Learn and learn, ask and ask,
do not be ashamed.
—Paracelsus
Modern Witches may use herbs in two ways: through homeopathy and natural medicine, and in magickal applications for health and healing as well as success, prosperity, harmony, etc. The magickal intent of the herb always matches its medical intent, which is good—there’s less to confuse the mind. Therefore, if you don’t know what an herb can do on the magickal realm, and you can’t find it anywhere in books on magick, you can always read about its medicinal properties and match the energy of the plant to a specific magickal working. That means if Grandma is suffering from a cold, and we know that certain herbs mixed together in the right way to make a tea for her to drink can ease her symptoms, then we can also mix those same plants together and put them in an incense to smudge her room, in a sachet to put under her pillow, or in a magickal garland to hang over her bed. The nice thing about herbs in magick is that we don’t have to worry about dosage (how much Grandma should take that is safe), because Grandma is not eating or drinking your magickal project. The magick you do is a companion to what the medicine does; however, the magick should never take the place of the medicine. The magick is a healing helper, and sometimes, especially in emergencies, it is a healing starter.
At this point you might be saying, “Okay, but what if Grandma isn’t into herbs or natural medicine, and she hates tea? She’s taking something else. Will the magick still work?” Yes, because you have matched the healing properties of the herb to her illness. She can be taking prescription drugs from her doctor and you can be working healing magick with herbs, and they will still work together even though Grandma isn’t ingesting those herbs.
How can this be so? So far in this book we have talked about the unity of all things and how energy moves easily and in a natural way. We’ve also discussed the power of your mind and how it can be harnessed to work for the good of all, and how thoughts are things or energy that we can use in a positive way. In the correspondences section I’ve explained how the individual energy of a person, place, or thing can match, or be in sympathy, with a stone, plant, animal, or planet. If we put all these ideas together in one spell (which is what a spell is actually made of, these different ideas layered into one), then we can reach success without having Grandma drink something she thinks tastes nasty. Granted, Grandma will get better faster if she takes good care of herself, gets lots of sleep, eats right, reduces stress, visits the doctor, and keeps a positive mental attitude. As you can see, Grandma’s healing depends a lot on Grandma’s actions. That’s why, in any kind of healing, you can only say, “I will try.”
How do we know that using herbs in magick works? We’ve talked about healing, but what about success, getting a job, making more money, or passing that blasted chemistry exam? As with all magick, it begins with the certainty that what we want will come about, and the belief that what we are doing can work. This belief grows stronger with every magickal application we do. Once one spell works, then your confidence builds. This is why experimentation and practice on your part is so important to your ultimate success. To win, you have to try.
The History of Herbal Magick
Up until the seventeenth century, the sciences (magick, astrology, astronomy, philosophy, chemistry, and medicine, to name a few) were all lumped together. If you studied one, you studied them all. As a magickal person it is important that you know this because today, you are like those famous men and women of the Renaissance period who turned their eyes to the betterment of humankind. Many of them began studying at your age or even earlier. That’s why I laugh when some people say that teenagers can’t study magick. Some of the greatest medical and magickal works in history began germinating in the teen brain, except they weren’t considered teens then, they were considered adults. Only in this century are you given such a long life-span. Before, if you hit thirty, you were lucky. Plague, war, famine, and acts of political stupidity took you out at an early age.
Your historical company includes Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Kepler, Copernicus, and others. You laugh? Where are you right now? Are you out with the “common” teen, drinking in the parking lot? No, you are here with me, trying to figure out what makes the universe tick, and in that discovery working to make your life, and the lives of others, better—teen or otherwise.
In your studies of the Craft and magick, you will eventually have a more complete library than most people. It just happens. The more we seek, the bigger our library grows. In these books you will find tables of correspondences handed down from centuries past. Where did these tables come from and who put them together in the first place? Are these tables reliable? Just because it is in a book doesn’t make it so. We know that lots of errors have occurred in the past, especially where magickal work is concerned, due to the fact that it had to go underground. To answer some of these questions, we need to ride in the time machine of your mind and go back into history. Oh, don’t groan. When you go to your first Pagan festival, you can wow them with your astute grasp of the occult.
While the study of herbs can be traced to the early Greeks, one of the first writers to address the field of plants and medicine and their association to astrology and the magick of the times was Dioscorides. He was a Roman and his book was called De Materia Medica, published around a.d. 77. That’s about 2,000 years ago. While Dioscorides studied plants, his followers studied him! This means that for quite some time, future writers on the subject did not work with the plants themselves, but tried to match Dioscor-ides’ ideas to the vegetation in their own areas (which didn’t always match). This actually happens a lot in history, where information is handed from generation to generation, and in the process things get mixed up. If you consider your own classes at school, you’ll see what I mean. Think about the classes where you actively experiment with what you learn and compare them with the classes where you only study a book and don’t put what you’ve learned to the test of daily living. The hands-on stuff is fun and, because you did it yourself, you remember more. The book stuff is boring and you forget it faster. When you try to remember what you read you might get it wrong because you didn’t do any experiments to see if what you were reading was or is true.
By the 1500s, the European printing press was going full blast and even though the church condemned and murdered at will, brave thinkers like Agrippa von Nettesheim (1486–1535); Trithmius (1462–1516), and Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus (1493–1541) were pushing the envelope. Rather than just reading about stuff, they did experiments on what they wanted to learn, and the subjects of their study included alchemy, medicine, herbs, astrology, theology, and more.54 These guys were the scholars of their time, so you see you are in good company. What’s even better, they published their work (or at least took great lengths to preserve it) so that everyone could see it. Such people reexamined the classical works (Greek and Roman), and made revisions based on their own experiments. For plant lore this meant traveling to other areas, talking to all sorts of healers, and then bringing the information back to test. When the “doctors” of their time cut and ran because of the plague, these guys stuck around and tried to do the best they could. And you can probably guess that because of their individual courage they were hated by those guys that bailed out.
These men (Agrippa, Trithmius, and Paracelsus) and many of their contemporaries were certain that a world-soul existed—that we are all linked together in some way—and it is from this idea that correspondences involving herbals and astrology and magick were researched, developed, studied, and, most importantly, written down. It was Paracelsus who said the body was not a separate thing, but a house for the soul, and the physician should therefore treat both body and soul to turn the sick person into a well one. And you thought the idea was a New Age thing!
Just how famous were these guys? As an example, the Swiss Paracelsus is considered the father of pharmaceutical chemistry, modern wound surgery, and homeopathy—not bad. What interests us, however, is that he was also a magician who used folk remedies, amulets, talismans, and a variety of studies to heal his patients, which really made his Renaissance contemporaries angry and put church leaders in orbit. Paracelsus traveled all over Europe, talking to doctors, barbers (who often seconded as physicians), wisewomen, sorcerers, alchemists, nuns, bath attendants, magicians, knights, princes, kings, gypsies, and monks56—from the low ranks and from those of nobility, from the intelligent and the simple-minded—to collect as much information as he could for the purposes of healing. The fear of disease, he said, is more dangerous than disease itself.57 And just how many times have you heard that statement? If you’ve been involved in magick or healing for any length of time, probably once a day.
It is within the spirit of Paracelsus that we should view herbals and their vast healing properties, both medicinal and magickal. His Doctrine of Signatures stated that all plants were stamped with some physical sign of their qualities for healing as well as their qualities for things like success, protection, banishing, harmony, and so on. Over time, modern doctors threw this idea out because they had no knowledge of the occult. The idea that things might be “in sympathy” was considered stupid and childish, and they sought to disprove this theory. Because writers after Paracelsus fiddled with the original product and because the theory of the times was mixed with superstition (meaning things yet unproved), errors in the Doctrine of Signatures multiplied; however, Paracelsus wasn’t talking just about internal consumption, he was also talking about magick.
In the Doctrine of Signatures, Paracelsus and other scholars of his time looked at a plant’s family, the conditions in which it grew naturally, and the illness it supposedly cured when assigning a planetary association for healing and for magick. Granted, not every assumption made was accurate, and superstition (as mentioned earlier) still ran rampant in the fifteen and sixteen hundreds. Some people actually believed that bugs were created by rotting matter and that a crystal gemstone was petrified ice (both at which Paracelsus scoffed, by the way).
As the centuries progressed, the sciences split—chemistry moved into its own realm, medicine another, astronomy to yet a different area, magick went underground, and astrology drifted in and out of favor. As in Paracelsus’ time, the mood has shifted again, and we are back looking at the world-soul; the links between mind, body, and spirit; and the quest for magickal applications as we once again seek the understanding of how the human fits into the scheme of the universe.
Herbs and Astrology
Unlike other individuals who use herbs in the healing practice, the Witch pays attention to two distinct sciences: homeopathy and astrology. Homeopathy tells us the most modern information about the medical uses of the plant, and astrology gives us information on timing and sympathetic associations (the matching of energy patterns) between the plant itself and the purpose of the magick.
On the surface, the medical healer may pooh-pooh the idea of astrology mixed with medicine and personal well-being, and to be fair, we really can’t blame them. When the sciences split, people tended to focus on their chosen study to the exclusion of all else. If, then, they were only into the healing properties of plants, and spent years in experimentation, they would most likely not be wasting time looking at a science that they (on the surface) believed to be dissimilar. If, in the meantime, this dissimilar science fell out of favor, its information moving underground, the scientist would not be particularly joyful when it tried to reassert itself in society. This is exactly what happened between the medical community and the magickal one, and although the magickal community did not drop its understanding and search for real science, real science lost all concept of the occult teachings.
When dealing with herbs and magick in the modern Craft community, you will run across a book called Culpeper’s Herbal, which was first printed in 1652 in London under the title of The English Physician. Nickolas Culpeper became famous because he took the trouble to translate herbals into wording that common people could understand, and threw out exotic ingredients that could not be obtained by the butcher, baker, farmer, or candlestick maker. Notice, if you will, that this is one hundred years after Paracelsus was born. Culpeper stuck only to the healing properties of the herbs and threw out the magickal stuff, yet retained the astrological associations. With the magick gone, future readers and scholars of botany assumed that Cul-peper did not follow the Doctrine of Signatures, not understanding that he did indeed include it, because he always added the planetary influence under each entry. Culpeper’s herbal is important because (a) it is still quite popular (new editions give modern healing information as well as Culpeper’s original prose), and (b) it is one of the few books that managed to stay in print from the 1600s until now that hints at the magickal associations of plants (through the planetary associations listed). If you ever wonder what magickal folks in the 1900s were using for magickal research involving plants, you need only look at Culpeper’s herbal to get a general idea, because by then, little was available on the open market for magickal research purposes. Today, we are one up on Culpeper. Thanks to the late Scott Cunningham and his Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs and Paul Beyerl’s A Compendium of Herbal Magick you have a broad range of information that joins magick and herbalism together. In all honesty, we’ve only scratched the magickal surface when it comes to the realm of astrology, botany, and magick, but the information in this section will be enough to get you started. Where you take it from there is entirely up to you.
Supplies for Herbal Magick
Modern practitioners of magick believe that you can add an herb to any enchantment based on its inherent power (life force) and its associations, otherwise known as correspondences. General supplies for working with herbs include a mortar and pestle (preferably ceramic); a glass jar; a special knife that has been specifically cleansed, consecrated, and empowered for harvesting herbs and flowers; a small, wooden cutting board; and a strainer or cheesecloth. Other supplies might include small vials for elixirs, perfumes, oils, tinctures, and fluid condensers; cloth pouches for conjuring bags and sachets; needle and thread for stringing dried blossoms and herbs; cord (for hanging herbs upside down to dry); and small resealable plastic bags for storing powders, incense, and raw herbs. The most expensive item on this list is the mortar and pestle. You will also, at some point in time, need a large box or cabinet in which to keep these supplies.
Many modern practitioners also use spice grinders and food processors to grind difficult powders, nuts, fillers (such as rice), and cantankerous pieces of small bark. Read the machine’s instructions carefully, as most will not be adequate for your use and the equipment that can handle your heavy-duty work may be a bit pricey. This does not mean, however, that the mortar and pestle is abandoned. The mixture (when created in such a machine) is additionally hand ground in a magick circle with mortar and pestle, and often empowered at the same time through the clockwise grinding motion.
Herbal Doctrines and Signatures
for Basic Empowerment
When studying history we learned that just about everything, at one time or another, was associated with the elements, planetary influences, and astrological signs. Many magickal people study this lore to determine when they can get the most out of what. The only problem is that there are lots and lots of tables, lists, and books that describe the virtues (magickal correspondences) of any given object. As much of this information has been changed over time, how do you know what is “right” and what isn’t? The best way to handle this is to follow the idea that these tables (such as the ones provided in this book) are good for giving you a place to start, and then, as you learn more about magick and can draw from personal experience, follow up with your own ideas. Please remember that any herb can be empowered at any time, especially if the need is great.
The following list is provided for those who wish to plan a magickal application that takes advantage of the astrological and elemental energies associated with each section of a plant. A spell is offered afterward to show how you might use this information.
General Herbal Empowerments
roots
Type of elemental magick to use: Earth/air.
Associated planet: Saturn.
Empower when the moon is in: Capricorn or Aquarius.
sap
Type of elemental magick to use: Fire.
Associated planet: Sun.
Empower when the moon is in: Aries or Leo; or when the moon is in your sun sign.
bark
Type of elemental magick to use: Air/earth.
Associated planet: Mercury.
Empower when the moon is in: Gemini or Virgo.
leaves
Type of elemental magick to use: Water.
Associated planet: Moon.
Empower when the moon is in: Cancer or when the moon is in your natal moon sign.
flowers
Type of elemental magick to use: Air/earth.
Associated planet: Venus.
Empower when the moon is in: Taurus or Libra.
fruit
Type of elemental magick to use: Fire/water.
Associated planet: Jupiter.
Empower when the moon is in: Sagittarius or Pisces.
seeds and peels
Type of elemental magick to use: Air/earth.
Associated planet: Mercury.
Empower when the moon is in: Gemini or Virgo.
Let’s say you would like to do a flower spell for love. You might go to the store and choose specific flowers, or you might want to work with the ones in the back yard if you are short on cash. Let’s also say that you have gone through one of the herbal books I mentioned above or checked out the flower table on page 280 and noticed that the flowers you have chosen are assigned planets or elements that do not match each other, or perhaps there is no mention of the planetary or elemental association at all. What should you choose? This is where the above list comes in handy.
In our list, flowers are ruled by the elements air and earth, and specifically ruled by the planet Venus. As Venus (in goddess form) is the energy of love, she’s the deity figure we’ll use in this spell. According to our chart, we can choose either air magick or earth magick (or both). For this spell we will whisper a chant, which matches the air element. As Libra is the air sign associated with flowers, we’ll choose a time when the moon is in Libra. Now, that does mean that we’ll have to wait until the moon slides into Libra. What if we look in our almanac and see that when the moon is in Libra, it’s in the wrong quarter to pull something toward you? Now what do you do? First, look to see if the moon in Taurus falls at a better time (which it probably does). In that case, choose the moon in Taurus. This is okay because the planet Venus also rules Taurus. Yes, you could change the type of magick to earth magick and get the same results to better match the Taurus energy, but I’m being difficult on purpose so that you can see how this works.
Now it’s time to choose other ingredients for this love spell. How about a pink candle, your favorite perfume, a pencil, gold thread, and a needle (as well as the flowers you have selected).
On the night you chose in advance (from looking at the table above and your almanac), place all your supplies on the altar. Cast a magick circle and call the quarters. Cleanse, consecrate, and empower the supplies with the four elements and the appropriate words of power. With a pencil, draw the symbol of the planet Venus (
) on the candle. Dress the candle with your favorite perfume. Hold the candle in your hands, thinking about the type of love you would like to draw toward yourself (don’t think of a specific person, as that would be inhibiting his or her free will). Connect with the Lady Venus. Visualize what you think she looks like. Now ask her to bring love into your life. Know that love belongs to you and believe that you can have love. Accept this love. Light the candle.
Thread the needle and tie a knot at one end. Carefully string the flowers along the thread. Your flower garland will be as long as the thread you’ve cut, so be sure to have enough flowers and keep at least four inches of thread on either side of the flowers. As you string the flowers, keep repeating:
I walk in beauty, like the night
of cloudless climes and starry skies;
and all that’s best of dark and bright
meet in my aspect and my eyes.58
When the garland is finished, hold your hands over the flowers and say:
Lady Venus, my path has led me
to new realms of spirituality.
I seek relationships that will
show me the fulfillment of life,
that can allow me to exercise true harmony
on my spiritual path, and bring toward me
eloquence of thought and deed.
So mote it be.59
Thank divinity, release the quarters, and release the circle. Hang the garland outside your bedroom window, saying:
Spirits of air and spirits of earth
(if you chose the moon in Taurus),
guide my desire to its fruition.
Herbal Magickal Applications
Like gems and stones, herbs can be carried in a pocket or purse and used as amulets and talismans. These herbs are usually cleansed, consecrated, and empowered by the Witch in a magick circle. Roots and seeds work particularly well as an amulet or talisman as you don’t need to put them in a cloth bag (though you can to protect their energy). The following list gives you the herb, purpose, planetary influence, the best day, and the preferred quarter of the moon on which to empower the herb.
Please note that none of the following are meant to be eaten.
acorn (from oak)
Purpose: Health, money, healing, protection, and luck.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Sunday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
almond
Purpose: Prosperity, money, and wisdom.
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Day to empower: Wednesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
apricot pit
Purpose: Love.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Day to empower: Friday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
avocado pit
Purpose: Beauty.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Day to empower: Friday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
bamboo
Purpose: Protection, luck, repelling negative energy, wishes.
Planetary influence 1: Sun—luck, wishes, and protection.
Day to empower: Sunday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
Planetary influence 2: Saturn—banish negative energy.
Day to empower: Saturday.
Quarter to empower: Third or fourth.
brazil nut
Purpose: Love.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Day to empower: Friday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
cashew
Purpose: Money.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Sunday or Thursday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
cedar
Purpose: Healing, money and protection.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Healing—Sunday; money—Thursday; protection—Saturday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
chestnut
Purpose: Love, money.
Planetary influence: Jupiter.
Day to empower: Love—Friday; money—Thursday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
cinnamon stick
Purpose: Spirituality, success, healing, psychic powers, protection, love and money.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Sunday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
cloves
Purpose: Protection, exorcism, love, money.
Planetary influence: Jupiter.
Day to empower: Protection—Monday (Quarter to empower: First and second); Love—Friday; Money—Thursday; Exorcism—Saturday (Quarter to empower: Third or fourth).
cotton
Purpose: Luck, healing, protection, rain.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Day to empower: Monday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
fig
Purpose: Divination, love.
Planetary influence: Jupiter.
Day to empower: Thursday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
ginger root
Purpose: Love, money, success, power.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Day to empower: Tuesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
ginseng
Purpose: Love, wishes, healing, beauty,
protection and lust.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Sunday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
high john the conqueror root
Purpose: Money, love, success, happiness.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Day to empower: Tuesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
holly leaf
Purpose: Protection, luck, dream magick.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Day to empower: Tuesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
horse chestnut
Purpose: Money and healing.
Planetary influence: Jupiter.
Day to empower: Thursday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
mint sprig
Purpose: Money, healing, travel, protection, banishing.
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Day to empower: Wednesday; Saturday (banishing).
Quarter to empower: First and second except banishing, which is third or fourth.
moss
Purpose: Luck and money.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Day to empower: Monday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
mustard seed
Purpose: Protection, mental powers, faith.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Day to empower: Tuesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
peach pit
Purpose: Love, longevity, wishes, banishing.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Day to empower: Friday; Saturday (banishing).
Quarter to empower: First and second for all except banishing, which is third and fourth.
pine cone
Purpose: Healing, protection, money, banishing.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Day to empower: Tuesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second for all except banishing, which is third and fourth.
pistachio nut
Purpose: Break a love spell (in case you made a boo-boo).
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Day to empower: Wednesday.
Quarter to empower: Third and fourth quarter.
radish
Purpose: Protection.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Day to empower: Tuesday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
sunflower seeds
Purpose: Wishes, health, wisdom.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Sunday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
vanilla beans
Purpose: Love and mental powers.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Day to empower: Friday.
Quarter to empower: First and second.
walnut
Purpose: Health, mental powers, wishes.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Day to empower: Sunday.
Quarter to empower: First and second or when the moon is in your sun sign.
Asperging
Asperge means to sprinkle sacred water around an area in a ritual way. This is often done by bunching fresh herbs together, empowering them for purification, then dipping them in a chalice or cup of holy water and allowing the water to lightly drip off the herbs as you walk clockwise around the ritual space. You can use specific colored ribbon or plain cord to bundle the herbs. Although fresh is best, you can dry bunches of herbs to use in asperging at a later date (see page 283.
The following list represents the most common herbs and flowers used for asperging. Although you can conjure an herb to work at any time, they may work better for you when the moon is in the associated astrological sign. Note: For those of you who are using Culpeper, Cunningham, or Beryl’s herbal guides, you will notice that the elements listed here do not match the elements in these books. Those listed here are taken from what is called classical astrology, and elements match the originally assigned planetary rulers of material written in the 1600s.
african violet
Ritual purpose: Spirituality and protection.
Planetary/elemental influence: Venus/air, earth.
Use when moon is in: Libra or Taurus.
aloe
Ritual purpose: Love and spirituality.
Planetary/elemental influence: Moon/water.
Use when moon is in: Cancer or when the moon is in your moon sign.
angelica
Ritual purpose: Banishing, protection, healing, visions.
Planetary/elemental influence: Sun/fire.
Use when moon is in: Leo or when the moon is in your sun sign.
basil
Ritual purpose: Astral travel, love, banishing, wealth, protection.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mars/fire, water.
Use when moon is in: Aries or Scorpio.
birch
Ritual purpose: Protection, banishing, purification.
Planetary/elemental influence: Venus/air, earth.
Use when moon is in: Libra or Taurus.
holly
Ritual purpose: Protection, luck, and dream magick.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mars/fire, water.
Use when moon is in: Aries or Scorpio.
honeysuckle
Ritual purpose: Money, psychic powers, and protection.
Planetary/elemental influence: Jupiter/fire, water.
Use when moon is in: Sagittarius or Pisces.
ivy
Ritual purpose: Protection and healing.
Planetary/elemental influence: Saturn/earth, air.
Use when moon is in: Capricorn or Aquarius.
lavender
Ritual purpose: Love, protection, sleep, longevity, purification, happiness.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mercury/earth, air.
Use when moon is in: Virgo or Gemini.
lettuce
Ritual purpose: Protection, love divination, sleep.
Planetary/elemental influence: Moon/water.
Use when moon is in: Cancer or when the moon is in your natal moon sign.
lilac
Ritual purpose: Banishing and protection.
Planetary/elemental influence: Venus/earth, air.
Use when moon is in: Taurus or Libra.
mimosa
Ritual purpose: Protection, love, prophetic dreams, and purification.
Planetary/elemental influence: Saturn/earth, air.
Use when moon is in: Capricorn or Aquarius.
mint
Ritual purpose: Money, healing, travel, banishing, and protection.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mercury/air, earth.
Use when moon is in: Gemini or Virgo.
oak
Ritual purpose: Protection, health, money, healing, fertility and luck.
Planetary/elemental influence: Sun/fire.
Use when moon is in: Leo or when the moon is in your sun sign.
parsley
Ritual purpose: Protection and purification.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mercury/air, earth.
Use when moon is in: Gemini or Virgo.
pine
Ritual purpose: Healing, protection, banishing, and money.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mars/fire, water.
Use when moon is in: Aries or Scorpio.
snapdragon
Ritual purpose: Protection and purification.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mars/fire, water.
Use when moon is in: Aries or Scorpio.
spanish moss
Ritual purpose: Protection and purification.
Planetary/elemental influence: Mercury/air, earth.
Use when moon is in: Gemini or Virgo.
tulip
Ritual purpose: Prosperity, love, and protection.
Planetary/elemental influence: Venus/earth, air.
Use when moon is in: Taurus or Libra.
willow
Ritual purpose: Love, divination, protection, and healing.
Planetary/elemental influence: Moon/water.
Use when moon is in: Cancer or when the moon is in your natal moon sign.
Herbs are also used in holy water, as adornment for the body, the altar, and for sacred space, in spiritual baths, food preparation, floor washes, magickal powders, incense, pillows, sachets, and poppets. They can be strewn about a ritual space, pressed and placed under a candle in candle magick spells, or strung on string as garlands. They are sometimes used as the sole focus of a spell and at other times as useful additions to the magickal working.
The Magick in Flowers
In the discreet courting process of the Victorian era, a bouquet of flowers came to serve a specific purpose as a secret code, which added to their magickal lore. The number of leaves on a decorative branch might indicate the date and time of a secret rendezvous, and the blooms meant the emotional intent of the exchange. First circulated in lists, and then in published books, coded bouquets were, for a while, extremely popular.60
Flowers for Magickal Sachets,
Dream Pillows, and Poppets
aster
Magickal purpose: Love.
Herbal code: Beginnings.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
bachelor’s button
Magickal purpose: Love.
Herbal code: Hope and solitude.
Planetary influence: Jupiter.
Best day to empower: Thursday.
bird of paradise
Magickal purpose: Love.
Herbal code: Strange and wonderful event.
Planetary influence: Mars.
Best day to empower: Tuesday.
buttercup
Magickal purpose: Love and healing.
Herbal code: Childlike.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Best day to empower: Monday.
chrysanthemum
Magickal purpose: Protection.
Herbal code: Truth (white); slighted love (yellow).
Planetary influence: Sun.
Best day to empower: Sunday.
crocus
Magickal purpose: Love and visions.
Herbal code: Do not abuse.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
daffodil
Magickal purpose: Love and luck.
Herbal code: Chivalry.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
daisy
Magickal purpose: Love.
Herbal code: Innocence.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
dogwood
Magickal purpose: Protection and wishes.
Herbal code: Endurance.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Best day to empower: Monday.
forget-me-not
Magickal purpose: Love and memory.
Herbal code: Remembrance.
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Best day to empower: Wednesday.
gardenia
Magickal purpose: Love, peace, healing, and spirituality.
Herbal code: Grace.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Best day to empower: Monday.
heather
Magickal purpose: Love, protection, rainmaking, and luck.
Herbal code: Passion (red); protection from passionate acts (white).
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
honeysuckle
Magickal purpose: Love, money, psychic powers, and protection.
Herbal code: Captivating love.
Planetary influence: Jupiter.
Best day to empower: Thursday.
hyacinth
Magickal purpose: Love, protection, and happiness.
Herbal code: Flirting.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
iris
Magickal purpose: Purification and wisdom.
Herbal code: Messages.
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Best day to empower: Wednesday.
jasmine
Magickal purpose: Love, money, prophetic dreams.
Herbal code: Good luck.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Best day to empower: Monday.
lavender
Magickal purpose: Love, protection, sleep, longevity, purification, happiness, and peace.
Herbal code: I don’t trust you.
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Best day to empower: Wednesday.
lilac
Magickal purpose: Banishing and protection.61
Herbal code: Love’s first crush.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday but use on a Saturday for banishing.
lily
Magickal purpose: Protection, breaking love spells.62
Herbal code: Innocence and purity.
Planetary influence: Moon.
Best day to empower: Monday but use on a Saturday for banishing.
magnolia
Magickal purpose: Love and fidelity.
Herbal code: Dignity.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
marigold
Magickal purpose: Protection, dreams, legal matters, and psychic powers.
Herbal code: Success.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Best day to empower: Sunday.
orchid63
Magickal purpose: Love.
Herbal code: Ecstasy.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
peony
Magickal purpose: Protection and banishing.
Herbal code: Secrets, shyness, and prosperous.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Best day to empower: Sunday but use on a
Saturday for banishing.
rose
Magickal purpose: Love, psychic powers, healing, love divination, luck, and protection.
Herbal code: Jealousy (yellow); love (red); white (silence).
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
rosemary
Magickal purpose: Love, protection, mental powers, banishing, purification, healing, sleep, youth.
Herbal code: Remembrance.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Best day to empower: Sunday, but use on Saturday if you are banishing.
sunflower
Magickal purpose: Wishes, health, wisdom, money magicks.
Herbal code: Power.
Planetary influence: Sun.
Best day to empower: Sunday.
sweet pea
Magickal purpose: Friendship, courage, and strength.
Herbal code: Impetuous.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
tulip
Magickal purpose: Love, prosperity, and protection.
Herbal code: Declaration of love.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
violet
Magickal purpose: Love, luck, wishes, peace, healing, and protection.
Herbal code: Faithfulness.
Planetary influence: Venus.
Best day to empower: Friday.
wisteria
Magickal purpose: Mental clarity.
Herbal code: I cling to thee.
Planetary influence: Mercury.
Best day to empower: Wednesday.
Drying Herbs and Flowers
for Magickal Use
Although you can buy prepackaged herbs and dried flowers, you may wish to dry your own to ensure that they have been harvested at the right time. You can hang bundled herbs with long stems from the rafters of your attic or garage, or you can screw cup holders into the wall, balance a dowel between them, and hang the herb bunches from the dowel. Another method is to hang the bunches from coat hangers. Choose a place without direct sun, as sunlight will darken the leaves and evaporate essential oils. Dry herbs also need air circulation to prevent molding. Scatter those herbs that are too small to be tied into bundles on clean stainless-steel window screening. Screens can be stacked using wooden blocks or bricks that leave a six-inch space between the screens. For magickal purposes, it is unnecessary to separate stems from leaves (though some magickal people prefer to separate them), but you do want to remove discolored or molded leaves, and store the leaves whole. The less you handle them, the better. Store in airtight plastic bags, plastic containers, or glass jars. Flowers and leaves maintain their magickal properties for one year; roots and bark for two. Remember to label all herbs with their names, harvest dates, and magickal properties.
Healing Herbs for
Magickal Purposes
The following list details the most common ailments and the healing herbs associated with them using homeopathic rules (hence some of the duplications); however, the table is for magickal purposes only and does not represent anything to be eaten. It is also understood that if you or a family member suffers from these conditions, you have consulted a qualified physician for assistance. Another note of caution: When you handle herbs for magickal purposes, you should wash your hands before and after working with them. Never put your fingers in your mouth while mixing herbs. If you burn any of the herbs, do so in a well-ventilated area, and do not put your face directly over the smoke of any herb that you haven’t first researched.
Use one or all listed in each category below in an herbal sachet or poppet, or scatter at the base of a candle. These are not to be eaten. The curative herbal association mixtures are for magickal purposes only. Note: Only classical planetary rulerships are used in this listing.
abscess
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Dandelion (Jupiter, fire). Echinacea (Jupiter, fire). Yellow dock (Jupiter, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Sagittarius.
anemia
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Dandelion (Jupiter, fire). Nettle (Mars, fire). Yellow dock (Jupiter, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Sagittarius or Aries.
angina
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Garlic (Mars, fire/water). Ginger (Mars, fire/water). Hawthorn (Mars, fire/water).
Empower when the moon is in: Scorpio.
anxiety (1)
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Hops (Mars, fire). Rue (Mars, fire). St. John’s Wort (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Aries or Leo, or when the moon is in your sun sign.
anxiety (2)
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Oats (Venus, air). Passionflower (Venus, air). Skullcap (Saturn, air). Valerian (Venus, air). Vervain (Venus, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra.
arthritis (1)
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Burdock (Venus, air). Celery seed (Mercury, air). Evening primrose (Venus, air). Feverfew (Venus, air). Turmeric (Mercury, air). Willow (moon, water).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra or
Gemini.
arthritis (2)
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Cayenne pepper (Mars, fire). Ginger (Mars, fire). Nettles (Mars, fire). Pineapple (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Aries or the sun, or when the moon is in your sun sign.
asthma
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Coffee (Mars, fire). Garlic (Mars, fire). Rosemary (sun, fire). Tea (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Aries or the sun, or when the moon is in your sun sign.
back pain
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Cayenne pepper (Mars, fire). Chamomile (sun, fire). Cinnamon (sun, fire). Ginger (Mars, fire). Rosemary (sun, fire). St. John’s Wort (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Aries or the sun, or when the moon is in your sun sign.
bladder infection
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Corn silk (Venus, air). Cranberry (Jupiter, water). Dandelion (Jupiter, water). Echinacea (Jupiter, water). Goldenrod (Venus, air). Uva ursi (Jupiter, water).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra or Pisces.
burns
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Comfrey (Saturn, earth). Lavender (Mercury, earth).
Empower when the moon is in: Capricorn or Virgo.
cholesterol (high)
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Fenugreek (Mercury, air). Garlic (Mars, fire). Ginger (Mars, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Mars or Gemini.
cold or bronchitis
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Cayenne pepper (Mars, fire). Echinacea (Jupiter, fire). Eyebright (sun, fire). Garlic (Mars, fire). Horehound (Mercury, air). Hyssop (Jupiter, fire). Peppermint (Mercury, air). Thyme (Venus, air). Yarrow (Venus, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Gemini, or Libra.
depression
Herbal mixture, planetary influence, and
associated element: Ginseng (sun, fire). Lavender (Mercury, air). Oats (Venus, air). St. John’s Wort (sun, fire). Vervain (Venus, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Leo, Gemini, or Libra, or when the moon is in your sun sign.
gallstones
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Dandelion (Jupiter, water). Milk thistle (moon, water). Peppermint (Mercury, air). Turmeric (Mercury, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Cancer or Gemini.
heartburn
Herbal mixture, planetary influence, and associated element: Aloe (moon, water). Cabbage (moon, water). Peppermint (Mercury, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Cancer or Gemini.
high blood pressure
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Dandelion (Jupiter, fire). Garlic (Mars, fire). Hawthorn (Mars, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Pisces or Scorpio.
infection, general
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Garlic (Mars, fire). Ginger (Mars, fire). Lemon balm (moon, moon). Orange peel (sun, fire). Olive (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Cancer, Scorpio, or Leo.
insomnia
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Catnip (Venus, air). Chamomile (sun, fire). Lavender (Mercury, air). Lemon balm (moon, water). Skullcap (Saturn, air). Valerian (Venus, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra, Gemini, or Cancer.
multiple sclerosis
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Evening primrose (Venus, air). Purslane (moon, water).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra.
pneumonia
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Echinacea (Jupiter, fire). Goldenseal (sun, fire). Licorice (Venus, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Leo, Sagittarius, or Libra.
osteoporosis
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Alfalfa (Venus, air). Horsetail (Saturn, air). Red clover (Mercury, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra or Aquarius.
sprain
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Chestnuts (Jupiter, fire). St. John’s Wort (sun, fire). Witch hazel (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Leo.
stress
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Chamomile (sun, fire). Hops (Mars, fire). Linden (Jupiter, fire). Passionflower (Venus, air). Valerian (Venus, air).
Empower when the moon is in: Sagittarius, Leo, or Libra.
stroke
Herbal mixture, planetary influence, and associated element: Alfalfa (Venus, air). Garlic (Mars, fire). Ginger (Mars, fire). Hawthorn (Mars, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Aries.
warts
Herbal mixture (planetary influence, associated element): Banana peel (Venus, air). Bloodroot (Mars, fire). Cedar (sun, fire). Dandelion (Jupiter, fire). Pineapple (sun, fire).
Empower when the moon is in: Libra or Leo.
Herbal Sachets for Healing
Herbal sachets are easy to make. All you need is a white handkerchief, a ribbon, and herbs. A small picture of the sick person can be placed inside the bundle, or you can put the bundle on top of the picture. Grind the herbs with mortar and pestle. Place in the center of a new, clean, white handkerchief. Empower the herbs in the magick circle, using your favorite ritual format. You can also add small gemstones or other natural objects to the bundle. Close the bundle by pulling up each corner, one at a time, saying:
From the east—healing and happiness
for (say the person’s name).
From the south—healing and happiness
for (repeat name).
From the west—healing and happiness
for (repeat name).
From the north—healing and happiness
for (repeat name).
From the four corners of the universe,
I call for healing for (repeat name).
In the name of (name your personal deity,
or a healing deity here),
the healing has begun!
Tie the bundle shut, chanting: “The healing has won, the sickness is done!” When you are finished, say: “So mote it be!” (And mean it.)
Give to the sick person as a healing charm, or if you think they would not accept it, place the bundle on your altar. Burn a white candle to boost the spell. You may wish to select three or more herbs from the general healing list below. Remember fire and air work best together, and earth and water work best together. Because certain planets rule more than one sign, or share signs, you may have a choice in element due to the classical associations. For example, in the classical system, Mars rules Aries, a fire sign, and Scorpio, a water sign.
ash
Ruling planet: Sun.
Element: Fire.
caraway
Ruling planet: Mercury.
Element: Air/earth.
coriander
Ruling planet: Mars.
Element: Fire/water.
fern
Ruling planet: Mercury.
Element: Air/earth.
geranium
Ruling planet: Venus.
Element: Air/earth.
juniper
Ruling planet: Sun.
Element: Fire.
marjoram
Ruling planet: Mercury.
Element: Air/earth.
nutmeg
Ruling planet: Jupiter.
Element: Fire/air.
oak
Ruling planet: Sun.
Element: Fire.
rue
Ruling planet: Mars.
Element: Fire/water.
st. john’s wort
Ruling planet: Sun.
Element: Fire.
sassafras
Ruling planet: Jupiter.
Element: Air/fire.
tansy
Ruling planet: Venus.
Element: Air/earth.
thyme
Ruling planet: Venus.
Element: Air/earth.
walnut
Ruling planet: Sun.
Element: Fire.
The Herbal Code
In old magickal recipes and spells, strange ingredients are often called for that cannot always be taken literally. In one ancient Greco-Egyptian spell, the recipe called for “the navel of a male crocodile,” which really meant pondweed; “the heart of a baboon” meant oil of lily.64 Here’s what those unusual nouns really meant! (Examples taken primarily from Raven Grimassi’s Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, pages 180 and 181.) The “sacrifice” in folklore was usually an egg buried in the ground.
Dead man: Ash or mandrake root carved in a crude human shape or poppet
Adder’s tongue: Plantain
Bat’s wing: Holly leaf
Bat’s wool: Moss
Blood: Elder sap
Bloody fingers: Foxglove
Bodily fluids: Houseleek
Brains: Congealed gum from a cherry tree
Bull’s blood: Horehound
Corpse candles: Mullein
Crocodile dung: Black earth
Dragon’s scales: Bistort leaves
Ear of an ass: Comfrey
Ear of a goat: St. John’s Wort
Eyes: Eyebright
Fingers: Cinquefoil
Hair: Maidenhair fern
Hand: The expanded frond from a male fern used to make the true hand of glory, which is nothing more than a candle made of wax mixed with fern
Heart: Walnut
Lion’s tooth: Dandelion
Skin of a man: Fern
Skull: Skullcap
Snake: Bistort
Snake’s blood: Hematite stone
Tongue of dog: Hound’s tongue
Tooth or teeth: Pinecones
Unicorn horn: True unicorn root
Worms: Gnarled, thin roots of a local tree
Herbal/Animal Associations
Blue jay: Bay laurel
Cat: Catnip
Cuckoo: Orchids or plantain
Dog: Crouchgrass
Frog: Cinquefoil
Hawk: Hawkweed
Lamb: Lamb’s lettuce
Linnets: Eyebright
Lizard: Calamint
Nightingale: Hops
Rat: Valerian
Sheep: Dandelion
Snake: Fennel or bistort
Toad: Sage
Weasel: Rue
Woodpeckers: Peony
Herbal Glossary
The following is a limited glossary of magickal herbal terms.
Attunement/Enchantment: Psychically infusing the herbal mixture with a mental picture of your need.
Bath (spiritual/herbal): Used to cleanse body, mind, and spirit by empowering the properties of the herbs and placing in bath water through means of a sachet or infusion.
Blessing: Connecting the power of the herb to the power of deity.
Chaplet: Flowers and leaves woven to create a crown for handfastings and High Holy Days.
Conjuration: Cleansing and consecration that involves removing all negativity from the herb, and then attuning that herb to the service of the divine.
Decoction: Much like an infusion except that it is made from roots and barks. Boil for up to twenty minutes to activate the chemical, rather than steep.
Incense: A combination of plant materials (and sometimes essential oils) and a base material that is mixed, then burned or smoldered on a charcoal briquette designed specifically for incense.
Infusion: The process of soaking herbs in hot water. Use one teaspoon dried herb to every cup of water. Heat water until just boiling. Pour over herb. Cover. Steep ten to twenty minutes. Strain and cool before using. Infusions, considered the original Witch’s potion, are drunk as teas, added to baths, rubbed into furniture and floors, or used to anoint the body. Warning: Short shelf life.
Ointment: Herbs mixed with a lard or beeswax base. More modern practitioners use one teaspoon of an herbal tincture with one ounce of commercial skin lotion.
Powders: Herbs ground to a fine powder and added to colored talc or fine-colored sand. Used to place under carpets, around doorsteps, in gris-gris bags, stuffed in poppets, loaded in candles, etc.
Sachet: Attuned herbs placed in a small bag or piece of cloth that is tied or sewn shut. Sachets can be worn or placed under pillows or other areas of the house for all manner of magickal workings. Sometimes called mojo bags, charm bags, or gris-gris bags.
Tincture: Extract made with alcohol rather than a water base. More concentrated in form and a longer shelf life. Standard formula for a tincture is five ounces of vodka, brandy, or apple cider vinegar and one ounce of the herb left to sit for six weeks in a sealable container. Shake the mixture every few days and, as with all herbals, keep out of direct sunlight. For purposes of this book, tinctures are not to be taken internally.