Basil Bliss

This sweet-tasting herb is excellent in savory dishes. Basil truly grows like a weed and you should cultivate it right on the kitchen windowsill so you can snip and add to your Italian-inspired dishes. Give your basil plants plenty of sun and lots of water, and you will reap a mighty bounty to share with the neighbors. Old wives and hedge witches claim basil protects your home while it brings prosperity and happiness to any gardener’s home. Basil helps steady the mind, brings happiness, love, peace, and money, and protects against insanity (what more can you want?). The benefits of this plant are as plentiful as the plant itself; it can be used in getting and attracting love, and on the highest vibrational level, abetting psychic abilities or even astral projection.

Blissful Blend: Basil Infusion Oil

Infusions have regained popularity as a way of getting as much of the herb into oil as possible, it is a method that brings the flavors of one food, in this case, fresh herbs, to another, such as oil. Basic Oil is unbelievably easy to make. You’ll need:

• 2 ounces fresh basil
• 3/4 cups virgin olive oil (you can use safflower oil or canola)

Ideally, you gather your fresh herbs in your own kitchen garden but any farmer's market or organic grocery will have green herbs. For the best and purest flavor, use fresh herbs at their peak. Rinse thoroughly in cold water. Gently pat dry with paper towels and give the basil a coarse chop. Place into a metal colander and dip into boiling water for 10 seconds. Rinse in an ice water bath and drain well. Gently pat dry and add the basil to the oil. After three to five days in a cool dark place, the flavor will have infused into the oil, adding the fresh bright green note of the herbs. Use liberally on roasts, salads, drizzling on top of cooked vegetables and soups. Basil not only confers much palatability but it also brings prosperity. Enjoy!

These herbs also make fantastic infused oils: rosemary. tarragon, parsley, chives, and cilantro.

Speedy Spellcasting: Prosperity Herbs

As a kitchen witch and gardening enthusiast, I am always seeking to learn more about the power of herbs, plants, roots, and flowers that can be used in the craft. Grow your wealth, literally, with these handy money-attraction herbs.

Allspice berries bring good luck; gather seven berries and place them in a small pouch to carry in your pocket or purse for a week. On the seventh day, burn them with cinnamon incense while making your wish for whatever you want.

Basil is a major herb of abundance as well as love. Drop a few fresh basil leaves on the floor of your kitchen and sweep them out of your home with your magical broom while speaking this charm: “Scarcity is out the door; no longer will I be poor. Health and wealth, be here now. Harm to none, so mote it be.”

Cinnamon has come to be called the “Sweet Money Spice” as this delightfully scented herb brings luck and will make a business more prosperous. Sprinkle a dash of powdered cinnamon on the threshold of your front door, store, or business, and watch the wealth walk in!

Cloves are herbs of good fortune and even help in gambling. They also bring people together and bind them. If you need to turn your luck around, use cloves in spell work as an herbal element or in incense or potpourri to foment abundant energy. 

Ginger root can speed up any magic. You can grind up the dried ginger root into powder and add to your money attraction spells, bringing the funds much sooner. Ginger tea brings money your way, briskly!

Nutmeg is another spice beloved by gamesmen and gamblers. Carry a whole nutmeg in your pocket and your luck will improve the same day.

Thyme is a common herb that will attract money to your home. Every time you cook with it you draw abundance and wealth toward you. Drink thyme tea for a quick fortune turnaround and fast money magic with this spell: “It is time for money to come my way; good luck is mine. Money thyme is mine with blessings for all.”

Money-attraction Herbs

As a kitchen witch and gardening enthusiast, I am always seeking to learn more about how the power of herbs, plants, roots, and flowers can be used in the craft. Grow your wealth, literally, with these handy herbs.

* Allspice berries bring good luck: Gather seven berries and place in a small pouch to carry in your pocket or purse for a week. On the seventh day, place the berries in your fireproof dish and burn them with cinnamon incense while making your wish for whatever you want.

* Basil is a major herb of abundance as well as love. Drop a few fresh basil leaves on the floor of your kitchen and sweep them out of your home with your magical broom while speaking this charm: “Scarcity is out the door; no longer will I be poor. Health and wealth, be here now. Harm to none, so mote it be.”

* Cinnamon has come to be called the “Sweet Money Spice” and this delightfully scented herb is a bringer of luck and will make a business more prosperous. Sprinkle a dash of ground cinnamon on the threshold of your front door, store, or business and watch the wealth walk in!

* Cloves are herbs of good fortune and even help in gambling. They also bring people together and bind them. If you need to turn your luck around, use cloves in spellwork as an herbal element or in incense or potpourri to create energy of abundance.

* Ginger root can speed up any magic. You can grind up the dried ginger root into powder; adding this to your money-attraction spells will bring the funds much sooner. Ginger tea brings money your way, briskly!

* Nutmeg is another spice beloved by gamesmen and gamblers. Carry a whole nutmeg in your pocket and your luck will improve the same day.

* Thyme is a common herb that will attract money to your home. Every time you cook with it you are drawing abundance and wealth toward you. Drink thyme tea for a quick fortune turnaround and fast money magic with this spell, “It is time for money to come my way; good luck is mine. Money thyme is mine with blessings for all.

Basil Bliss

This sweet tasting herb is excellent in savory dishes. Basil truly grows like a weed, and you should cultivate it right on the kitchen windowsill so you can snip basil leaves to add to your Thai or Italian-inspired dishes. Give your basil plants plenty of sun and lots of water and you will reap a mighty bounty to share with the neighbors. Old wives and hedge witches claim basil protects while it brings prosperity and happiness to any gardener’s home. Basil helps steady the mind, brings happiness, love, peace, and money, and even protects against insanity. (What more can you want?) The benefits of this plant are as plentiful as the plant itself; it can be used for manifesting and attracting love and on the highest vibrational level for abetting psychic abilities, even astral projection.

Edible Flowers

Organic pesticide-free posies are tasty additions to salads, cake décor, and even savories such as fried squash blossoms. Florals add a stunning beauty to any dish. Grab your basket and add a bouquet to your culinary creations: impatiens, marigold, gladiola, daylily, cornflower, daisy, carnation, and viola. My favorites are peppery, fresh-flavored nasturtiums, which are so easy to grow, have a lovely aroma, and their yellow, red, and orange-bright blooms are the color of happiness.

Chaji: the Art of the Japanese Tea Ceremony

You might do well to go to a Japanese teahouse to fully experience the tea ceremony before you undertake one yourself, but don’t be intimidated if you cannot. As with all ritual, your intention is the most important aspect. I am fortunate that I live in San Francisco, home of one of the last North American Japantowns. Thus I have several options for tea services in this unique shopping district, where there is a Japanese tea garden near a Shinto shrine. Following are the steps to take in the Chaji, a full tea presentation.

Establish a chashits, which is the special room for the ceremony. If you are like me and don’t have a special room just for tea, clear out space in the living room and place pillows on the floor and set up a low table. I find it rather amusing that the stone basins whose purpose it is to provide cleansing water for the housemaster’s hands and mouth are now sold as fancy garden ornaments for those modern folks who like a Zen look for their house. Establish a peaceful environment—no clutter; perhaps set out a lovely flower such as a single orchid or artfully arranged flowers in the high art form of Japanese flower arranging, ikebana. A Japanese teahouse has no distracting decor and is the ultimate in simplicity and serenity. One decoration, the exquisite scroll painting kakemono, is carefully chosen by the host. Choose a painting or drawing to represent the spiritual sense you want to suggest to your guests through the ceremony. I have friends who have done some kanji characters in the brush painting style to express the emotions they felt at that moment. A light and clean scented Japanese incense is the perfect energetic balancer and cleanser. Now you will take on the role of the host: the teishi, or housemaster.

Invite four people, the traditional and ideal number, and offer them hot water for the tea, referred to as sayu. The guests are to choose someone to act as the hanto, or “main guest.” In formal Japanese tea ceremony, the host actually has a guest who is the hanto. The main guest is not set apart by hierarchy; it is just an arbitrary selection by the host to have

a person with whom to engage first in the formalities of this high ritual. Also, there is an anteroom for a reception and a special flowerless garden that has been anointed with water for the purpose of offering a place for the guests to shrug off the cares and grime with which the world burdens them. This garden without flowers is the roji, or “dew ground.” After leaving the mundane world behind, the guests go to a waiting bench called the koshikake machiaii. Complete silence reigns as the housemaster takes the guests through a symbolic gate in order to leave the material and physical world behind, and enter into the magical realm of the tea ceremony.

While the Chaji could easily take up its very one book, the way any Westerner can enjoy the spiritual aspects of tea is to receive the gift of tea from the master, pass it around, and share it with the other guests. The gift of tea is the gift of fire and water, yang and yin. Taking tea in this ritualized style is to help keep the world in balance, to escape the material world for a time, and then to return, refreshed and rebalanced.

Inspiration Infusions

Along with healing and energizing properties, herbal teas can aid the mind. Try the following blends:

• Bergamot dissipates negativity and uplifts.
• Basil lends a sense of serenity.
• Rosemary supports physical well-being.
• Orange creates sheer joy. 

Bounty of Basil: Perfect Pesto

This recipe is simply scrumptious and a bargain to boot. Gather a nice big bunch of basil leaves, two cups total, from your kitchen garden or greengrocer. Give the leaves a good cold rinse and place them on a clean tea towel to air-dry. You will also need the following:

• 1 fresh lemon
• 3 peeled garlic cloves
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ½ cup pine nuts
• Sea salt

Place the pine nuts and the garlic on a baking sheet in the oven at 375 degrees for five to ten minutes or until the pine nuts begin to turn slightly golden. Do NOT wait until they turn brown, though. Then take everything and put it into a blender or food processor. Before you put the lid in place, cut the lemon in half and squeeze out a nice dollop of fresh juice into the mix and grind in a healthy dash of sea salt. Blend away until you have a lovely green pesto sauce you can put on anything. Perfect pesto in ten minutes flat! Based on the benefits of this herb, it might be the perfect dish to serve up after an emotionally hard week as it is a bringer of peace. Also good for date night or when you need to brew up good money mojo! Boil up a pot of pasta while you are concocting the blissful basil blend, and you will have a sumptuous weeknight supper for the family on the table so quickly, they will be sure you are using witchcraft!

Harvesting Joy: Your Herb Garden

Basil is beloved because it’s so delectable and versatile. It is easily grown in pots. Take care to remove the growing tip when the plants are six inches (fifteen cm) high for bushier growth. Plant out in the garden when the weather gets warmer. Basil prefers full sun and a sheltered spot.

Chives come from the onion family and have slim, pointed leaves. You should sow seeds directly in the ground in early spring, late March or April. Chives grow best in a sunny spot with rich soil, so keep the plants watered. Chives produce pretty, perfectly round flowers in either purple or pink. Gorgeous in the garden and palatable on the plate, the chive plant is a marvelous cooking herb and one that is truly easy to grow.

Coriander is a very versatile herb for the kitchen and grows well in the garden or in pots. Seeds can take weeks to germinate and the plants are fairly short-lived, so sow seeds every few weeks to get you through the season. Coriander is a bit fussy and can “bolt” when stressed, which means it produces flowers and seeds and not enough of the flavorful leaves. You need to make sure it is well watered and reap regularly before it goes to seed.

Mint is a marvel. It spreads beautifully once it has really taken root. If space is a concern, plant your mint in pots to contain the roots and stop it taking over. Keep it in full sun or partial shade and pinch out any flower buds to encourage more leaf growth.

Oregano loves a Mediterranean clime. Plant yours in warm, sunny spots with light soil. Oregano has pretty pink flowers and makes great ground cover at the front of borders. Don’t allow this herb to get too tall; make sure to pinch it back, and you’ll get more of this tasty treat to harvest.

Parsley is the gift that gives for two years. This herb can be slow to germinate; try soaking the seeds in water overnight before planting as this will speed it up. The best place to grow parsley is in rich, moist soil in full sun or partial shade.

Rosemary is useful for so many culinary and healing teas and brews. Lucky for us, it grows vigorously. Rosemary can be trimmed in early summer to keep it in shape and stop it getting too woody. The scent is so wonderful in dishes and in bath salts, too!

Sage doesn’t like wet ground, so plant it in a sunny spot with rich, well-drained soil. There are several sage varieties to choose from, including some with colored leaves. Harvest the leaves regularly to encourage more to grow. This versatile herb is a major culinary pleasure.

Thyme is a cousin of mint but grows much lower to the ground; it is one of the most fragrant of herbs and really adds flavor as a culinary seasoning. Plant this to remove melancholy from your home and garden. If your front yard and door get afternoon sun, plant wooly thyme and you’ll come home after work to a perfume paradise that will immediately lend cheer and comfort.

All of these herbs will grow happily in containers on a patio, balcony, or even on the kitchen windowsill. Start an herb garden this year and you’ll never look back.

Basil Bliss

This sweet tasting herb is excellent in savory dishes. Basil truly grows like a weed, and you should cultivate it right on the kitchen windowsill so you can snip basil leaves to add to your Thai or Italian-inspired dishes. Give your basil plants plenty of sun and lots of water and you will reap a mighty bounty to share with the neighbors. Old wives and hedge witches claim basil protects while it brings prosperity and happiness to any gardener’s home. Basil helps steady the mind, brings happiness, love, peace, and money, and even protects against insanity. (What more can you want?) The benefits of this plant are as plentiful as the plant itself; it can be used for manifesting and attracting love and on the highest vibrational level for abetting psychic abilities, even astral projection.

Green Magic - Basil Abundance Ritual

Take a few sprigs of basil before you cook and put them in a green bowl on your kitchen altar. Boil water as for tea and pour over the herb in the bowl. Now chant this medieval-inspired charm:

With bounteous hand and healthful balm, 
Blessed basil, most verdurous herb
Bring me health and heart and calm. 
Abundance I shall see by every deed and verb. 
And so it is.

Breathe in the steam from the basil bowl and fill your lungs with the smell of prosperity. Repeat the spell once more; leave the basil bowl on your altar for 24 hours. Not only will your thinking be greatly clarified, but you will begin to see signs of your wealth increasing in one week. With basil flourishing in your herb pots, you have a ready source bursting with positive money energy.

Bay Leaf Money Magic

Harvest several leaves from your neighborhood Bay laurel tree—or just from the space rack in your cupboard—and place them inside a clear bowl on your altar overnight. In the morning, remove the leaves and let them dry in your kitchen window. Touch the water to your fingertips and touch your purse, wallet and anywhere you keep money. If you handle money at your workplace, bottle some of the bay leaf water in a tiny jar and do the same. Once the soaked leaves have dried, place in your wallet, purse and pockets, and it will attract money to you and yours. (It also repels thieves and loss of wealth.) You can also put some bay leaves in your desk at home or work to enhance prosperity for your employer, or before asking for a raise. Thursdays are the ideal day for this but try this anytime the need arises!

Prosperity herbs and plants: bay leaf, bayberry, basil, chamomile, cloves, cinnamon, honeysuckle, Irish moss, mint, strawberry leaves, Tonka beans