Where should one look for a witch in New England during the spring and summer months? Why in the garden, of course! I've been working out of doors and enjoying myself so much. At times I find myself, like many people, feeling discontented and a bit out of sorts. That's when I need the magick of the garden the most. Feeling the gentle breezes in my hair, the sun on my body, handling the green plants with their gentle energy all make me happier and I end up feeling much more balanced and at peace.
This week I have been planting, weeding, cleaning up gardens and re-decorating them for the summer months. So far I've planted a few plants, especially some witches Broom bushes, to replace the ones I lost in the winter months.
Broom ( Cytisus scoparius) is a member of the sweet pea family and is used in purification and protection spells. Also known as Besom, Irish Broom, Scotch Broom, Green Broom, and Broom Tops, broom syncs up with the planet Mars and the element of Air and is often hung up within the home to banish and repel harm and evil energies. Broom is poisonous, so carry for spell work in pouches rather than using it in any brews, poisons or incense. If you burn broom outdoors, it will bring rain. If you are casting a circle, use a broom made from broom as a sweep for the air of the circle. Go around the circle deosil (clockwise), three times adjusting the broom's height in the air to a different level for each time around the circle. The levels are down around the ankle, waist level and then head height or slightly higher. It matters not in which direction you go, from lower to higher. Do what feels right for you.
That's right, I said that. Do what feels right for you. So much of witchcraft comes from within (not all mind you, as the manifestation of your magick usually comes from outside of oneself, in the tangible world.) Let me say this again, because I've come across so much out there that says you must do this, or certainly have to do that, etc. etc. I share lessons with you in witchcraft which is a science not a religion. Following traditions, following Wicca which has traditional religious ritual, many have formulas and 'ritual', which by definition must follow some sort of pattern.
If you belong to a group like this, or follow a tradition, by all means follow the 'rules' as it keeps you in unity and aligned with the balanced energy of the group. But when doing your magick privately, as I do , when you perform rituals by yourself, you alone can feel the energies and move with the energetic flow as you find comfortable. You might feel that sweeping the lower level of the circle and then moving higher makes energetic sense to your practice. Or to the contrary, you may find working from the top to the bottom flows better for you. Know the ritual, understand the practice and then do as it suits you. That's my style of witchcraft. I listen to the Goddess, I feel the energy flow and I follow the magickal flow when crafting my magick. Well, enough about that, let's get back to the plants and herbs, shall we?
In addition to Broom I also planted Salvia, a type of sage. Decorative Red Sage also known as Sawge can bring in the magickal properties of healing and abundance. There are a lot of superstitions regarding sage and one is, if you have a wish, write it on a sage leaf and sleep with it under your pillow for three nights. If you should dream of your wish, it will manifest. Regardless, afterwards take the used sage leaf and bury it in the ground, to ground the magick. I also plant sage with another plant as it is said to plant a bed of sage by itself would bring ill luck, and we wouldn't want that! Interestingly toads are also said to loooove sage! Sage syncs up with the planet Jupiter and the element of Air.
I love to plant marigold flowers along with red sage salvia. They make a beautiful combination and I find beauty immensely magickal. There are several varieties of marigold with the English marigold being what is also known as Calendula. There are also French, African, Spanish and Mexican marigolds. The magickal properties I will discuss are in reference to Calendula officinalis, and this plant is pictured below. Calendula marigold is also known as Bride of the Sun, Calendula, Goldes Holigolde, Husbandman's Dial, Marygold, Mary Gowles, and Summer's Bride, and finds itself in sync with the Sun and the element of Fire.
Marigolds when picked at noon when the Sun is at its hottest will strengthen and comfort the emotional heart. Plant marigolds around the doorways of your home to prevent evil from entering. Scatter marigold petals under your bed to give you prophetic dreams, and this technique is supposed to be very effective in discovering the thief who has robbed you!
It is an ancient wives tale that just by looking at marigolds it will strengthen the eye sight, but I'd check with my eye doctor before believing this! I am more apt to believe that looking at bright, happy little marigolds helps me to see beauty and joy in the world around me.
Do you find yourself in a bit of legal trouble? Carrying the marigold in your pocket helps justice to smile favorably upon you while in court. Just be sure to be innocent or in the right, as justice will be fair, even if its not in your favor. If guilty or responsible, wearing marigold can cause the judge or jury to go for leniency if possible.
Calendula Officinalis
Those are just a few of the plants I've played with this week. In a day or so I will be sharing more plants, herbs and flowers with you along with their magickal uses. The next few discussions will be based on a series of magickal plants and herbs. Right now I'm in the process of developing a one day seminar on the Magick of Plants, Flowers and Herbs. I am creating this using a PowerPoint presentation and hope to have it available for teaching purposes soon.
In the meantime if you have time to go to a local plant nursery and just commune with nature in all of her amazing, colorful, scented glory I strongly recommend you do so. I find myself wandering around plant nurseries this time of the year just to surround myself with an abundance of vegetative life, colorful extravagance and amazing variety. I love my yard and gardens, but its nice to see and experience different plants, some of which I wouldn't want at home. Also having so many varieties feeds my desire for looking at plants I don't have or couldn't have at home due to lack of space. So, my wish for you is that I hope you find yourself wandering around a nursery this week, just absorbing the energies and the scent of nature!
Peace and Happiness
Tonight's discussion gets much of its magickal information from:
Mr. Scott Cunningham's - "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"
© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.
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