Magick in the Hedgerows
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow,
don’t be alarmed now;
it’s just a spring clean for the May Queen.
robert plant,
stairway to heaven
Once upon a time, when people cleared a forest for settlement, the hedge served as a division between the wilderness and the home front. According to tradition, the hedgerow divided fields and kept farm animals in and wild animals out. The hedgerow created an entire food web for insects, birds, and small mammals. A hedgerow was and is still
utilized as a living boundary. The terms hedge and hedgerow come from the Anglo-Saxon words haga, hege, and hegeroewe, which is defined as a fence or boundary formed from a thick row of shrubs or smaller trees. Anglo-Saxon estate boundaries were usually marked with hedgerows, many of which, hundreds of years later, still designate the borders of some parishes today in Britain. There are some hedgerows that are thought to be a thousand years old.
The old hedgerows were not only planted to surround farmland and to denote the boundaries of a landowner’s property, they also protected the crops and livestock and kept deer, bears, and wolves out. These hedges of shrubs, plants, and small trees were also used cleverly along waterways and wetlands to protect the fish by keeping the destructive hoofs and waste of farm animals away from shorelines, which improved the water quality for the community as well as the surrounding areas.
Now, for many of us, holding wolves and bears at bay or keeping livestock out of our water supply is not a pressing issue. However, the hedgerow is very suitable for the urban magickal gardener and for those who own small rural properties. Planting a hedgerow gives you the opportunity to work with your own native plants and to encourage biodiversity. Here is your chance to encourage wildlife such as birds and beneficial insects to come in. A hedgerow can, in fact, make a living green privacy fence with four-season interest. If your hedgerow plants are correctly chosen to work well with your particular growing conditions, such as your cold hardiness zones, and incorporate native plants, shrubs, and smaller trees, you will have a winning combination. Native plants tend to be more drought tolerant, and once established, the classic hedgerow needs very little maintenance.
Magickal Plants of the Hedgerows
The fair maiden who, the first of May,
Goes to the fields at the break of day
And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree
Will ever after handsome be.
old english rhyme
Traditionally, a Witch’s property or garden was thought to contain at least one hawthorn hedge. Hawthorn was not only a magickal plant of many powers, it was and is still today highly valued as the foundation plant of the hedgerows. The blackthorn, wild rose, and gorse were all popular plants that were typically utilized in the hedgerows also, as was the elder tree, the hazel, apples of several varieties, and the bramble, otherwise known as the wild blackberry.
Now, you will notice as you read farther along that all of these featured plants produce fruit, whether for human consumption or for bees, birds, and other small game. A greater variety of plants in the hedgerows only encourages and supports a broader diversity of local wildlife. The hedgerow is like a miniature ecosystem. I should also mention that native trees such as the oak, ash, and maple were also utilized in the structure of hedgerows, as were hundreds of varieties of wildflowers that volunteered or were purposefully planted to increase the hedgerow’s biodiversity. The majority of the featured hedgerow plants are also full of thorns, which helped keep larger livestock and other problem animals at bay—not to mention making it tough for an adversary to get through the thorns and onto your property without injury.
As in the wildflower sections, the hedgerow plants will also be listed first by their common name, with the botanical name in italics. Why do I list the botanical names, you wonder? Well, as a gardener and magickal herbalist, botanical names are key, as they make identification exact, and in the long run, they make working with the plants easier.
Garden Witch Tip: It is important to note that some of the classic hedgerow species such as the gorse and the alder buckthorn are considered noxious weeds in certain parts of the world. Check with your local conservation department or a reputable nursery for other native plant suggestions that will benefit the ecosystem. There are many options available to you.
Each of the following traditional hedgerow plants will feature a description of the leaves and fruits, a bit of folklore, any astrological correspondences, and, of course, the plant’s magickal information as well. Happy spellcasting!
Featured Hedgerow Plants
And still the dog rose shines in the hedge.
John Montague
Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula ‘Asplenifolia’)
Also called the glossy buckthorn or the fern-leaf buckthorn, this European variety is an upright, spreading deciduous shrub that usually grows six to twelve feet tall and spreads six to ten feet wide. The buckthorn’s glossy green leaves are quite unusual in that they are extremely narrow with irregular margins; they are often described as “long and lacy.” This shrub resembles a willow and has a weeping effect in its growth characteristics. The fall color of the leaves is yellow. Clusters of tiny white-green flowers appear in the leaf axils in May. The alder buckthorn’s flowers are attractive to bees but are classified as “ornamentally insignificant.” These tiny flowers give way to green drupes (the fruit) that measure about a quarter of an inch in diameter. The fruit starts out green but turns red and finally black over the months of July to September. This shrub is prized for its foliage and is often utilized today as a specimen plant or grown together as a screen. The alder buckthorn is often recommended in the landscape for use as a bird-friendly hedge.
Magickally, the buckthorn was incorporated into spells for protection, and folklore states that it was also used in full moon charms cast so the Witch could be visited by the elves. Carrying a few buckthorn leaves in a charm bag is also thought to bring you good luck in court. Finally, placing buckthorn branches above your doorways and windows is supposed to render the home spellproof from outside influences. The astrological influence of this hedgerow plant is Saturn; the elemental correspondence is water.
A Buckthorn Charm Bag for Good Luck
This hedgerow charm will work best if cast during a waxing moon. As the moon grows fuller, so too will your good luck grow.
Place the fresh alder buckthorn leaves inside of a green sachet bag or use a six-inch square of green cotton fabric. Put the leaves in the middle, pull up each corner, and tie it closed with a green ribbon for prosperity and luck. Now hold the charm bag in your hands and enchant it with the following verse:
These fresh green buckthorn leaves will create a charm,
Bringing good luck in court and causing no harm.
This good-luck hedgerow spell is spun from the heart,
For the good of all and with a Green Witch’s art.
Tuck the charm bag in your pocket, and keep it with you for good luck.
Apple (Pyrus malus)
The apple tree is a tree of the Goddess. In Norse mythology, Freya dispensed golden apples to the gods so they could share in the magickal gifts of this fruit. The Celts believed that the apple tree was a good omen and that it grew in Paradise and was the keeper of all knowledge. The apple was known as the fruit of the gods, the fruit of the underworld. The old rhyme “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” comes from the belief that the apple was a magickal cure-all.
It is thought that cultivated varieties of the apple were probably introduced to Britain by the Romans. During medieval times, monastic gardens increased the varieties of apple trees by grafting shoots of the trees onto established rootstock. The wild apple is native to Europe and western Asia. It has a short trunk and can grow from twenty to forty feet high. The bark is described as grey, broken, and scaly. The apple may be found growing wild in rural and sub-rural areas, typically wherever humans have lived. The leaves of the apple are classically described as broad, flat, simple, and being of the same size. The apple tree bears clusters of five-petaled white flowers that are blushed with pink. Some modern varieties of apple trees do bear a reddish pink blossom. The blossoming time is typically April through June but will vary widely depending on the particular variety of apple. Apple blossoms represent youth, love, fertility, and enchantment. Also, apple blossoms are the state flower of Arkansas.
The fruit matures in summer and is larger than that of the crab apple. From a botanical standpoint, the fruit of the apple is called a pome. The fruit of wild apple trees average three and a half inches across, while modern varieties and cultivars measure much larger. The apple was a favorite medieval fruit, and as you would imagine, they were mainly used as a food source, eaten cooked or raw, made into sauces and jams, and included in a variety of dishes.
Inside the apple is a natural star. Slice an apple crosswise to reveal the star-shaped arrangement of the seeds. The apple fruit is often used in magick and rituals as a natural pentagram. In the language of flowers, the fruit symbolizes healing, preference, and appeal. The apple is sacred to many magickal cultures, and the wood was preferred for magickal wands and staffs. Also, it is good luck to grow an apple tree in the garden, as it marks a sacred space and will attract nature spirits and land elementals. The astrological correspondence of the tree is Venus. It is associated with the element of water.
The ABC Charm
According to folklore, if you have a sick plant in the garden, take a “perfect” apple and charm it to restore vitality to the ailing plant. Then, after you have enchanted the apple, dig a hole next to the plant and bury the apple. Legend states that as the buried apple decomposes, the other plant will be restored to health. Try working this charm during a waning moon: as the moon grows smaller, the plant’s illness will diminish. To perform this charm, hold the apple in your hands, and then repeat the verse:
A is for the apple, so rosy, round, and fair,
B is for blessing, as I speak it in the air.
C is for charm, may you restore vitality,
This spell is spun by the power of three times three.
Now bury the apple; gently pat and smooth out the ground. Mark the area by drawing a pentagram in the dirt on top of the apple. Pat the soil three times, and then close the spell with these lines:
This plant-healing apple spell is spun from the heart,
Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.
Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus spinosa)
From a botanical standpoint, the blackthorn is a large shrub or a small tree of the genus Prunus. It is a native plant to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. The common name, “blackthorn,” comes from the small tree’s dark bark and skin and from the thorns, or spines, that it bears. The blackthorn is covered in white blossoms in early spring and is often the first tree to flower in the wild. The flowers will appear before the leaves, and the leaves are followed by the purple fruit. The blackthorn bears a dark purple fruit called the sloe.
This bitter, edible fruit is used in jellies, jams, and wines. Today, the sloe is frozen first before cooking or eating to make it more palatable. In the past, it would have been cooked into preserves, and folks would not have eaten it raw. The fruit of the blackthorn was also used to make sloe gin.
In medieval times, this was a prized “tree” for planting in hedgerows, as the thorns kept sheep and roaming cattle out of gardens. The blackthorn is still a popular plant today for hedging and for cover for game birds. Some forms are grown as ornamental specimens and of course for their flowers and bird-friendly fruits. The blackthorn blossom also draws butterflies and provides a good source of nectar for the birds in the spring.
In Irish myth, the Lunatishees—the blackthorn faeries—guard blackthorn bushes. This is a healing and a protective plant, and its astrological correspondence is Saturn.
The Blackthorn Reversal Candle Spell
If you believe that a spell was cast against you or that negative thoughtforms from an unknown person may be influencing you detrimentally, then this is the spell to help reverse the effects. This candle spell is creative and just a bit nasty. (Yes, feel free to twiddle your fingers à la Mr. Burns and purr, “Ah, excellent … ”) In this spell, you will be using the thorns of the blackthorn tree and inserting them into a white, unscented pillar candle.
This spell would be the most successful if cast in a waning moon phase on a Saturday. We are using the waning moon to diminish the effects of the other caster’s negative spells, while Saturday is the day associated with Saturn and karma, and it’s perfect for spell-busting. As you cast this spell, you will be calling upon the Crone Goddess and asking her to dispense her justice as she sees fit—not as you imagine it but as she deems necessary.
Take three thorns from the blackthorn tree and carefully insert the first of the three into the candle. As you insert the first thorn, speak the first line of the spell. Then intone the second line of the spell as you put in the second thorn. The third line is repeated as you insert the third thorn in the candle. Finally, light the candle and say the fourth line.
Here is the spell:
May this thorn prick your conscience and cause you to regret,
This thorn will teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.
The third thorn now breaks all spells that were cast against me,
The Crone protects her children with the power of three.
Close the spell with these lines:
May this spell work out in the best possible way
With the wisdom of the Crone Goddess, come what may.
The three thorns and candle will create a reverse
Keeping me free from harm and any other curse.
Allow the candle to burn out in a safe place. When finished, dispose of any leftover wax and the thorns neatly and away from your property.
Garden Witch Tip: Should you be unable to locate a blackthorn tree, you could substitute the thorns from another hedgerow tree or plant such as the hawthorn for this reversal spell. If possible, though, work with the blackthorn.
Wild Blackberry or Bramble
(Rubus fruticosus)
The term bramble refers to thorny plants of the genus Rubus of the rose family (Rosaceae). Brambles include blackberries, raspberries, loganberries, and other similar plants. Technically, bramble fruit is the fruit of any plant of the genus Rubus. In the UK, the term bramble typically refers to the blackberry bush only, while in Scotland and the north of England, it refers to both the blackberry bush and its fruit.
Bramble bushes have a distinctive growth form. They send up long, arching canes that do not flower or set fruit until the second year of growth. Many types of brambles bear edible fruit; there are actually hundreds of microspecies. Most species of brambles have recurved thorns that will dig into clothing and, unfortunately, flesh when a person tries to pull away from them. Brambles usually have trifoliate leaves, which means that the leaves are divided, or grouped, into three leaflets. The blackberry produces a juicy purple-black fruit that is loaded with fiber and vitamin C. The fruits of the blackberry are popular for preserves as well as pies.
The thorny varieties of this plant are sometimes grown for game cover in hedgerows and occasionally for protection. Most species of the blackberry are important for conserving the local native wildlife habitat. The flowers of the blackberry also are useful, as they attract pollinators such as butterflies and bees.
Blackberries were typically not grown as a garden plant because they were so plentiful in the wild. Today there are varieties that are very suitable for a home garden—just be sure to keep them under control, as they will spread and are considered to be aggressive. The blackberry had connections with many different gods, including the Celtic goddess Brigid. Their astrological influence is Venus, and the elemental association is water. Magickally, blackberry fruits, flowers, and leaves are used for healing, money, and protection spells. This is considered a favored faerie plant that helped keep humans out of faerie forts and rafts (where they were never supposed to be).
A Healing Charm with Blackberry
According to old folk magick, the blackberry leaves were a remedy for minor burns but were thought to be their most powerful when accompanied with a healing charm that was repeated three times. Here is a witchy version of the healing charm; hold your hands directly over the burn, and repeat the charm:
Three ladies came from the east,
One brought fire, two brought frost.
Out, fire, and in, frost,
In the name of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone.
Please use your Witch’s common sense and have serious burns treated by a medical professional. Use the healing charm in conjunction with good medical care.
Elder or Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
The elder is technically classified as a shrub, and it is part of the honeysuckle family. This shrub produces thicket-forming root runners with many stems and may grow up to ten feet in height. The flowers bloom May through July and are formed in umbrella-shaped clusters that are described as being delicately scented. The tree produces edible fruit that is often made into jellies or wine. Birds and animals also enjoy the elderberry. The elderberry habitat includes fencerows, ditches, and waste places.
The elder is sacred to many Mother and Crone Goddesses. It was considered to be the ultimate insult to the Goddess to burn the wood of an elder tree. Elder wood was never to be cut from a living tree, nor was it to be burned as firewood, which goes along with the old folk rhyme, “Elder is the Lady’s tree; burn it not, or cursed you’ll be.”
The elder flowers and wood were used in many types of magick, including protection, removing curses, prosperity, and healing; tucking the berries beneath your pillow is thought to help promote a good night’s sleep, not to mention giving you a purple pillowcase come morning. Another elder charm included bringing bare (fallen) branches indoors and then hanging them up over doorways to ward your home. According to the language of flowers, the elderberry brings gentleness, sympathy, and passion. The elder’s planetary influence is Venus, and the elemental association is water.
Elderberry Protective Charm
Gather a bunch of fresh purple elderberries and adorn them with a red satin ribbon. Then hang the little bouquet up in the front window of your home and allow it to dry. This will add another layer of protection to the other shielding and warding spells you already have in place. You may work this spell on a Saturday (Saturn’s day) to tap into the closing energies of the week and the banishing influences of the day. Or you could also work on a Friday, a Venus day, to promote love and peace around your home.
As you place the bouquet, repeat this protection charm:
With a red satin ribbon, I hang these berries,
No evil shall enter, no bad luck will tarry.
Elder is the Lady’s tree of power,
Protect my home well in every hour.
Close the spell with these lines:
This protective berry spell is spun from the heart,
Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.
Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Common names include furse and Irish furze. Gorse is an evergreen spiny shrub and common hedging plant that may grow up to fifteen feet in height. It was often used to enclose and to protect livestock from predators. The branches of this plant end in a spine and are covered with green prickly leaves that range from a half inch to two inches in length. The flowers of the gorse are described as showy. They are yellow pealike flowers, about a half-inch long, and they grow in clumps near the tips of its branches and have a coconut scent. The hard seeds are brown, small, and shiny. They are enclosed in half-inch long, hairy seed pods.
Garden Witch Tip: It is important to note that today, gorse is considered by some to be a noxious weed. Gorse has been identified as a “major weed of agriculture and forestry” in places such as Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States, New Zealand, Spain, Tasmania, and Australia. So before adding this plant to your gardens, check to make sure it is not considered a threat to your area. It is a very aggressive plant, which is a nice way of saying it spreads, or takes over, very quickly.
In the old days, it was said that the spines of the plant were sometimes used to hang the wash out to dry, and the thorns kept the laundry from blowing away! If it was planted around the property, gorse was also thought to keep naughty faeries away from the home. Gorse is in bloom almost year-round in Britain, with the heaviest bloom period being in the spring. Gorse makes an excellent cover for birds. In the language of flowers, gorse stands for “engaging affection.” The astrological association for gorse is Mars. Its elemental correspondence is fire. Magickal uses include protection and prosperity. The flowers are utilized in money spells to attract gold.
Attracting Prosperity with Gorse
For best results, work this spell on a Mar’s day, a Tuesday, and work in a waxing moon phase for increase. Place a gold-colored pillar candle in a fireproof holder, then arrange gorse blossoms around its base. (Make sure you keep the plant material away from the flame.) Now, take a few moments and visualize practical ways that you can increase your prosperity. When you feel ready, repeat the charm:
By the power of fire, this spell brings transformation,
With a little help from gorse and my own inspiration.
Now bring money and success, in the best possible way,
With just a touch of hedge magick, this will brighten my day.
Close the spell with these lines:
This hedge prosperity spell is spun from the heart,
Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.
Allow the candle to burn out in a safe place. Return the plant material neatly to nature by adding it to your yard waste or compost pile.
Dog Rose (Rosa canina)
Sometimes this plant is simply called rosehips. It has several colorful folk names such as rose briar, dogberry, herb patience, sweet briar, and Witches’ briar. This wild rose is grown not only for the pretty pink blossoms but for the bright red fruits, the hips, that it produces in autumn. This rose is native to Europe, Northwest Africa, and Western Asia. The dog rose is a deciduous shrub that can range in height from three to twenty feet tall. The rose may climb even higher if it has the support of a nearby tree. The dog rose’s stems are covered in small, sharp hooked “spines”—which help the rose to climb, or ramble, up anything in its path. The leaves are oval and pointed, featuring five to seven leaflets.
The flowers have five petals, and their color can range from the palest pink to deep pink and white. After blooming, the flower’s center matures into the hip. In the autumn, this plant really shines as the hips turn a beautiful deep red.
This plant was sacred to the Goddess, as the five petals of the flower formed her star. The plant was also protected by the faeries. Fallen wild rose petals may be added to spells and charms to speed up the results. The rose hips were and still are today used in spells and charms to promote love. As with other roses featured in this book, the astrological correspondence is Venus, and the elemental association is water.
Rosehip and Petal Sachet
to Encourage Romance
For this hedge magick, you will need the fresh petals and the hips of the dog rose. For best results, try working this spell on a Friday, the day sacred to Venus, Aphrodite, and Freya, all goddesses of love and romance. Place the petals and the rosehips together into a six-inch square of natural fabric, and pull up the edges of the fabric, creating a small bundle. Then tie the sachet closed with a red ribbon, and knot it three times, saying:
By the Maiden, Mother, and the Crone,
Bless this sachet I made on my own.
Now visualize romance coming into your life. Do not focus on a specific someone—that would be considered manipulation. Instead, focus on the idea of romance and love increasing in your life in the best possible way. Let the magick unfold on its own. Now hold the sachet bag in your hands, and enchant and empower the sachet with the following verse:
The rose is a flower of the Goddess divine,
The fruits of the rose are hips, and they are sublime.
Now place them together in a pouch and bind with red ribbon,
The Witch’s rose and its fruits allow the romance to begin.
Close the spell with these lines:
This romantic, rosy spell is spun from the heart,
Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.
Tuck the sachet into your pocket or purse, and carry it with you. Get ready to become more aware of new opportunities for romance.
Garden Witch Tip: If you are interested in the specifics of love and romance magick or just want more ideas and tips on this particular spellcasting topic, then please refer to my book How to Enchant a Man: Spells to Bewitch, Bedazzle & Beguile.
Hawthorn (Crataegus mollis)
This tree takes its botanical name, Crataegus, from the Greek “flowering thorn.” The hawthorn is a member of the rose family. Some of its folk names include May flower, summer haw, hagthorn, bread and cheese tree, and May blossom. The haw in hawthorn translates to “hedge,” which is how the fruiting tree got its name: it was the “fruit of the hedge.” These smaller trees can grow fifteen to twenty feet tall, and their boughs are covered in large, curving thorns. It blooms April through May, and its flowers are similar to apple blossoms. They are white with five petals and have many stamens. The flower of the hawthorn tree is the state flower of Missouri. The fruit is abundant and scarlet colored and about a half inch in diameter. The fruit ripens in the fall, typically August through September, although other varieties of hawthorns may not ripen until October or November.
The hawthorn tree and its foliage were ancient symbols of hope and protection. During medieval times, cuttings were brought into homes to ward off evil spirits. On an interesting note, it is rumored that the ancient Romans placed hawthorn branches in the boudoir to bless the marriage bed. The hawthorn’s astrological correspondence is Mars. The elemental association is fire.
A Springtime Hawthorn Marriage Spell
This spell may be worked in any moon phase. Carefully gather a small sprig of blooming hawthorn. Arrange the twig in a vase, and then set it in a place of prominence in the bedroom. Allow the natural energies of protection and hope to fill the room. This hedgerow magick may be enhanced with the following verse:
The hawthorn blesses marriages, and hope now fills this room,
Using hedge magick and the power of a branch in bloom.
This romantic hawthorn spell is spun from the heart,
Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.
Allow the blooming twig to stay in the vase until it begins to fade. When it does, dispose of the twig neatly in a compost pile. Don’t forget to wash out the vase before storing it away.
Wild Crab (Malus ioensis or Pyrus ioensis)
The wild crab is a smaller tree that may occasionally reach up to thirty feet in height. There are over ninety varieties of crab apples. Unlike the modern cultivars, the wild crab apple was originally a thorn-bearing tree, which made it an ideal specimen for the hedgerow. The bloom time for the crab is April through May; the flowers will bloom as the tree leaves begin to open. Flowers are showy and borne in clusters of three to six along the branches of the tree. They are a deep rosy pink or white blossom with five petals each. The fruit of the wild crab is small, green, and applelike. While the fruits are very fragrant, this particular variety of wild crab is unpleasant tasting and not desirable for human consumption. However, those crab apples are a treat for songbirds and other wildlife.
When I was a girl, my parents had a classic crab apple tree in our backyard. Come summertime, it dropped little “apples” all over the yard—which the birds, squirrels, insects, and bees loved. I was tricked into eating a crab apple by my father—once. Talk about nasty! However, my grandmother swore that the fruits could be made into jams. Today, if you scout around, there are recipes all over the Internet on crab apple jelly, and they all call for copious amounts of sugar to sweeten up those bitter fruits.
Some modern guides to making hedgerows call the wild crab “important for numerous species of birds and small mammals.” The wild crab apple grows naturally in open woods, fields, hedgerows, pastures, and streamside. Astrological correspondences are the same as for the traditional apple tree: the planetary influence is Venus, and the elemental correspondence is water.
Garden Witch Tip: The wild crab (Malus ioensis) is not the blooming crab tree that you typically find today at the nursery or home improvement store’s garden center. Most of the blooming crab trees that are available these days have been extensively hybridized for landscaping and the home gardener such as the popular Brandywine variety Malus ‘Branzam’. These newer varieties of trees bloom very heavily in the spring and come in flower shades of purple-red and pink, and there are also white varieties as well. The “fruit” of the modern crab apple is tiny and almost unnoticeable. Those miniature fruits from the hybridized trees are still attractive to birds, though, so if this is what you already have growing in the yard, no worries. And best of all, you won’t go stepping on old, fallen crab apples and having them squish up between your bare toes in the summertime.
The Crab Apple Spell
Is your love a bit crabby at the moment? Want to sweeten them up and restore their good mood? Try working with the foliage and fruit of the crab apple tree. You may work this spell in a waning moon to decrease their sour mood. Or you could work in the waxing moon and increase the love and restore the happiness that you share as a couple. You can also work on a Friday, a Venus day. It’s your choice, and you always have options when it comes to spellcasting.
Gather a few leaves from the crab apple and a couple of the small fruits. Place them carefully around a pink spell candle a few inches away from the base of the candleholder in a ring. The pink candle is used in this spell to encourage romance and warm, fuzzy feelings. Please make sure you keep the foliage well away from the flames, and then light the candle and repeat the following charm:
With a rosy pink spell candle burning so bright,
Your mood will now improve on this enchanted night.
Your sour mood is drawn to the sour fruit of the crab apple tree,
With harm to none and for the good of all, as I will, so mote it be.
Allow the spell candle to burn out in a safe place. Neatly return the foliage to nature by adding it to your yard waste or compost pile, and remember to thank the crab apple tree for the use of its fruit and foliage.
A Walker Between the Worlds
We live between two worlds; we soar in the atmosphere; we creep upon the soil …
w. winwood reade
A Witch is a person who walks between the physical world and the astral world. To spend all of their time in either world would make them disconnected from the magick or hold them separate from reality. So, in essence, they easily and happily travel back and forth between the two. For example, Witches may spend their mornings contentedly working in the garden, and be at their job in the afternoon and evening, but they may fill the later evening hours with study, meditation, and spellcraft. This ability to successfully work and live in both worlds is the hallmark of any adept Witch.
There is also a school of thought that says a Hedge Witch straddles the two worlds, and in so doing, the Witch becomes a bridge, or link, between them—in other words, they are “riding the hedge.” Visualize this as the Hedge Witch connecting the physical world of nature and green magick with the astral planes, or the spirit world. The hedge itself is a metaphor and a division between the physical world and the world of spirit, while the Hedge Witch becomes the divine connection between the two.
Who Are the Hedge Witches?
When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest.
william hazlitt
The term Hedge Witch is a controversial one; let’s not pretend otherwise. If you do a search on the Internet and look up “Hedge Witch,” you’ll find a plethora of opinions, ideas, and definitions. At its most basic explanation, a Hedge Witch is often described as a solitary practitioner who works their magick, using herbs and green magick, quietly and in harmony with the land. The current term “Hedge Witch” was coined by the British author Rae Beth. It’s somewhat the British equivalent to being a solitary, self-trained practitioner here in the States today.
However, if you ask several Witches what a Hedge Witch is, you’ll very likely get completely different answers. As I researched this topic, I found many different characterizations and opinions on this kind of Witch, but what really caught my attention was the popularity of the term. It seems that everywhere I looked, the term Hedge Witch was popping up—on the Internet, in a lovely article in a magickal calendar, and in more and more magickal books.
An acquaintance of mine, who is a rabid reader and science fiction fan, casually informed me that the term Hedge Witch was a popular term in science fiction/ fantasy novels. He then told me the term denoted a magickal practitioner who was not formally trained. They lived on the outskirts of town or on the edge of the woods and practiced their magick alone and spontaneously with whatever supplies they could gather.
Ah-ha! I pounced on that idea. Practicing magick quietly, with only some down-to-earth and simple items supplied by nature … using plants and your instinct, voice, heart, and two hands to create your spirituality … well, hello. I’ve been writing about that magickal subject for years now. Hmmm … I was off and running.
However, calling oneself a Hedge Witch is a title that either makes a person feel right at home or it makes them argue passionately about what they believe the term truly means. If you do a little digging and research the term, you find some very interesting definitions on this brand of witchery from some of the most respected writers on the Craft today.
Wiccan author Raymond Buckland, in his book The Witch Book, claims that a Hedge Witch doesn’t use complicated rituals and may not always become involved with the religious aspect of Witchcraft.
In The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, author John Michael Greer defines a Hedge Witch in this way: “In modern Paganism, a term used by and for solitary Witches whose practices incorporate large amounts of natural magic, herb lore, and similar subjects, and who generally do not claim a connection with any particular tradition.”
Other practitioners believe that a Hedge Witch is a Witch who focuses on more shamanic practices. In Raven Grimassi’s book The Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, he defines a Hedge Witch as an eclectic and self-taught solitary practitioner—a person who typically works with a familiar spirit, herbal magick, trance, and shamanic practices such as drumming to create altered states of consciousness. In Grimassi’s characterization, a Hedge Witch only uses natural and very simple supplies for their magickal purposes.
So, with all the fuss about politically correct titles, what is a Witch to do? Truthfully, you are going to have to decide for yourself what suits you the best. There are many paths to the Craft and to understanding the mysteries. A few of these paths fall under the category of green magick and hearth and home magick.
If you take a good look at all of these different accounts of what a Hedge Witch is, you begin to see that while there is a difference of opinion, there are also many points that are agreed upon. A Hedge Witch is an enigma, and sometimes the best way to gain knowledge of a topic is to study the mystery and consider all the possibilities. Then, as you begin to comprehend its complexities, you start to gain wisdom, and you are, in fact, teaching yourself something new. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look at the magick of the Hedge Witch.
Hedge Witch Magick
Hedge Witch: a solitary Witch, answering to no one,
belonging to no coven; claiming the right to be what she or he was born to be—magical.
rae beth, the wiccan way
Our modern Hedge Witch practice is a holdover from olden times, when to openly practice Witchcraft was a dangerous thing. However, these very down-to-earth practitioners kept a low profile. They went about the business of tending a home and raising a family. Spirituality was earthy, natural, and a part of their everyday life. The use of everyday items as magickal tools was clever and practical. If all of their magickal tools were hidden as mundane, everyday household accruements, they blended in and were safe.
For example, the one good kitchen knife was also the magickal knife. The broom that was used to sweep the floors clean was the ceremonial magickal staff. The cauldron used for cooking stews, soups, and meals was also the magick cauldron for brews and potions. The herbs drying from the beams in the ceiling, the flowers and plants growing in the garden—everything that a Hedge Witch put his or her hands on with intention was magick. Any item in their home or garden could be sacred—and their homes would have been dedicated to the practitioner’s personal gods of hearth and home.
It seems to me that the term Hedge Witch is definitely in vogue. Fifteen years ago, these types of magicians would have been referred to as Kitchen Witches, and they do share many things in common. Both the Hedge and Kitchen Witches are hearth and home practitioners. These folks are no-nonsense, practice a green or nature-based spirituality, and, most importantly, they work natural magick in a practical way with the plants, supplies, and tools that they have on hand.
So using a bit of the Hedge Witch’s practicality, let’s not get into such a lather about what the title means. Instead, let’s enjoy what wonderful, down-to-earth magick and natural enchantments the green practice of the Hedge Witch can share with us.
Green spirituality is a foundation of the Craft. Green is the color of nature and the plant kingdom, and it is the color of life. When we are intimately connected with nature, our spirituality blossoms, and we grow. If you want the chance to spread out and stretch your comprehension of the Craft, then take a real look at the natural world. Spend some time in nature. Plant a garden, or grow pots of herbs on your porch. Go camping, go on a boat trip, or take a walk in the park. Get outside! Because that is where you will find the true advanced lessons.
Everyone is always searching for “advanced” topics and “advanced” books. But what they do not realize is that the advanced spiritual lessons are not held within the pages of a book. The book can guide you and point you down the path, or in my case, this Garden Witch’s book is waving its imaginary arms at you like crazy and is pointing frantically outside—it’s okay, you can take this guide book with you. Just go outside. However, at the end of the day, each Witch must make the journey out into nature on their own.
It is vital for every Witch to walk their spiritual path all by themselves and for themselves. This is why the enchanting topics of the garden, the trees, and the hedgerow are such important ones. So now I have to ask you: what have you learned so far? Do you believe that you are ready to grow and learn a little more? If so, then go ahead and stroll right into the green world, and look around. Dare to add a bit of the traditional magick of the hedgerow to your herbal magick and to your craft.