Plants – Melusina The Green Witch

Gorgeous Gorse

Gorse bushes, or Furze, are often seen around Ostara and is another of Mother Nature’s bright and beautiful announcements that Spring is here.

It is a perennial evergreen shrub belonging to the pea family, which forms multi-branched, stunted shrubs, usually no taller than six feet high, but it is still considered to be a tree.

The flowers are deep yellow in colour and have a beautifully aromatic coconut scent and, although the main flowering period is from March to August, flowers can be found on the furze throughout the year.

It’s wickedly sharp thorns and its dense habit make it an excellent hedging plant, which can also be used as a barrier to protect young tree seedlings in coppices from grazing.

Due to it’s thorny nature, it is often viewed as having protective powers. In Wales, gorse bushes are even said to guard against Witches and can protect the home against The Fae, who cannot pass through the hedge.

The bark and flowers of the gorse can be used to produce a yellow dye. In Ireland, the flowers were also used to flavour and add colour to whiskey and they’ve been known to be used to make beer in Denmark. The flowers can also be used to make wine and tea.

Medicinal properties

There was a Bach Flower Remedy (Edward Bach was an English homeopath in the 1930s) called “Greenman Essence of Gorse”, which was said to help to ease frustration, restlessness and anxiety, and also helped to promote emotional security and feelings of joy.

Gorse flowers are high in proteins and can be eaten raw in salads or made into tea, cordial or syrup. They can also add extra flavour and colour to beer, wine or spirits and even ice cream!

The buds can also be pickled in vinegar and eaten like capers.

**CAUTION: Do not ingest to excess, as the plant contains slightly toxic alkaloids, which can have a cumulative impact.**

There are surprisingly few medicinal uses for gorse, although its flowers have historically been used in the treatment of jaundice, scarlet fever, diarrhoea and kidney stones.

Magickal properties

Gorse is known as the ‘herb of love’ and is associated with love, romance and weddings. It is also known to protect against evil, negativity and dark magick.

It can help to restore faith, hope and optimism and enable you to gather your strength. It also attracts gold, so it is very useful in money, wealth and abundance spells.

Gorse Spell

Carve the word “Gorse” into a gold or yellow candle, then face east and light the candle. Then meditate on the light, whilst asking for for protection, money, love or whatever it has to offer that you desire.

Lucky Clover

With it being the 17th March in a few days, and therefore St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d write a little about clover, as it’s synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day and the luck of the Irish.

I know people usually refer to them as shamrocks, but they’re the same thing. A clover must have three leaves to be considered a shamrock. If the clover has more or less, then it is not a shamrock. Hence, all shamrocks are clovers, but not all clovers are shamrocks!!

There are a wide variety of different types of clover, all of which can be used in your magickal workings.

Clover has always been seen as a lucky plant, which is likely due to the religious connotations associated with the trifoliate (three) leaves, which symbolise the Holy Trinity. Due to this, they were often worn for protection and to deflect evil and spells.

On the other hand, four leaved clovers are often associated with the cross and were believed to bring the finder fortune. In some cultures, four-leaf clovers were worn to help a man avoid military service. They have also been used to enhance physic powers and to detect the presence of spirits. Placing a four leaved clover in your shoe is also supposed to increase your chances of meeting a rich new lover.

Two and five-leaved clovers are much less common than four-leaf clovers, but are still thought to possess potent magick.

Finding a two-leaf clover means you shall soon find a lover, whilst a five-leaf clover will bring riches, especially if worn.

In general, clover is believed to repel snakes, literally and figuratively, from your property if grown there.

It also brings general protection, whether worn or placed around the home, and aids in getting over heartbreak.

Furthermore, clover is one of the flowers of the Fae and can aid in your ability to see and work with them, whether sitting and meditating, or riding the hedge with clover attached to you. Clover blossoms can also be placed on your altar to attract the Fae, should you want to…..

White and red clover have some slightly different magickal properties too. White clover helps to break hexes, whilst red clover removes negative spirits, can be used in lust potions and brings prosperity.

Medicinal Uses

Red Clover is commonly used to treat children with skin problems, especially eczema and psoriasis. For adults, it is commonly used as an expectorant to treat coughs and bronchitis. However, it should be noted that red clover contains a hormone-like chemical called isoflavones which have caused reproductive failure and liver disease in cheetahs and sterility in livestock when consumed in large quantities. Furthermore, red clover is a blood thinner. So do not use red clover regularly and avoid if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

RED CLOVER POULTICE

To make a poultice, combine dried red clover flowers with hot water in muslin and place on the affected area for 10-15 minutes. Red clover can also be used externally as a salve.

Sources:
https://coven.thethriftywitch.com/pages/magickal-uses-of-herbs
https://tesswhitehurst.com/the-magical-properties-of-clover/ Neal’s Yard Complete Wellness

The Magick of Tulips

I went to the supermarket this evening to pick up a few bits and bobs and they had these beautiful tulips on sale for 10p! I thought I could give them a good home and they can be used for my Ostara Altar display too.

Tulips usually flower in April and May, but high demand for them for Mother’s Day in mid-March has them forced grown in the Netherlands, in huge fields as far as the eye can see.

Due to the wide variety of colors and shapes, tulips are thought to be one of the first flowers cultivated solely for their beauty.

Many people think tulips originated in The Netherlands, but in actual fact, tulips were first discovered in Turkey around a thousand years ago. There is little history of the tulip in Europe until the early 1500’s, when the Turkish introduced them to European traders and explorers. From then on, tulips spread across Europe, particularly in Holland, where they were prized and later became the National symbol, were associated with good luck and fortune, as well as love, and often cost more than gems and gold.

As far back as 2200 to 1600 B.C. tulip designs can be seen on pottery and have also been found on fabric from the Byzantine century.

Tulips are most commonly referred to as the symbol of perfect love and the Turkish people used them in love potions, or placed them on altars during love spells. They can also be used to increase desire and build relationships, both new and old.

Furthermore, tulips are also used in colour or flower language. Red is a declaration of love, yellow hopeless love, and black meant a heart burning with love.

Apart from their association with love, tulips also project other positive energies such as prosperity and protection.

They were often worn to safeguard against poverty and bad luck and are also sometimes associated with dream work, fame and protection. They can also be used in magick regarding gratitude, simplicity, happiness, beauty, and prosperity.

There are very little medicinal uses for tulips, likely due to their cost throughout much of history. However, a poultice made of tulip flowers can treat and soothe rashes, stings, scratches and minor burns. Tulip oil can also be used as a house freshener or added to baths and massage oils to uplift vibrations.

TULIP POULTICE

• To create a poultice of tulip flowers, you’ll need to warm 2-4 flowers in hot water.

• Place a towel into hot water and put the petals inside the towel.

• Lightly crush the petals and apply them to the affected area.

• Hold in place for 10 minutes using the warm towel.

Petals can also be combined with castor oil, especially for treating burns and insect bites.

Natural Aphid Spray

I grow a number of herbs in little pots that stick to the inside of my kitchen windows, as I like to have fresh herbs when I need them, they look really nice and the plants always get plenty of sunlight.

A few weeks ago I discovered (whilst talking to and tending to my herbs, as you do….), that my beloved Basil plant, which I’ve been growing for MONTHS, had dreaded aphids on him!

I whipped up a quick batch of natural aphid spray to gently encourage them to vacate (some may be sadly killed in the process and, for that, I am very sorry).

I used the following:

• Clean spray bottle (I reuse everything I can, so jam and pickle jars become herb containers or jar spells, old candle containers get new candles made inside them from soy wax, colourant wax and essential oils, and spray bottles, which have contained liquids that aren’t too toxic (fabulousa or febreeze spray bottles are ideal for this, but avoid anything that contained bleach or other harmful chemicals), get thoroughly washed out and reused, as more natural cleaning product bottles);

• 400ml fresh filtered water (we have hard water so everything we drink, cook with or give to the dogs gets filtered);

• 10-12 drops Rosemary essential oil;

• 10-12 drops Peppermint essential oil; and

• 10-12 drops Lemon essential oil.

I popped all the ingredients into the spray bottle, gave it a little shake and took my plant outside (to give them a chance to escape and bother someone else’s plants!) to spray the heck out of it!

I checked back the next day and they were all gone! I then gave my Basil a good spray with moonwater, as a little treat to help it recover from the vicious aphid onslaught and because I use this Basil in both my craft and my cooking, so I want to remove as much essential oil off the plant as I can.

Mr. Basil is doing very well now and not an interloper in sight!

Herbal Sleep Sachet

**WARNING – Please do not use essential oils if pregnant or breast feeding, as they can be very harmful. Also, please ensure any ingredients do not have any contraindications with medication you are using, or that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Thank you!**

A few months back, I was struggling to sleep, due to some of my medical conditions flaring up and causing me pain. Despite the herbal tea (Sleepy Tea Blog) and bath salts (Bath Salts Blog) I make and use, I needed something a bit more powerful to add to my bedtime arsenal. Therefore, I decided to make a herbal sleep sachet for inside my pillow.

I do a lot of crafts and have drawers full of bits and bobs, including some cute Disney fat quarters (I found these in Aldi a few years ago). I chose a nice pattern and cut it to the size I needed and hand sewed it, inside out, along two sides, with one side left open and a flap to tuck in. Once sewn, I then turned it inside out again, so that it was the right way round and the two sewn sides were now on the inside.

I put the following dried herbs into a bowl:

• 2 chamomile teabags (opened and emptied, but you could use loose, dried chamomile flowers) – for it’s mild tranquillising effect and sleep inducing properties;
• 1 piece of star anise – to repel nightmares (use sparingly);
• 2 teaspoons of catnip – for increasing restful sleep;
• 2 teaspoons of lemon balm – for it’s ability to reduce anxiety and insomnia, in addition to relieving stress;
• 2 teaspoons of jasmine flowers – to reduce stress and anxiety, help with symptoms of depression and to help get a good night’s sleep;
• 2 teaspoons of mugwort – for pleasant dreams and to help fall back to sleep if awoken (I do this a lot, so need something to help me fall back to sleep again);
• 2 teaspoons of rose petals (mine were pinky red, but you could use any colour) – for loving and peaceful thoughts and dreams; and
• 2 teaspoons of Lavender – for it’s anxiolytic (anxiety relieving) properties and as a sedative, to increase relaxation and calm, and help for bringing about sleep.

I then put 8-10 drops of each of the following essential oils into the dried herbs and stirred deosil (clockwise), imbuing the mixture with my intent for peaceful, relaxing and restorative sleep.

• Frankincense – for it’s aromatherapeutic benefits, which help relieve stress and promote relaxation;
• Clary sage – for it’s natural sedative properties, which can provide a calming effect to help fall and stay asleep. It is also known to reduce the levels of hormones associated with stress, such as cortisol, which helps your body prepare for a good night’s rest; and
• Bergamot – for it’s calming effect and ability to induce physiological changes that precede sleep, such as lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

I also wanted to include some crystals in my sachet that are associated with sleep, so I looked into the properties and correspondences of various crystals and chose the following.

• Amethyst – this crystal helps with sleep by blocking stress and negative energies. It is especially helpful when insomnia is caused by stress and over thinking. It also protects against nightmares;
• Rose quartz – this crystal is helpful as it is the stone of unconditional love and peace. It can remove negative energy and replace it with positive vibes and can provide restorative healing and self love;
• Moonstone – this crystal has been used for centuries as a sleep stone and can also increase sleep quality. It is also fantastic for calming and stabilising the emotions and promoting a restful sleep; and
• Clear quartz – this is the most powerful healing crystal, in addition to being a great energy amplifier and can be used to enhance the energies of other crystals. Therefore, I added it to my sleep sachet to increase and amplify the energies of the amethyst, rose quartz and moonstone.

Once everything is thoroughly mixed, I carefully spooned the mixture into the open end of the sachet, until all the mixture was inside. I then folded in the edges, along with the flap, and sewed it shut.

It’s been in my pillow ever since and if it needs refreshing, I just sprinkle a few drops of each of the essential oils I used onto the material of the sachet. I’ve honestly been sleeping so much better!

Magickal Milk Roasted Chicken

I made this a couple of months ago and it went down very well! It’s actually a Jamie Oliver Recipe, but if you look into the properties and benefits of the ingredients used, and cook with specific intent, you can make a much more magickal meal!

INGREDIENTS

• Whole chicken
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 10 cloves garlic, skins left on
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 1 handful of fresh sage, leaves picked — around 15 to 20 leaves
• 2 lemons

Health Benefits and Magickal Properties

• Sea salt – Salt is great for using both as a magickal tool and ingredient in cooking. Used as a tool, it is often used by witches to cast their circles, as it creates a powerful barrier that can shield and protect you whilst you work. As an ingredient, salt is used for banishing, binding, cleansing, grounding, healing, purification and protection, in addition to blessings and consecrations.

• Black pepper – Black pepper can be used for banishing, binding, home cleansing and protection, repelling, separation and warding.

• Cinnamon – Cinnamon can be used for attention, attraction, business acumen and success, creativity, financial gain, intellectual stimulation and concentration, libido, lust, knowledge, money, power, prosperity, sexual love, success and winning.

• Garlic – Garlic can be used for accident prevention, reversing bad luck, banishing, good luck, illness, jealousy, male fertility, negativity, physical and psychic protection, sleep and virility.

• Sage – Sage is good for balance, honesty, grounding, longevity, mental clarity, truthfulness and wisdom.

• Lemon – Lemons are perfect for purification, happiness, friendship, longevity, purification, refreshment, unity, uplifting, rejuvenation, awareness, love and fidelity.

METHOD

Heat your oven to 190°C (375°F) degrees. Season the chicken with the sea salt and pepper, thinking of the specific intentions that you want to imbue into this meal. I made it for my husband and stepson (with enough leftovers for our two rescue dogs), so my intentions were binding us as a family, grounding us all and protecting us from the current troubles in the world.

Then place a hob/oven proof pot (I used a deep, cast iron, casserole dish, with double handles), that can fit the chicken snugly within it, over a medium-high heat on the hob/stove. Add to this pot the butter and olive oil. When the butter has melted and is starting to foam, add the chicken to the pot and fry it, turning every few minutes, until it has browned all over. I made sure to turn the chicken deosil (clockwise), to promote my positive intentions.

Turn the heat down to low, remove the chicken from the pot and place it onto a plate, then drain off all but a few tablespoons of the fat from the pot.

Then add the cinnamon stick and garlic to the pot and allow them to sizzle in the oil for a minute or two. Return the chicken to the pot, along with the milk and sage leaves. Use a vegetable peeler, or sharp knife (please be careful!) to cut wide strips of skin off both lemons and add them to the pot as well.

Put the pot into the oven and bake for approximately 1.5 hours, basting the chicken occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and tender and the sauce has reduced into a thick, curdled sauce. (If the sauce is reducing too quickly, cover the pot with a lid)

The chicken will be so tender you can just tear portions off and divide between everyone’s plates, making sure to spoon a generous amount of sauce over each serving. We had ours with mini roast potatoes and cauliflower & broccoli cheese, but it goes well with sautéed greens, pasta, rice, potatoes or bread. The leftovers are delicious on sandwiches too!!

I don’t have an photos of the finished product, as it was demolished!!

Foraging Book and Pouch

For my birthday, my husband bought me this awesome Foragers Calendar Book and a cool leather and canvass foraging pouch that folds up on itself and can attach to my belt or bag.

I do a LOT of foraging for my witchcraft ingredients and items, so this book is just what I’ve been looking for! It’s collated into what’s available in which month(s) and has sections on fungi, plants, seaweeds and invertebrates.

Importantly, it also has a section on English Law and Legislation related to the Countryside. I already know this kind of stuff, as I need to know it and follow it for my job, but I’m glad they’ve included it in there for other people, so they’re not breaking the law whilst they are doing their foraging.