen

Color: Scarlet
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a scarlet cloth set a vase of aspen twigs, a single red candle, a pot of soil, seeds of some rare medicinal herb, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Deal with a situation that cannot be solved by black-and-white thinking.
Daily Meal: Vegan

Invocation to the Green Man of the Aspen

Hail, Green Man of the Autumn!
Aspen tree, shield-maker’s joy,
Poplar wood that breaks and snaps,
You come in black and white,
As if to remind us that there are
Two sides to everything,
And yet you are one, and there is
Very little difference.
You made the rod used to
Measure corpses, showing that to
Measure something out is to make it dead.
You make the shield for protection,
Which saves us from the hard blows,
And is laid on the breast of the fallen warrior.
You are the tree of loss of hope,
Teaching us that even when hope is dead,
We must do without it and go on,
Finding some grimmer emotion
To sustain us in our battle.
Whistling Swan with your mourning cries,
You expect no mercy, and give none.
We hail you, sacred aspen tree,
Green Man of the Autumn,
At this the time of your decline.

Chant:
When hope falls then honor calls
When passion yields honor be your shield
(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Let's Talk Witch – Cultivating Your Seeds

Cultivating Your Seeds

 

There is a seed of genius in your heart. It is a seed with the potential for bringing about more healing and creating more positive change than you can possibly imagine, and it is unlike any other seed in any other heart. In order to allow this seed to begin to sprout, you must quiet your mind, shut out the noise and illusions of the world, let your heart open and listen to the wisdom deep within. Then, you must water the seed and seedling with patience, open-mindedness and a commitment to following your inner nudges.

If the Beatles had devoted their lives to helping people with leprosy in Calcutta, “All You Need Is Love” would never have worked its magic on the world. Similarly, if Mother Teresa has pursued a music career, countless lives would have suffered from her absence. While these are exceptionally famous examples, one need not be even the tiniest bit famous to set in motion potent waves of positivity and healing. All one needs is to be true to her heart and follow the path of her joy.

 

Whether we’re called to volunteer, to contribute, to engage in a traditional service-based career, or to engage in any other action that allows us to be a service to the world, being the change we wish to see is necessary ingredient to living passionately, purposefully, and with deep abiding joy.

　

Excerpt from:

Being the Change

Tess Whitehurst

Calendar of the Sun for February 7th

Calendar of the Sun

Ancestor Day

Color: Black and grey
Element: Earth
Altar: Spread a black cloth, and lay it with photographs, paintings, and other depictions of our ancestors. Add also symbols of their old tools, and statues of ancestral deities, a bowl of seeds for the future garden, pots of soil, a pitcher of water, and many candles of black and white and grey.
Offerings: Things they would have liked to eat, drink, smoke, or smell. Tend a cemetery and clean up the graves.
Daily Meal: Food from an earlier era, using authentic recipes.

Invocation to the Ancestors

Our ancestors got up at dawn,
Slaved in the dirt,
Sweated in the sun,
Chilled in the cold,
Numbed in the snow,
Scattering each seed with a :
that there be enough,
That no one starve this winter.
Pray that no bird nor beast
Steal the food I have struggled for.
And most of all,
Pray that each seed I save
Of this harvest
Shall next year
Bring forth a hundred more.
We live today
Because they worked
Because they sowed
Because they harvested
Because they prayed.

Chant:
Those who came before
We are your children
Those who came before
We honor your names

(Each person takes seeds from the bowl and plants them in the pots of soil, speaking the name of one of their ancestors as they do so, as in: “In honor of _______.” The pots are watered, and the candles put out one by one.)

 

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

 

I is for Hope Black Ritual Ink

I

 

 

HOPE BLACK RITUAL INK

Items needed:

A lump of Yellow Ochre
Gum from the Pinyon pine
3 cups of black Sunflower seeds. (The little ones)
3 Tablespoons ground Native Alum

Start by burning the lump of yellow ochre with an equal amount of the pinyon
gum. This will make a nice black soot. (Catch the soot on a cool ironstone plate
that is held over the burning mixture.)

Save the soot.

Next, take the sunflower seeds, still in their shells, and boil them for twenty
to thirty minutes in 8 cups of  water. Remove the seeds just after splitting
open. (Do not allow them to soak in it.)

Add the native Alum after toasting it in an iron pan. Stir and simmer so that
the Alum is completely dissolved.

Simmer the liquid until it is reduced to six cups of liquid.

Dip out a cup of the liquid and scrape the soot into it. Stir until it is
dissolved.

Add the soot-dye mixture back into the greater dye.

Gently simmer until it is reduced to a desired consistency.

Use with a ‘quill’ pen or fine lined paint brush.

Calendar of the Sun for January 25th

Calendar of the Sun

 

25 Wolfmonath

Sementivae Feria: Seed Blessing

Colors:  and brown
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of green and brown set all the seeds for the next year, with the seeds saved from last year’s garden in  the center.
Offerings: Give seeds to poor  and gardeners.
Daily Meal: Vegan.

Sementivae Feria Invocation

Hear us, Ceres, Mother of the Grain,
You whose breath stirs the seed in the ground,
Though Earth sleeps now in her bed of stone,
We ask for her blessing on these seeds
Which will soon be sowed.
These are our hopes, our dreams,
Our aspirations, all promise and possibilities,
Waiting dry and dormant to be awoken.
Though we will not wake them today,
Soon the time will approach when they shall
Come into the embrace of the warm soil
And blossom into manifestation.
Bless our seeds, Great Ceres,
Mother of the Corn, Spark of the Plowed Earth,
Bless their promise, and ours as well.

(All cry, “Hail Ceres!” Then all surround the seeds and hold their hands over them, and together sing Ohm and Ah in harmonies, to carry Ceres’ blessing. The seeds are then placed in a special basket shaped like a cradle, and covered with a cloth, and sung to.)

Chant: Carry our wishes
Carry our hoping
Carry our blessing
Till you be awoken

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Moon for January 1

Calendar of the Moon

1 Luis/Gamelion

Day of the Rowan Tree

Color: Light grey
Element: Earth
Altar: On a cloth of light grey set a vase of rowan twigs, gathered ahead of time and forced into budding, dried rowan berries from the preceding year, a single red candle, a pot of soil, seeds, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offering: Plant seeds. Keep your dreams alive.
Daily Meal: Vegan. Red food.

Invocation to the Green Man of the Rowan Tree

Hail, Green Man of the Winter!
Rowan tree of the mountains,
Slender of stalk and many of leaf,
Sacred berries that break any spell
And ward any home,
Red as the ochre of our ancestors,
Red as the food of the gods,
Brigid’s pride, magical branch,
Protector of doorways,
Protector of children,
Expunger of evil,
Fire of the forge,
Floods across the plain,
Duck who rides the flood,
We hail you, sacred rowan tree,
Green Man of the Winter,
On this the time of your dreaming.

Chant:
I rise with the sap,
I feel the deep spark,
I find joy in the cold,
I bend with the winds.

(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]