I'm feeling a bit chatty today and have a bit more I'd like to share with you! Considering it's the longest day of the year, I figured I could squeeze in another fun discussion surrounding the Summer Solstice! This one concerns the harvesting and use of the magickal herbs gathered on the Summer Solstice.
The herbs I gathered today are just wonderful. In addition to gathering St. John's Wort (Wort is an ancient word for herb) and by the way St. John's Wort is good for health, protection, love and happiness, I also gathered Lavender and Thyme. I made little bundles of Lavender with Thyme and I call it my Faerie bouquet as both herbs are used in faerie magick and to attract the faeries to your garden and into your life. Thyme is also good for healing, love, increasing your psychic powers and courage. Lavender is good on its own for Love, protection, sleep, happiness and peace.
Here's some pictures of the little herb bundles I made today whilst sitting beneath the lovely old maple tree in the front gardens of Enchantments:
I think they're lovely and I had a wonderful time making them. I blessed each one and now they're available for sale to be used as you wish. If you gather herbs and wish to bless them, just hold a handful gently in your hands and close your eyes. Ask the Goddess to bless the herbs and make them ready for your use. Give thanks and open your eyes and then tie the bundles with string or ribbon and hang or place where they can dry.
I also had a phone call today where a friend of Enchantments asked me about harvesting herbs today. She knew that the herbs should be harvested during a certain time for maximum peak effectiveness but was worried that she was working all day and was not able to harvest until tomorrow. Not to worry! Pagan days like the Summer Solstice have a way of falling where they will and this year it fell on a Wednesday! And, we don't live in a culture that is always understanding of our Pagan need to commune with nature, not when our bosses expect us to be at work! But as I said, no worries.
Let me explain. Sometimes we come across books or 'experts' in the magickal world that live a pretty black and white existence. For instance they'll have you believe that you must harvest an herb at a specific exact time and no other time will do! I gently reply 'NONSENSE'. Nature is not and never has been that specific in general. You see the magick that builds up in an herb or flower follows an arc. It slowly builds over the course of its growth until it reaches its zenith and peaks and then seems to almost balance out for a few days to a week and then slowly starts to dissipate again until it dies in the fall or winter. Which means, from this witch's perspective at least, you can harvest your herbs anytime this week! And again in a month or so. The magickal ability the plant contains will work for you, as its a tool that aids you in your magickal workings. Truly the majority of the magick comes from you.
Don't get hung up on 'missing a moment'! Can't do a full or new moon spell on the exact night of the moon? You have three days before and three days after to do a spell and I've found over 30 years of spell casting using the moon, that its just as effective as the actual day of, I don't care a wit what anyone says. Be careful of people that try to force you into extreme specifics, its usually a power trip they themselves are on, and has nothing to do with effective magick or spell casting.
So worry not, by dear witchling! Harvest your herbs throughout the summer, just know that this week is a really lovely time in which to do so. Dry them in a cool, dry place where they will get plenty of air, which discourages mold growth, and then store them away to use throughout your magickal year. They will work wonderfully for you, their witch.
Have I wished you a Blessed Summer Solstice? Please let me do so and I hope the magick of the Solstice remains with you all season long! Blessed Be
Peace and Happiness
© 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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