#green witchery

[raining-tulips]

I am TELLING YOU if you have spent months, years, around the same trees, land, etc., they WILL recognize you and reach out to you or not mind if you reach out to them. You don’t need to know anything about them.

A tree in the forest behind my parents house I’ve never spoken to before reached out - I never would’ve expected it. I don’t know what kind of tree it is. But of course this tree knows me. This tree has known me since I was six.

Trust me. This land knows you. These plants know you. They want to speak with you.

[greenwitchcrafts]

On Samhain, I made this so everyone at our local community event could make their own simmer pot to take home, so I decided to add a little more to it & share! Simmer pots are one of my favorite witchy things to do & they are SO easy.

I hope y'all can find this useful💚

[hexeandharmony]

Magical Workings ✨🔮📖

Insta - hexeandharmony ✨

[samwisethewitch]

Grocery Store Fire Cider

I try to always have fire cider on hand during the colder months. Fire cider is vinegar infused with warming, expectorant (mucus-clearing) herbs to help clear out gunk from our respiratory system. It's great for clearing up congestion and helping with wet coughs. Since pretty much everyone in my house tends towards wet cold symptoms (congestion/runny nose, coughing up mucus, etc.), we go through a lot of this stuff every cold and flu season.

I take a shot of fire cider as soon as I feel congestion or a wet cough coming on, or if I've been around someone I know is sick. While it doesn't always keep me from getting sick, I do think it helps speed up my recovery and keep my symptoms less severe.

A lot of fire cider recipes online and in herbalism books call for less common herbs that need to be purchased online or from a speciality herb shop. This year, I decided to make a batch with only herbs you can buy cheaply at most grocery stores. Here's the recipe for my fellow herbalists on a budget!

You will need:

A quart mason jar

1 whole head of fresh garlic, peeled and roughly chopped, OR 3 spoonfuls of pre-minced jarred garlic

3 knobs of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, roughly chopped, OR 3 spoonfuls of store-bought ginger paste

1 package fresh thyme OR 2 tablespoons dried thyme

1 package fresh sage OR 2 tablespoons dried sage

1 quart apple cider vinegar

There are two methods I've used to make this cider. The traditional method is a slow infusion that takes 2+ weeks, but I've also developed a fast infusion method for when I feel a cold coming on and need a batch of fire cider ASAP.

Traditional Method:

Add your herbs to a clean mason jar. Pour the vinegar over the herbs and fill the jar to the top. Put a lid on the jar. (Vinegar will corrode metal lids, so either use a plastic lid or place a square of parchment paper between your jar and the metal lid.)

Place the jar in a cool, dark place and allow it to infuse for at least 2 weeks and up to 1 month. You can strain the herbs out to store at room temperature, or you can do what I do and store the whole thing in the fridge, herbs and all.

If you leave the herbs in, you can keep this batch of fire cider going all winter by topping the jar up with more vinegar every time it gets below halfway full.

Fast Infusion Method:

Add the herbs to the mason jar like you would for the traditional method. Instead of adding vinegar, fill the jar halfway with boiling water. Let sit for 2-3 hours.

Once the water has cooled down to room temperature, fill the jar the rest of the way with vinegar. Let it sit overnight and then either strain the herbs out or store the whole thing in the fridge.

To use the fire cider, take a shot glassful whenever you feel cold symptoms coming on. If you made your cider with the traditional method, you can dilute it with water if your stomach doesn't handle acid well. You can also mix in some honey to improve the taste.

Please note that fire cider and other folk remedies are not a replacement for medical care. I highly recommend staying up to date on your flu and COVID-19 vaccines in addition to using remedies like this.

[prettyqueerwitch]

The Green Witch

by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

So I got this book a while ago, like 3ish years and read bits and pieces, but I finally decided to read it in full.

Honestly, I had a hard time resonating with this book since the author used She/Her pronouns for the entire book "Out of convience" and the book was from more of a Wiccan perspective and I'm not Wiccan.

But let's talk about what I liked and didn't like about this book.

Here's the table of contents (please ignore the highlighted stuff that was from like 3 years ago) :

So here's what I liked. There's a lot of very useful introductory information. There's actually a lot that I want to research more on or add to my book of magic. It's great if you're getting introduced to Green Witchcraft and herbalism. There's recipes and rituals in the books. Steps to help attune yourself with different parts of nature.

However, I do believe there are much better books on Green Witchcraft and especially Herbalism out there that are better to buy even if you are starting out, I'll recommend books at the end of this. I don't like how herbalism feels watered down, and I don't enjoy the Wiccan feel to it or the fact that it exclusively uses she/her.

I think this can be a good springboard to your path of green witchery or if you're just learning about it.

I haven't had the chance to read these books but I've heard really really good things about them:

• Plant Witchery

• Witches Herbal Primer

Final Thoughts

I liked the book but just really didn't resonate with it. I wouldn't immediately recommend it, but it's not a bad book. It has a lot of basics and associations. I do think it's a good starter book to help you get into Green Witchcraft and Herbalism.

Have a beautiful day. I hope this post helps you guys ♡♡♡

[avalonthewitch]

Gardening Tip for the Broke #3

This past summer I have been *obsessed* with lemons. So much so I started to look into how to grow my own lemon tree at home, so here I come sharing my findings with you.

First and foremost, growing lemon trees from seeds is a LONG process. If you want your own lemons sooner rather than later, go to a tree nursery to pick one up for yourself or get a graft from someone.

Second, when deciding to grow lemon trees from seed, you have to keep in mind that not all the seeds will end up in fruitful trees, and those that do won't always have good tasting fruit. If you really want good tasting fruit from your struggle, do the same as above because its not fun to find out after 3-5 years that your tree is fruitless or has bad tasting fruit.

Okay, onto how to get saplings from seeds in a v low effort way!

Extract the seeds from the fruit (I usually do this while squeezing out lemon juice for lemonade/limoncello)

Check which seeds are viable: fill a glass with water and one by one drop the seeds in. Any seeds that float won't sprout, those that sink have the chance to.

Take the viable seeds out from the glass. They will be slippery and have a goo-like film on them. We need to take this goo off. The best way is to pop the seeds into your mouth and suck on them like a sweet until all the lemon taste is gone. Alternatively, give them a good scrub with a paper towel.

Take a plate, cotton ball*, and shot glass. Wet the cotton ball and place it onto the plate, place a few seeds (I usually do 3-6 seeds) onto the cotton ball, cover the cotton ball with the shot glass. (You can put multiple cotton balls onto the plate, each should have their own shot glass).

Place the plate on top of the fridge and wait.

*I usually use two cotton pads which I rip up and bunch into a ball and it works perfectly as well.

The first time I did this method, I did it a day before leaving home to travel for a month. When I came back most of the seeds had sprouted and were ready to put into soil.

My current batch has been on the fridge for a few weeks now but I haven't had a peek at it in a week or so but have seen some sprouts appearing last I checked.

I've found that seeds from lemons at my local veg shop are bigger and seem to sprout more often, but supermarket lemon seeds have also sprouted!

I plan to try doing this with limes next and will keep you updated.

Happy gardening!

[banefolk]

Christmas Botanicals Series: Black Hellebore

Next up in the christmas botanicals series is the christmas rose, also known as black hellebore. Hellebore is a flowering perennial with evergreen leaves in the famously poisonous Ranunculaceae family which also contains aconites (wolfsbane), delphiniums, meadow rues, clematis species, and ranunculus (ranging from wild buttercups to ornamental flowers).

Hellebore contains saponins, cardiac glycosides, and other toxins. While ingestion of hellebore may not be deadly to humans, it is incredibly unpleasant. Symptoms include contact dermatitis, burning skin, burning of the mouth and throat, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, confusion, and irregular heartbeat.

Hellebore was one of the first documented chemical weapons used in warfare. The Greeks used the potently poisonous leaves to taint the entire water supply of the sacred city of Kirrha in 585 BCE to end a 10-year siege. It did not kill the residents but incapacitated them with vomiting and diarrhea while the Greek army invaded and slaughtered the entire population by the sword.

Hellebore has been venerated as a powerful plant by multiple ancient civilizations and was included in medical texts by the likes of Hippocrates and Theophrastus.

Black hellebore eventually became associated with christmas due to its evergreen leaves and naturally blooming in winter near the older date of christmas from the Julian calendar. Like mistletoe, the association is likely older than christianity and it was also brought in the home during the dark of winter to protect from evil spirits, ghosts, witches, and illness, but unlike mistletoe hanging in the roof rafters, hellebore was supposedly strewn on the ground with the rushes. Like hanging mistletoe, people in the British Isles and Europe continued the protective practice after converting to the new religion. Today the practice has changed to decorating with hellebore flowers for christmas.

[https-witch]

PLANTS🪴

Today I just want to talk about my plants because I love them & they're my friends.

How is this related to withcraft? It is part of my beliefs that plants have their own energy & soul. We chat like friends & I might even ask them for help. I try everyday to better my relationship with my plants. Living in the city, they are my closest connection to nature. I might try to do a reading soon to see if they have a message.

🪴Dolores - Heptapleurum arboricola : A dwarf umbrella tree. She came into my life while I was going through a rough patch. She is tall, strong & magnificent. She is so easy to take care of. Just a pleasure to have in the house.

🌾Aloïs - Chlorophytum comosum : A spider plant. Mostly green with white middle line. Thriving & absolutely lovely. Communicates clearly when she needs something. Has created many more family members!

🌾Gina & Giulia : Twins. I keep them on closeby shelves. Gina was the biggest for a while, but separating them did wonders for Giulia!

🌾Fritz : Half of Aloïs I had to repot for better growth. Is currently a little stagnant, but I trust that summer will bring back good vibes.

🌾Arthur : 1st child of Aloïs. Was in a very small pot for a long time and is now growing like crazy! So pround of him!

🌾Miguel : Latest offspring of Aloïs. Has a little sunburn & will be moved very soon. Hopefully he gets back in shape very soon.

🪴Finn - Dracaena Deremensis : I got Finn right before an exam to help me calm down. He's pretty cool, but a little shy.

🌱Edaline - Aloe Vera : Definitely thought I had killed her by over-watering. Kept the healthiest piece by the window & after a few month I noticed roots. So happy to have her back in a better shape! I got her a growing buddy!

🌱Salvador - Sansevieria Desertii : Bought him in a shop. I cleaned all the roots & repotted him. I was always told snake plants are very easy to take care of. I love him dearly.

🌿Marie-Lou - Tradescantia Fluminensis : A small-leaf Spiderwort. Grows strong & tall towards the light. She will soon need something to climb on.

🌿Millie : Originally a leaf that broke from Marie-Lou, now her own growing little lady. I keep them together & near a window.

🌶️Pépito - Unknown Pepper : Was gifted to my partner & solely under his supervision. I put him in a yellow pot though. He lost all his leaves when he arrived, but he's doing much better now. Loves the sun! According to Google image search, he is a Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper plant.

🌿Marjane - Begonia Maculata : A polka dot begonia. A gift from a family member. Being held by a wood stick, but will eventually be strong enough to hold up all by herself.

[the-witchery-corner]

Drying herbs…

[raining-tulips]

I had a dream last night I danced and sung at the edge of the woods - and that the forest sang back.

[greenwitchcrafts]

Smokeable herbs and flowers

WARNING

Smoking herbs itself is not a safe practice because smoking substances can cause damages to the lungs & respiratory system that can lead to bronchitis, lung cancer & other respiratory illnesses.

Organic, food safe herbs & flowers should be used if you choose to smoke these. Plants from garden centers, outside foraging in the city, ect may have pesticides or other unknown & possibly unsafe substances on them which make them no longer safe to consume.

•Some of these herbs burn harshly & would be better vaporized and/or in herbal blends. PLEASE LOOK UP HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HERBAL SMOKING BLENDS

Never under any circumstances should you ingest or inhale a new substance before checking with a medical professional, especially if you are taking medication. You could have negative reactions.

Blue Cornflower

Known as: Bachelor's button, bluebottle, blue bow, blew cap, garden cornflower & hurtsickle

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Earth

Magical attributes: Abundance, calming, divination, Earth magick, enhancing psychic abilities, faerie magick, fertility, love, protection & sex

Deities: Chiron, Faeries & Flora

Blue Lotus

Known as: Baino, Egyptian lotus & lotus root

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Fertility, healing, lock opening, love, luck, meditation, mental clarity, passing over rituals, protection, spirituality & wishes

Deities: Hermes, Horus, Isis, Nefertum, Oshun & Osiris

Blue Vervain

Known as: Brittanica, enchanter's herb, enchanter's plant, herba sacra, herb of grace, herb of the cross, holy wort, Juno's tears, lemon verbena, pigeons grass, pigeonwood, simpler's joy, verbena, van-van & verveine

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Abundance, astral binding, blessings to children, calming, chastity, creativity, divination, faerie magick, fertility, fortune, healing, love, luck, money, peace, prosperity, protection, purification, sleep, stimulates action, tranquil dreams, wand making & youth

Deities: Aphrodite, Aradia, Artemis, Bast, Cerridwen, Diana, faeries, Hecate, Hermes, Innana, Isis, Juno, Jupiter, Kali, Mars, Thor, Venus & Zeus

Cannabis

Known as: Chanvre, gallowgrass, ganeb, ganja, grass, hanf, kif, marijuana, neckweede, plant of the gods, taima, tekrouri, the tree of life & weed

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Commerce, exorcism, healing, love,meditation, protection, purification, spirt, travel & visions

Deities: Amaterasu & Sahe no Kami

( WARNING: will get you high.)

Calendula

Known as: Bride of the sun, marigold, ruddes, ruddles, summer's bride & sun's gold

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Dreams, good luck in money, legal matters, prophetic dreaming, protection, psychic powers, respect, sun magick & wishes

Deities: N/A

(WARNING: can give a similar effect as smoking cannabis but more subtle)

Catnip

Known as: Cat, cat's play, cat's wort, catmint, catnep, catrup, field balm & nepeta nip

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Animal blessing, beauty, binding, cat magick, dreams, happiness, healing, love, luck, peace, psychic connection, quick action & sleep

Deities: Bast, Cat Annis, Corn Cat, Freya, Maftet, Skhmet & ubastet

Chamomile

Known as: Camomyle, chamaimelon, Earth apple, ground apple, heermannchen chamaimelon, maythen, manzanilla, scented mayweed & whig plant

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Attraction, blockages removed, calmness, curse removal, gambling, hex breaking, love, luck, meditation, money, patience, purification, sexuality, sleep, spell combative & wealth

Deities: Cernunnos, Karnayna, Mercury, Oshun, Ra & St.Anne

Chrysanthemum

Known as: Mum

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Protection & strength

Deities: N/A

Coltsfoot

Known as: Ass' foot, British tobacco, bulls foot, butterbur, coughwort, donnhove, dovedock, foal's foot, halffoot, horsehoof, pas d'ane & sponnc

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Animal magick, love, peace, prophetic dreams, prosperity, tranquility, visions & wealth

Deities: Brigid, Chiron & Venus

Damiana

Known as: Love leaf & Mexican Damina

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Aphrodisiac, astral travel, chakra opening, divination, love, lust, meditation, psychic powers, sex magick, spirt contact, tantric magick & visions

Deities: Artemis, Diana, Ganesha, Oshun, Pan, Vishnu & Zeus

(WARNING: smoking this will cause mild euphoria)

Eucalyptus

Known as: Blue gum, curly mallee, fever tree, maiden's gum, mottlecah, river red gum & stringy bark tree

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Air & water

Magical attributes:  Abundance, blockages removed, fertility, fortune, healing, luck, prosperity, protection, repel negative energies, road opening & water elemental evocation

Deities: Ogun

( WARNING: should be smoked sparingly as the oils can irritate your lungs. Try vaporizing it.)

Gingko

Known as: Ginkgo biloba, living fossil & maidenhair tree

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Aphrodisiac, beauty, business, dreams, fertility, healing, love & spirt calling

Deities: N/A

Goldenrod

Known as: Aaron's rod, blue mountain tea, goldruthe, gonea tea, solidago, sweet goldenrod, sweet scented goldenrod, verg d'or, wound weed & woundwort

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Divination, encouragement, find lost/hidden objects, luck, money, prosperity & wealth

Deities: Venus

Gotu kola

Known as: Chi-hsing, hydrocotyle asiatica radix, Indian pennywort, Indian hydrocotyle, marsh penny, pai kuo, thick-leaved pennywort & white rot

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Aphrodisiac, calming, depression, divination, energy, gain, healing, longevity, lucid dreaming, meditation, memory, mental stimulation, psychic powers, psychic protections & vitality

Deities: N/A

Hops

Known as: Bee flower, beer flower, flores de cerveza, hop flower & stinging nettle

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Blessing, healing, health, repelling negativity, protection & sleep

Deities: Hygeia, Hypno, Isis & Thoth

Hyssop

Known as: Hyssop herb, isopo, ysopo & yssop

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Banishing, blockages removed, faerie magick, hex breaking, protection, purification, road opening & sacrifice

Deities: Faeries & Obatala

Jasmine

Known as: Jessamin, moonlight on the grove, pikake, poet's jasmine, queen of perfume, royal jasmine, sampaguita, yeh-lsi-ming & ysmyn

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon & Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Abundance, anger reduction, aphrodisiac, aura health, calming, compassion, confidence, depression, divination, dreamwork, elegance, family, fertility, fortune, gardening, grace, healing, health, love, lucid dreaming, luck, lunar magick, meditation, money, peace, prophetic dreams, prosperity, protection, rejuvenation, sexuality, sleep, spirituality, spirtual love, visions & wealth

Deities: Diana, Venus & Vishnu

Kava kava

Known as: Asava pepper, ava, ava pepper, intoxicating pepper & yagona

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Aphrodisiac, astral travel, cleansing, dreams, employment, promotion, healing, humility, legal matters, loce, luck, protection, psychic powers, replenishing respect, rites of passage, soul strengthening, spirt contact, travel, visions & water magick

Deities: Kanaloa, Kane & Lono

( WARNING: some users indicated it may cause psychoactive, numbness and euphoria)

Lavender

Known as: Elf leaf, nard, nardus & spike

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Chastity, clairvoyance, devotion, dreams, faerie magick, handfasting, happiness, healing, longevity, love, meditation, mental clarity, money, peace, protection, purification, sexuality, sleep, virtue & wishes

Deities: Aradia, Elves, Faeries, Hecate & Saturn

Lemon balm

Known as: Balm mint, bee balm, blue balm, cure-all, cropsy plant, garden balm, lemon balsam, oghoul, sweet balm & tourengane

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Blockages removed, esbat rituals, healing, love, road opening, spirtual development, success sympathy

Deities: N/A

Lemon grass

Known as: Citron

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Abundance, blockages removed, calming, fertility, fortune, luck, lust, prosperity, purification, psychic powers, road opening & soothing

Deities: Hermes & Mercury

Linden flowers

Known as: Lime blossoms, lime tree, linnaflowers & tilia

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Immortality, love, luck, protection, sleep & spirtual health

Deities: N/A

Lobelia

Known as: Asthma weed, bladderpod, emetic herb, emetic weed, gagroot, Indian tobacco, pukeweed, rag root, vomit wort & wold tabasco

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Health, love, protection & storm halting

Deities: N/A

(WARNING: smoking too much may make you puke)

Marjoram

Known as: Joy of the mountain, knotted marjoram, knotted marjorane, marjorlaine, mountain mint, sweet marjoram & wintersweet

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Attraction, desire, dreams, handfasting, happiness, health, joy, love, money, protection, purification, repelling negative energies & wishes

Deities: Aphrodite & Venus

Marshmallow leaf

Known as: Althea, guimavuve, heemst, mallards, mortification plant, schloss tea, slaz, sweet weed & wymote

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Earth

Magical attributes: Exorcism, love, protection & psychic powers

Deities: Althea

Motherwort

Known as: Lion's ear, lion's tail, Roman motherwort & throwwort

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Confidence, counter magick, easing childbirth, ego bolstering, feminine magick, feminine strength, fertility, happiness, joy, midwifery, perfection & success

Deities: Ogun

Mugwort

Known as: Artemisia, artemisia herb, cingulum, felon herb, muggons, naughty man, old man, old uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco, St.John's plant, sancti johannis

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus & Moon

Element: Earth

Magical attributes: Astral travel, clairvoyance, divination, fertility, healing, lust, prophetic dreams, protection, psychic powers, scrying & strength

Deities: Aida Wedo, Artemis, Diana, Isis, Lakshimi & St.John

Mullien

Known as: Aaron's rod, Adam's flannel, beggar's blanket, beggar's stalk, bug taper, blanket herb, blanket leaf, boy scouts toilet paper, candlewick plant,cow's lungwort, cuddy's lungs, devil's tobacco, duffle, feltwort, flannel flower, flannel plant, fluff weed, graveyard candles, graveyard dust, great herb, great mullien, hag's tapers, hare's beard, hedge taper, ice leaf, Jacob's staff, Jupiter's staff, lady's Foxglove, lungwort, miner's candle, pig taper, quaker rouge, rag paper, shepard's herb, shepard's staff, torches, torchwort, velvetback, velvet dock, velvet plant, white man's footsteps, witch's candles, witch's taper & wooly mullin

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Astral work, centering, courage, curse repellent, divination, dreams, exorcism, graveyard dirt, health, helps to keep a good head spsce, herd protection, Hunter's charm, love, protection to children from faeries, protection, repelling malicious ghosts & spirts, repelling negative energies, repelling nightmares & travel safety

Deities: Jupiter & Saturn

Nettle

Known as: beggar's lice, common nettle, nettle leaves, ortiga ancha & stinging nettle

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Consecration, exorcism, fishing magick, funerary rituals, healing, lust, protection & repelling negativity energy

Deities: Apollo, Chang-o, Helios, Oya, Ra, Shango & Thor

Passion flower

Known as: Granadilla, grandilla, maracoc, maypops, passion vine & purple passion flower

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Calming, friendship, peace, prosperity, sexual vitality, sleep & tranquility

Deities: Hestia, Hypnos & Yemaya

Peppermint

Known as: Brandy mint & lammint

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Abundance, divination, energy, fertility, fortune, healing, love, luck, lust, mental stimulation, prophecy dreams, prosperity, psychic powers, purification, sleep & visions

Deities: Pluto & Zeus

Raspberry leaf

Known as: European raspberry & red raspberry leaf

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Love, protection & safe pregnancy

Deities: Innana, Isis & Oshun

Red clover

Known as: Cleaver gras, cowgrass, honey, honeystalks, marl grass, shamrock, three leaved grass, trefoil & trifoil

Gender:Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Abundance, anti-hexing, counter spells, exorcism, faerie magick, faithfulness, fertility, fidelity, fortune, hex breaking, love, luck, memory, money, power, prosperity, protection &success

Deities: Artemis, faeries, Osiris & Rowan

Red willow bark

Known as: Osier, pussy willow, saille, salicyn willow, saugh tree, tree of enchantment, witch's asprin & withy

Gender:  Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Astral work, besom making, death, divination, empathy, enchantments, fertility, healing, inspiration, love, moon magick, passion over rituals, psychic energies & wishes

Deities: Artemis, Belili, Belenus, Ceres, Diana, Hecate, Hera, Mercury & Persephone

Rose

Known as: N/A

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Abundance, beauty, clairvoyance, divination, dreams, feminine magick, fertility, fortune, friendships, handfasting, healing, love, luck, peace, prosperity, protection, psychic powers & visions

Deities: Adonis, Aphrodite, Aurora, Cupid, Demeter, Eros, Freya, Hathor, Holda, Hypocrites & Isis

Rosemary

Known as: Compass weed, dew of the sea, elf leaf, guardrobe, incsensier, labonotis,Mary's cloak, polar plant, sea dew, stella maria & star of the sea

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Aphrodisiac, baby blessing, cleansing, elf magick, exorcism, faerie magick, friendships, handfasting, healing, hex-breaking, longevity, love, lust, memories, mental powers, protection, psychic powers, purification, sleep, strega magick, Wiccaning & youth

Deities: Elves, Faeries, Sea spirits & Virgin Mary

Sage

Known as: Common sage, garden sage & meadow sage

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Animal guides, aphrodisiac, blockages removed, cleansing, courage, Earth magick, fertility, glamour, grounding, healing, hex breaking, house blessings, immortality, longevity, prosperity, protection, purification, road opening, strength, wisdom & wishes

Deities: Chiron, Consus, Jupiter, Obatala & Zeus

Salvia

Known as: N/A

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Binding, love & memories

Deities: N/A

( WARNING: Can cause psychoactive effects)

Skullcap 

Known as: American skullcap, blue pimpernel, blue skullcap, European skullcap, greater skullcap, helmet flowers, hooded willow herb, hoodwort, scullcap, quaker bonnet, mad-dog weed, mad dogweed, madweed & side-flowering skullcap

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Dedications, fidelity, handfasting, initiation rights, love, oaths, peace & relaxation vows

Deities: Faeries, Hera & Obatala

Spearmint

Known as: Brown mint, fish mint, garden mint, green mint, green spine, lamb mint, mackerel mint, mismin, our lady's mint. Sage of Bethlehem, spire mint & yerba buena

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Healing, love, mental ability, money, psychic powers & wishes

Deities: Mercury

St.John's wort

Known as: Amber, fuga daemonum, goat weed, herba John, John's wort, kalimath weed, klamath weed, scare-devil, sol terrestis & tipton weed

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Binding, divination, happiness, health, hex-breaking, love, power, protection & strength

Deities: Baldur

Tarragon

Known as: N/A

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Magical attributes: Consecration, compassion magick, goals, healing &l lasting interest

Deities: Lilith

( WARNING: Some users reported hallucinatory effects)

Tobbacco

Known as:  Asemaa, taaba, tabacca & tabak

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Astral, banishing, confidence, divination, dreams, healing, legal matters, peace, prophecy, purification & strength

Deities: N/A (However, it is a traditionally good offering to many)

Tulsi

Known as: Brush leaf , holy basil, Thai basil & vana tulsi

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Abundance, banishing, binding, clairvoyance, commanding courage, divination, exorcism, fertility, flying, fortune, happiness, harmony, health, honesty, house blessings, love, luck, mending quarrels, money, obstacles removed, passing-over rituals, peace, prosperity, protection, psychic development, purification, relaxation healing, safe travels, sympathy, temper soothing & wealth

Deities: Aradia, Ares, Dionysus, Erzulie, Jupiter, Krishna, Loki, Mars, Obatala, Ogoun, St.Joseph, Seth & Vishnu

Uva ursi  

Known as: Arberry, bearberry, bear's grape, bear's whortberry, crowberry, foxberry, hog cranberry, kinnikninnick, mealberry, mountain box, mountain cranberry, sandberry, uva ursa & universe vine

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Astral work, divination, dreams, prophecy & psychic workings

Deities: N/A

( WARNING: Some historical reports indicate a “narcotic” or stimulant effect, but it was almost always smoked with other herbs)

Valerian

Known as: All heal, amatilla, bloody butcher, capon's trailer, cat's valerian, garden heliotrope, graveyard dust, phu, red valerian, St.George's herb, sete well, setwell, valerian toot & vandal root

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Magical attributes: Dream magick, harmony, love, protection, purification, quarrel mending & sleep

Deities: Obatala

Wormwood

Known as: Absinthe, crown for a king, green ginger, madderwort, old woman & wormot

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Magical attributes: Animals, calling spirits, clairvoyance, divination, love, protection, psychic powers & transformation

Deities: Aida Wedo, Artemis, Diana, Innana, Iris, Isis, Lakshimi & Sif

Yarrow 

Known as: AchiUea, allheal, angel flower, arrow root, bad man's plaything, bloodwort, cammock, carpenter's weed, death flower, devil's mustard, devil's nettle, devil's plaything, dog daisy, eerie, feild hops, gearwe, gordaldo, gordoloba, green arrow, herbe militaris, hierba de las cortadura, hundred leaved grass, knight's milfoil, knyghten, lady's mantel, milfoil, military herb, millefoilium, noble yarrow, nosebleed plant, old man's mustard, old man's pepper, plumajilo, sanguinary, seven year's love, snake's grass, soldier's thousand seal, soldier's woundwort, squirrel's tail, stanch grass, stanch weed, tansy, thousand-leaf, thousand seal, thousand weed, woundwort, yarrowway & yerw

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Saturn & Venus

Element: Earth & water

Magical attributes: Attracting friends, banishing, blockages removed, contact with others, courage, divination, dream work, exorcism, faerie magick, fear repelling, handfasting, happy marriage, healing, longevity, love, prophecy, protection, psychic powers, purification, repelling negative energies & road opening

Deities: Achilles, Aphrodite, Faeries, Oshun & Yemaya

Sources:

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic** by John Michael Greer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz

A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl

The Herbal Alchemist Handbook by Karen Harrison

The Book of Flower Spells by Cheralyn Darcey

[lilysblogofshadows]

knowing how much of a crunchy earth minded bitch I am my descent into witchcraft makes so much sense

[samwisethewitch]

Bewitching Your Coffee

I am 100% a coffee drinker. I love drinking it black, I love it in lattes and cappucini (yes, that's the actual plural of cappucino), and I especially love the experience of sharing coffee with another person. And, like everything that comes out of my kitchen, I like finding ways to make coffee more magical.

But even though coffee is a daily essential for a lot of us and has a long history in folk magic, people don't talk about it nearly as much as tea magic. I did some digging, and this post contains my research into the magic and lore of coffee and the things we like to add to coffee. I hope my fellow kitchen witches find this helpful!

Correspondences of Coffee and Common Coffee Add-ons

Coffee: Used for grounding and to anchor a spell in the physical world. Useful in spells for mental clarity and enhancing psychic senses. Used in several types of American folk magic as an offering for spirits. Author Starr Casas uses coffee for powerful cleansing and blockbusting in her Southern folk magic practice. Because of its association with energy and movement, coffee can be used to add strength to spells. I personally associate coffee with the Earth and Air elements and with the planet Uranus.

Milk has different correspondences based on whether you are using cow's milk or a plant-based milk.

Cow's Milk: Associated with nurturing, love, and abundance. In pagan Ireland, offering someone milk was an effective blessing. Milk and cream are said to be favorite offerings of fairies. I associate cow's milk with the Water element and the Moon.

Soy Milk: Soy may have been a sacred food crop in ancient China and is associated with blessings. During the Japanese festival Setsubun, soy beans are used to repel bad spirits and draw good fortune in a practice called mamemaki -- soy products can be used in spells for protection or good fortune. Use soy milk or other soy products in spells for success, good luck, and prosperity. I personally associate soy milk with the Earth element and with the planet Jupiter.

Almond Milk: Associated with prosperity, wealth, and success in business, as well as with increasing wisdom. Almond milk and other almond products are associated with the Air element and the planet Mercury.

Coconut Milk: Associated with purification, healing, and protection. In African American magic traditions, coconut can be used for peaceful home work and protection work, as well as ancestor offerings. Coconut is associated with the Water element and the moon.

Oatmilk: Associated with prosperity and money magic. Oats are associated with the Earth element and the planet Venus.

Sweeteners attract sweetness and good fortune. Different sweeteners have their own associations.

Sugar: Associated with love and lust. In Southern folk magic, sugar is sometimes used in money work. Sugar is associated with the Water element and the planet Venus.

Brown Sugar: Has the same associations as regular sugar, but works more slowly because it contains molasses.

Honey: Associated with home, family, love, and blessings. In Southern folk magic, honey is sometimes used in domination or control work, especially honeycomb. I personally associate honey with the Water element and with the planet Venus.

Maple Syrup: Associated with love, money, and long life. I personally associate maple with new life and transformation based on Robin Wall Kimmerer's writings about them in Braiding Sweetgrass. Associated with the Air element and the planet Jupiter.

Artificial Sweeteners (Splenda, xylitol, and other man-made sweeteners): There's very little written about the magical uses of these sweeteners, but I personally associate them with creativity, innovation, and new discoveries. I associate these sweeteners with the Air element and the planets Mercury and Uranus.

Caramel* is actually made from sugar, which is cooked over low heat until it caramelizes, or turns brown. Caramel has the same magical associations as sugar, but with a stronger connection to Fire energy and to transformation.

*Note: In the US, "caramel" is often made with corn syrup. For example, the caramel drizzle at Starbucks is basically 100% corn syrup, or at least was when I worked there a few years back. This isn't to say you can't work magically with corn syrup-based caramel, but the energy will be different. I don't have experience here because I have a corn allergy, so I'd love to hear if anyone has experience working with corn syrup in witchcraft!

Chocolate** is originally from Latin America and was an important ceremonial drink in Mayan culture. In Mexica (Aztec) culture, chocolate was used as currency and was said to be a gift from the gods. It was associated with the devil and with witchcraft when it was first brought to Spain by colonizers. Later, during the Renaissance, it was seen as a miracle cure for all kinds of medical conditions. Based on its history, chocolate can be used in magic for love, sex, energy, spirituality, magical abilities, and healing. I personally associate chocolate with the Fire element and with the Sun.

**Note: Scott Cunningham includes a note on "chocolate" in his book on magical herbs, but this is actually carob, Jacaranda procera. The cacao tree, which produces chocolate, is Theobroma cacao.

Cinnamon is associated with success, healing, adding power to spells, spirituality, wealth, and protection. Cinnamon is important in Christian folk magic because of its use in the Bible. In Southern folk magic, cinnamon is used for money, luck, and lust and is said to work very fast. It can also be used for blessings and protection spells. It is associated with the Fire element and the Sun.

Clove is probably most famous for its use in spells to stop gossip, but it is also used to drive away harmful spirits and to attract wealth. It is also sometimes used in love and sex magic and for successful business work. It is connected to the Fire element and the planet Jupiter.

Ginger adds power to spells and situations. It is used in spells for love, money, success, and healing, but it can be included in any spell to add power or make results happen faster. Ginger is associated with Fire and with the planet Mars.

Hazelnuts have long been used in Western European folk charms for luck and good fortune. It is said that eating hazelnuts makes you wise and can increase fertility. Hazel is also associated with protection and with granting wishes. It is connected to the Air element and the Sun.

Lavender is used in love spells, especially spells to attract a masculine partner. It also has a strong association with peacefulness and with calming emotions. It is sometimes used for protection and is said to both attract and banish spirits, depending on the source. Lavender has a long historic connection to the queer community. It is associated with Air and the planet Mercury.

Nutmeg is most famous as a good luck charm, but it is also used for healing, money, and success. In Southern folk magic, it is used mostly for money, success, and good luck. It is associated with Fire and with Jupiter.

Peppermint is commonly used in healing magic, but it can also be used for purification, attracting good spirits, divination, love, and money. In Southern folk magic, peppermint is used for hex breaking. It is associated with Fire and the planet Mercury.

Vanilla is strongly associated with love and comfort. It can sometimes be used in lust spells. Scott Cunningham mentions using vanilla to replenish lost energy. It is associated with the Water element and the planet Venus.

Magical Coffee Brews

With these ingredient correspondences, you can easily mix a spell into a coffee drink. For example, a pumpkin spice latte (which is made with pumpkin pie spice, i.e., a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves) can be a spell for money and success. A lavender latte with oatmilk could be an excellent love spell, especially for queer love. A peppermint mocha (coffee with chocolate) could be a healing spell. There are lots of possibilities for a magic brew!

Sources:

Witchcraft for Everyone by Sam Wise

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

Hoodoo Herbal by Starr Casas

Jambalaya by Luisah Teish

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Wikipedia article for soybeans

Wikipedia article for Setsubun

"History of Chocolate" on History.com

"Chocolate: From witchcraft to miracle worker in early modern Europe" by Erin Alice Cowling, published in The Conversation

[caffeine-and-spells]

My Recipe for Black Salt

Salt

Burned incense ashes / cauldron ashes from positive workings — I personally use ashes from old matches and from burning loose juniper and lavender in my cauldron

Dirt from a fern plant

[elminx]

I have so many plant chores to do. In no particular order:

My neighbor gave me a tomato plant and an outdoor pot so I need to figure out what to do with that.

My lavender died so I’m trying to grow more from seed.

My vervain babies need more soil.

The whole garden needs water because it’s suddenly 85 degrees.

All of my houseplants probably need water because it’s suddenly 85 degrees.

I need to rehydrate more coir so I can continue my repotting - still need to repot the spider plant, one of my snake plants, and my Hoya pubicalyx.

The Hoya also needs to be trellised like woah.

My three baby Hoya and Discidia props are about ready to be potted, too.

I need to clean off the outside plant stand so that the snakes and succulents can move back there and out of the porch. Then, I start to acclimate the leafy plants to the summer porch life.

No complaints - I chose this life and I love it. But it’s still a lot.

[darkwitchofthewest]

I've had this plant for a while, and I'm think I'm doing good in keeping it alive so far.

Everyone meet Willow. (Yes I named it/her)

It's an African Spear plant.

I know its a succulent, but I'm still proud of myself.