Tag Archives: overcome

Magick of Grape Hyacinths

HISTORY AND METAPHYSICAL ASSOCIATIONS

Native to southern Europe, Northern Africa, and western Asia, the grape hyacinth (or Muscari) is a symbol of power and confidence and can also symbolise mystery and creativity.

It has associations with the Greek Earth Goddess Demeter and, as she is known to be the guardian of women, it was often worn as part of a bridal crown.

The Ancient Greeks themselves however, also regarded the grape hyacinth as a flower of death, with many European cultures associating it with remembrance.

It is also the flower of the Olympian sun god Apollo and is a symbol of beauty, peace and commitment, but also of power and pride.

Hyacinths are also often found in Christian churches, as a symbol of happiness and love.

The flower has correspondences of tenderness and softness and is a perfect flower if you want to give flowers to your beloved!

BOTANY

The grape hyacinth is a bulbed flower, which is part of the lily family, and features pretty, purple/blue flowers. Its hollow leaves, which grow only from the base of the plant, resemble onion or garlic, but don’t have the same odor.

USES

The bulbs of the grape hyacinth have been used extensively in cooking and the edible flowers taste like bitter grapes. If you boil them in vinegar (in order to reduce the bitterness), they can be made into very tasty pickles. 

The flowers can also be made into an essence, which is said to provide assistance with communication and networking. This essence is also meant to help with feelings exclusion or abandonment, either through crisis or self-defeating behaviors, and can help to address personal crisis, especially when having feelings of despair or feeling like you are out of touch with others.

SOURCES

https://www.atozflowers.com/flower/muscari/
https://www.powerfloweressences.com/grape-hyacinth-flower-essence
https://goodwitcheshomestead.com/2017/03/18/grape-hyacinth/

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. 

Sleep and De-Stressing Bath Salts

One of my favourite bath salt blends to make is this one, for helping to relax, unwind, de-stress and sleep. I always have some made up on hand at all times, stored in a recycled gherkin jar (washed out, obviously!), so it’s there ready if I need to use it. I also try and make it well enough in advance to give the ingredients time to meld together and infuse. 

These sleepy salts really help me to relax and unwind and, combined with some sleepy tea that I make (Sleepy Tea Recipe), along with playing rainstorm or crashing wave sounds through Alexa in our bedroom, or guided meditation through my headphones, I am guaranteed a full nights sleep.

Here’s the ingredients I used:

• Himalayan pink salt for cleansing, centering and grounding;

• Dried jasmine flowers for their sedative effects and use for reducing anxiety and depression;

• 6-8 drops of ylang ylang essential oil to boost my mood, alleviate anxiety and reduce depression;

• 6-8 drops of rose essential oil for also relieving anxiety and stress; and

• 6-8 drops of patchouli essential oil to relieve depression, provide feelings of relaxation and helping to ease stress or anxiety.

I first put the salt into the jar. I then added each essential oils, 2-3 drops at a time, putting the lid on and shaking to mix well in between each addition. Each time I shook it I thought of my intention for this to help me destress, not be as anxious and to try and relax more, whilst soaking in a bath containing a handful.

The last thing I added was the dried jasmine and gave it a final shake.

It smells divine and the other thing about it that soothes me, is that it smells of my mum’s favourite perfume. I lost my mum very suddenly and quite traumatically in 2016. It took me a long time to get over that. This smell reminds me of her, and how wonderful and loving she was, and makes me feel connected to her. The label at the bottom of the jar has her initials as I’ve dedicated this blend to her.

Oracle and Tarot Reading: Obstacles and how to overcome them

I’ve been anxious, stressed and down recently, mostly about my day job, as I’ve got a lot of long term projects on and I’m worrying about how they’re going to progress, so I decided to ask my cards what the problem was and what I could do to fix it.

I used my Sacred Geometry Activations Oracle deck for an overall answer and my Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Tarot deck to ask the following questions:

•  What is the obstacle?
•  What is my path around it?

The Oracle deck provided me with the ‘Allowance’ card. This card advises us to be open about whatever comes our way, without judgement, opinion, fear or resistance and, when we allow it, the Universe becomes our partner throughout all things we do.

I take this to mean that I should stop stressing myself out thinking ahead in my work projects. What will be will be and I’ve come up against obstacles before in schemes and strategies, but have always worked through them methodically, scientifically, accurately and with the support of a fantastic team of specialists. Whatever gets thrown my way, I will strive to work things out and undertake the work to the very best of my ability.

With my Tarot deck, the card I pulled for the obstacle question was the Dragonfly.

The dragonfly is a creature that is ancient, almost ethereal, which awakens a sense of wonder in all of us. It is a symbol of the mind, as it is constantly in motion, moving, shifting, shimmering and changing.

When the dragonfly card appears, it’s worth considering the quality of your mind and perception. Is everything you are expecting going to be as bad as you think? Are you building it up inside your own mind and causing yourself worry over nothing? As things progress, the situation may be much different than you fear it to be.  The dragonfly reminds us to calm the mind so the light of wisdom and sense can shine through.

In order to remove the inability to properly concentrate and to clear my busy mind, I need to focus and let myself breathe.

The card I pulled to find my path around the obstacle was the Unicorn.

The Unicorn card itself is meant to reflect your higher self, your wisdom and your aspirations. It is a reminder to keep reaching, searching and working to attain your goal.

The Unicorn tells me that I should have the same faith, belief and trust in myself that others bestow upon me and that I should believe in myself and have faith in my abilities. The Unicorn also tells me that my limits are only the ones defined by myself.