Sowing the Seeds of Change

Nature is the ultimate creator. Get an array of seed packets, and plant newness in your life. If your thumb is not the greenest, I suggest nasturtiums, which will grow in any soil and seem to thrive on neglect.

On a new-moon day, draw a square in your yard or planter with a natural wand—a willow branch or an oak stick, for example—and mark each corner with a candle and a stone:

• *  Orange candle and stone for higher intelligence (onyx or jasper),

• *  Green candle and stone for creativity and growth (jade, peridot, or malachite),

• *  Blue candle and stone for serenity and goodness (lapis lazuli, turquoise, or celestite),

• *  White candle and stone for purification (Herkimer diamond, quartz, or limestone).

Repeat this chant as you light each candle:

“Great Gaia, I turn to you to help me renew,
Under this new moon and in this old earth. Blessed be.”

Poke the seeds under the soil with your fingers and tramp them down with your wand. Gently water your new-moon garden, and affirmative change will begin that very day. 

Astrological Almanac – Green Witchery Wisdom

Plants carry potent energy you can use to amplify your magical workings. Use the signs of the sun, moon and stars to your advantage and, over time, you will come to know which ones are most effective for you. Make sure to use your own astrological chart in working with these herbs. Here is a guide to the astrological associations of plants you may grow in your kitchen garden or keep dried in your pantry:

Aries, ruled by Mars: carnation, cedar, clove, cumin, fennel, juniper, peppermint and pine.

Taurus, ruled by Venus: apple, daisy, lilac, magnolia, oak moss, orchid, plumeria, rose, thyme, tonka bean, vanilla and violet.

Gemini, ruled by Mercury: almond, bergamot, mint, clover, dill, lavender, lemongrass, lily and parsley.

Cancer, ruled by the Moon: eucalyptus, gardenia, jasmine, lemon, lotus, rose, myrrh and sandalwood.

Leo, ruled by the Sun: acacia, cinnamon, heliotrope, nutmeg, orange and rosemary.

Virgo, ruled by Mercury: almond, cypress, bergamot, mint, mace, moss, thyme and patchouli.

Libra, ruled by Venus: catnip, marjoram, mugwort, spearmint, sweet pea, thyme and vanilla.

Scorpio, ruled by Pluto: allspice, basil, cumin, galangal and ginger.

Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter: anise, cedar wood, sassafras, star anise and honeysuckle.

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn: lemon thyme, mimosa, vervain and vetiver.

Aquarius, ruled by Uranus: gum, citron, cypress, lavender, spearmint and pine.

Pisces, ruled by Neptune: clover, orris, neroli, sarsaparilla and sweet pea.

Sweetheart Tea

Here is a quick recipe to create exactly the right mood for a dreamy evening:

• Stir together in a clockwise motion

• 1 ounce dried and pulverized rosehips

• 1⁄2 ounce peppermint

• 1⁄2 ounce dried lemon balm

You can store this in a tin or colored jar for up to a year for those special evenings. When you are ready to brew the tea, pour boiling water over the herbs, two teaspoons for every cup of water. Say the following spell aloud during the five minute steeping and picture your heart’s desire:

Herbal brew of love’s emotion 
With my wish I fortify
When two people share this potion 
This love shall intensify
As in the Olde Garden of Love.

Sweeten to taste with honey and share this luscious libation with the one you love.

Botanical Bliss: Garden Your Way to Happiness

For healing, plant sage word sorrel, carnation, onion, garlic, peppermint and rosemary.

For dispelling negative energy, plant heather, hawthorn, holly, hyacinth, hyssop, ivy, juniper, periwinkle and nasturtiums.

Farming and working with plants is guided by the moon, and should take place during the waxing moon in the signs of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Capricorn and Taurus.

Self-Blessing Spell

The time you take to restore yourself is precious. Morning is the optimal time to perform a self-blessing, which will help you maintain both your physical health and provide an emotional boost each and every day. Take a bundle of dried lavender grown in your kitchen garden or from a purveyor of organic herbs and place it into a muslin sack. Knead the lavender three times and breathe in the calming scent. Beginning at the top of your head, your crown chakra, pass the pouch all the way down to your feet, gently touching your other sacred chakras: throat, solar plexus, stomach and pelvis. Holding the lavender bag over your heart, speak aloud:

Gone are sorrows, illness and woe; 
Here wisdom and health flows.
My heart is whole, joy fills my soul. 
Blessed be me.

Rejuvenation Invocation: The Water of Life

I advise any witchy gardener to have a rain barrel to make the most of stormy weather; you can water your pots of herbs and garden during sunnier days and dry spells. On the first day of the rainfall, place a blue glass bowl outside as a water-catcher. Bring it inside and place on your altar beside a lit candle. Speak:

Water of life, gift from the sky,
We bathe in newfound energy, making spirits fly!

Dip your fingers in the water and touch your forehead. Meditate upon the healing work you and your garden can do, thanks to the nurturing rainfall. Pour the water into the ground of your garden, speaking the spell one last time.

Handmade Healing Amulets: Growing Good Health

You will experience years of enjoyment from tending your garden, as Voltaire taught us in his masterpiece, Candide. You can share that pleasure with your friends and those you love with gifts from your garden. Your good intentions will be returned many times over. I keep a stock of small muslin drawstring bags for creating amulets. If you are a crafty witch, you can make the bags, sewing by hand, and stuff the dried herbs inside.

For courage and heart: mullein or borage

For good cheer: nettle or yarrow

For fellow witches: ivy, broomstraw, maidenhair fern

For safe travels: comfrey

For fertility: cyclamen or mistletoe

For protection from deceit: snapdragon

For good health: rue

For success: woodruff

For strength: mugwort

For youthful looks: an acorn

Amulets should be kept on your person at all times: in a pocket, in your purse or book bag, or on a string around your neck.

The Writing is On the Wall - Wednesday Waning Moon Magic

In the days of yore, people often made their own inks, thus imbuing them with a deeply personal energy. They simply went to the side of the road and gathered blackberries or pokeberries from the vines that grew there. Often a bird flying overhead will supply a gift of volunteer vines best cultivated by a fence where they can climb, making berry-picking easier. When it comes to matters of the heart, contracts, legacy letters and any document of real importance that you feel the need to make your mark upon, an artfully made ink can help you write unforgettable love letters and very memorable memorandums. This spell is best performed during the waning moon.

Gather the following for your ink recipe: a vial or small sealable bottle, dark red ink, 1/8th cup crushed berry juice, nine drops of burgundy wine, apple essential oil, and paper.

Mix the juice, wine and red ink in a small metal bowl. Carefully pour it into the vial and add one drop of the apple essence. Seal the bottle and shake gently.

Incant aloud:

By my hand, this spell is wrought.
With this ink, I will author my own destiny 
And have the happy life and love, I sought. 
So mote it be.

Now write the fate you envision for yourself in the near and far future using the enchantment ink and a feather for a pen. Let dry and seal it in an envelope and keep on your altar until the new moon phase. Then, by the light of a red candle, open the letter to yourself and read aloud. After, burn the paper using the candle and scatter the ashes in your garden. By the next new moon, you will begin to reap the positive plans you invoked.

Planetary Protection Charms

Planting three red flowers in the new moon will keep trespassers off property and allow the land to return to a wild well-being. I suggest penstemon, wild roses, geraniums or nasturtiums.

To heal and guard an ailing or endangered tree, an old Celtic custom involves tying a red ribbon around the trunk and chanting:

Red for the sap-blood inside this spirit-tree, 
Every Full Moon,
I will retie a cord of magic around thee.
So mote it be!

Botanical Bliss: Garden Your Way to Happiness (Waxing Moon is Optimal)

For healing, plant sage word sorrel, carnation, onion, garlic, peppermint and rosemary.

For dispelling negative energy, plant heather, hawthorn, holly, hyacinth, hyssop, ivy, juniper, periwinkle and nasturtiums.

Farming and working with plants is guided by the moon, and should take place during the waxing moon in the signs of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Capricorn and Taurus.

Self-Blessing Spell

The time you take to restore yourself is precious. Morning is the optimal time to perform a self-blessing, which will help you maintain both your physical health and provide an emotional boost each and every day. Take a bundle of dried lavender grown in your kitchen garden or from a purveyor of organic herbs and place it into a muslin sack. Knead the lavender three times and breathe in the calming scent. Beginning at the top of your head, your crown chakra, pass the pouch all the way down to your feet, gently touching your other sacred chakras: throat, solar plexus, stomach and pelvis. Holding the lavender bag over your heart, speak aloud:

Gone are sorrows, illness and woe;
Here wisdom and health flows.
My heart is whole, joy fills my soul.
Blessed be me.

Rejuvenation Invocation: The Water of Life

I advise any witchy gardener to have a rain barrel to make the most of stormy weather; you can water your pots of herbs and garden during sunnier days and dry spells. On the first day of the rainfall, place a blue glass bowl outside as a water-catcher. Bring it inside and place on your altar beside a lit candle. Speak:

Water of life, gift from the sky,We bathe in newfound energy, making spirits fly!

Dip your fingers in the water and touch your forehead. Meditate upon the healing work you and your garden can do, thanks to the nurturing rainfall. Pour the water into the ground of your garden, speaking the spell one last time.

Green Thumb Thursday Spell

On a Thursday, as the moon waxes, light green and purple candles anointed with pure lotus or sandalwood oil. Place a small ivy or fern on your altar, along with a glass of fresh water containing a pearl or piece of jade. Burn a stick of sandalwood incense in a pot of soil placed at the altar’s north quadrant and meditate on your hopes and dreams.

When the incense has burned down, place the plant in the larger container, then bow and pray:

As this living thing expands, so shall the power of this magic space grow. 
Oh, Goddess, I dedicate my magic to you. Harm to none and only good 
work from this holy place.
Blessed be.

Bury the jewel in the soil and use the water from the glass to water the plant. Keep your plant “familiar” with you. You will grow in health and power together. I also encourage you to continually revitalize your altar by adorning it with sacred objects—an iridescent feather, an egg-shaped pebble from the side of the road, a rosy pomegranate, or any other sacred object you find will make a perfect altar gift.

Light Your Own Fire: Sage Wisdom

(New Moon is Optimal)

Every witch should grow a pot of sage or a big patch in a garden. Sage is a must-have on hand for clearing energy. It also increases psychic potential. Most pagans are highly imaginative and very
inventive folk. Whether your passion is growing an artful garden, throwing pots, cookery, or music, you can stay in better touch with your personal muse. Call her to you anytime, day or night,
by your own design. This is especially important if you are feeling uninspired or struggling with a bout of writer’s block.

Head out to your garden or the sunny spot on the deck where your hardiest sage grows. Take three large and extra long sticks of your favorite incense and bind strands of sage around the incense with purple thread. Tie it off and you have a sage wand. Before any creative endeavor, you can light this wand and wave it around your workspace, filling the area with inspiration. Close your eyes and meditate upon the work you will begin. You have cleared your space and invited the muse; your work will be superb, worthy of notice from the gods and goddesses.

Sylvan Spell: Planting Magic

This is a lovely spell to do if you are given a small tree as a gift, to wish for strength and good health for you and your love. Before you plant the sapling, tie a bow in some colored ribbon, and plant the bow with a small heart symbol in the soil under the roots of the tree. After you have planted the tree, water it well—especially with one or two tears of love, if possible! Make a wish that both you and your love will grow strong and enduring as the tree takes root and begins to flourish. When the tree bears its first leaf, press it in a book associated with the one you love. As long as you tend your tree with love, you will both enjoy blooming health and vitality.

Floral Healing Remedies

Flower essences mixed with 30 milliliters distilled water water can also be used as the following remedies:

• Addiction: skullcap, agrimony

• Anger: nettle, blue flag, chamomile

• Anxiety: garlic, rosemary, aspen, periwinkle, lemon balm, white chestnut, gentian

• Bereavement: honeysuckle

• Depression: borage, sunflower, larch, chamomile, geranium, yerba santa, black cohosh, lavender, mustard

• Exhaustion: aloe, yarrow, olive, sweet chestnut

• Fear: poppy, mallow, ginger, peony, water lily, basil, datura

•  Heartbreak: heartsease, hawthorn, borage

• Lethargy: aloe, thyme, peppermint

• Stress: dill, echinacea, thyme, mistletoe, lemon balm

• Spiritual Blocks: oak, ginseng, lady's slipper

Seeding the Future - New Moon Ritual

What are your intentions for the coming months? What you can imagine, you can bring into being. This ritual will aid you in getting what you want and need for yourself and loved ones. Nothing says "new beginnings" like planting a seed, so use the power of a growing plant to bring success to your own new moon projects.

Assemble the following:

• A flowerpot filled halfway with soil
• Enough soil to fill the rest of the pot
• Seeds (nasturtiums are oh-so-easy to grow)
• Egg shells 
• A small piece of paper

Get everything together and write your intentions on the paper in as few words as possible and roll into a scroll. Place the scroll into the pot, and crush some eggshells on top of that. Fill the rest of the pot with soil. Repeat the following: 

I plant this seed when the moon is new, 

Manifest my intentions, I ask it true. So mote it be. 

Keep repeating this as you plant your seeds, and give them a little water. After the ritual, keep the pot somewhere sunny, and you should start seeing some success in your plans when your plant begins to sprout. Keep it healthy and thriving to keep the magic going. You can repeat this ritual every time you feel the need and the moon is new. You can also be very specific in your intentions: new love, an interview for a new job, finding a new home you love. I find that the more specific you are in setting your intentions, the more powerful the spell.

How to Keep Your Local Fairies Happy

Do you want ot keep the wee ones in your garden happy? Try Fairy Flint!

Flint is favored by the fairy folk. If you want to be on the good side of the wee ones, keep flint around, and they will go about their own business and not meddle in yours. No more lost car keys or misplaced wallets after that.

The Herbalist’s Astrological Almanac: The Healing Wisdom of Plants

The Herbalist’s Astrological Almanac – Plant Healing  Wisdom

Plants carry potent energy you can use to amplify your magical workings. Use the signs of the sun, moon and stars to your advantage and, over time, you will come to know which ones are most effective for you. Make sure to use your own astrological chart in working with these herbs.  Here is a guide to the astrological associations of plants you may grow in your kitchen garden or keep dried in your pantry:

Aries, ruled by Mars: carnation, cedar, clove, cumin, fennel, juniper, peppermint and pine.

Taurus, ruled by Venus: apple, daisy, lilac, magnolia, oak moss, orchid, plumeria, rose, thyme, tonka bean, vanilla and violet.

Gemini, ruled by Mercury: almond, bergamot, mint, clover, dill, lavender, lemongrass, lily and parsley

Cancer, ruled by the Moon: eucalyptus, gardenia, jasmine, lemon, lotus, rose, myrrh and sandalwood

Leo, ruled by the Sun: acacia, cinnamon, heliotrope, nutmeg, orange and rosemary

Virgo, ruled by Mercury: almond, cypress, bergamot, mint, mace, moss, thyme and patchouli

Libra, ruled by Venus: catnip, marjoram, mugwort, spearmint, sweet pea, thyme and vanilla

Scorpio, ruled by Pluto: allspice, basil, cumin, galangal and ginger

Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter: anise, cedar wood, sassafras, star anise and honeysuckle

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn: lemon thyme, mimosa, vervain and vetiver

Aquarius, ruled by Uranus: gum, citron, cypress, lavender, spearmint and pine

Pisces, ruled by Neptune: clover, orris, neroli, sarsaparilla and sweet pea

Seasoned gardeners knows that the best ingredients can be found in your kitchen or your own backyard. Many plants now thought of as weeds have great healing powers and magical properties. Most of the herbs and essential oils in this book have become quite commonplace. With the plethora of aromatherapy products now available, most oil essences and scented candles can be bought commercially. For the more unusual ingredients, try your local health food market, herbalist, or metaphysical store.

Plant a Fairy Garden: Invite the Wee Folk Into Your Life

When planting your garden of enchantments, bear in mind that certain plants attract hummingbird, butterflies and fairies. The wee folk love daisies, purple coneflower, French lavender, rosemary, thyme, yarrow, lilac, cosmos, red valerian, sunflowers, honeysuckle and heliotrope.
Folk wisdom about Fairy Flora has been handed down through the centuries telling that pansies, blue columbine, snapdragons planted in bed are a welcome mat for fairies. These special guests a can use foxglove, which means “folk’s glove,” to make hats, linens and clothing as well as tulips for their haberdashery. They also favor sunny-faced nasturtiums. Fairies are also quite attached to certain fruit trees with pear, cherry and apple as their absolute favorites.  The hawthorn is one of the most magical trees. It marks the fairies’ favorite dancing places, and you should not cut or uproot a hawthorn unless you wish to incur their wrath. Apple trees also appeal as does the one in my own back yard.

Keep your eyes peeled when these trees and posies are in bloom as there are bound to be fairy folk about!