Herbs of the Stars
Now the bright morning star, day’s harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flow’ry May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
john milton
Herb magick, as we have seen, is available to us all year long. The previous chapter looked into the herbs and plants of the the sabbats, while this chapter will take a closer look at the herbal magick that can be worked any day of the week.
Now, there are the basic correspondences of the specific planets, moon, sun, and the four natural elements, which I am sure you have noted as you have read along in this herbal so far. However, there are even more enchanting herbal associations to consider, such as the individual signs of the zodiac and the days of the week, and I was charmed to discover that even the archangels of the planets have their own sacred herbs and plants.
You will notice that the first catalog goes in order of the days of the week. I have done this to help simplify the information and to help you quickly pick out the botanicals that are harmonious to each day’s magickal theme. You will see a neat list of correspondences for each day, plus a quick catalog of herbs and plants that are linked with the day. This daily list is by no means all-inclusive; instead, it focuses on the botanicals featured within this book and plants or essential oils that you should be easily able to procure. This leaves it open for you to add whichever coordinating herb from the day’s list you would like to choose for that day’s spell.
At the end of each section, you’ll also find an herbal spell for the featured day of the week that works neatly with that day’s specific planetary energy. Feel free to personalize these herbal spells with your chosen botanicals that complement that particular day. Look over the day’s list and add a corresponding crystal or dress that day’s colored candle with a harmonious essential oil. Have fun, be creative, and make these herbal spells personal and uniquely your own.
Remember that herb magick is considered to be a major magick, meaning it takes a grasp of several different types of magick, such as astrological timing and color magick, to work it successfully. By experimenting and adding a few of the accompanying stones, oils, colors, and candles to your spellwork, this will increase the potency of your spell, giving you better and stronger results.
The Classic Seven
Planetary Associations
Out of the window,
I saw how the planets gathered
Like the leaves themselves
Turning in the wind.
wallace stevens
The Sun
Magickal Uses: success, wealth, the God, fame, riches, achieving personal goals
Sigil: 
Associated Day of the Week: Sunday
Deities: Helios, Brigit
Colors: gold, yellow
Metal: gold
Stones: topaz, diamond
Essential Oils: bergamot, cinnamon, frankincense, orange, rosemary, saffron
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: agave, angelica, ash tree, bay, calendula, carnation, cedar, chamomile, cinnamon, cockscomb, French marigold, hazel tree, heliotrope, juniper, mistletoe, oak tree, orange, peony, poinsettia, reed, rosemary, rowan tree, rue, saffron crocus, St. John’s wort, sunflower, tickseed coreopsis, witch hazel
Herbal Spell for Sunday
By Sunday’s bright glow of magick and success,
May my herbal spells now quickly manifest.
Herbs of the golden sun, add your energy to mine,
Bring this positive change and happiness for all time.
The Moon
Magickal Uses: women’s mysteries, illusions, dreams, psychic abilities, fertility, the Goddess
Sigil: 
Associated Day of the Week: Monday
Deities: Selene, Artemis, Diana, Thoth
Colors: white, silver, palest blue
Metal: silver
Stones: moonstone, pearl
Essential Oils: jasmine, lemon, sandalwood, stephanotis (Madagascar jasmine)
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: aloe, desert four o’clock, eucalyptus, gardenia, grape, grapevine, honesty, jasmine, lemon, mallow, moonflower, nicotiana, poppy, portulaca, pumpkin, sandalwood, willow tree, wintergreen
Herbal Spell for Monday
May Monday’s mysterious energy hearken unto me,
My herbal spells will bring the Lady’s power and prophecy.
Herbs of the silver moon, add your energy to mine,
Bring this positive change and happiness for all time.
The Planet Mars
Magickal Uses: passion, aggression, warrior attitude, bravery
Sigil: 
Associated Day of the Week: Tuesday
Deities: Mares, Ares, Lilith
Colors: scarlet, red, black, orange
Metal: iron
Stones: bloodstone, garnet, ruby
Essential Oils: black pepper, ginger, pine
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: allspice, basil, chili, cactus, coriander, garlic, ginger, gorse, hawthorn tree, holly, lupin, mustard, nettle, onion, pepper, pine tree, prairie anemone, prickly pear, snapdragon, sweet woodruff, thistle, wormwood, yucca
Herbal Spell for Tuesday
Tuesdays bring drive for passion and success,
May my herbal spells now quickly manifest.
Herbs of the warrior, add your energy to mine,
Bring a positive change and add courage with this rhyme.
The Planet Mercury
Magickal Uses: communication, speed, creativity, writing, intelligence, cunning
Sigil: 
Associated Day of the Week: Wednesday
Deities: Mercury, Hermes, Iris, Odin, Athena
Colors: purple, orange
Metal: quicksilver
Stones: opal, agate, aventurine
Essential Oils: bergamot, mint, lavender, lemon verbena, lily of the valley,
sweet pea
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: almond, aspen tree, bergamot, clover, dill, fennel, fern, fly agaric, horehound, Jacob’s ladder, lavender, lily of the valley, mace, mandrake, marjoram, mint, parsley, pomegranate, red clover, white clover
Herbal Spell for Wednesday
By Wednesday’s speedy energy, I work this herbal charm,
Increase my communication skills and bring no one harm.
Herbs of the fleet-footed God, add your energy to mine,
Bless me with creativity and cunning for all time.
The Planet Jupiter
Magickal Uses: prosperity, abundance, leadership, good health, healing
Sigil: 
Day of the Week: Thursday
Deities: Thor, Juno, Jupiter, Zeus
Colors: royal blue, green, purple
Metal: tin
Stones: sapphire, amethyst, turquoise
Essential Oils: clove, honeysuckle, meadowsweet, nutmeg, sage
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: anise, borage, butterfly weed, chestnut, cinquefoil, clove, dandelion, honeysuckle (woodbine), hyssop, linden tree, maple tree, meadowsweet, nutmeg, oak tree, sarsaparilla, sage
Herbal Spell for Thursday
By Thursday’s energies of prosperity and health,
In the best possible way, may this spell bring me wealth.
Herbs of Jupiter, add your abundant energies to mine,
Bring to me a positive change that will last come rain or shine.
The Planet Venus
Magickal Uses: love, romance, sexuality, fertility, friendship, beauty magick
Sigil: 
Day of the Week: Friday
Deities: Venus, Aphrodite, Eros, Freya, Frigga
Colors: aqua, pink
Metal: copper
Stones: rose quartz, coral, emerald
Essential Oils: apple, chamomile, freesia, gardenia, geranium, lilac, rose, thyme, vanilla
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: alder tree, American oxeye daisy, apple tree, aster, birch tree, blackberry, catnip, cherry, columbine, common garden crocus, dog rose, elderberry, elder tree, English daisy, feverfew, foxglove, geranium, goldenrod, hollyhock, Indian paintbrush, iris, lady’s mantle, liatris/gayfeather, lilac, magnolia, mugwort, orchid, pea, periwinkle, plum tree, prairie rose, primrose, raspberry, rose, sage brush, spiderwort, strawberry, tansy, thyme, valerian, vanilla, vervain, violet, wild crab, vanilla, yarrow
Herbal Spell for Friday
By Friday’s power of love and sexuality,
May my herbal spells bring joy to my loved ones and me.
Herbs of Venus, add your romantic powers to my charm,
Bring beauty and pleasure without causing anyone harm.
The Planet Saturn
Magickal Uses: banish negativity, break manipulative spells, remove obstacles, protection
Sigil: 
Associated Day of the Week: Saturday
Deities: Saturn, Hecate
Colors: black, deep purple
Metal: lead
Stones: obsidian, Apache tear, hematite, jet
Essential Oils: cypress, myrrh, patchouli
Herbs, Trees, and Plants: alder buckthorn, Atropa belladonna, black hellebore, black/garden nightshade, blackthorn tree, comfrey, cypress tree, deadly nightshade, elm tree, hedge bindweed, hellebore, hemlock, ivy, lobelia, mimosa, morning glory, mullein, pansy, poplar tree, quince, skullcap, snowdrop, Solomon’s seal, yellow lady’s slipper, yew tree
Herbal Spell for Saturday
By Saturday’s energy, I banish my troubles away,
This herbal spell will bring security for many a day.
Herbs of Saturn, add your strong energy to mine,
I am protected, safe, and secure for all time.
With Saturday and Saturn, we close up the traditional seven and the classic daily magickal correspondences. If you really want to get a feel for the daily planetary energies and how each one differs from the other, I have a witchy homework assignment for you. Pick a day to start, then gather your herbal supplies and work the featured daily herbal spell. For the next week, I want you to work each day’s specific herbal spell. (There is one for every day of the week, so you can start any time you wish.)
Take the time to tune in and to get a feel for each day’s specific planetary energy and magickal theme; you’ll be glad that you did. Besides that, once you have worked your way through an entire week, think of all the positive changes you’ll have brewing, not to mention all of the hands-on experience you’ll be gaining. For with experience, we gain knowledge, and in time, knowledge becomes wisdom.
Magickal Associations of
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
We all come from our own little planets.
That’s why we’re all different. That’s what makes life interesting.
robert e. sherwood
To the ancients, the known planets at the time were the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Interestingly, ancient people believed that the planets all revolved around the earth. In the simplest of terms, the seven “planets,” or luminaries, and their movements all represented the will of the gods and their direct power over human affairs.
As I researched further into which plants, herbs, flowers, and trees were associated with the different planets, I found myself hip-deep in astrology, which I admit is a topic that I do not fully comprehend—it’s too damn much like math! (Yes, I’ve tried taking classes. I have even had friends send me simple astrology books.) But I doggedly persevered.
However, while I was bravely investigating the planetary herbs, I found myself pulled off my comfortable herbal path by some new, fascinating planetary information that I honestly can say I did not know about our solar system. Hmmm … I firmly believe that nothing happens without a reason, so I used this as an opportunity to expand my horizons a bit—to boldly go where no Garden Witch has gone before (well, at least not this particular gardening Witch)!
Now, as practical Witches, it is safe to assume that most of us work with the daily energies of the seven days of the week and their classic planetary associations most of the time. They are familiar to us, and some Witches can rattle off the daily basic correspondence charts in the blink of an eye. I wonder how many of you did your week-long herbal assignment? If you did, then you are one of those folks who knows their daily correspondences cold. Congratulations!
But what about the other three planets in our solar system? Seems to me they deserve a little attention and herbal magick, too. The last three of our planets—Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—do not have as much historical information in regards to herbal correspondences. Why? The simple answer is that these last three planets were not discovered until more modern times. Therefore, there is not as much folklore and legend built up around them and their use in contemporary magick.
I honestly found this information about these last three planets to be fascinating and valuable from a practical magick standpoint, because don’t we all enjoy learning something new, no matter how long we have been practicing our craft?
The Planet Uranus
Uranus was discovered in 1781 and was named after the Greek god of the sky. This brilliant blue planet is the third largest planet in our solar system and is seventh from the sun. Uranus is classified as a “gas planet” and has a tilted axis. There are eleven known rings around Uranus, very faint, and the brightest is known as the epsilon ring. Astronomers have recently discovered that the planet Uranus has a bright blue outer ring—only the second found in the solar system. (The other planet that sports a bright blue outer ring is Saturn.) Like the blue ring of Saturn, this newly discovered ring probably owes its existence to an accompanying small moon; in Uranus’s case, this moon is named Mab. To date, Uranus has at least twenty-seven known moons. The two largest moons of Uranus are named Titania and Oberon, and they were discovered in 1787.
The magickal correspondences for Uranus are as follows:
Magickal Uses: change, unexpected situations, originality, genius, invention
Sigil: 
Complementary Day of the Week: Wednesday (as Mercury resonates with Uranus)
Deity Association: Uranus, the Greek god of the sky
Color: bright blue
Metal: titanium
Stone: quartz crystal
Essential Oils: clove, ambergris
Herbs and Plants Ruled by Uranus Include: Clove, mistletoe, foxglove, rosemary, and valerian. To add a bit more of Uranus’s blue magick into your life, you could work flower fascinations easily with this planetary influence by adding true blue flowers from your garden; for example, the blue blossoms of the ‘Nikko Blue’ hydrangea. Try the old-fashioned love in a mist (Nigella damascena); this dainty annual has fabulous blue, feathery blossoms. The gorgeous and stately delphinium comes in many shades of blue, from deep to pastel. The unusual Himalayan poppy is a true blue. Oh, and don’t forget the annual blue lobelia and the friendly faced pansies in pale sky blue. In addition, we have the grape hyacinth, campanula, and the bluebell. Also, you may want to consider working with garden perennials that have bluish-colored foliage, such as hostas and ornamental grasses. Here are a few varieties of bewitchingly blue hostas to try: ‘Elegans’, ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Love Pat’, and ‘Halcyon’. For ornamental grasses, consider ‘Blue Fescue’ and ‘Blue Lymegrass’.
Herbal Spell for Uranus
By Uranus’s power, I bring positive change into my life,
This herbal spell invokes genius and does protect me from all strife.
Herbs of this blue, ringed planet, add your energy to mine,
Situations that come my way will always work out fine.
The Planet Neptune
Neptune was discovered in 1846. Another gas giant, Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and the fourth largest by diameter. (Neptune is smaller in diameter but larger in mass than the planet Uranus.) Neptune is bluish green in color and, like Jupiter, has a “great dark spot.” This spot has been baffling science for years, as it constantly changes its shape and appearance. From time to time, the spot is not seen at all. Just to keep things interesting, Neptune also has four faint rings. Neptune has thirteen known moons, including Triton. Triton is curious, as this moon travels retrograde, or backward, in its orbit around Neptune.
The magickal associations for Neptune are as follows:
Magickal Uses: inspiration, dreams, compassion, clairvoyance, magick, spirituality
Sigil: 
Complementary day of the week: Friday (as Venus resonates with Neptune)
Deities: Poseidon and Neptune, the Greco-Roman gods of the sea
Color: bluish green
Metals: shell, iron, bronze
Stones: abalone, coral
Essential Oils: lily, violet
Herbs and Plants Ruled by Neptune Include: All underwater and sea plants, such as kelp, sea grass, seaweed, and water lilies; also water and pond or bog plants that grow along the banks half in and half out of the water such as pitcher plants, reeds, rushes, and some varieties of iris and the lily.
Herbal Spell for Neptune
By Neptune’s energy, I call magick and witchery,
This herbal spell will now enhance my spirituality.
Add your power now to mine, plants of the water and the sea,
Bless me with inspiration true; as I will, so mote it be.
The “Dwarf Planet” Pluto
Pluto was originally discovered in 1930, and for seventy-five years was known as the ninth planet in our solar system. Then, in the year 2006, Pluto was demoted to the rank of a “dwarf planet,” and the debate continues on what its planetary status should be. Pluto does have a large moon called Charon. Charon is unusual as it is the largest moon in regard to its primary planet in our solar system, which was once thought a distinction held only by the earth’s moon. I also find it interesting that some folks prefer to think of Pluto/Charon as a double planet instead of a planet and a moon. Charon is named after a noble centaur of mythology, Chiron. Just to keep us on our toes, in 2005, two more Pluto moons were discovered with the Hubble telescope. These tiny moons are named Nix and Hydra.
The magickal associations for Pluto are as follows:
Magickal Uses: transformation, renewal, breaking up blocks, removing obstacles
Sigil: 
Complementary Day of the Week: Tuesday (as Mars resonates with Pluto)
Deities: Hades and Pluto, the Greco-Roman gods of the underworld
Color: black
Metal: pyrite
Stones: black opal, jet
Essential Oils: pine, cypress
Herbs and Plants Ruled by Pluto Include: Cypress, mandrake, mushrooms, pine, poppies, and wormwood. Also consider garden plants that have black blossoms. Look for these varieties for adding a touch of witchery and Pluto’s energies: Columbine variety ‘Black Barlow’. With pansies, try ‘Black Prince’ or ‘Black Magic’ varieties. For black hollyhocks, which have been around since the 1600s, look for Alcea rosea nigra, sometimes referred to as ‘Nigra’, also ‘Black Beauty’ and ‘Night Watchman’. If you enjoy daylilies, then try the plants ‘Midnight Oil’ and ‘Starling’. For tulips, plant ‘Queen of the Night’. A gorgeous black iris to grow is called ‘Before the Storm’. Look for black or chocolate cosmos and roses in the deepest reds that look black. A few suggested dark roses are ‘Black Magic’, ‘Baccara’, and ‘Black Beauty’.
Herbal Spell for Pluto
By Pluto’s energy, I call for transformation today,
This herbal spell will remove any obstacles, come what may.
Herbs of Pluto, bring renewal and rebirth to this time and place,
Your power resonates with mine from the deepest reaches of space.
I hope you will find this “new” planetary-herbal information to be useful. I personally had a blast trying it out and researching the magickal correspondences. Next up is a look at the ten planetary angels and the herbal magick that is associated with them.
The Planetary Archangels
It is not known precisely where angels dwell—whether in the air, the void, or the planets.
voltaire
Well, here we go. You may be wondering why in the world I decided to tackle the topic of angels in this herbal. (No, I have not gone all fluffy, white light, and hot tubs on you, so relax.) The answer is simple: I found this information valuable from a magickal standpoint. Many other magickal systems work with the angels, such as Qabalah and ceremonial magick. I will also say from my own personal experience that angel magick is potent and powerful material. Over the years, I have discovered that angel magick can take you for quite a ride if you do not approach it in the correct manner. By “correct manner,” I mean reverently, carefully, and with the knowledge that the angels are not the ethereal, romantic beings that popular culture imagines them to be.
Many folks who love the idea of magick but who are nervous about leaving Christianity behind think angel magick is just the ticket. They dive in, set up altars, display romantic angelic pictures all over the house, and start working angel magick with abandon. Then, after a time, much to their surprise, their world implodes.
I have seen it happen dozens of times over the years. Picture a tear-streaked face coming to your door and someone begging to know what went wrong. Why, it’s angel magick … that can’t be bad, right? They are angels, after all—aren’t they all sweet and pretty and good? Why all the chaos and painful change? I once had someone tearfully demand to know why this had happened to her. After all, angel magick should be safer than Witchcraft.
Once I stopped laughing at her snobbishness, I tried to explain it to her. Angels are an incredible energy source. They honestly do not care if you are Pagan, Christian, Buddhist, or whatever other denomination you care to name. They don’t care what your underlying goals or motivations are. If you call on them properly, they will answer.
In this silly woman’s case, she had a teenage child who was always in trouble with the law. The boy dropped out of school, started stealing cars, was on probation, got mixed up with drugs, and was basically ruining his parent’s social lives. (Sad to say, if she would have spent half of her time focused on her children instead of herself, her family life would have been much happier.) However, she decided it was time to work magick with the angels. Why, it was just the thing for her. After all, she informed me, she was into metaphysics, she collected angel statues, and she was a good Christian, so obviously this was the thing for her to do. It was like fate, she announced as she waved her newly purchased book on angels and magick.
I did try to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen. Her reasoning for ignoring me was that as I am a Witch, what would I possibly know about angels? So, she speed-read the book, set up her altar, and starting working her mojo with the archangels; she asked them to stop her son from breaking any more laws and to stay out of trouble for at least six months.
What do you suppose happened? You guessed it. The kid got arrested on a felony offense, got locked up in juvie, and this time when he went in front of a judge, the judge was not amused, nor was he impressed by the parents’ social standings. He sentenced the boy to six months of living in a home for troubled boys. The court took custody of the boy and shipped him several hours away from his family—basically a step above prison, but not by much. And his mother was devastated. What would people say? What would people think? And my personal favorite—how could this have happened to her?
Yeah, she gets my vote as “Mother of the Year,” too.
Bottom line, she asked and they delivered. Angels are an energy source, and they are not there for you to go yanking on their astral chain (or wings, as the case may be) anytime you get bored. No, indeed. Think of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, or the LBR as it’s often called. When working the LBR, you are invoking four archangels, one at every direction, to protect and guard you. The LBR is a powerful protective ritual, and it is typically approached with reverence and used only as needed, not for every hangnail life throws at you.
Please keep all of this in mind as you work with the planetary angels and their associated flowers. Angel magick is fascinating and powerful. However, respect, knowledge, and care are your keywords (and actions) here.
Flowers and Herbs
of the Planetary Archangels
What angel wakes me from my flow’ry bed?
shakespeare, midsummer night’s dream
In angelology, there are many different versions of archangels that are associated with the planets of our solar system. Various magick systems assign an archangel to correspond with one of the traditional seven luminaries in the sky—those that, in turn, correspond to each day of the calendar week. There are also archangels assigned to the rest of the planets in our solar system as well.
Researching which angel went with which planet took weeks. In the end, I went with the most common planetary associations and decided to let folks decide for themselves. So, by all means, if you have different magickal correspondences for the planetary angels and it works for you, then stick with that. Follow your instincts and intuition, and see where your Witch’s heart leads you. Remember to work this type of magick carefully and be very specific in what you ask for. Angels don’t choose favorites; they are a force of nature, and they are neutral. Use your common sense and your intelligence, and you’ll be fine.
The following ten planetary archangels and their coordinating magickal information are listed this time in order of how they are arranged in our solar system, beginning with the sun.
Michael, Archangel of the Sun: His flower is the marigold, his day is Sunday. You can call on him for strength, divine protection, truth, and illumination.
Raphael, Archangel of Mercury: His flower is the iris, his day is Wednesday. Raphael can be called on for healing, power, information, purification, and determination.
Aniel/Anael, Archangel of Venus: Her flower is the wild rose, her day is Friday. Call on her for love, sympathy, consideration, peace, beauty, and wisdom.
Gabriel, Archangel of the Moon: Her flower is honesty, her day is Monday. Call on Gabriel to help make your dreams come true. She can help bring new projects and ideas to fruition. Gabriel is the angel of magick, clairvoyance, and visions, and she also assists with issues of fertility, birth, and children, and for the courage to overcome your darkest fears.
Samael, Archangel of Mars: His flower is the woodbine (honeysuckle), his day is Tuesday. Call on him for courage, bravery, and self-empowerment. He can help you right wrongs, increase your strength of will, and give your personal energy a boost.
Sachiel, Archangel of Jupiter: His flower is the violet, his day is Thursday. Call on him in matters of justice, the law, understanding, wealth, victory, keeping a sense of humor, and for kindness.
Cassiel, Archangel of Saturn: His flower is the snowdrop, his tree is the cypress. His day is Saturday. Also known as the angel of temperance, he brings creativity, confidence, and good luck. (Recall the flower fascination for creativity worked with Cassiel from Chapter 8.)
Auriel/Uriel, Archangel of Uranus: Her flowers are the gentian and the torch lily, which is commonly known as the perennial named red hot poker. Call on Uriel when you feel stressed and out of sorts and are in need of peace and tranquility. Her complementary day is Wednesday.
Raziel, Archangel of Neptune: His flower is the poppy. This angel rules over the seas, enchantment, intuition, visions, precognitive dreams, and miracles. Raziel is also the keeper of the mysteries of all magick and esoteric knowledge. His complementary day is Friday.
Azrael, Archangel of Pluto: His herb is basil and the blossoms of the green bean. The time to contact this angel is at midnight. He can help you remove blocks to your spiritual growth. He can also assist you in discovering what is hidden and in looking beneath the surface to see the truth. His complementary day is Tuesday.
Flowers, Herbs, and Trees of the Zodiac
See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—
grows in silence; see the stars,
the moon and the sun,
how they move in silence....
mother teresa
As I worked my way through this topic, I began to notice there were two schools of thought on the flowers of the zodiac. One presented flowers, herbs, and trees that coordinated with the ruling planet’s energies, and others disregarded it all together. My old Culpepper’s Herbal sometimes clashed with the astrological associations of Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, and I began to feel the grey hairs popping right out of my head—not to mention all the other reference books piled upon my desk and a nearby card table that did not agree with each other’s correspondences either.
This is what happens when a Witch doesn’t like astrology and turns up her nose at it. Eventually it bites you in the behind. In my quest for a deeper look into magickal herbalism, I received a bit of a life lesson, and if you listen closely, you’ll hear the gods chuckling at me right about now. Even in the green world of herbs and botanicals, the plants have energies and magickal powers that are ruled by the planets. Talk about your Witchery 101 refresher. Everything in nature and magick is interconnected.
Now, in popular culture, there are floral associations for the zodiac—and I have to say that they usually have absolutely nothing to do with the ruling planet of their particular astrological sign. How these plants came to be associated with them is anyone’s guess. I knew I was in trouble when even the local florists had lists of which flowers and trees were “best suited” to your astrological sign.
Imagine the look on the florists’ faces when I began frowning over their lists and muttering to myself, “Ah, hello, the rose is a flower of Venus, not the sun or Leo …” I received some pretty strange reactions, let me tell you. What can I say? People are weird.
So in order to keep things less confusing, I stuck with the herbal associations that link back into the ruling planet or planets of the astrological sign. This struck me as truer, and at the end of the day, it’s where your heart leads you that matters the most. My heart insisted on staying with the traditional astrological associations. Oh my goddess, you realize what this means, don’t you? I’ve gone astrological!
The Plants of the Zodiac Signs
Nature speaks in symbols and signs.
john greenleaf whittier
Capricorn (December 22 to January 19; ruled by Saturn): cypress, hemlock, holly, nightshade, pine tree, rue, snowdrop, Solomon’s seal, spruce, yew
Aquarius (January 20 to February 18; ruled by Saturn and Uranus): blackthorn, foxglove, mullein, pine tree, red hot poker, snowdrop, valerian (note: Uranus resonates with Mars, so some of these Aquarian plants are also Mars’ herbs)
Pisces (February 19 to March 20; ruled by Neptune and Jupiter): anise, catnip, clove, eucalyptus, gardenia, honeysuckle, jasmine, lemon, nutmeg, sage, sandalwood, sea plants (note: Neptune resonates with Venus, so a few of these Piscean plants are also Venus’s herbs)
Aries (March 21 to April 19; ruled by Mars): allspice, cactus, carrot, chili powder, fennel, frankincense, garlic, ginger, gorse, holly, hops, pepper, peppermint, pine, snapdragon, thistle, woodruff, wormwood, yucca
Taurus (April 20 to May 20; ruled by Venus): apple, birch, cardamom, catnip, cherry, daisy, honeysuckle, lilac, magnolia, myrtle, orchid, rose, sycamore, thyme, vanilla, violet, walnut, yarrow, ylang-ylang
Gemini (May 21 to June 20; ruled by Mercury): almond, bergamot, caraway, clover, dill, elecampane, fennel, horehound, lavender, lemongrass, lily of the valley, mace, mandrake, marjoram, mint, parsley, pecan, pomegranate
Cancer (June 21 to July 22; ruled by the moon): eucalyptus, gardenia, honesty, jasmine, lemon, lemon balm, lilac, lotus, moonflower, myrrh, nicotiana, pumpkin, sandalwood, wallflower, white rose
Leo (July 23 to August 22; ruled by the sun): bay, cinnamon, chrysanthemum, forsythia, frankincense, heliotrope, juniper, marigold, nutmeg, oak tree, orange, peony, palm tree, rosemary, rowan, sandalwood, sunflower, witch hazel
Virgo (August 23 to September 22; ruled by Mercury): bergamot, clover, dill, fennel, hazel tree, hazelnut, lavender, lemon verbena, mace, mandrake, marjoram, mint, mulberry, parsley, peppermint, southernwood
Libra (September 23 to October 22; ruled by Venus): apple, chamomile, catnip, heather, lilac, magnolia, marjoram, mugwort, orchid, rose, spearmint, sweet pea, tansy, thyme, tulip, vanilla, vervain, violet, yarrow
Scorpio (October 23 to November 21; ruled by Pluto and Mars): allspice, basil, holly, ginger, mandrake, mushroom, pine, poppies (note: Pluto resonates with Mars energy, so some of these plants of Scorpio are also Mars’s herbs)
Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21; ruled by Jupiter): chestnut tree, cinquefoil, clove, dandelion, honeysuckle (woodbine), hyssop, linden tree, maple tree, meadowsweet, mugwort, nutmeg, salvia
The Mysteries of Earth and Sky
I say the whole earth and all
the stars in the sky are for religion’s sake.
walt whitman
As we’ve discovered in this chapter, there are always new magickal lessons available to a seeker if they just look hard enough. Sometimes you have to get outside, hunker down, and make a thorough study of the plants and trees that surround you to gain access to those hidden lessons of nature. And occasionally, those of us who spend a lot of time in the world of plants and herbs need to remember to turn our gaze heavenwards and to silently contemplate the stars. For the stars are also a part of nature, and they have enchanting lessons for us as well. We all need a gentle reminder, now and then, that all of nature is indeed interconnected.