Herbs: The Magickal Acorn

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Amythyst Raine

The Acorn:

Good luck, protection, wisdom, and personal power. A dried acorn is an excellent natural amulet for keeping a youthful appearance.

Technically, I’m not sure if the acorn counts as an “herb”, since it springs from the mighty Oak Tree…however, I do know that it most definitely is full of magickal energy, and it is part of the sacred world of plants, so we’ll include it here. Just so you know, I have an entire glass container full of acorns for my own magickal use. 🙂

The lore:

The oak is a sacred tree to many cultures and spiritual practitioners, including the Druids. There is a Nordic tale of the great god Thor sheltering beneath a mighty oak tree during a storm. The goddess Diana is often depicted wearing a necklace of acorns. The Celts and Druids found the oak tree especially symbolic of the Samhain season. The tree is a symbol of the Horned God, Herne (or Cernunnos)

The acorn is considered the first sacred food of civilization. It’s symbolic of security and abundance, and it counteracts loneliness, illnesses, and pain. It’s energy aids in maintaining longevity, draws good luck, and preserves the illusion of youth.

You can identify your true love by labeling two acorn caps with your name and the name of your beloved. Float them in a bowl of water, if they drift together, you’ve made a successful match, if they float apart…so does your love.

For more magickal information on herbs,
follow this link:

Magickal Herbs

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Herbs: Rosemary… “Dew of the Sea”

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Amythyst Raine

A Rosemary Summoning Spell:

Use rosemary and a pinch of Drawing Powder to summon someone to you that you have feelings for, or whose help you need. This could include someone you have romantic feelings for; someone you love in a platonic way; someone that you’re connected to through blood or circumstance; or someone whose help you need with an issue or personal problem. Think of this spell as a pied piper’s wiggling finger inferring, “Come hither.”

You will gather a handful of dried rosemary, a photo/signature/or name paper of the one you need to summon, and a lovely little fire– either outdoors in a nice fire pit, or a smaller adaptation in your cauldron.

When you get your fire burning properly, drop into it the photo/signature/or name paper; next, the rosemary, sprinkling it carefully so you don’t smother your flames. And finally, just a pinch of Drawing Powder.

As the flames consume the ingredients of your spell, chant:

“Blessed rosemary, I call unto thee;
Summon (name) to come to me.”

Courtesy of “Magickal Herbs” @ The Witch’s Corner:

Rosemary
Planet: Sun; Element: Fire: Energy: Masculine (projective)
Protection, love, lust, mental powers, exorcism, purification, healing, sleep, youth. Burn to purify and cleanse. Use in love and lust incenses and potions. Use for healing of all kinds. A tea of rosemary causes the mind to be alert. Circulatory, digestive and nerve stimulant. Heals headache, depression, and halitosis.

____________________

*Note: check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any herbal supplement,
especially if you are currently prescribed other medications.

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Magickal Herbs: Myrrh, Sandalwood, Carnation

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Amythyst Raine

HERBALPICTURES.jpg picture by witch_of_endore

The following herbs share the energy and power to heal.

Although these herbs have healing powers in common, they also contain individual energies, which can be used in a variety of spells.

Myrrh

Energy: Receptive (Feminine)

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Deities: Isis, Adonis, Ra, Marian

Powers: Protection, Exorcism, healing, Spirituality

Ritual Uses: Myrrh was burned to Ra at noon in ancient Egypt, and was also fumed in the temples of Isis.

Magical Uses:

Burned as an incense myrrh purifies the area, lifts the vibrations and creates peace. However, it is rarely burned alone; usually in conjunction with frankincense or other resins. Myrrh increases the power of any incense to which it is added.

Myrrh is also included in healing incenses and sachets, and its smoke is used to consecrate, purify, and bless objects such as amulets, talismans, charms, and magical tools. Myrrh also aids meditation and contemplation. It is often added to sachets, usually with frankincense.

mortarandpestle2.jpg picture by Amythyst1

Sandalwood

Gender: Receptive (Feminine)

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Powers: Protection, wishes, healing, exorcism, spirituality

Magical Uses:

Sandalwood powder is burned during protection, healing, and exorcism spells. When mixed with lavender it makes an incense designed to conjure spirits.

This fragrant wood possesses very high spiritual vibrations and is burned at séances and Full Moon rituals when mixed with frankincense. Write your wish on a chip of sandalwood and burn in the censer or cauldron. As it burns it sets the magic flowing, but remember to visualize your wish at the same time.

Sandalwood beads are protective and promote a spiritual awareness when worn.

Powdered sandalwood can be scattered about a place to clear it of negativity, and is also used as an incense base.

mortarandpestle2.jpg picture by Amythyst1

Carnation

Gender: Projective (Masculine)

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Deity: Jupiter

Powers: Protection, strength, healing

Magical Uses:

Worn during Elizabethan times to prevent coming to an untimely death on the scaffold, carnations can be used in all-purpose protective spells.

Carnations are placed in convalescent rooms to give the healing patient strength and energy, and are also used in healing spells. Place fresh carnations (red are best) on the altar during healing rituals and add the dried blossoms to sachets and incense for the same purpose.

Disclaimer:

Never ingest any herbs, or feed them to someone else, if you are not absolutely sure they are safe!

green-tea-cup.jpg picture by witch_of_endore

____________________

This information was originally posted in
the July 2010 edition of the newsletter from:

The Witch’s Corner

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Plantain: Magickal or Mundane

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Amythyst Raine

The perfect carpet of suburban green lawn does not exist at our house; at least not yet, but that might change once my husband gets his hands on it. We don’t have a conventional lawn right now at all, we have what’s been called “pasture”. Within it grows numerous types of plants, many of them labeled ‘weeds’ by the more pristine lawn connoisseurs. (A weed’s a flower too, once you get to know it– I saw this quote just yesterday somewhere, probably Facebook.)

One of the wild green things growing freely in our lawn is a plant called Plantain. You can see it in the foreground of this photo. It grows with wild abandonment in our yard, most often in cliquish little clumps here and there. In the early stages you won’t see the long seed stems, just the wide green leaves close to the ground.

Every year I gather bunches of plantain, filling a large glass jar, squashing the leaves down, getting as much as I can into one container, on my knees, going from one island of plantain to another, front and back yard. This is an extraordinarily versatile plant, both magickally and mundanely speaking– which I value greatly. I’m going to start with the conventional side of plantain, some of the practical uses it can be valued for, sort of like nature’s medicine cabinet…

For Insect Bites:

Cover fresh insect stings (from bees, wasps, or hornets) with wet crushed plantain leaves. Replace the leaves as they dry out. The idea is to press out the poison, to draw it out, as well as to relieve any discomfort at the same time.

For Inflammation:

Wrap bruised wet plantain leaves around the infected area, keeping them wet by covering them with a plastic bag or a wet cloth. Be sure to keep the leaves wet. It’s been said that plantain works on infected finger sores where conventional antibiotic ointments have failed.

An Herbal Ointment: Plantain Liquefied Ointment

(An ointment is a soothing healing balm made with a base of oil, lard, grease, or petroleum, into which you’ve added herbs and plants for medicinal purposes. It’s most simply made by heating your base and adding your other ingredients; then pouring the mixture into a container to cool and thicken, and this process can be helped along if you wish by adding bees wax, coco butter, or honey. If you’ve a mind to, you can add a couple drops of benzoin, glycerin, or a preservative to the mix, but I’m a purist at heart, and either I’ll use a batch of ointment up in good time, or I’ll eventually toss it out and make a new one as needed.)

2 1/2 cups fresh plantain leaves
1 1/2 cups wheat germ oil
1/2 cup honey

Mix the what germ oil and the honey in a blender, adding fresh plantain leaves. Blend well, then scrape this mixture into a container of your choice (I prefer small glass jars), and be sure you label it. To help the mixture harden up to the right consistency, add 2 1/c tablespoons of hot bees wax.

Now the fun stuff, we’re going to leave the conventional world behind and look at all the wonderous magickal– wiccan, pagany, witchcrafty ways we can make use of Plantain. This is a plant that I use a lot– I mean a lot— for a variety of magick and intentions.

First, I’m a fuss-budget, a worry wart– a mother– and I want my family to be safe whenever they are traveling in a vehicle, and I don’t care if it’s across town for a gallon of milk, or across the country to visit family. There must be, absolutely must be, a small bag of plantain and calamus root in everyone’s vehicle. It’s priceless, believed to protect travelers from harm, and as I’ve said before, I take a good deal of stock in it– my oldest daughter has totaled two cars on Omaha’s freeways, and she’s walked away without a scratch both times, her mojo bundle of herbal magick tucked beneath the driver’s seat.

Another protective use for plantain is to keep your property safe from theft: in good old-fashioned mojo tradition, fill a blue flannel bag with plantain and place it in the four corners, or at the four compass points, around your property.

Use plantain magickally to cure illness: it’s believed that by writing the name of the inflicted person three times on a small piece of paper, wrapping this paper in a plantain leaf, and laying the leaf on the heart of the patient, you can chase out the disease and restore good health. (I know I sound like I have a lot of faith in plantain’s magickal and mundane abilities, but for gawd’s sake, use some common sense– you can mix good old folk magick right along with a fabulous thing known as ‘modern medicine’. I don’t want to hear of anyone stopping routine medical care by competent medical professionals and replacing it with folk remedies alone…really.)

If you’re the victim of someone with a big mouth and a little brain, you can stop one and/or the other with a mixture of crushed dried plantain leaves and slippery elm (Shut yo’ mouth…says it all). I think I’d prefer to do a little candle magick with this combo– oil up a yellow candle with a good oil of your choice, roll it in the herbs, place it in a cauldron or other fire-proof container and burn away…and just for good measure, I’d place a slip of paper with the target’s name on it beneath the candle– and if you get your hands on a photo of them, which is so darn easy to do in this internet/Facebook world, you can really go to town. Knock yourself out.

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Sex & Green Witchcraft: Getting Down & Dirty

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Amythyst Raine

Witchcraft is all about dealing with issues in life and creating change in those areas through the movement of energy resulting in manifestation in the physical world. Sex is one of those whopping big issues, or it can be if things are not all hunky dory in the bedroom. Whatever the issues might be, whether it’s not enough passion, an overload of sex drive, infidelity, or a desire to catch your prince charming, you can find what you need to cast spells for hot sex, no sex, or only-with-me sex in the world of herbs and green witchcraft.

Fidelity

“Forsaking all others” is not something our culture takes lightly. Even in the 21^st century, ancient marriage vows and tradition are serious matters, and cheating is frowned upon. After all, don’t we all want to be special, to be ‘the one and only’? This is probably the most popular topic on which I receive emails asking for magickal help and advice. Following are some of my favorite herbs for dealing with issues of infidelity:

Chili Pepper…If you feel your mate is getting restless and may be plagued with a straying eye, obtain two dried chili peppers, cross them and tie them together. Add these chili peppers to a red flannel bag containing your man’s semen, a slip of paper on which you’ve written the length of his penis, and a photo of the two of you together. Place this charm near your bed, but make sure that it’s well hidden. NOTE: If it’s your little woman with the stray eye, let’s modify this spell for you: substitute menstrual blood for semen (easy enough to get, a used tampon is perfect); and substitute a snip of her pubic hair in lieu of measurements. This should be easy enough to get, as well as enjoyable for both of you. Use your imagination.

Cumin…When cumin is given to your lover, either carried upon his person in some way, or fed to him, it will promote fidelity. I’d vote for feeding it to your target. It’s much easier to make a tasty meal and slip it into the food, than to have your beloved wonder what the hell all those little seeds are in the bottom of his pockets. J

Licorice…(We’re talking the herb here, not the candy, just to keep things straight.) Gnawing on the root will put you in the mood for a little lovin’ with a lot of passion; and to keep all this passion between you and your beloved, use licorice in spells for fidelity.

Magnolia…This is another one of those magickal herbs that are kept in the bedroom, near your bed, to insure fidelity. Hide it in the mattress, in a box beneath your bed, along with a hoard of other innocent items, or in your bedside bureau drawer. Quite frankly, if your lover is use to having flowers and herbs around the house, both live and dried, they really aren’t going to think anything about one more piece of flora.

Nutmeg…Nutmeg is the mother of fidelity herbs. You can feed it to your target, include it in original fidelity spells, add it to mojo bags, voodoo dollies, or trick your partner into carrying it somewhere on their person by sprinkling it in their shoes, hiding it in their pockets, sewing it into a hem, etc. Combine this herb with any other herb you use for fidelity or love spells. This is the jealous “you-are-mine-and-mine-alone” herb.

Rhubarb…Bake your sweetheart a delicious rhubarb pie, adding generous amounts of sugar, including at least three spoonfuls of powdered sugar (Drawing Powder). To make sure your target stays faithful, add a pinch of nutmeg and the ultimate in personal effects– a teaspoonful of red wine that you have taken in your mouth, swished around good, like a mouthwash, and spit into the pie filling. It‘s best to do this while you‘re cooking the pie filling over the fire in a hot pan, heating it– and heating your passions and intentions right along with it.

Scullcap…Ladies, it’s said that if you wear this herb somewhere on your person, you will protect your hubby from the charms of other women. I think I’d add to this magickal endeavor by creating a mojo bag for this purpose. Add skullcap and two whole nutmegs to this bag, along with a photo of you and your husband together and some intimate personal effects, like body fluids, that sort of thing.

Attracting Love, i.e. Catching Prince Charming

Apple…Hold an apple in both hands, imbuing it with your magickal intentions: to bring to you the one you desire. Sleep with this apple for three nights. On the morning of the fourth day, hand this apple to your target, having them take it from your hands. Watch them eat it, making sure that they take at least three bites that are chewed and swallowed. Then ask if you can have a bite, taking it from their hands. Take a bite, chew and swallow, then hand this apple back to them…for the second time, they must take this apple from your hands.

Aster…Grow this plant in your garden with the intention that it shall draw to you your true love.

Beet…Use the juice from a beet as a magickal ink to write out your love spells. Beet juice can also be used as a substitute for blood, particularly in love spells. As with the apple, the story goes that if a man and woman both eat from a single beet, they will be joined together romantically.

Cardamom…Bake your target muffins, to which you’ve added cardamom. Serve them this delectable treat with a hot cup of apple/cinnamon tea, or hot chocolate.

Cinnamon…As with cardamom, the easiest way to use the magick of cinnamon to draw your true love to you is to feed it to them in something that you’ve baked yourself, something that you’ve put your time and energy into, something that you have mixed and blended and created with your own hands. To enhance this energy, serve them, along with the cinnamon, a drink of hot coco or chocolate milk.

Hibiscus…Use the blossoms of the hibiscus to create love sachets and incenses. You can also steep a strong tea for your target, and just before serving it, stick your finger into the tea cup, stirring three times deosil (clockwise).

Mistletoe…This is an all purpose love spell herb. Kiss the one you love beneath a sprig of mistletoe and the love shall last forever, so the old saying goes. To draw your true love to you, sleep with a sprig of mistletoe on the night of a full moon. The next day hide this charm somewhere in your target’s personal space– on the grounds of their property (okay, that’s pretty good); somewhere inside their abode (this is even better). If you can get them to carry it– in their purse, in their pocket, etc., without revealing what it is or what it’s for, you will have hit the jackpot in magickal checkmate.

Strawberry…This delicious delectable morsel shrieks of passion and lust. Eat it with your chosen target. For the best effect, don’t bother baking it into anything or including it any recipes, just go straight for the kill. Eat the berries together. You can also add to the experience by rolling it in melted chocolate. (Chocolate also has properties that magically spice up love and lust– the coco bean– but I suggested this mostly because I love chocolate and the combo is delicious.)

Increasing Sex Drive

The following herbs can be used, magickally speaking, for increasing your libido, or that of your partner.

Celery…ingest both the stalk and the seeds for a burst of passionate energy.

Beans…to cure impotency, carry a mojo bag on your person consisting of dried beans; a personal effect belonging to your mate, the more intimate the better; and an object which will be a phallic symbol, but something that is not an outright image of a penis. It has to be subtle and only suggestive of what it actually represents. This could be a stone with the correct shape, a stick, a small piece of statuary, glass, or any number of things. Look around you, you’ll find something. And the more energy you put into finding this item, the more energy you are putting into this mojo bag.

Ginseng…Ginseng is all about lust and desire. You can carry the root on your person, or you can drink a cup of ginseng tea. Either way, it’s reputed to get your motor going. Carrying the root may have more of a gradual and ongoing effect; drinking the tea may unleash more energy than you were expecting in a sudden burst; and if this is the case, you should make sure your romantic rendezvous is all set and ready to go before you take that cup of tea.

Licorice…ingesting this herb is the best way to utilize it’s potency as a libido booster.

Olive…olives not only increase sexual potency in men, they also increase fertility– just something to keep in mind. Eat it and enjoy.

Patchouli…mix patchouli, chips of Queen Elizabeth root, catnip, and red rose petals together. Make a tea with this mixture and add it to your bath water. Light a red candle during this bath and enjoy a nice long soak. When you’re finished, you can add a bit of this water to a small bottle and carry it in your purse to enhance the lustful and passionate effects, drawing it out. Better yet, bathe with your partner.

Vanilla…eat it, preferably in ice cream, preferably with your partner. Better yet, feed it to each other, in bed.

Decreasing Sex Drive

Remember the old saying, “You can never have too much of a good thing”? Well, actually, yes, you can. Here’s a few herbs and a few things you can do to tone it down, or shut it off.

Black Cohash…add a cup of tea that’s been made with this herb to your bathwater. It’s said that by bathing in this water you will kill any passion that your mate may have for you.

Camphor…This is another one of those herbs that are to be used in a mojo bag for this purpose and hidden somewhere very near the bed. You could add to this bag personal effects belonging to both you and your partner– nail clippings, hair, or more personal items– and a separate photo of both you and your partner. It’s also said that the scent of camphor will dampen the libido. In that case, I’d prepare a lovely little bowl full of camphor for the bedside table, and I’d refresh this when the scent disappears, or on a waning moon.

Lettuce…to squelch the libido of another individual, write their name on a slip of paper and place it beneath a single large lettuce leaf. Place this leaf where it will receive full sunlight and cover it with an inverted clear glass bowl. As it withers and rots in the sun, so shall their sexual potency wither and rot away.

Vervain…according to an old tradition, by drinking a tea of vervain, you will shut down all sexual desire for seven years. (You might want to think on this one, whether you plan on using it on yourself, or another individual.)

Witch Hazel…this will cool passion. This is the perfect herb to use in a mojo bag if you just need to cool things off for a while and give yourself time to think clearly about entering a relationship. Add to the bag a stone of black onyx, black hollyhock petals, black pansies, and a piece of black licorice (the candy, not the herb) that you’ve had in your mouth. Once your mind has cleared…think, think, think.

Hints & Helpful Magickal Tips:

If you’re a male and you think that someone’s been magickally tampering with your sexuality- your desires, your sex drive, and your free will, you can uncross the condition by steeping a whole burdock root in olive oil and anointing your genitals with this oil to restore your personal power and desires.

To break a hex or jinx placed upon your sexual nature boil calamus root in a a quart of whiskey; boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain out the roots, add another pint or two of whiskey to the mixture, and take a teaspoonful once a day to restore your sexual nature to normal. (*note: don’t confuse calamus root with blue flag)

Use the power of dill to manifest successful love spells by steeping the seeds in water for three days and adding it to your bathwater, or your target’s bathwater. To break a love spell, prepare a tea of dill leaf and ginger root. Strain the herbs, and anoint your entire body with this tea. Allow it to dry. This is to be done for nine days, creating a new batch of tea each day.

Increase the speed and intensity of love spells with ginger. Add dried ginger to love potions, powders, and oils. It can be burned with other spell ingredients, or added to foods imbued with magickal intentions.

Add white mustard seed to mojo bags created to attract love, along with red rose petals, a pinch of catnip, and personal effects: preferably an item from your target (hair, fingernail clippings, a button from their clothing, a business card, a name paper, personal body fluids, etc.)

Sampson snake root (Echinacea purpurea, or purple coneflower) is a versatile herb for love magicks: men who have lost their virility through jinxes or hexing can reinstate their prowess and sexual functionality by making a tea with this herb, or soaking this herb in whiskey for a week and taking a teaspoonful twice a day. This also restores good health that has been stolen through magickal means. A bath of Sampson snake root and Wahoo root bark will also restore male virility. A mojo bag to increase a man’s appeal to women will include Sampson snake root, high john the conqueror root, and bo’ hog root, all of which are dressed with commanding oil.

Queen Elizabeth root is considered the ultimate in love herbs. This herb works it’s magic on men, and it’s used for good luck in all types of love situations, including affairs. To attract a man’s love make a mojo bag containing Queen Elizabeth root, rose buds, lavender, lodestone, spikenard, and any personal effects you are lucky enough to get your hands on, all dressed with commanding oil. If you want your true love to propose marriage to you, add a powdered form of this herb to your bathwater just before meeting with your target. To enhance your feminine power and charms soak a whole root in water for nine days, strain this and add it to your bathwater. There is a powerful magickal concoction that is reputed to give you complete control over a man. This magickal potion includes scrapings of dry skin from your feet, or your toe nail clippings, which you will add to a bottle of water, along with a whole root and your own urine. Let this all soak for nine days before using it. You should use this liquid sparingly, adding it to your target’s food and drink, and by doing so he will develop a very docile nature and remain under your control. (I think I can actually hear a collective ‘ewwww’ from my readers J)

Have fun, and enjoy your magick…as well as the manifestations that result.

____________________

The books below were used as a reference for this essay; however, the information above was taken from my own Book of Shadows, which includes my personal magickal practices and correspondences. This means that I may not have always agreed with some of the correspondences I found in these books and have incorporated my own correspondences for the information above. This does not mean that the correspondences found in these books are inaccurate, just that I’ve discovered different energies through my own practice.

“Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs” by Scott Cunningham
“Hoodoo Herb and Root Magick” by Catherine Yronwode
“Green Magic: The Sacred Connection to Nature” by Ann Moura
“The Green Wiccan Herbal” by Silja

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Garden Magick: My Herbal Shopping List

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Amythyst Raine

I have friends who live in warmer climates, and they tell me that their rosemary and lavender are perennials. That’s not the case where I live, except for a huge mound of sage I planted years ago which comes up faithfully every year, and several plants that are native to my area (Nebraska). So every spring I make a list of the herbs I want to re-plant, rosemary and lavender being right up there at the top. I’m in the process of making my list right now, and I’m going to post it here, along with some magickal information on the correspondences and uses for these herbs.

Rosemary

Gender: masculine (or projective)
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Magickal Energies: protection, cleansing, purification, exorcism, healing, beauty/youth

I use rosemary for cleansing a space of unwanted negative energy. You can add it to the water you’re going to use to scrub the floor; burn it, using the smoke to magickally smudge an area; hang dried bunches of the plant in the four corners of a room, over the threshold of doorways, or above the windows. I’ve made a tincture of rosemary to use as an astringent for my face– I took a nice size bottle, filled it with spring water, added a pretty sprig of rosemary and let it sit and seep overnight, in the moonlight. The next day, you can remove the sprig of rosemary– though I chose to leave mine in the bottle– and refrigerate. To use it, just pour a little on a cotton-ball and use it to wipe down your face after you’ve washed your face as usual to remove makeup. Not only is the rosemary good for your complexion, you are tapping into the magickal energy of this herb to preserve the appearance of youth and beauty.

Lavender

Gender: masculine (or projective)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Magickal Energies: love, sleep, romance, purification, destressing, communication, enhancment of creative energy

I most often use lavender in mojo bags and poppets aimed at romance; for mojo bags kept beneath pillows to enhance sleep; for candle spells to remove negative and stressful energies from an individual, from a set of circumstances, or from a particular space. Burn a yellow candle dressed in Witch’s Oil and rolled in crushed lavender before beginning a project connected with communication, such as a writing project or assignment, or a personal letter. Keep a bowl of lavender by the computer for this same magickal enhancement, because this is an area that is engulfed in the energy and act of communicating with others. Finally, at the end of the day, drop a sprig or two in your bathwater to destress, to find peace and comfort, to shed the energies of all those people with whom you’ve come in contact with all day long.

Dill

Gender: masculine (or projective)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Fire
Magickal Energies: protection, power, lust, fertility, money mojo

I have used dill seeds in money spells, especially money spells geared towards children– such as cases involving child support disputes or other issues of this nature. The other thing that I’ve most called on Dill for is protection. Grind the leaves of this plant and add it to a red flannel bag, along with a rusty nail (or a cemetery nail, if you have it), a snip of hair from your head and a fingernail clipping, along with a pinch of whole cloves. Next, tear a page from a bible containing the 23rd psalm, write your name in large bold letters across the page (in dragon’s blood ink, if you have it), fold this paper up to fit inside the red bag. Hang this bag near the front door of your home to prevent enemies from entering; this means anyone who would wish you ill, even someone you may not recognize as an enemy.

I’m sure this isn’t it for my planting, but at least it’s a start to my list. I’m going to have to wait until the green-houses open up in my area to see what’s available. One thing about planting dill, my daughters love the huge brilliant catapillars that are attracted to it. They are really stunning– black, white, and yellow. I didn’t plant any last year, and we missed watching them. I have to say that over the years I’ve tried potting some of my outdoor herbs and bringing them inside to winter, including my rosemary and lavender, but this just never seems to work for me, the plants just don’t last long indoors. Not enough sunny windows perhaps, or maybe I water them too much/not enough. Anyway, we’ve been taking advantage of this wonderful and warmer than average weather to do some yard work and get our garden spots ready for spring planting.

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Update: Online Book Launch

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Amythyst Raine

Natural Magick
the Gray Witch Way

This book is a magickal formularia for the gray witch. The information found here will help you to successfully follow your pagan path, cast your spells, empower yourself, protect those you love, and work your magick…
the gray witch way.

divider sunflower 1

After you purchase this online book through Paypal,
I will email you the link, along with the login
information and the password.

click Here

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Autumn Magick: Flower Power

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Amythyst Raine

I was just talking to my girls the other day about flowers and foliage and the seasons. I mentioned that it seems, after that first brilliant ‘coming to life’ in the spring, there is a hot and lazy period. Everything seems scorched and beaten by the summer sun, wilted and tortured by the elements of the dog days of summer; and then comes autumn, blessed autumn. It’s like a second birth, a brilliant blossoming, a breath of cool fresh air that seems to revitalize the world of flora. Everything in the garden throws itself into color and beauty with renewed energy, just in time to begin turning for a glorious autumn show.

Many of the flowers that highlight this time of year are also some of my favorites, and it’s these flowers and plants that I’m going to look at from a magickal point of view. What are their connections to the elements? the planets? magickal intentions? How can I use them to work my magick in order to promote positive change?

Acacia: It’s gender is masculine (projective), it’s planet is the Sun, and it’s element Air. Acacia is used for protection and to promote psychic powers. Burn a small amount of the wood with sandalwood before practicing divination. A sprig from this tree kept in the home will ward off evil and protect the inhabitants from negative outside influences.

Allium: It’s gender is feminine (receptive), it’s planet Venus, and it’s element Water. I use allium in spells for feminine empowerment, to heighten intuition and psychism, and to promote feelings of love and well-being. I’ve used it both in mojo bags and magickal oils.

Alstromeria: White/pink/peach– the gender is feminine (receptive), the planet Venus, the element Earth; yellow/orange/red– the gender is still feminine (receptive), but it carries a bit of a punch; the planet is Mars, the element Fire. I use the milder more gentle form to work gentle magicks, the more robust colors I use in protection magick and self-empowerment spells, when you need strength and good dose of moxie.

Amaranthus: The gender is feminine (receptive), the planet Saturn, and the element Fire. The deity for amaranthus is Artemis– the feminine warrior/huntress. The magickal powers contained within this plant includes healing, protection, and invisibility. Amaranthus was used in pagan burial rites.

Anemone: It’s gender is masculine (projective); the element is Fire, and the planet is Mars. Deities associated with anemone are Adonis and Venus. This plant is also used for health, protection, and healing. To prevent disease, carry the blossoms from this plant in a red cloth upon your person. This plant can also be used in spells dealing with health issues involving blood and the reproduction organs. To keep an enemy at bay, place their photo in a red bag with a handful of the blossoms, or the root of the plant– and leave the dirt in place.

Baby’s Breath: The gender is masculine (projective), the planet Mercury, the element Air. I use Baby’s Breath for magick encompassing communication and creativity. I’ve also used this plant in love spells to instill good open lines of communications between couples, or to loosen the tongue of a shy partner– just be careful how much and how often you do this, you might be surprised at what’s released– or unleashed.

Bittersweet: The gender is masculine (projective), the element is Air, and the planet– Mercury. The most popular magickal use for bittersweet is in spells for protection and healing. I’ve also discovered that this plant, connected to the energies of Mercury and Air, is wonderful for issues of communication, clear thinking, powers of deduction, and the spark of creativity.

Carnation: The energy is masculine (projective), the planet is the Sun, and the element is Fire. Use the magick of the carnation for protection, strength, and healing. Use carnations in healing spells. Place carnations in a sick room to give strength to the one who is ill. Use this flower in healing rituals, mojo bags, and oils.

China Berry: This plant is used for luck. The seeds are considered good luck charms, so use them as thus, particularly in bags or lockets, where you can carry them upon your person. The China Berry can be used in spells to precipitate change.

Chrysanthemum: It’s gender is masculine (projective), the element is Fire, and the planet– the Sun. Chrysanthemums are used primarily for protection. Grown in the garden, they are reputed to keep evil spirits away– and in this case, my garden should be totally free of evil spirits, because I’ve accumulated a mass of mums this autumn. I take this one step farther by color associations– yellow blossoms for spells meant to help you find your voice; magenta blossoms for a good strong dose of pure love, and white blossoms to throw an honest light on any situation.

Cockscomb: The energy is masculine (projective), the element Fire, the planets Jupiter and Mars. The no nonsense energy of the Cockscomb can be used to discover and unleash the masculine side of yourself, when aggression, strength, and courage are called for. The most beautiful cockscomb flowers I’ve seen was in Iowa, when we were traveling through Amish country.

Cosmos: The energy is feminine (receptive), the planet is Earth, and the element is Earth. I use the lovely petals from this plant for goddess magick; to highlight feminine energy– for maiden, mother, and crone; for healing spells dealing with female issues; for safe childbirth; to celebrate those rituals geared toward women and their life milestones, including female puberty rites and a croning.

Echinops: The energy of the thistle will be found within this plant. It’s gender is masculine (projective), the planet is Saturn, and the element is Fire. Use the Echinops in spells for protection and self defense. This plant will also be used in hexing and cursing spells, added to poppets or mojo bags.

Freesia: The planet– the Moon, the element is Water, the gender is feminine (receptive). The Freesia contains the constantly mutating and fluid energy of the Moon and the element of Water. Use this plant according to color correspondences for a surprisingly wide array of magickal intentions. White, for those things of spirit and spiritual energy; red for passion, including not only physical passion, but passion for many things of life; pink to inspire friendhip and loyalty; yellow for God energy, and healing.

Gerber Daisy: The gender is masculine (projective), the planet Saturn, the element Fire. The daisy and the gerber daisy both possess strong energies for love spells, the gerber daisy being more ‘hot-blooded’, meaning there will be more animalistic passion in love spells done with the gerber daisy. This plant can also be used in spells when the energy just needs to be riled up a bit, when you need to light a fire and get people and circumstances moving.

Hypericum: The gender is masculine (projective), the element Air, the planets Mercury and the Sun. The beautiful yellow flowers of this plant can be used in mojo bags and spells to enhance communication, for god energy, for healing, and for spells of self-empowerment.

Juniper: It’s gender is masculine (projective), the element is Fire, the planet is the Sun. The magickal powers of Juniper include protection, protection against theft, love, exorcism, and health. I also use Juniper berries for spells geared to the Winter Solstice, youth & immortality, and spiritual rejuvenation. Juniper is reputed to promote male potency when used in love spells– though I have not personally put this theory to the test.

Kangaroo Paw: It’s gender can be both masculine (projective), or feminine (receptive), depending upon what type of magick you’re using it for, and which planet you’re using for the correspondence. The planets are Mercury and Venus, the elements Air and Water. I have primarily used Kangaroo Paw for fairy magick.

Kalancheo: The gender is feminine (receptive), the planet Venus, the element Earth. Magickally speaking, use the pink blossoms for friendship and healing, the red blossoms for love, and the white blossoms for healing.

Liatrus: The gender is feminine (receptive), the planets Venus and Jupiter, the element Water. This plant is best used for all of its connections to the element of Water, which includes the promotion and growth of your psychic abilities, intuition, dreams and visions.

Gloriosa: The energy of this plant is most decidedly feminine (receptive), its elements both Water and Earth, and the planets Venus and Earth. The Gloriosa blossom is representative of the female anatomy, and its magickal energies are best used for female health issues, fertility, female sexual issues, and female self-empowerment. This plant can also be used in spells, magicks, and spiritual practices to glorify and worship the Mother Goddess.

Misty Blue: The gender is feminine, the planet is Water, the element Water. Use this plant for spiritual practices, for spirit contact, and to promote contact in general with the unseen world and the entities which inhabit it.

Orchid: This is a very versatile plant, magickally speaking. It’s energy is masculine (projective), the element Air, the planet Mercury. Use the orchid in your spiritual practices and spell crafting according to the color of its blossoms: red/love and passion, pink/friendship and well-being, white/spirituality and healing. Personally, I use the speckled blossoms when change is needed and desired.

Pepper Berry: The gender is masculine (projective), the element is Air, the planet is the Sun. The red berries and green foliage from this plant make beautiful additions to wreaths. Magickally, I use Pepper Berry in mojo bags and magicks that deal with the Winter Solstice, God energy, and especially new beginnings.

Protea: It’s gender is masculine (projective), the element Air, the planet Jupiter. The primary magickal use for protea is for spells and magicks that move a situation along so that a final conclusion or decision can be reached. The various methods will include mojo bags and candle magick. This type of magick works best when worked over a period of three to seven days.

Queen Ann’s Lace: It’s gender is feminine (receptive), the planet is Venus and Jupiter, the element Earth. I primarily use Queen Ann’s Lace for issues of fertility, and this can mean not only fertility in the physcial world, but fertility of ideas and creative energies, creativity concerning unusual opportunities, etc. This plant is also used in magicks for Goddess energy and self-empowerment.

Roses: The gender is feminine (receptive), the planets are Venus and the Moon, the element is Water. Roses are most strongly connected with love spells. Use the energies of the various colors for different types of love– red/passionate affairs with lusty sex, or soul mate connections; pink/for strong bonds of loyalty, friendship, and fidelity; yellow/for peaceful partings, to say good-by; white/to honor a love who has passed, or to honor a relationship that has come to a natural conclusion. The white blossoms of a rose can also be used in spells and magick to contact a deceased partner.

Rowen Berry: It’s gender is masculine (projective), its planet Mars, and the element is Fire. Use the warrior energy of Mars and the fiery passion of Fire with the rowan berry in spells and magickal workings that require strength, concentrated doses of high energy, courage, passion of intention, and a strong will power. The poisonous berries are also potent when used in spells and magicks for hexing and cursing. Added to mojo bags and poppets, they work with a vengence.

Salvia: The gender is masculine (projective), the element is Water, and the planets are the Sun and the Moon. Salvia is part of a large family of plants which includes Sage. The primary use for salvia is for cleansing and smudging. Use the smoke from saliva to smudge your home and personal space, your person, your vehicle, or your land. Tie up dried bunches and hang them in the four corners of your home for protection, or hang a bundle of salvia by the front door to prevent anyone wishing you harm from entering.

Solidago: The gender is feminine (receptive), the planet is Venus, the element Air. Solidago, more commonly known as Golden Rod, is used for magickal workings involving money and divination. Carry a sprig of goldenrod in your wallet or purse to insure enough money to cover your needs. Place a piece of pyrite with it. Put a sprig of this plant in a small wooden box large enough to hold your tarot cards or set of runes to enhance the magick of divination and your intuitive powers.

Statice: This plant’s gender is masculine (projective), its element Air, it’s planet Mercury. I personally use statice in magick which highlights or incorporates group events, the gathering of people, peaceful conclusions to group debates or disagreements, as well as to promote peaceful cohabitation and successful growth within an organized group.

Star of Bethlehem: The gender is masculine (projective), the planet is the Moon, the element Water. I use the six pointed white blossoms of the Star of Bethlehem in spells and magicks involving spirituality, personal empowerment, and cleansing. I’ve also found it wonderful for Goddess invocation and feminine magicks. It is energy is inspiring and purifying.

Sunflower: The gender is masculine (projective), the planet is the Sun, the element Fire. The magickal powers of the sunflower includes fertility, wishes, health, and wisdom. Use the seeds from this plant in fertility spells, the yellow blossoms in magicks geared to gain your wish, and to inspire wisdom when wisdom is desired and needed. Carry a mojo bag containing various aspects of this plant for good health.

Yarrow: Yarrow’s gender is feminine (receptive), it’s planet is Venus, and the element Water. The magickal powers of yarrow includes areas of courage, love, psychic powers, and exorcism. Place a bouquet of yarrow on your table during divination sessions, in the four corners of your house to keep evil entities at bay, or place a sprig of yarrow in the pocket of the person you love. I’ve used yarrow in dream bags that I’ve placed beneath my pillow to inspire prophetic dreams and visions. You might want to add a marigold blossom to this bag and a stone of amethyst.

Zinnia: The gender is masculine (projective), the planets Mercury and Jupiter, the element Air. Use zinnias in spells and magicks where courage, fortiude, and strength are needed. This is also a good plant to use in healing spells, and spells of protection. As the zinnia stands strong and tall, so shall it inspire these attributes when you tap into it’s magick.

Credits:

The photographs in this post that are framed are all original photos taken by Amythyst Raine. These photos are copyrighted, © Amythyst Raine 2011.

Some of the information above may have been taken from the books listed below; but the bulk of information above was taken from my own Book of Shadows, which includes my personal magickal practices and correspondences.
“Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs” by Scott Cunningham
“Green Magic: The Sacred Connection to Nature” by Ann Moura
“The Green Wiccan Herbal” by Silja

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Dreams, Magickal Formularia, & Fairie Realms

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Amythyst Raine

I have a new dream to add to my journal, it’s incomplete, one scene out of an entire adventure, most of which can’t be remembered, but it’s visually memorable: An Indian (Native American) village is burning. I don’t see the flames, but the smoke is thick and curling, sulfurous, twisting through the air like dirty gray clouds. I feel appalled, and yet can do nothing but watch, from whatever invisible perch I’m allowed to view this scene from.

And watch I do, though as an unseen outsider watching a disjointed scene develop. Occasionally the clouds of smoke will part, and I can see the steep sides of a teepee constructed from buffalo hide. Other times the thick smoke separates to reveal the wall of a modern home…and this is shocking and unexpected.

And that’s the extent of what I remember, though I know that there was a much broader scenario, lost now in my sub-conscious.

Tarot Card of the Day
(Deck: Handle)

White Buffalo woman
Daugther of Stones in the West
Princess of Stone

I feel a theme here, unintentional, yet somehow connected to the scheme of things.

From this card, I get…strength; individualism; great effort under duress; quiet fortitude; power that’s understated. Also, I sense a grounding to Earth, to the Mother Goddess, creativity, and manifestation into the physical realm.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/tarotreadings.htm

Night before last we had heavy rains here in Nebraska, which resulted in a flooded basement for us. This sounds awful, and it certainly wasn’t fun, but it’s been worse. This time the floor was completely soaked the length of the room and all the saturated area rugs had to be drug outside. We’ve had flooding before that’s left us with ankle deep water downstairs, so I’m not going to complain about this episode. It was actually fairly easy to get cleaned up.

I took a picture of the ditch ahead of our house about mid-morning the day after the rain. On the night of the storm, this ditch was filled to the brim with water. As you can see, it had already gone down quite a bit.

Welcome to Hedgewytch Hollow:

You can see two of our feeding stations here, at either end of the front yard. These will become much more interesting and ‘wild’ looking as the season progresses because we allow the seeds from the birdfood to sprout and grow beneath and around the feeding stations. These plants include milo and towering sunflowers.

The center of our front lawn remains uncut. My husband mows around them, creating a sort of ‘wild island’, where a gorgeous bed of clover is allowed to grow, along with grass, dandelions, and my beautiful wild violets. There are also large stones in there– I mean ‘large’ stones– that he brought back from Iowa, and a barrel containing columbine and marigolds, along with a statuette of a white sow (for the goddess, Cerridwen), and a black cauldron in which I plant something different each year– this year, it’s marigolds.

So funny– just last week there was a man going door to door in our neighborhood trying to drum up business for a local lawn service. I answer my door, and he points to this ‘wild’ area in our front lawn and says, “I see you have a few ‘trouble spots’ there.” I told him that we certainly don’t have any ‘trouble spots’, and that stretch of lawn is just exactly the way I want it. He looked stunned.

We allow plantain to grow throughout our yard, wherever it may have a hankerin’ to do so; and this plant seems to favor a large area of our front lawn. Not only is plantain edible, a nice wild green you can add to your salads or cook up and eat with a little butter and salt and pepper; but it has magickal properties as well.

I use plantain to create mojo bags for safe travel, which we keep in our vehicles. In my old Suburban– the ‘She-Sub’– is a black bag containing plantain, calamus root, a pinch of sea salt, and a stone of tiger’s eye.

For plantain the planet is Venus; the element Earth; the energy feminine (receptive); and the magickal energies are geared towards healing, strength, and protection.

This is the columbine that’s growing in my barrel in the center of our uncut area of lawn. It seems to like this spot. I only wish that it’s blooms lasted longer through the season; I think they are so beautiful. Columbine also has magickal purposes, but if you use it, you should be aware that the seeds to this plant are poisonous.

For columbine the energy is feminine; the planet is Venus; the element is Water; and its magickal energies include courage and love.

When we first moved here, fifteen years ago, there was a huge gorgeous cotton wood tree in the front yard, on the east side of the house. It faithfully shaded my daughter’s bedroom window throughout three seasons of the year. In the autumn we were treated to a beautiful golden display of large leaves that made the most magickal sound when the wind moved through it. But alas, the tree eventually died, and we had to have it cut down for fear of the brittle tree damaging the neighbor’s house, should it go down in a windstorm.

I told them to leave the tall stump, and here it is, yet today, wearing a garland of virginia creeper, standing as the centerpiece in another wild garden spot. This area, towards the back of the front lawn and to the east of the house, is overrun with virgina creeper, as well as day lillies, dahlias, purple cone flowers, and a baby lilac bush, as well as other foliage that decides to make this magickal spot its home.

I have a magick wand made from a twig saved from the majestic old cotton wood tree. It’s served me well, as an old friend, which of course, it is.

The growing season is just getting under way in our area, so this space has just begun to fill itself in with this year’s growth. I took the bottom part of the metal bunkbed I turned into a bird feeding station, and I put it here, using it as a trellis, in anticipation that the virginia creeper will cover it by mid-June.

I have two potted plants hanging from the bunkbed birdfeeder in the front yard. One of them is pansies, which remind me of my daughter, Anne. When she was a little girl, I called her ‘Annsie Pansie’.

The planet for pansies is Saturn; it’s energy feminine (receptive); the element is Water; and the magickal energies include: love, rain magick, and divination. It’s said that if you carry this plant upon your person, you will draw love to you.

The other potted plant is violas. This plant reminds me of springtime in South Dakota, knowing that a long summer was just around the corner; my grandmother’s house; paved walkways; morning sunshine; and cold dew. Childhood memories.

This is clover that covers much of the ‘wild area’ in the front lawn. I took this photo the morning after the rain storm, and as you can see, raindrops still sit upon it.

This clover holds an attraction for the wild things. I was coming out of the kitchen one day, and there were my cats– Salem & Pixie– frozen in awe, watching something out of the glass on our front door. I looked to see what was holding their attention, and sitting in our clover patch, watching the cats with just as much curiosity, was a very large rabbit, one of the largest I’ve ever seen.

We’ve spotted this rabbit in the clover patch now and then, but each time I run for the camera, I come back to find it has disappeared. I’m beginning to think, half whimsically and half seriously, that this rabbit is not just any ordinary old rabbit, but perhaps a magickal creature.

The cat is Baby (aka Duchess), sitting on one of the large rocks in the front yard. This photo was taken the night of the thunderstorm, during the evening, before the storm hit. This photo is full of orbs; not only is there a large one on the barrel, the sky is full of them.

This is a photo of my latest aquisition– a goddess ring. It’s sterling silver, citrine, blue topaz, and the goddess’s face is carved from bovine bone. And no, this one is not for sale– it’s a keeper!

Jewelry is my weakness, particularly rings– no idea why– and my daughters know that someday it will be passed on to them.

The energies for this ring will include:

Citrine…the energy is projective (male); the planet is the Sun; the element Fire; and the magickal energies protction and psychism.

Topaz…the energy is projective (male); the planet is the Sun; the element Fire; and the magickal energies include protection, healing, money, and love.

From Hedgewytch Hollow
Blessed Be!

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Welcome to My Wytchy Realm

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Amythyst Raine

The following is an overview of my website:

The Witch’s Corner

Follow the url to enter this magickal realm:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com

The Triple Goddess

The Maiden

The maiden is overflowing with all of the possibilities of the future. Within her are the seeds of what will be. She is the fresh dawn of a new day. She is strength and tenacity and power. She is unbridled enthusiasm and wonder and hope.

The Mother

The mother is ripe fruit hanging pregnant from the vine. She is the foundation, the nurturer, the protectress. She is fortified with strength and placid with the calmness of a sunny day. She is who we turn to for stability and reassurance.

The Crone

It is the crone we seek in the darkening twilight. We find comfort in her quiet presence and yet we are challenged by her intuitive knowledge and aware of the darkshadows she casts…forcing us to seek the light and answers.

Reconnect with the Goddess:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/thegoddess.htm

Divination

Divination brings to mind the stereotype of the gypsy woman ensconced in her tent, peering intently into her crystal ball—and that may very well be an accurate picture somewhere in the world. I grew up in my grandmother’s house, surrounded by books on astrology, numerology, handwriting analysis, dream interpretation, etc. The world of divination is a natural one for me.

But divination in this modern time of neo-paganism has come a long way baby.

Tarot cards of all kinds abound and fill the shelves at not only new-age and metaphysical shops, but also at the mainstream bookstores such as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Hastings, etc.

Crystals, crystal balls, runes, quija boards are as popular now as they were in times past—more so, perhaps. I like to think of this day and age as the “New Renaissance” for the occult world.

At the url below you will find information on all forms of divination with links to pertinent sites, tales of my own personal psychic experiences, interviews with Allison Dubois and Patricia Arquette—the actress who plays Allison in the television show “Medium”, and more:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/divination.htm

Spells & Potions

This is the “meat” of witchcraft, the most fascinating (and sometimes fear inducing) aspect of The Craft for many people. To most of the mundane world the idea that anyone would have the power and the ability to create change using occult means is awe inspiring and often intimidating. The Christian influence in our culture and on our society has taken such natural power away from the multitudes, deeming it “evil”, “sinful”, and even dangerous.

To those of us practiced and gifted in the use of “the black arts”, it carries none of those negative labels. It is awe inspiring, but in an uplifting and promising way. It empowers those who cultivate its secrets and those who learn to use it wisely. It opens doors of dimensions undreamed of; it embraces the forces of nature in all her glory; it wreaks of a time before recorded history…it calls to those of us with the spirit of the Olde Ones, those of us who wish to practice the Olde Religion, those of us who wish to return to these ancient times and reclaim that which is our birthright.

Follow the url to my online Book of Shadows:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/spellspotions.htm

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/spellspotions2.htm

Herbs

This is the magickal medicine cabinet of the witch, and especially the Green Witch. Those who practice the olde ways have known since time immemorial of the powers contained in the molecules of “the green”. Herbs have been used since ancient times—and still are used today—for their medicinal and healing powers. But the Witch knows that these gentle and lovely plants contain other powers as well…magickal powers to be used and tapped into for spells and potions and rituals and cleansing.

Follow the url for a list of herbs and their magickal uses:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/magickalherbs.htm

The Elements

(Earth, Air, Fire, Water)

FOR ME: Water is the mist of yesterday and today and tomorrow all wrapped up into one magical moment. Water is dreams and visions and questing endlessly to know the unknown. It is divination– searching for answers and listening to the universe for its response. It is the mystical and the elusive…it slips through your fingers leaving you wet and cold and shivering, knowing that you have been touched by the Divine.

FOR ME: Air is the soft breeze on your face that makes you feel touched and not touched. It is thought brought alive and moved through space and time by the Divine. Air is the part of your mind that is clear and sharp and focused and ever changing, never still and never content, but always swept up within another breeze and moved along on the current of time.

FOR ME: Earth is all the treasures buried deep within the soul. It is the material things you long for and were told you shouldn’t have. It is the security of that which is solid and immovable, and it is “manifestation” into the real world of touch and taste and smell and sight.

FOR ME: Fire is that physical passion so burning that it can consume. It is enthusiasm so powerful that it is what drives you to succeed. Fire is that fiery will that doesn’t allow you to give up in the face of adversity. It is what draws lovers together across insurmountable odds and provokes the passion that fights endlessly for justice.

Earth, Air, Fire, and Water…the four elements from which we can draw power to create magick.

Follow the url for more information on The Elements, including an extensive list of correspondences and a Quarter Call:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/theelements.htm

Wheel of the Year

(Pagan Holidays)

The Christian “holidays” all have Pagan roots. This is a fact that was constantly brought up to me years ago by a lady who was my friend and a Jehovah’s Witness. It was her oft repeated reason to me why she didn’t celebrate any of the modern Christianized holidays now.

I am surprised by the number of people who do not know this, and even more surprised at how many refuse to believe it. It just goes to show how completely saturating cultural training can be.

I find the history of our Pagan holidays fascinating and joyful and uplifting. I and my family embrace and celebrate them.

Follow the url for more information on the Pagan roots of our modern holidays, pagan lore, and rituals for celebration.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/wheeloftheyear.htm

Chakras

The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body. Each of these centers correlates to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. In addition the chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colors, sounds, body functions, and much, much more.

This definition of chakras is taken from:

http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras.html

Follow the url for more information on the chakras, extensive correspondences related to the seven chakras, and a link to Ambika Wauters website, “The Institute of Life Energy Medicine”:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/chakras.htm

Rituals

Rituals put a stamp on the passage of time and the progression of our life stages, from a Wiccaning (baby naming) to a death and remembrance ritual, and all those celebrations and milestones in-between. Rituals validate our existence in some implausible elusive way. They bring family and friends together, open doors to the future, and create memories for generations to come.

Follow the url and you will find rituals for all of life’s passages and links to sites where you can purchase ritual items and clothing:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/rituals.htm

Ghosts/Ghost Hunting

Growing up in my grandmother’s house prepared me for the paranormal occurrences that I would experience in this, my own house. My grandmother’s house was very active and anyone with an ounce of sensitivity to such things was always very aware of it…the feeling of being “watched” when no one else was near you, the hair suddenly standing up on the back of your neck and the sensation that “someone” was standing behind you, unintelligible whisperings in the dark of the night, a blanket being pulled from you by something you couldn’t see, lights going off and on with no explanation—and stove burners doing the same unnerving thing, objects occasionally moving, etc.

Growing up with these occurrences, I thought it was natural—wasn’t everyone’s house like this?

Apparently not, I was to learn as I became older. That enlightenment helped me to appreciate, study, and cope with paranormal activities on a very basic level. It also taught me to conquer any fear.

But witchcraft taught me how to tame these ethereal spirits, how to control them instead of allowing them to control me. Witchcraft taught me it was possible to have dominion over the spirit world.

Follow the url and enter the paranormal world of ghosts and ghost hunting. You will find a slideshow on ghosts created by me, a list of haunted cemeteries, information on poltergiests, the Bell Witch, TAPS, the “Hauntings Website”; and a section called “Our House”, which reviews our own paranoral occurances that my family and I have experienced.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/ghostsghosthunting.htm

My Path

I am a solitary eclectic witch. My path consists of hoodoo, Wicca, and green witchcraft. I am neither a “white” nor a “black” witch; I prefer to see myself in shades of gray— nothing else on this earth is completely clear cut, the practice of The Craft isn’t either.

I am a hereditary witch, taking after the traditions of my mother, my sister, and cousins. I am now watching my own daughters grow in this path. I was raised by my grandmother, a woman steeped in the study of the occult, yet probably not realizing the title many in this world would have attributed to her.

I am a legally ordained member of the clergy, yet I avoid the usual titles which smack too closely of Christianity for my taste. I prefer the simple, yet deeply meaningful title of “Lady”.

Follow the url to learn more about my path, with links to sites on hoodoo, wicca, and green witchcraft. You will also find a “code of ethics”, “rules of conduct”, my explanation of the “kitchen witch”, and my feelings on “Hexing and Cursing”:

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/mypath.htm

Photogallery

I’ve opened a window on this page, a window into my private world. I have tried to post images on here that I haven’t posted anywhere else, they are exclusive. I haven’t decided yet whether to continue the Photogallery or relegate it to an archive, but my camera is always ready, and life somehow or other always has something interesting to show me.

Follow the url and you will find a slide show, as well as personal photos of my home, gardens, family, & ’stuff’.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/photogallery.htm

Monthly Newsletters

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/monthlynewsletters.htm

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/newsletterarchives1.htm

Follow my raven to the Magick Forest where you can view/sign the guestbook, subscribe to the site, and find links to unimaginable places and incredible people.

http://ladyamythyst.webs.com/themagicforestllinks.htm