I don’t have much luck with outside plants, due to the crap British weather and the local wildlife that gets into our garden. Therefore, I’ve decided that this year I’ll grow lots of things in the conservatory on the back of the house (which is where our dogs Wade and Wilson and have their beds and bowls, as they sleep there at night and eat their meals in there too).
I found some great potted herbs at Costco and some others in Aldi, so here I have three types of thyme, flat leaved parsley, basil, rosemary, sage and oregano.
Today I’ve planted up into compost slices of cherry tomatoes (as the seeds in the tomatoes will germinate once the slice rots down) and some nasturtiums (trailing orange flowers who’s flowers and leaves you can eat). Nasturtiums are also great companion plants (which is the planting of different crops in proximity for any of a number of different reasons, including pest control, pollination, providing habitat for beneficial insects etc) for tomatoes.
I’ve also bought the following seeds from Amazon, so I can plant up peppers (Capsicum), chilies, peas, purple basil, coriander, marjoram, dill, chamomile, cress, lemon balm and chives.
All these plants and herbs will be invaluable to me as a Green (and Kitchen) Witch and I can’t wait to tend to and care for them when they start growing!
**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!
Following on from my post yesterday about my Altar, I wanted to show you a way you can still have an Altar, but for it to be a bit more discreet. So this will be perfect if you’re in the Broom Closet, don’t have the room, travel frequently, not allowed by your parents or, like me, enjoy taking your practice out into nature.
I found this cute oblong metal tin (I think it’s supposed to be a pencil case) in IKEA a while back, which is decorated to look like a little snake!!
On the inside, I personalised it with some stickers on the bottom part of the tin (from the top down):
• Triple Moon Fertility Goddess to represent my lifelong struggle with infertility;
• A beautiful and colourfull beetle to represent my love for nature; and
• A Mandala to represent my spiritual journey.
Inside the lid, I have three metal flower of life Metatron’s cube stickers, to represent the journey of energy throughout the universe, and of balance within the universe, to aid with meditation. (I am a bit annoyed I put them on a bit wonky, as they’re so thin, I can’t get them off again without ruining them). The contents of my travel altar are as follows:
• Mini besom to symbolically cleanse and purify wherever I decide to do any work;
• A lighter for my candles and incense;
• Mini green, yellow, white, orange, red and black rolled beeswax candles, for any spells, rituals or to signify the fire element when casting my circle;
• A metal disc incense holder;
• The tiniest bottle of Himalayan pink salt to represent the earth element when setting up a protective working space;
• Small glass jar of Samhain Blue Moon water to signify the water element when circle casting;
• ‘Meditation’ scent incense cones to represent the element of air;
• Clear quartz teardrop, to use as a substitute for any other crystal I may need;
• Rosemary essential oil, as Rosemary can be a substitute for any other herb/essential oil I may need;
• Pine cone to signify health and prosperity, healing and protection; and
• Chamomile tea bags, because they’re just lovely.
I just love how cute and organised it is (and that it all fits!) and I can’t wait for the warmer months to use it outside!
My husband, who is a train driver, goes back to work tomorrow after being off since March last year. That’s 10 MONTHS off work!! Understandably, he’s really anxious about going back.
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Therefore, I’ve made him an anti-anxiety spray, for his pillow tonight before he goes to sleep and to take with him in his bag, to spray onto his sleeve, or a hankerchief, to smell if he starts feeling antsy.
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For the base of this spray I’ve used around 150ml of cosmetic grade rosewater (so that it’s safe if any gets on his skin), for enhancing moods and relieving any stress associated headaches, plus about 250ml of cosmetic grade orange water, to soothe and relax nerves and settle upset stomachs (as who doesn’t get stomach ache when they’re anxious and nervous?).
I also added 8-10 drops of each of the following essential oils into the mixed rose and orange waters, swirling it deosil (clockwise), imbuing the mixture with my intent for calm, inner peace, confidence and happiness.
• Clary sage – as it is known to reduce the levels of hormones associated with stress, such as cortisol, which helps your body and brain calm down and become more focussed;
• Bergamot – for it’s calming effect and ability to induce physiological changes, such as lowering heart rate and blood pressure;
• Ylang ylang – to boost his mood, alleviate his anxiety and reduce any depression;
• Lavender – for it’s calming effect; and
• Chamomile – for anxiety relief.
I topped up the mixture with blue moon water I made at Samhain, so the bottle was full.
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The final things I added were around 8/9 amethyst chips, as this crystal provides relief from stress and anxiety, and helps to calm your mind.
Melusina The Green Witch 