Scorpios have the height of intensity within them and are also tops in passions. This can lead to heartache, disappointment, upset and, even anger. Evergreen holly helps you feel the eternal love from the universe and brings balance to your life. If you feel like you are bumping up again endless frustration, tap into holly’s holy life-giving energy.
I advise any witchy gardener to have a rain barrel to make the most of stormy weather; you can use it to water your pots of herbs and your garden during sunnier days and dry spells. On the first day of seasonal rainfall, place a blue glass bowl outside as a water-catcher. Once it has filled with water, 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.
Simmer this mixture on your stove whenever you feel the need to infuse your space with protection or do an energetic turnaround from negative to positive. When a bad day at work, a family squabble, or an unfortunate incident in your neighborhood happens, instead of just muddling along, you can do something “about it, and your creating positive energy will help you and your loved ones as well as your neighbors. This Power Potpourri will also safeguard your home from outside influences that can be disruptive. Set your intention and gather these herbs together:
Mix the herbs together by hand. While you are stirring, close your eyes and visualize your home protected by a boundary of glowing white light. Imagine the light runs through you to the herbs in your hand and charges them with the energy of safety, sanctity, and protection. Add the herbs to slowly simmering water and breathe in the newly charged air.
My aunt Edith, who introduced me to the wonders of gardening, had a linen closet that always smelled sweetly of lavender. I remember breathing in the smell and immediately feeling comforted. Sleeping on crisp, clean, herb-scented sheets always made for the soundest sleep and delicious dreams. (Little did I know at the time, lavender is also a moth repellent and an adaptogen, adjusting to satisfy your own energy needs.) Here is a potion for dreamers:
Shake the oils and water in a colored glass spray bottle or mister.
Fifteen minutes before you retire, spray your bed linens, bath towel, pillow, and all around your room. You may want to keep a dream journal by your bed to record what happens during the night.
One of the byproducts of making herbal honeys, liqueurs, and oxymel is the candied herbs, which can also be made especially for snacks and for use in sweetcakes and cookies. To make a batch, stir the liquids together in a big pot and heat slowly, stirring every few minutes. Upon reaching boiling point, add the herbs until well mixed. Turn the heat down and slowly simmer until the liquid is very thick and sticky. Spoon the herbs out and place on wax paper to crystallize. Good herbs for this are hyssop, ginger root, lavender, lemon balm, fennel seed, mint, angelica stems, and thyme as well as small slivers of orange, lime, and lemon. The gift of homemade candy is a marvelous way to signal a crush.
Oxymel is a very old-fashioned tonic that dates back to ancient times but has fallen out of fashion. It remains a favorite used by herbal healers and it is made of two seemingly opposing ingredients—honey and vinegar. Herbs can be added to great effect, and when you see honey menthol cough drops on the pharmacy shelf, note their origin in traditions that began over two thousand years ago. Oxymels are supremely effective for respiratory issues. The recipe is simplicity itself: equal parts honey and vinegar poured over herbs in a canning jar. Store in a dark cupboard and give the sealed jar a good shake every day. After two weeks, strain out the herbs with cheesecloth and store your oxymel in the fridge.
Recommended oxymel herbs: oregano, elder flower, sage, balm, mint, lemon peel, thyme, lavender, rose petals, hyssop, and fennel.
Pears have long been prized in Asia as a lucky fruit that also nourishes a long and prosperous life. The great magical teacher Scott Cunningham advocated for their use in love spells. This pear liqueur is a special brew indeed. You will need this to make it:
Start by crushing the cardamom pods, then set aside. Peel the pears and cut into thin slices. Gently place the pear slices into the jar. Put the crushed cardamom and lemon peel on top of the pears. Cover all with the vodka. Close the jar and tighten the lid, then gently shake twice. Store the jar full of pears in a dark, cool cupboard for ten days. After the ten days, remove the jar from the cupboard. Pour the contents of the jar into a mixing bowl and mash thoroughly using the back of a fork. Strain the mixture into another bowl, using a colander that has been lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Repeat this process twice, then pour the pear liqueur into the Mason jar. (The strained-out pear slices can be consumed or used in cookery, but remember that they may be quite potent!) If you are feeling fancy, you can store your pear liqueur in a pretty bottle. Live long and prosper!
We all know the adage that starts out, “when life gives you lemons,” but we would update this classic with the suggestion to make lemon curd! With only four ingredients, it is not a complex chore but a delightful way to take your bounty of citrus and create a sweet and creamy joy-filled treat for you and your loved ones to enjoy for many months to come. What you’ll need:
Have at the ready: eight clean glass jars previously sterilized in hot water; half-pint Mason jars preferred.
Grate the zest of the lemons into a medium-sized saucepan. Squeeze the juice from the lemons into a bowl, go for every drop!
You should have around 1½ cups of juice. Add the lemon juice to the saucepan along with the sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the pan gradually.
Place your saucepan on a burner over low heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Strain the beaten eggs through a fine-mesh sieve into the pan with the lemon mixture. Cook on a medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring frequently. As it heats up, the mixture will begin to thicken and take on a creamy consistency. When it coats the back of a spoon, you are well on your way to lemon curd!
When the lemon sauce is thick, remove the pan from the heat. Fill hot sterilized jars with the lemon curd to within ⅛ inch of rims. Wipe the rims clean, then top the jars with hot lids. Screw down the bands securing the lids onto the jars until finger tight. Process jars in a hot water bath for ten minutes. Remove jars and stand them upright on a clean towel, away from drafts. Let jars sit undisturbed for twelve hours. Check for proper seals. Label the jars and store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
While we often think of herbs and flowers as having special properties, it is much less commonly known that fruits also contain much magic you must try for yourself:
Apple
This beloved “one a day” fruit is associated with the goddess Pomona and contains the powers of healing, love and abundance. Samhain, the highest holiday of the Wheel of the Year, is also called the “Feast of Apples,” and they are used on the Halloween altar during this festival. Cutting an apple in half and sharing the other half with your beloved is a traditional way to make a wish that the two of you will stay happy together for as long as apple trees grow.
Apricot
This juicy treasure is associated with Venus and the power of love, and it is believed that drinking the nectar will make you more appealing romantically. The juice of the apricot is used in rituals and love potions. Truly a food of the goddess!
Avocado
The lusciousness of the avocado fruit is not just delicious, it also brings forth beauty and lustfulness.
Banana
A bunch of bananas packs a magical punch with powers of abundance and fertility for both men and women. Anyone who gets married beneath a banana tree bower will have a lucky marriage. One caveat: never cut a banana open, only break it apart. Otherwise, you’ll bring bad luck to your household.
Blackberry
Blackberries are the medicine that pops up anywhere, offering a delightful snack and serious healing, love, and abundance. Both the vine and the berries can be used for money-bringing spells. Thorny blackberry vines are wonderful as protective wreaths for your home, and the plant’s vine and berry can be used for prosperity and money spells.
Blueberry
These berries are almost like an evil eye charm made of fruit, since they offer great protection. You can tuck a few of them under the mat at the threshold of your front door to ward off bad energy and evil if you feel someone is attempting to do you harm with hexes or sending bad energy your way,
Cherry
Beloved for their bright red color and taste, cherries are associated with romance as well as powers of divination. Useful in love spells, the Japanese believe tying a strand of hair from your head onto the blossom of a cherry tree will bring a lover to you.
Figs
Figs hold a place in our culture from the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Unsurprisingly, they are associated with sexuality and fecundity. If eaten ripe off the tree, this fruit will aid in conception and helps men with issues of impotence. A fig tree, if grown outside the bedroom, will bring deeply restful sleep and prophetic dreams. Outside your kitchen, a fig tree will ensure there will always be plenty of food for your family. Anywhere a fig tree grows it will bring luck and safety. A folk charm claims that gifting someone a fig grown by your own hand binds them to you. Wield your figs wisely.
Grapes
Planting grapevines grants abilities for money magic as well as with gardening and farming: the ancient Romans painted pictures of grapes on the garden walls to ensure good harvest and fertility for women. For mental focus, eat some grapes; magical spell workings for money are abetted greatly by placing a bowl of grapes on the altar.
Lemon
This beloved member of the citrus family confers the rare power of longevity as well as those of faithful friendship, purification, love, and luck. The juice from a lemon mixed with water can be used to consecrate magical tools and items during the full moon. Dried lemon flowers and peel can also be used in love potions and sachets. Bake a lemon pie for the object of your desire, and he or she will remain faithful to you for all time. Imbibing lemon leaf tea stirs lust.
Orange
In keeping with the joyful color of this fruit, oranges are a fruit of happiness in love and marriage. Dried blossoms added to a hot bath make you more beautiful. A spritz of orange juice will add to the potency of any love potion, especially if freshly squeezed. Orange sachets, pomanders, and other gifts with this fruit offer the recipient utter felicity; thus, it is an ideal gift for newlyweds.
Peach
It might seem obvious, but eating peaches encourages love. They also enhance wisdom. An amulet made with the pit can ward off evil. A fallen branch from a peach tree can make an excellent magic wand, while a piece of the tree’s wood carried in your pocket is an excellent talisman for a long life.
Pear
It is believed this uniquely shaped fruit brings prosperity and a long life. Somewhat similarly to peaches, the pear correlates with powers of lust and love. By sharing them with a partner, pears can be used to induce sexual arousal; pears cooked in wine or with a little rum or brandy make for an irresistible dessert with a little whipped cream. Pear wood is also very good for magical wands.
Pineapple
While renowned as the symbol of hospitality, pineapple represents neighborliness, abundance, and chastity. Dried pineapple in a sachet added to bath water will bring great luck. The juice hinders lust when drunken, and its dried peel is great in money spells and mixtures.
Raspberry
This sweet berry has tremendous powers for true love and safety in your home. Hang the vines at all of a house’s doors when a person in the house has died so that the spirit won’t enter the home again. The leaves are carried by pregnant woman to help with the pains of childbirth and pregnancy itself. Raspberries often served to induce love. Strawberry leaves also help with childbirth and the leaves are also carried for luck.
Tomato
Reminder that like the “alligator pear” or avocado, the tomato is a fruit! An easy money spell is to place a fresh-off-the-vine tomato on the mantle every few days to bring prosperity. Eating tomatoes “inspires love. They are excellent to plant in your garden as an aid to ward off pests of all kinds!
The astrological signs of the moon are of great significance. Each moon sign has special meanings set down through the centuries. Ancient and medieval folks paid strict attention to moon phases and moon signs for planting, harvesting, and canning and preserving stores for the long winter. Here is a guide to each sign with tried-and-true lore from olden days along with applications for today’s rituals.
Aries is a barren and dry sign that is perfect for planting, weeding, haying, and harvesting. Moon in Aries is the optimum time for rituals pertaining to leadership, pioneering, ambition, and authority, as well as rebirth. Any healing regarding the face and head is more successful during Aries.
Taurus is an earthy and moist sign that is excellent for planting root crops like potatoes and peanuts. Love, money, and luxury are watchwords for the moon in Taurus. If you are buying real estate, moon in Taurus is an excellent time for that. Because the throat and neck are ruled by Taurus, this is a prime time both for singing and speaking.
Gemini is another dry sign that is a great time for mowing, cutting, and getting rid of plants or pests. Communication is improved during moon in Gemini. Healing of the arms and hands and pulmonary system is well advised during a Gemini moon.
Cancer is a fruitful watery sign conductive to planting; in fact, it is the most productive sign of all. Hearth and home are the focus now, and lunar rituals are well timed during moon in Cancer. Healing rituals for the stomach are best done at this time.
Leo is the driest and least fertile of all moon signs, good only for cutting and mowing. Leo moon is good for bravery, striking out in a new direction, like performing on stage or taking a position of authority. Matters of the heart and literal healing of that organ are auspicious and advisable now.
Virgo is both damp and barren, but is a great time for cultivation. Virgo moon is good for working hard and seeking employment, tending to all aspects of health and nutrition, and healing the nervous system and bowel.
Libra is both wet and fruitful and is wonderful for grains, vines, root crops, and flowers. Now is the time for artistic endeavors, romantic liaisons, and balancing your life. The lower back and kidneys can be restored to health during moon in Libra.
Scorpio is humid and bountiful and is good for all types of planting. Make your moves during moon in Scorpio. This sign is also conducive to plumbing the depths of the spirit and achieving psychic growth. Sex rituals are at their most potent during moon in Scorpio. Healing of the sensitive reproductive organs can happen during this moon time.
Sagittarius is another fire sign that is a poor time for planting and so is best spent harvesting and storing. Rites of passage and travel and rituals relating to higher truths and philosophical matters succeed during moon in Sagittarius. Sports and horses are also in the spotlight during this time. Healing for the legs can be undertaken during this time.
Capricorn is an earth sign that is also wet and is excellent for grafting, pruning, and planting trees and shrubs. Rituals relating to work, goals, and organizing can be commenced at this time. Political careers, dreams, and aspirations should be launched during moon in Capricorn. Skeletal wellness efforts are advisable during this cycle, as well.
Aquarius is an infertile and parched moon time that is best for harvesting, weeding, and dispelling pests. The Aquarian moon is appropriate for rites regarding personal freedom. Friendship, the intellect, and starting a new phase of life all come into play now. Rituals of a more radical nature are best during this sign. Shin and ankle health tend to go better now, too.
Pisces is fecund and fruitful and is good for all kinds of planting. It is remarkable for fruits of all kinds. The highly sensitive moon in Pisces is good for spells and charms for creativity, intuition, divination, dream work, and music. Care and healing for the feet are most favorable during this sign of moon in Pisces.
Here is a delightfully easy recipe that will produce a flavorful homemade liqueur that smells as good as it tastes. If you are interested in making a hassle-free bottle of spirits, apples are a wonderful way to start. Start with these ingredients:
First, clean, core, and slice your apples. Place the slices in a Mason canning jar. Pour in the alcohol to cover, using equal parts brandy and vodka. Put the jar in a cool dark place in your pantry. Allow the infusion process to alchemize for a month or until it is to your taste. The combination of sweet apples and brandy gives a luscious fruit-forward flavor, with no need for sugar. After infusing, strain the apple slices out using a strainer to filter the liqueur. Pour the spirits into a pretty and sealable bottle and enjoy at your next pagan party.
Bonus tip: apples can really be used with any spirit so let your imagination run wild!
This clear alcoholic drink is also easily infused with the flavor of flowers, herbs, fruits and even vegetables. Try combinations such as the light and sweet floral taste of lavender and rosemary. Lavender brings calming and healing and rosemary dispels negative spirits. Both of these are love herbs. What could be better? You’ll need the following:
After you have rinsed your herbs in cool water and gently patted them dry, put them in the one-quart (32 ounce) Mason or Bell jar. Pour in vodka, making sure to cover the herbs to the top, then seal tightly. Give it a vigorous shake and place the jar in your pantry or dark closet for five days, making sure to shake at least once a day. After the second day, take a spoon and taste the vodka. If the taste suits you before the full five days are up, go ahead and strain the herbs out using cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter, Set the herbs aside and let them dry. After the vodka is thoroughly strained of any herbs or residue, pour it into a bottle; label the bottle with the date and what herbs you used. Tie the dry herbs into a bundle with string and use their aroma when you next make a fire in the hearth. Their scentful smoke will imbue your home with coziness, calm, healing and love.
Below is a tried-and-true recipe for a simple berry jam. Our family favorite is blackberries as the color of the jam is nearly as delicious as its taste when spread on warm toast. You’ll need the following:
Crush the berries with a potato masher, softly, not too hard. Place all the ingredients in a stockpot and boil over high heat for five minutes, stirring the mixture to prevent it from sticking or burning. Reduce the heat to medium-high and continue to boil and stir. Remove any foam with a large spoon. After a half hour, the jam will begin to thicken up. If your jam is setting slowly, you can add more lemon juice or a slice of apple. Pectin, which is regularly used thicken jams and jellies, is made from apples. Thus, a slice of apple will serve the same purpose.
When the jam is ready, pour it into sterilized jars. The jars should be warm when the jam is added, so keep the sterilized articles in the oven, dishwasher, or canning water bath until you need them; ditto the lids and rings. Make sure to leave a generous half-inch gap between the jam and the top of the jar—this is known as headspace in the world of jam. Place the lids on the jars and screw them on firmly.
Place the sealed jars into the water bath and cover with at least an inch of water. Boil for ten minutes. Using jar tongs, carefully lift the jars out of the water bath and let them cool at room temperature. You will hear the lids seal when they make a popping noise as the domed lid is sucked down. Processed jam will last at east a year and makes a lovely gift. For small batches, you can make your jam and store it in the fridge as soon as it has cooled off. Berries contain protection magic as well as that of abundance. Folklore says vampires are afraid of blackberry vines.
July is one of the sweetest times to enjoy your garden, and strawberries are a harbinger of the good summertimes ahead. To make this lucky jam, you will need the following ingredients:
Macerate the strawberries in a big bowl. In a large pot, melt the butter, then pour in the crushed strawberries. Fold in the powdered pectin. Heat the mixture to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add in the sugar and bring to a full rolling boil again. Boil and stir for one more minute. Now, add in the chopped basil.
Remove the pot from heat and skim off any foam. Ladle the hot mixture into nine half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch at the top. Look for and remove any air bubbles. If you need to fill in the jars, add in more hot jam mixture. Carefully wipe the jar rims, then seal the lids on the jars. Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for ten minutes. Remove jars and cool. Strawberries are widely regarded as an aphrodisiac, and basil brings money to your house. Making this “Love and Money Jam” will be a great gift to everyone in your household and anyone who is served this jolliest of jams.
This is a recipe handed down from generation to generation in my family. My mother was very proud of and famous for her pickles. This same cucumber recipe can be used to pickle almost any vegetable, including onions, peppers, squash, baby corn, green tomatoes, cauliflower, and anything else you might fancy. Growing your own dill will be a wonderful finishing touch. Gather:
Wash all the cucumbers using cool water. In a big stockpot, pour in the vinegar, three cups of water, and the kosher salt and bring to a boil. This is the brining liquid. In the bottom of a sterilized quart jar, place a generous layer of dill, a clove of garlic, and ½ tablespoon mustard seed. Pack the cucumbers vertically into the jar until half full, then add another layer of dill and fill the remainder of the jar with cucumbers. Fill all the jars in the exact same way, leaving a half-inch at the top for brine. After you have poured in the brining liquid, go ahead and seal the Mason jars. Place the jars in a boiling-water bath for fifteen minutes. Label once your pickle jars have cooled and store on a cool, dark shelf for two weeks to allow the flavor to develop.
Magical correspondences to draw from in labeling your fresh batch of pickles:
Start this special mixture brewing by pouring a cup of unfiltered sweet apple cider into a big pot. Go for organic fruit at the farmer’s market, but it is even better if you can make it yourself from apples you have gathered or harvested. Take a bottle of your favorite low-cost red wine and gently heat with the cider in a medium saucepan on a low flame. Add sugar, cinnamon, and cloves to your taste, but at least a tablespoon of each, and stir every six minutes. Notice how your entire home fills with the spicy sweetness of merriment. After thirty minutes, your brew should be ready to serve.
You can make simple syrup, a base for any liqueur, in five short minutes by boiling a cup of sugar in a half cup of water. The method above can be used to create distinctive after-dinner drinks and digestives with angelica, anise, bergamot, hyssop, all mints, fennel, and perhaps the most special of all, violets. To your health!
Many enthusiasts enjoy several cups a day of their favorite herbal infusion, which is a large portion of herb brewed for at least four hours and perhaps as long as ten. I recommend placing one cup of the dried herb into a quart canning jar and filling it with freshly boiled water. After the steeping, strain with a nonmetallic type of strainer such as cheesecloth or bamboo. Herbal infusions can be made with the leaves and fruits, which provide the healing aspects of this type of comforting brew. Many favorite herbs from your kitchen garden contain minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, including the list herein.
What do you need to attend in your life now? This list of herbs and associations can be your guide; one of the smartest ways to approach this methodology is to brew right before bedtime so you will awaken to a freshly infused herb. Some of the most popular herbs and fruits used to create infusions are as follows:
Thyme in the garden attracts bees, and honey made by these “thymely bees” is highly sought after. If you can come by this rarity, get as much as you can as it is redolent with Mother Nature’s love and enchantment. The ancient Greeks prized thyme honey very highly not only as a delicacy at the table but as a miracle salve to heal everything: the stomach, aches and pains, and even wounds. Hippocrates swore by it!
Every kitchen garden should be strewn with thyme plantings, fragrantly growing amongst the flagstones in the path as well as in the rows of herbs, filling the air with their magnificent scent and elegant beauty. You will need to keep a plentitude growing and several bunches drying in a dark corner of your panty at all times, as this plant makes a mighty fine tincture with many medicinal uses. I also suggest you start gathering together some supplies: clean muslin or cheesecloth, several colored glass bottles, and an assortment of canning jars with lids for storing your handiwork. For this tincture, take one of the larger jars and the following ingredients:
Put the dried thyme in the jar and carefully pour the vinegar inside. Stir well and seal. Place on a dark shelf and make sure to shake it every day. At the end of the one month, strain through muslin. Compost the thyme residue in your garden and store the tincture in a pretty glass jar.
Having this herbal helper around will come in handy for mouthwashes, hair rinses, and ritual baths, and you can even rub it on achy joints and sore muscles. For a cup of thyme tea, add one teaspoon of the tincture to a cup of hot water, then add a teaspoon of honey, stir, and enjoy.
