#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.

[the-witchery-corner]

Drying herbs…

[lilysblogofshadows]

one of the beautiful things about herbalism is that if you make yummy food with a variety of herbs and spices you're already there. if your kitchen is fully stocked with ginger, lemon, garlic, cinnamon, and hot pepper among other things you already make healing food regularly.

[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

[raining-tulips]

guys I’m having to relearn how to connect deeply with the earth from scratch since I moved and let me tell you…just go outside. Go walk. Walk around the same place. Be a fool and get on your knees and search for mushrooms. Pause when you see a bird. Get excited about the duck! Take shitty iPhone pictures to identify plants later. smile at the sound of rain on these different plants? Be! A! Adventuring! FOOL!!

[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.

[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

[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.

[roaenexists]

Clairbilitea: A Recipe for Knowing and Experiencing the Unknowable and Unexperiencable

or, A Potion for Improving Psychic Faculties

(recipe under the cut)

This tea can be made with roughly equal parts (I usually do one fat pinch each) of any three of the following ingredients:

-Sage

-Mullein

-Mugwort

-Mint

-Jasmine

-Thyme

-Lemongrass

You will also need:

-Honey, maple syrup, agave, sugar, or other sweetener

-Moon Water (preferably Dark or New Moon)

And you may want:

-A glass or ceramic vessel for storage or consumption

-A refrigerator

-A food-safe thermometer, OR an electric kettle, OR three ice cubes

-A muslin tea bag, OR a metal tea bag, OR a strainer

Boil water to roughly 160°F / 71°C. Meanwhile, add three herbs from above list to tea bag or strainer (my favorites are sage, mullein, and mugwort for potency; but sage, mint, and jasmine for taste). Add sweeter of choice to taste in vessel. Position the herb thing in or over the vessel. Hold your hands over the ingredients and feel their energy. Align your vibrations with theirs. Try to feel or imagine the specific psychic and intuitive capabilities these herbs have, and politely ask the herbs to contribute those abilities to your potion. Once complete, push your own will into the vessel, visualizing it as bright energy moving in a clockwise fashion through the herbs and into the sweeter at the bottom of the vessel.

Once the water has reached 160-165°F or so, pour gently over the herb mix and into the vessel. If you have to use fully boiled water, then I recommend using approximately 3 or 4 ice cubes in the bottom of the vessel, and don't pour directly over the herbs but first into the vessel and THEN add the herbs once the ice has melted.

Allow the infusion to steep for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove the herbs, add a splash of moon water, and then stir or lid and shake in a clockwise direction while focusing on your extrasensory perceptions. Feel your energy and intention pouring down your arm and into the vessel.

The herbs can be steeped twice before disposal, so I recommend first making a batch in a sealable container like a mason jar or reused kombucha bottle or something and letting it cool for an hour before putting it in the fridge to keep for up to two weeks. Meanwhile you can make a second batch for immediate consumption.

The size of the batch can be scaled for the intended number of servings. I usually get two with my pinch-per-herb method: one for now, one for later.

You can also increases the potency of the brew by drinking it alongside a shot of alcohol or vinegar on an empty stomach.

After or while drinking, I highly recommend activities such as divination (tarot, pendulum, ouija, scrying, etc), spirit communication, or meditation. If you fall asleep, bring a pen and notebook to bed so you can dream journal immediately upon waking.

Be safe and have fun!

[skogenraev]

Orange - Green Guide

Orange

In Greek mythology , oranges are described as fabulous” Golden Apples” from the garden of the Hesperides. Citrus fruits thus became a symbol of fertility and love; bringing to men these golden globes reserved for the gods was one of the labors that Hercules had to carry out. The term “orange” probably derives from the Sanskrit Nagaranja, which means “favourite fruit of elephants”. Still today the origin is a matter of study, the Arabs introduced the oranges first in Asia Minor, Egypt, North Africa and the Mediterranean Europe after having known these fruits presumably in India. It is certain that oranges were already diffused in the Mediterranean area only for ornamental or religious purposes. This is the reason why still today the fields with orange trees are called “gardens”.

From the second half of the 1800s the cultivations in Sicily increased in number and towards the end of the century the farmers began to plant oranges no longer only in the hilly slopes or in the flat area but in organized areas only for citrus fruits, such as those on the slopes of Etna dug with dynamite. It is here that the pigmented pulp”Aurantium indicum” fruit (purpurei coloris medulla), considered the ancestor of blood oranges in Sicily, is mentioned for the first time. On the island since the mid-1900s the cultivation of blood oranges has assumed an increasingly important role in the agricultural economy, coming to characterize its fertile territory and become a true symbol of this land kissed by the sun.

Sweet orange is of Asian origin, especially from China and Southeast Asia, and it arrived in Europe through the Silk Road (which dated back to the first century AD). Easily established in the warm and welcoming climate of Sicily, its propagation stopped there. It took almost 13 centuries, until the 14th century AD, for the sweet orange to spread to Europe thanks to the Portuguese sailors who discovered it and spread it everywhere. Currently sweet orange is the most popular citrus fruit in the world and there are numerous varieties: we count indeed hundreds of types. On the market we can find blond and red oranges which are characterized by a darker color and a more sugary taste. A tip: distrust large and beautiful sweet oranges and prefer the tiny ones, they will have more juice to squeeze. In Italy only there are more than twenty varieties of oranges that are grown as dessert fruit and there are just as many varieties of fruit you can use to make an excellent orange juice. Oranges with blond pulp are often used in the fruit juice production and, to a lesser extent, for candied fruit and dried fruit.

In addition to flavoring candies and pastries and giving an enchanting aroma to the skin, sweet orange is very useful in cases of insomnia and stress. Sweet orange essential oil has indeed an antispasmodic action which is especially useful in case of stress and intense physical activity; its anti-insomnia and digestive sedative property turns out to be a precious resource against meteorism. Rich in citrus flavonoids, sweet orange is an excellent ally against capillary fragility, and has always been used in the cosmetic industry for its smoothing anti-cellulite function. Wilden.herbals has chosen this real invigorating vitamin concentrate to create two sweet orange infusions.

Oranges are great for:

Emotional Healing and Renewal

Creativity and Inspiration

Abundance

Prosperity

Vitality and Energy Oranges are often used for prosperity spells. They are also often associated or symbolized with the sun. In Italian folk magic they are used to wipe - to get rid of negative energies