greenwitch – Page 2 – Melusina The Green Witch

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!!

Daily Witchcraft

A lot of the time, Witchcraft isn’t complicated. It’s not all about casting circles, long and contracted rituals and spell casting. It about saying daily affirmations out loud, stirring love and positive intent into a meal you’re making for your loved ones or carrying crystals in your pocket (or bra, I don’t judge!). It can also look like self care. Ritual baths, filled with fragrant and healing salts, oils and herbs. Taking that time out to be on your own, so you’ve got peace and quiet, space to be reflective and mindful and you can just ‘be’.

I’m relaxing in a bath with a lavender & jasmine epsom salt blend, dead sea minerals, hemp, coconut and lime bubbles, nag champa oil, candles and freesia and sweet pea incense.

I can just relax, clear my mind, not worry about what I’ve got to do tomorrow, or whether what I’ve done today was good enough. I just need to know that I do my best in everything and that’s all I can ask of myself. Now’s the time to just be present in the moment.

Sea Witchery: Magickal Properties and Correspondences

I’ve always, right from being a toddler, been fascinated by the sea and my absolute most favourite place on Earth to be is on a beach or in the ocean. I love the sea so much, that I have got two coastal/marine related degrees/qualifications and have worked for the past 21 years protecting and enhancing the environment of multiple areas along the UK’s coast.

Kelp beds at Cullercoats Bay, North Shields, England, taken whilst on marine biology field work with Newcastle University

If you’re lucky enough to live by the ocean, or can travel to one without much difficulty, there’s a plethora of items and treasures you can forage to use within your craft.

One of my coastal defence schemes at St. Annes, England

Whenever I do go foraging on the coast, I usually take an empty rubbish bag with me to pick up and take home any rubbish I find, as my way of giving thanks for the items I’ve taken.

Gorgeous clean beaches at Bentota, Sri Lanka

Here’s a run down of the various types of treasures you could pick up from a day at the seaside, in addition to their magickal and metaphysical properties.

TYPES OF WATER

• Seawater: Used for health, magickal power and manifestation of goals. An old Welsh belief states that a spoonful of seawater a day will ensure a long and healthy life.

• Beach Water (e.g. from rockpools or beach ponds): Used for rituals, spells, fascinations and meditations.

Beach pond at one of my coastal defence sites in Bispham, Blackpool, UK

• Harbor water: Used to promote abundance and prosperity, in addition to also serving as an aid in banishing things.

SEA GLASS

Sea glass is thought to be a symbol of renewal, relaxation and have healing properties.

Spiritually, our relationship to sea glass shows us that, like sea glass, as it’s been eroded, tumbled and smoothed, we too often have to lose some of our ‘selves’, when we overcome pressures and work through our adversities. We lose our sharp and jagged edges, wash away some of our impurities and our labels peel away. Just like sea glass, we are also often lead on a trajectory or down a road we do not plan, even after we tried our best to stay on course. Often we are thrown away, only to be reshaped by our environment, in order that we may come back more beautiful than ever.

It all depends on how we learn to adjust, cope and adapt, to make the best of the situation we’ve been thrust into and also how we learn to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves to us.

• Clear sea glass – Can be used for healing, peace, spirituality, purity and sincerity.

• Green sea glass – Useful for abundance, prosperity, hope, growth, emotional stability, helping to navigate through loss/grief and increasing love and compassion. Good for working with panic attacks and addiction.

• Blue sea glass – Can be used in spells and rituals relating to creativity, intuition, inspiration, peace, joy, tranquility, faith in yourself, trusting others and easing loneliness.

• Foggy sea glass – Can be used in curses to interfere with the target’s ability to think clearly.

BEACH STONES AND PEBBLES

Beach stones can be any class of stone that has been touched my the water of oceans, seas or the waves along the coast. They have all been moved around, nurtured, tumbled and tossed by the waves and currents. I don’t know about you guys, but I have a huge affinity for smooth pebbles and have loads dotted all over the house. They make me feel grounded and the tactile nature of them instantly calms me.

A small selection of stones and pebbles I’ve collected over the years

PIECES OF CORAL

Corals are developed through an ancient and unique partnership known as symbiosis. This is a collaboration that benefits both animal and plant alike. Corals are classified as animals, as they do not make their own food, like plants do.

Corals themselves have tiny, tentacle-like, ‘arms’ that they use to capture their food from the water, then they use these arms to sweep the food into their mouths. Most structures that we call “coral” are, in fact, made up of hundreds, to thousands upon thousands, of tiny coral creatures called polyps. Each soft-bodied polyp secretes a hard exoskeleton of limestone (calcium carbonate) that attaches to either rocks in the sea, or the dead skeletons of other polyp colonies.

Corals under UV light at The Deep Aquarium, Hull, England during an evening conference dinner

In the case of stony or hard corals, which you find most often washed up on the shore, these polyp conglomerates grow, die and endlessly repeat this cycle over time, often hundreds, to hundreds of thousands, of years (the Great Barrier Reef is thought to be approximately 500,000 years old!!), slowly laying the limestone foundation for coral reefs and giving shape to the familiar corals that reside there. Because of this cycle of growth, death, and regeneration among individual polyps, many coral colonies can live for a very long time. Corals, as a species, have been around for 500 Million years!

Although coral is not a crystal, it has been used for centuries for its healing properties. Also, since ancient times, coral has been used as a divination tool for casting (similar to runes or bone throwing) and the stone is thought to tap into your intuitive nature to help with psychic and energy work.

SHELLS

Seashells are natural vessels. which can be used for cleansing and make a great carrier for incense. They can be placed on your altar, as a reminder of fun times on holiday or at your local beach, or as a tribute to nature and all her powers.

Limpet shell, carrying barnacles and periwinkles

They can also represent the element of water when casting a circle. As they protect the soft bodied invertebrates they contain, such as molluscs or hermit crabs, they can be used in protection and shielding rituals and spells.

Selection of shells on a wall underwater at Porth Dafarch beach, Anglesey, Wales

SEA SALT

Salt is one of the easiest and most effective remedies on the earth! Sea salt, which is a salt obtained by evaporating seawater, is used for cleansing negative energy and life’s impurities. It can be used to cleanse (salt safe) crystals and be used in a multitude of spells and rituals due to it’s metaphysical properties of and for abundance, manifestation, anchoring and grounding, devotion, spiritual development, hospitality, domestic harmony, purification, spiritual protection, balancing emotions, well being, vitality, and longevity.

FOSSILIZED SHARKS TEETH

As fossilized shark teeth are the remains of predatory animals, they can be used to cause harm through curses and hexes, as they’re seen as an aggressive tool in magick.

Fossilized shark teeth found on beaches in Florida, USA

Crystals for Arthritis and or Osteoarthritis

**PLEASE NOTE: I am not medically trained and none of the advice given is meant to be used in place of proper medical advice given by your doctor, primary care physician or rheumatologist. They are suggestions to be potentially used alongside proper medical advice and treatment**.

I, like many other people in the world, suffer from arthritis. For those of you who don’t know, arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and swelling (inflammation) in the joints. Unfortunately, I developed it quite young, as it usually occurs in adults over the age of 65. I had it officially diagnosed in my early 40’s, but looking back I’ve had this since my early 30’s and have been trying to get diagnosed since then (which is difficult when doctors won’t believe you, as you’re ‘too young’).

Mine is focussed on my lower joints; hips, knees, ankles and feet. It’s also a weird one, as what I have is called psoriatic arthritis and is linked to my skin condition of psoriasis, which is conversely only on my arms.

I decided to research what crystals can be used for Arthritis and/or Osteoarthritis, in the hopes that I could find some relief, as sometimes my prescribed medication, TENS machine, oils, creams, exercises and painkillers just still don’t completely rid me of my stiffness and pain.

I wanted to share what I found with all of you, in the hopes it could help you or a loved one.

First of all, Calcite and Magnesite help with calcification, which can be a major contributing factor to some types of arthritis.

• For increasing mobility in the joints, Fluorite or Red Calcite are good to use.

• To strengthen the joints, Aragonite and Calcite are the stones best suited.

• Malachite can be used to deal with swelling.

• Crystals recommended for pain relief can also assist with providing relief from the pain of arthritis, such as Amber, Amethyst, Dendritic Agate, Boji Stones, Aragonite, Celestite, Fluorite, Hematite, Lapis Lazuli, Larimar, Malachite, Magnetite/Lodestone, Clear Quartz, Sugilite, Mahogany Obsidian, Seraphinite, Smokey Quartz, Rose Quartz, Tourmaline and Green Aventurine. Also Kunzite is useful to deal with the pain associated with this complaint.

• Clear Quartz is reputed as the master and all-round healer, plus it is an energiser, so combining it with say Fluorite (or your chosen stone) should lead to better results.

• Obsidian (best used for short periods only) and Rhodonite can also contribute to repair and provide a degree of pain relief.

• Agate can also be used for the relief of rheumatism.

• Hematite, Malachite, Rhodonite and Lapis Lazuli deal with inflammation.

The stones/crystals I’ve mentioned can either be put straight on the skin (but not on any broken or damaged skin), or (if it is safe to do so with each specific stone), put into massage oil and used on the effected area.

Protection Bottles and Sachet

I recently refreshed the protection on our home and made a protection sachet for my husband to take to work as, after being off work for ten months (due to the Covid Pandemic), he’s recently gone back to works as a train driver.

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I made a spell bottle to tie onto the inside handle of each of the three external doors to our home, so I found some which were really thick walled, so if they somehow slipped off, they wouldn’t smash as easily on the floor. For the sachet for my husband, I used a red Chinese silk bag, which has a drawstring tie closure.

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Inside each of the three bottles and the sachet we put the following:

• Black Salt – Black salt is a powerful protective charm that absorbs negative energies and curses into itself and will rid you or your home of their harmful influence.

• Cascarilla – This is made from crushed eggshells, and can be used for protection, due to it’s natural property of protecting a chick embryo as it develops. The protective quality is therefore embodied within the shells when they are used for protective magick. The protective nature of cascarilla also stems from its banishing qualities, as negative energy can’t exist in the presence of cascarilla and it is said that harmful spirits find it repulsive. Therefore, the cascarilla acts as a barrier against harmful spirits and negative or destructive energies.

• Dried Basil – Basil brings happiness, love and peace to a home and can be used to protect the home and family. Haitians also use Basil to keep away thieves. In addition to this, and for the sachet for my husband, it can also be used to bring luck in physical journeys.

• Heather – Keeping heather around the house will attract friendly spirits and bring peace to the household. For the sachet, carrying heather with you will attract positive energies, general good luck and protect against assaults or attacks, making it useful for traveling sachets.

• Cinnamon – Cinnamon can purify any negative energy within a home, protect your home and family from harmful energy and bad intentions of any outsiders.

• Bay leaves – Bay leaves can be used to protect against negative energies and misfortune.

• Obsidian – Obsidian is a protective stone that can be used to guard against all forms of negativity and in spells to remove negativity from an area.

• Red Jasper – Many of the magickal attributes of Red Jasper focus on its protective energies and ability to keep its user safe. It can also be used to combat the Evil Eye and makes an excellent talisman.

• Amethyst – Amethyst is a powerful protective stone, which can guard against psychic attack, by transmuting the negative or harmful energies into loving energy. It can also protect from all types of harm, including electromagnetic stress and ill wishes from others.

• Dragons Blood Incense – Dragons blood incense was used to cleanse the inside of the bottles and contents, as it is good for cleansing a space of negative entities, or influences, and to increase the potency of spells for protection.

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The final thing I did was securely tie up the sachet, so that none of the contents could escape, and drip black candle wax (black for protection and repelling negativity) over the rubber stoppers in the bottles, to seal everything inside.

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As it’s the last night of the first full moon this year, I have put the bottles and sachet in the garden to charge in the moonlight, making their power and effectiveness as strong as possible, before I securely tie the bottles onto the door handles with ribbon and put the sachet into my husband’s work bag.

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Simmer Pot for Prosperity, Luck and Wealth

I decided to do a simmer pot for prosperity, luck and wealth. I threw everything I could in there and stirred deosil, furiously chanting and alternatively beseeching Hecate!

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Here’s what I used, along with their magickal correspondences.

• Heather – for peace, attracting positive energies and good luck.

• Red rose petals – for peace, happiness and attracting good luck.
• Orange – for fortune, good luck, money, peace and wealth.
• Cinnamon sticks – for prosperity and luck.
• Acorns – for money, abundance and luck.
• Juniper berries – for prosperity and manifestation.
• Pomegranate – for luck, prosperity, protection, wealth and wishes.
• Blessed thistle – for spiritual healing and breaking hexes (just in case….).
• Clary sage Essential Oil – for prosperity.
• Bergamot Essential Oil – for prosperity, used to attract money and success and to lift spirits.
• Cinnamon Essential Oil – for luck and prosperity.
• Thyme – to attract prosperity.
• Fresh Basil leaves – for good luck and attracting money.
• Dried Bay leaves – for blessings, wishes, comfort, guidance, luck, defence, endurance, resilience, victory, success and wealth.
• A selection of green crystals (adventurine, green jade, moss agate) – for prosperity, luck and wealth.

I poured the remainder (just under a litre) of my Blue Moon Water, left over from Samhain, into a pan and added each item individually, telling each one what it was for and it’s purpose. I wrote ‘luck’, ‘prosperity’ and ‘wealth’ on the bay leaves last and added them to the top of the pan and set it to heat up to just boiling. It’s now simmering and when most of the water has evaporated (I left the kitchen window open for the steam and intentions to go out into the Universe) and cooled down, I’ll take it into the garden and scatter it under the ash tree I’ve grown from sapling.

Kitchen Witchery

You don’t always need elaborate rituals or spells to work your craft. You can put magick and your intent in everyday things too. Kitchen witches do this all the time by using corresponding herbs, spices, fruits or vegetables, along with their love and energy, into creating in the kitchen.

I made pizza tonight. Pretty mundane you think? It can be, or…..it can be magickal (and full of health benefits)!

As well as the usual suspects (tomato and mascarpone base and four cheeses), I added the following (which aren’t really the most unusual of pizza toppings), with reasons why:

Fresh Basil – My husband hasn’t been feeling well today (he has stomach issues and had his gallbladder removed last year), so I added some basil as it is great for stomach and intestinal problems, stomach cramps, nausea, indigestion, gas and bloating.

Pineapple – A symbol of devotion and love, to my husband and stepson. Pineapple also has a multitude of health benefits and contain a lot of vitamin C. They also contain manganese, which can help with bone health and is especially important for me, as I have psoriatic arthritis and it can get quite annoying (not to mention painful) moving towards the colder months.

Pine Nuts – For prosperity, but also packed full of Vitamin A and magnesium (crucial for the health of my old lady bones!!).

Capers – Good for gas and bloating, again for my husband and his iffy tummy.

So next time you make a salad, bake a cake or brew a simple cup of tea, do a bit of research and see what you can add to make it even better!

Coastal Foraging Part Two

I’ve was lucky enough to have another great day out on site last October on the North West Coast of England (9.75 miles walked that day!!).

Not only did I get time to just sit on the beach early in the morning, with barely a soul about, so I could do some soul cleansing and grounding in nature, but I got some awesome witchy foraging done again! This time from sand dunes, saltmarsh habitat and wide open sandy beach.

Here’s some uses for what I found and brought home (from the top, going clockwise around the cheese).

I also found some pumpkin spiced Wensleydale (crumbly, creamy English cheese) in a local supermarket, wrapped in cute pumpkin wax protection too.

1. Laver Rhodophyta (Porphyra umbilicalis) – Good for happiness, good energies, love and peace. This seaweed is also a traditional food in Wales, where it’s made into small flat cakes, and fried until crisp in bacon fat, or heated with butter, lemon juice, and pepper. It is also eaten in salads, made into biscuits and as an accompaniment to roasted meat.

2. Rock Oyster (Crassostea gigas) shell

3. Mussel (Mytilus edulis) shell

4. Razor Clam (Ensis magnus) shell

5. Egg Wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) – Can be eaten pickled in apple cider vinegar, with fennel and black peppercorns.

6. Glasswort (Salicornia europaea) – Sometimes known as wild samphire, glasswort can be lightly steamed (or eaten raw when picked fresh) and is often served as a side fish with fish.

7. European searocket (Cakile maritima) – A fleshier, slightly saltier, version of rocket (or arugula if you’re not English!). Can be used in salads or eaten as a side vegetable (I tried some raw straight from the plant and it was delicious!). Magical properties include clairvoyancy, helping with processing events or feelings, energy, warding off negativity, fertility and sexuality.

Coastal Foraging Haul

In October 2020 I was out on site all day with various clients and colleagues along the North West Coast of England (I’ve walked 7.75 miles!!). Even though I was doing my day job, I can still do some witchy foraging on the side!!

The first site was a Dockside adjacent to an estuary, with lovely mudflats and salt marsh. It was absolutely FREEZING and rained all morning, but I cheered myself up by collecting some rosehips, marsh marigold, red clover and rowan berries.

The second site was a huge expanse of sandy beach, with defences along the back and some lovely sand dunes to the south. It had thankfully brightened up and stopped raining, but was VERY windy. Bonus though, I got a free face exfoliation from all the sand whipping about! I didn’t find any nice shells unfortunately, but I found some bladderwrack and, my favourite, a couple of smooth pebbles!

Here’s some uses for what I found and brought home (from left to right).

1. Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) – Protection, sea and water spells, wish spells and money magic.

2. Rosehips (from Dog Rose (Rosa canina) – Can be used as a charm to attract health and wealth, are a symbol of prosperity and fertility and if you place them beneath your pillow, they can protect you against nightmares and nasty spirits that want to disturb your sleep.

3. Marsh marigold (Calendula officinalis) – Can be used for consecration, inner vision, love, peace and truthfulness.

4. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) – Can be used for exorcism, fidelity, love, money, protection and success.

5. Rowan Berry (Sorbus aucuparia) – Can be used for protection, inspiration and to help open the gateway for spirit communication.

Plants for Psoriasis

**Please note, these plants will not cure your psoriasis and advice from your doctor or primary care specialist will always be the best advice. These are just a few ideas of plants you could try to incorporate into a recipe, which might help.**

Seeing as though a lot of people suffer from psoriasis, including me (it’s hereditary in my mum’s side of the family and mine randomly started at 18…just when I thought I’d escaped the curse!), it stands to reason we may have some sufferers that are reading this.

Mine is really bad on my elbows, forearms and knees, with a tiny patch on either side of the bridge of my nose, where my glasses sit. I am slowly covering both arms with tattoos (mostly flowers, dot work Mandalas and insects!) to try and hide them as much as I can. I also have psoriatic arthritis.

I did a bit of research, as I wanted to see if there were any more natural solutions I could look into and thought I’d share my findings with you lovely people!

Oregon grape (barberry) (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape is a plant native to North America.

It is thought that extracts of this plant actually slow down the production of Lipoxygenase, which is an enzyme involved in psoriatic skin cell production. The plant itself also has anti-inflammatory properties.

Indigo naturalis

This plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of psoriasis and is derived from the plant that produces the dyes that make our jeans blue!

Aloe vera

Everyone knows the multitude of benefits Aloe Vera has. It’s widely known to be soothing and cooling, and is often used in aftersun products.

I suggest you do your own research, like I’ll be doing, to find out how the best way to prepare them is, whether in an ointment, or cream or rub.

Foraging Haul

Late last summer my husband, stepson and I went for a little (4.5 miles though!) walk in and around the countryside near our house. We are truly blessed to have this on our doorstep and I’m forever grateful.

It was around 13°C and beautifully sunny. We took plenty of water, some homemade biscuits and some apple spiced Bourbon (purely to keep out the cold, honestly!!).

We saw lots of birds, rabbits and squirrels and hardly any other people, just how we like it!!

The local farmer is also getting his pumpkin crop ready to sell!!

We managed to forage some awesome things! Here’s what we found and brought home (from left to right).

1. Pine cones (fresh and fallen) – Signifies health and prosperity, healing, protection, fertility, money/prosperity.

2. Yellow crab apple – Can be used for divination and in love spells/charms.

3. Conkers (Buck eye) – Conkers are useful in luck charms and spells and some people keep them in their pockets or purses to attract luck and bring them money. Other things they are good for are arthritis relief, migraine relief, male virility (in terms of fertility and things of a sexual nature) as a cold/flu remedy. **Not to be eaten in any form though, as they are toxic**.

4. Acorns (fresh and fallen) – The magickal properties of acorns include protection, abundance, fertility, strength, courage, abundance, longevity and healing.

5. Fuschia flower – Assists with accepting long repressed emotions and dealing with grief.

6. Elderberry – Good for exorcism, prosperity, banishment and healing. The berries are used for protection and in breaking spells that were cast against you or to undo spells of evil intent. Growing an elder in your garden will protect your property from misfortune and harm. In Europe, they planted elder in cemeteries to keep away the evil spirits.

7. Yarrow – Psychic powers, love, courage, exorcism, dreams, peace, happiness, divination and protection.

8. Ivy leaves – Protection and healing.

9. Holly leaves – Holly can be used in spells for material gain, physical revenge, beauty, protection (especially against lightening!), luck and dream magic.

10. Datura – Astral travel, concealment and invisibility, divination and enchantment.

11. Alder flowers (catkins) – Flowers are on catkins and, as the Alder is monoecious, which means that both male and female flowers are found on the same tree, there are two types. The long pendulous ones are male and the round ones are female. Alder helps you face up to things you’ve been avoiding, allows access to the fae and their realm and is thought to reduce nervousness and anxiety. It can be used in spells to aid success in business and academic matters.

12. Horsetail – Horsetail strengthens resolve and defines boundaries, can be used to make affirmations and commitments firm, to protect your psychic space against unwanted intrusions and it can help cleanse unwanted emotional leftovers from the system.

Blessed Basil

Basil Is Known Far And Wide As A Culinary Herb, But It Also Contains Some Interesting Magical And Medicinal Properties. In Some Countries, However, Basil Is Considered Something That Real Men Don’t Eat — Why? Because It’s Associated With Teas That Are Used To Provide Relief From Painful Menstrual Periods.

It’s Also Used As An Anti-inflammatory. Try Some Of These Methods To Incorporate Basil Into Your Healing Magick.

Chewing On The Freshly Harvested Leaves Has A Couple Of Different Benefits – It Can Help Relieve Symptoms Of Coughs And Colds, And Even Better, It Can Leave Your Breath Smelling Healthy And Refreshed!

Use A Bit Of The Oil Or Extract On Insect Bites To Relieve Pain And Itching.

Boil The Leaves In Water To Make An Infusion, And Take A Small Amount Every Few Hours To Help Reduce Fever, As Well As Provide Headache Relief. Gargling With Basil Water Can Make A Sore Throat Feel Better.

Basil Is A Wonderful, Robust Herb, Which Is Attributed To A Variety Of Magical Uses Such As Consecration, Divination, Exorcism, Fertility, Fidelity, Luck, Happiness, Harmony And Love. Basil Is Bound To The Planet Mars And The Element Fire.

Marvellous Mint

Mint Is For Symbolic Of Success, Motivation, Money, Healing. It Is A Cure-all, Relaxes The Nerves And Stimulates The Brain.

Medicinal Use: Mint In Tea Form Aids Upset Stomachs, Flu, And Can Be Used To Ease Hiccups. Inhalations Of The Leaves In Boiling Water Is Recommended For Head Colds And Asthma.

Mint Tea Used Instead Of Aspirin Is Great For Headaches, Particularly Premenstrual Headaches. Aids The Respiratory And Circulatory Systems. An Anti-inflammatory And An Antiseptic. Ideal For Treating Indigestion, Flatulence, Varicose Veins, Headaches, Migraine, Skin Irritations, Rheumatism, Toothache, And General Fatigue.

Magical Use: Used For Healing, Strength, To Augment Power, Luck, Travel..

Everyday Elder

I have a huge affinity for the elder tree, as my parents used to make elderberry wine and I have many a great memory of going out as a family, picking bunches and bunches of berries, then forking them off the stalks into a bucket and squelching them down with my (obviously clean!) feet. Then there’d be weeks of listening to the soft bubbling and sighs coming from demijohns stashed in all the warm places in the house throughout autumn, until the wine was ready to be drank and celebrated at Christmastime.

Medicinal properties

Traditionally all parts of Elder are useful medicinally. The berries and the leaves are both rich in vitamin C and the leaves can be made into ear drops to treat pain and inflammation.

The flowers make a tea that is good for treating coughs and irritable throats, as well as being made into a skin cleanser and lotion. The bark of the new small twigs can be made into a laxative. The bark, roots, berries and leaves can all be used as a dye. And the berries are good for making jam, wine, vinegar, and syrups.

Magickal properties

Exorcism, Prosperity, Banishment and Healing. The leaves and berries are used for protection and in breaking spells that were cast against you or to undo spells of evil intent. Growing an elder in your garden will protect your property from misfortune and harm. In Europe, they planted elder in cemeteries to keep away the evil spirits.

Humble Hawthorn

It’s that time of year again where the hawthorn berries are fat on the branches, just begging to be picked, like apples. They are ripe to perfection when they just fall off the boughs by themselves.

Hawthorn is primarily used in magick for fertility, harmony, protection, love and marriage spells.

At one time, Hawthorn trees were believed to be witches transformed into trees!!

Placed around doors and windows, hawthorn will prevent people from entering your home in an astral state and stop spirits from entering too. Also, planting hawthorn around other trees, or near your home is said to protect them from lightning strikes and planting an entire hedge of hawthorn around your home will keep out unfriendly spirits.

The berries from hawthorn are astringent and can be used for a sore throat and can also be made into a tasty liquor (think of sloe gin, but with hawthorn berries instead). Another way to use the berries is to turn them into wine or jellies.

My dad used to tell me the leaves can also be eaten and were once referred to as ‘bread and cheese’. I tried them once and they were quite bitter and not at all nice. I did think he was having me on at the time though, as he once tried to convince me rabbit droppings were chocolate covered raisins and that a Haggis was a real animal….I was a gullible child!!

If you have any specific worries or woes, gather seven strong, sharp thorns from the branches and whisper to each one the problem that needs solving. Wrap them in a leaf and bury them under the hawthorn bush.

Apparently, wands made from hawthorn are especially effective against malevolent spirits. The wand is best cut ‘green’ in order that the bark will peel easily, so, when choosing your wood, ensure a suitable gift for the fae protector of the tree.

Hawthorn is also a powerful psychic shield that can lift the spirits, and a little charm of the wood is a thoughtful gift for a friend going through a time of particular vulnerability or depression. Dried flowers, berries or leaves can be burned in incense at a ritual working for the same purpose too.

Lore and More: Long Meg and Her Daughters

Close to Penrith, in Cumbria, in the far North West of England, is a Bronze Age stone circle known as Long Meg and Her Daughters. It is one of around 1,300 stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany and was constructed as a part of a megalithic tradition of building stone circles, which lasted from 3,300 to 900 BCE, during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.

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Photo: Long Meg and Her Daughters

This stone circle is the sixth-largest example known from this part of North-Western Europe and is considered to be one of the finest in the North of England.

Long Meg and Her Daughters stone circle has a diameter of approximately 350 feet (107 metres) and is the second biggest in England. Long Meg is the tallest of the 69 stones, at approximately 12 feet high (3.7 metres). It displays three mysterious symbols, its four corners face the points of the compass and it stands some 60 feet outside the circle. Long Meg is made of local red sandstone, whereas the daughters are boulders of rhyolite, a form of granite.

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Photo: Long Meg and Her Daughters

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It is thought that the stones probably date from about 1500 BC and it was likely to have been used as a meeting place or for some form of ritual.

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William Wordsworth wrote the following poem about the stones in 1822:

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A weight of Awe not easy to be borne,

Fell suddenly upon my spirit, cast,

From the dread bosom of the unknown past,

When first I saw that family forlorn;

Speak Thou, whose massy strength and stature scorn,

The power of years – pre-eminent, and placed,

Apart, to overlook the circle vast.

Speak Giant-mother! tell it to the Morn,

While she dispels the cumbrous shades of night;

Let the Moon hear, emerging from a cloud,

At whose behest uprose on British ground,

That Sisterhood in hieroglyphic round,

Forth-shadowing, some have deemed the infinite,

The inviolable God that tames the proud.

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Local legend claims that Long Meg was a Witch who, with her daughters, was turned to stone by the famed 13th century Wizard, Michael Scott of Balwearie, when he caught them all profaning the Sabbath, as they danced wildly on the moor.

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Photo: Long Meg and Her Daughters

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The circle is supposedly endowed with magick, so that it is impossible to count the same number of stones twice, but if you do manage it, then it is said the magick is broken.

According to local lore, the petrified family must remain that way, until such time as someone succeeds in counting their number accurately or, failing that, should manage to count the same number of stones twice.

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Photo: Long Meg and Her Daughters

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Also, should anyone dare mistreat, or attempt to damage, any of the stones, the latent powers within them will be revived and those stupid enough to continue with any disrespectful actions will be severely…..dissuaded!!!

This happened to Captain Lacy, who was an 18th Century landowner. He used explosives in an attempt to dislodge and remove Long Meg and Her Daughters. Within moments of the work commencing, a fierce storm of driving rain and pounding hail arose, accompanied by the worst thunder and lightning the district had ever witnessed.

The workmen Lacy had employed became so terrified, that they fled the site fearing for their lives. Once they had run off, the storm ceased and the stones were left to age in peace, as they do today and will, no doubt, continue to do so for hundreds, if not thousands, more years.

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Information sourced from the following:

Long Meg & Her Daughters Stone Circle

http://www.stone -circles.org.uk/stone/longmeg.htm

Remarkable Rosemary

Rosemary Is Another Of The Herbs That Thrives Best In Warm, Mediterranean Climes But Can Also Weather The Cold. Tough To Grow From Seed, Cuttings Are An Easier Way To Start Your Row Of Rosemary Plants In Your Garden. Pots Of This Bushy Plant Can Enjoy Spring And Summer And Come In From The Cold To A Sheltered Porch Or By A Sunny Window When Temperatures Drop. As A Bonus, It Requires Little Water. Rosemary Is Fantastic As A Seasoning For Potatoes, Roast Chicken, And Makes Any Sunday Supper Taste Better And Brighter. You Can Pinch Off The Aromatic Needles To Dress Plates Or Sprinkle Into Soups And Stews. Beyond Enhancing Your Cookery, This Is A Primary Plant For Rejuvenation And Is Prized For How It Helps Restore After Lingering Illness; Elixirs And Essential Oils Made From Rosemary Stimulate And Energize As They Comfort.

In Greco-Roman Times, Rosemary Was Believed To Help The Memory. An Excellent Kitchen Witchery Practice Is To Take Dried Or Fresh Rosemary And Add It To A Steam For An Easy Infusion, Where It Aids Breathing, Muscle Aches, And Anxiety. You Can Accomplish The Same By Adding Rosemary To A Hot Bath. Lie Back And Relax, Remembering Happy Times In Your Life, And Those That Lie Right Ahead Of You.

Rosemary Has Many Uses In Magic. Rosemary From One’s Garden Can Be Used In Magic, But It Is Also Found As Incense And An Essential Oil. The Primary Associations Of Rosemary Are: Healing, Protection, Purification, Love, Strength, Memory, Stress Relief, And Mental Clarity. Rosemary Is Associated With The Sun And With The Zodiac Sign Of Leo.

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.

Anti Anxiety Spray

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.

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Moon in Cancer – Family Happiness Wish/Spell

I foraged some branches of hawthorn, apple, hazel, pine and whatever else I could find in my local environment (all thoughtfully and thankfully taken, with offerings of nuts left, to give thanks).

The reason I collected these things was to make a Moon in Cancer Family Happiness Wish/Spell.

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For this wish/spell you will need 3 lengths of 60cm (2 feet) blue twine or ribbon, plus a smaller piece of the same ribbon or twine to hang it. If you don’t have blue, just use what you have! We Witches can adapt and substitute with what our intuition tells us is OK, so if you have neon pink ribbon and you think that’ll work, then that WILL work.

Then you’ll need to find a selection of twigs, or short branches, from apple or fruit trees, hawthorn, hazel, oak, cedar, pine, holly….whatever you can find in your garden, local park or local countryside (even from your neighbours trees if they’re hanging over your side of the fence!)

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Knot the ends of the three long lengths of ribbon/twine together, then plait the three strands til you get to the other end and knot this again.

Form the plaited length into a circle and use the shorter length of ribbon/twine to tie the ends together and make a loop to hang it with.

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Repeat this charm:

With this family garland true,

The lunar time will see anew,

For homely warmth, so loved this place.

With all our spirits filled with grace.

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Then you should gather all your twigs and small branches and thread them through and around the plaited ribbon or twine, to make a garland that is full and as bushy as you can manage (no one will blame you for needing a wee bit of help from some wire or cable ties to keep things in place!). I also put the oven dried cinnamon sticks and orange slices left over from making Christmas mulled wine on there too. Waste not want not, it always pays to be a Thrifty Witch!

Then simply hang the garland on the back of your main entrance door for harmonious living. For us, I’ll hang ours on the back of our front door, as that is the one we mainly use to enter and exit our house.

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