Herb Magic for Beginners (15 page)

Put yourself in a positive frame of mind. Then light the candles, and repeat this spell:

Heliotrope has the folk name of cherry pie,
I cast this spell today, under a sunny sky.
The flowers circle the candles of purple and gold,
If you want abundance and change, then you must be bold.
I call on the sun god Helios, for drive and success,
My hopes and dreams for prosperity, he will surely bless.

Allow the candles to burn until they go out on their own. When the candles are consumed, clean up your work area and then set the heliotrope on a drying rack and allow the blossoms to air-dry. You may save these enchanted flowers to use for other prosperity charms in the future.

Cinquefoil

Cinquefoil (Potentilla anserina) has the planetary association of Jupiter and is aligned with the element of earth. This blooming perennial is a sun-loving herb that grows to about eighteen inches in height and is blessed with many folk names. One of the more popular ones is “five-finger grass.” Each point of the leaf represents a different magical quality: wealth, well-being, power, love, and wisdom.

This herb has tiny yellow flowers from May through early fall. There are other varieties of cinquefoil, with different colors of blossoms. I have a variety named ‘Miss Willmot,’ and the blossoms are larger than most other varieties, and are a gorgeous coral color, but the bloom cycle lasts for only three weeks. The rest of the year, I simply enjoy the neat mounds of foliage.

Herbal lore recommends gathering this herb during the waxing moon and at midnight—how mysterious! Gather this herb whenever your schedule permits; it will work out fine no matter when you harvest it. The best thing about this plant is that when you incorporate it into any spell, it adds those five wonderful qualities of wealth, well-being, power, love, and wisdom to the magic.

Cinquefoil Charm

Do you want to add a little extra something to your herb magic? Well, here you go. This is a perfect herb to add. Just consider all of those positive magical correspondences for it, which were just listed. Try this herbal charm whenever you work with the cinquefoil. You could even add this as a tag line to herbal enchantments of your own design:

Five-finger grass can bring many good things to your life,
Wealth, health, power, love, and wisdom, without any strife.
Add this versatile herb, and the spell is begun,
As I will, so mote it be, and let it harm none!

Mint

Mint (Mentha ssp.) is a fragrant, perennial herb that is associated with the planets Venus, Pluto, and Mercury. Its elemental association is air. This fast-spreading and easy-to-grow herb was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. It was also a popular herb in monastic gardens. The mint plant is associated with the Greek goddess Hecate and the god Hades, lord of the underworld.

Hades was known to the Romans as Pluto, so you can see how the planet Pluto became associated with this herb. According to legend, Hades/Pluto rarely left his underground kingdom, but on one such occasion he happened to meet a beautiful nymph named Minthe. Minthe and Hades shared a mutual attraction, but Hades’ wife, Persephone, caught wind of Hades’ infatuation, and before things could go any further, she changed Minthe into this sweet-smelling plant. Hecate, goddess of Witches, is also aligned with the mint plant.

Mint has a colorful reputation and is a multipurpose Witch plant. It’s a popular magical herb for many different types of enchantments and charms. It’s also famous for freshening breath and settling sour stomachs. Mint was also considered an aphrodisiac, and was often utilized as a strewing herb. Brides wore chaplets of this herb to bring good luck to their marriage. Mint was used in butcher shops to help keep flies away from the meat, and has been used as a culinary herb since ancient times. It flavored just about every kind of dish, including meats, fruits, confections, and beverages.

According to herbal folklore, growing mint in your garden is a sure-fire way to attract money into your purse. This is a type of sympathetic magic, as there is an old saying that wishes for “your money to be as plentiful as the mint leaves in the herb garden.” You can also tuck a few sweet-smelling leaves in your wallet or handbag to pull prosperity to you.

Here is a down-to-earth spell to enchant the mint in your garden. This will bless your entire household with good luck, prosperity, and happiness.

Garden Witch Spell for Success and Prosperity

I recommend keeping this invasive herb in its own a container, or controlling its growth by tucking your new plant in a larger, soil-filled container and then sinking the container into the garden. Otherwise, the roots will shoot out, and it will spread everywhere.

You can work this spell anytime. It can be worked with the mint already growing in your garden, or you can perform this when you go to add a new mint plant in with your other herbs.

Take a seat on the ground, and run your hands over the fragrant mint leaves. Hold your hands to your face, and breathe in the refreshing scent. Then repeat this spell three times:

All around me, prosperity now quickly grows,
Magic is found in the earth, as a Witch surely knows.
May success bloom in my life in a positive way,
My life is magically blessed, each and every day.

Remember, magic is intention, and magic is love. It is the art of creating positive change. So get in there and see what amazing things you can accomplish. Cast your spells, and use your imagination to adapt and personalize the herbal enchantments featured in this book for love, health, happiness, success, and abundance. Brightest blessings and best wishes on all your herb craft!

Writing is an exploration.
You start from nothing and learn as you go.

—E. L. Doctorow

Chapter Seven

Writing Your Own Herbal Spells and Charms

In this, our last chapter, we are going to discuss a few more important topics. I don’t want to just explain how herb magic works, show you the spells, and then turn you loose. I’d like to follow up with a few basics, so you feel confident as you take your next steps down this herbal path.

So, I imagine you are feeling pretty proud of yourself by now, as well you should. Together we have covered quite a bit of herb magic, and you are ready to put your own personalized spin on herbalism. There are a few more things you will need to help you in this venture, and they won’t cost you a dime. What are they? Creativity, intuition, and imagination. Acquire these, and you will be ready to start experimenting and writing your own herbal spells and charms.

In truth, a spell is a mental projection for positive change that can performed in many ways. It may be cast spontaneously (when you envision a change, and it becomes so). A spell can be spoken aloud, in a divine sort of improvisation. Or it can be plotted out and written down.

If you are wondering where to begin and how to spark your own creativity when it comes time to set pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, I have a few suggestions.

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme?

If you’d like your herbal spells to rhyme but have a little trouble with that, go and purchase a rhyming dictionary. I keep one above my desk, with my reference books, and it often saves the day when I’m stuck on a spell verse. These little dictionaries are inexpensive, and easy and fun to use. Traditionally, the reason spells often rhyme is because a spell is a ritual, of sorts. There is an old adage that says that in order to make a spell powerful, you should make it rhyme. Here is my adaptation of that saying:

To empower your herb magic every time,
Let the charms and spells be spoken in rhyme.

This tradition goes along with the theory that repeating rhyming lines, while spellcasting, puts you in a different mental state, one that is more advantageous to working magic. Try it out for yourself and see how it works. Write one spell that doesn’t rhyme and one that does, cast them both, and see which one has the better results.

If the very thought of trying to write rhyming spell verses, even with the help of a dictionary, makes you break a sweat, then take the pressure off yourself and don’t worry about whether your verses rhyme. The world will not stop spinning if they don’t. Try drafting a few simple spells that sound like you. If you can’t imagine yourself reading the verses out loud with a straight face, then you’ve got a problem. Keep the spells and charms simple, and enjoy the creative process. The verses don’t have to be grandiose and theatrical, okay?

On the other hand, if theatrical is your style, well then, hey, go for it.

More Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

Idea 1

Do something else creative. Yup, believe it or not, doing something artsy that you enjoy—whether it’s knitting, woodworking, gardening, floral design, painting, or scrapbooking—can often take your mind off what you are stuck on, and get those creative juices flowing. There is something about using your hands to create something beautiful that puts you in a different state of mind. You become so focused on one project that your mind takes a break. Once you have finished the project, you often will find that when you go back to writing your herb spells, the writing part becomes easier. The thoughts and ideas just flow better.

Idea 2

Hit the books or take a class. Visit the local library. Check out a few big coffee-table type of books full of beautiful, color pictures of herbs and herb gardens, and see what inspires you. Go to an herb sale, or attend an herb society meeting. Sign up for a garden lecture, or take a gardening class. Check with your local university extension office, the local chapter of Master Gardener volunteers, or the nurseries in your area for classes.

Idea 3

Talk to other folks who are passionate about plants and herbs. All gardeners love to swap plants and care tips and share information. Besides, serious gardeners are a riot. Where else will you find so many different kinds of people who all act like kids at a bakery-store window when they come across green plants? The majority of gardeners that I know are earthy, generous, and practical, and they love to talk and pass information and plants along to others.

Idea 4

Get a change of scenery. Take a stroll through a nursery, park, or botanical garden armed with a notebook and a pen. See which herbs, trees, or plants capture your imagination. Perhaps you’ll wander through a park in high summer and admire the roses, bend over to take a good whiff of their scent, and have a seat on a nearby bench and study them for a time. Getting any ideas? Is there a particular color you seemed to be drawn to? Well, whip that notebook out and take some notes. Take a few moments to write down your impressions, your emotions, and things you noticed about the plant. Later, back at home, leaf through your magical books, and see what other information and folklore you can add to your notes. Then sit down and see what sort of spell you can create, of your very own making.

Putting It on Paper

When I draft my own spells and charms, I have found it easiest to work from a worksheet. Here is one for you to copy and use. It is a wonderful tool to help you organize your supplies, calculate lunar and astrological timing, draft your spell verses, and plot out your best course of magical action.

Herbal Spell Worksheet

Goal:

Moon phase:

Day of the week:

Astrological/magical symbols used:

Herbs used:

Magical significance of the herbs:

Candle color (if you added candle magic):

Fresh foliage or garden flowers:

Charm or verse:

Results:

Keeping Track of Your Herb Magic

Learning is a treasure that accompanies its owner everywhere.

—Chinese Proverb

The “results” section at the bottom of the spell worksheet has a couple of purposes. First, this is an affirmation and a record of how your herb magic blossomed. It’s very satisfying to look back and see how your magic worked. It will boost your confidence, and it’s a great way to keep track of your results. It truly does help to write down the outcomes of your herbal spells, so you have a record of what worked well and what did not.

Second, this is a solid way to learn as you go—the old trial and error method. Yes, sometimes spells flop, or turn out in a way you had not planned or could not possibly have imagined. So, keeping records of your herbal spells is a wonderful way to note your successes and learn from your failures. You can compare your spell notes, and then fine-tune your own herb magic, spells, and charms in the future.

So, live on the edge, and go pick up a spiral notebook and keep a record of your research and spellwork. Dare to study the basics. Get in there and adapt some charms, and try your hand at writing your own herb magic. Commit some herbal and magical knowledge to memory, and then create and cast spells and herb magics of your own creation. In truth, this is how you become a more advanced magical practitioner.

Memorize those daily correspondences from chapter 2. Trust me, you will use those planetary, color, and magical associations every time you cast any type of spell. If it will help, you can record all of this basic information in your notebook, and turn it into your magical journal, or what is often called a Book of Shadows.

If you don’t already have a magical journal, there is no time like the present to begin one. Your personal magical journal, or Book of Shadows, is the place to write down your hopes and dreams, and what’s on your mind. You can write down ideas you have for spells, or create a list of your favorite herbs, and so on. In time, it will become a treasured record of personal history. One day in the future, you’ll look back on it and be amazed at yourself and how much you’ve grown as a magical herbalist.

After all, my first herb magic journal inspired me to write this book. I certainly never planned it that way, all those years ago. Taking a look back at my roots, at how I began as a Witch and where I came from, offered me a way to help other folks begin their own study of magical herbs.

Closing Thoughts: A Soul Garden

The garden must be prepared in the soul first
or else it will not flourish.

—English Gardening Proverb

Enjoy your time in the natural world, working with herbs and plants. Rejoice in the connection you feel to the earth and her charming cycles and seasons. Think of your studies of magical herbalism as time spent in the soul’s garden, because magic comes naturally in the garden. Whether your spiritual garden is found in pots and containers on a porch, tucked in jars of dried herbs in the kitchen cabinet, or growing in a large backyard herb bed, it really doesn’t matter.

In the soul’s garden, surrounded by magical plants and enchanting herbs, it’s easy to feel the spiritual connection and life force inherent in all of nature. Awaken your senses and see what you can discover while working with herbs and all their fascinating properties and enchanting energies. Create your own herbal spells and charms with humor, style, and heart.

Believe in yourself, work your herb magic for positive change, for the best of all, and you will accomplish wonders.