Herbology

I am going to include a list of the herbs I am most familiar with and include both the magical and medicinal benefits where appropriate. 

 

Acorns- Prosperity

Amber- Happiness, Reassurance

Allspice- Lust, Diabetes, Stomach aches

Bay leaves- Psychic-abilities, Divination, Money, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Anti-viral

Basil- Protection of the home, Divination, Anti-inflammatory, Reduces high blood-pressure, Reduces high blood sugar, Oily skin.

Benzoin- Astral travel 

Bergamot- Fertility, Prosperity,  Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Hayfever, Nasal-Congestion

Black Pepper-  Banishing negativity, Antispasmodic, Anti-oxidant, Stimulant

Chamomile- Sleep, Relaxation, Aching muscles, Acne, Asthma, Hayfever, Morning sickness

Cloves- Visions, Bereavement, Wealth, Pain Killer

Chives- Weight-loss, Aneamia, Colds, Digestion 

Dandelion- Contacting the spirit world

Dragons blood- Protection

Echinacea- Healing, Flu, Colds, Allergies, Anti-inflammatory, Antiviral, Asthma, Earache

Eucalyptus- Healing, Decongestant, Mosquito-repellant

Frankincense- Healing, Cleansing, Protection 

Garlic- Home Blessing, Protection, Antioxidants, Reduces Blood pressure, Cholesterol

Hawthorn- Fertility

Hemp- Meditation

Hibiscus- Love, Divination, Blood pressure, Cholesterol, High in vitamin C

Holly- Luck and protection

Jasmine- Love, Money, Spiritual growth, Anti- depressant, Dry skin 

Lavender- Happiness, peace, relaxation, Depression, Anxiety, Pain killer, Anti-bacterial, Anti-depressant, Antiseptic, Bruises 

Lemon- Friendship,  Anti-inflammatory, Anti- oxidant, Antiseptic, High blood pressure

Mistletoe- Youth, Beauty

Myrrh- Fertility, Youth, Use as a mouthwash to fight bacteria

Nettle- Protection, Exorcism, Diuretic, Aneamia, Arthritis, Exzema, Urinary-problems

Oak- Fertility, Health

 Orris- Love

Patchouli- To break or remove a spell 

Pine- Fertility, Money

 Rosemary- Beauty, Colds, Immunity, Alzheimers, Anti-depressant, Antiseptic

Rose buds- Passion, Love

Rose hips- Luck, Anti-depressant, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Antiviral

Rowan- Psychic-awareness, Success

Sage- Cleansing, Wishes, Wisdom, Protection, Hot flushes, Menopause, Mouth ulcers

Sandlewood- Removes negative energies 

Thistle- Strength

Turmeric- Purification, Alzheimers, Depression, Weight-management, Liver Deoxifier

Valerian- Relaxation, Sleep, Sedative

Vervain- Love, Peace, Protection, Money, Healing, Youth 

Willow- Divination

White willow bark- Protection, Love, Healing, Divination, Pain Killer

Yarrow- Courage, Menstruation, Varicous veins, Wound healing

Ylang Ylang- Inner calm, peace.

The content of this post is not intended as medical advice- it is for magikal reference only. please seek advice from your medical practitioner before using any of the above (especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding) as there are certain contraindications for each herb.

Mabon/ The Autumn Equinox

Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest and a time to give thanks for the food and crops the earth has provided for us. It is a time to start preparing for the darker and colder months ahead of us- from this day onwards the dark will be taking over the light, the days become shorter and the nights become longer. It is named after a welsh god Mabon ap Modron (the son of Modron). The term Mabon is a neo-pagan term that was created in the 1970's, but the celebration of the festival dates back to 3000 B.C. The Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair.

The timing of Mabon varies slightly each year. Astrologer David Rowan helped me to understand this better ''This year's Solar Ingress to Libra (Autumn Equinox) is at 20:44 BST on the 22nd of September 2013.  The word 'Ingress' describes the moment when a planet changes Sign'' (David Rowan, 2013).

''The stations of the Sun, Solsticial and Equinoxical moments, occur when the Sun Ingresses into each of the 4 Cardinal Signs of the Tropical Zodiac:
Capricorn = Yule, or mid-winter
Aries = Spring Equinox
Cancer = Summer Solstice
Libra = Autumn Equinox'' (David Rowan, 2013)

''The dates vary each year because our calendar counting system is not calculated to follow the celestial sphere properly, hence the 'one day adjustment' every 4 years (leap year) '' (David Rowan 2013)

For those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of astrology I will link David Rowans website at the bottom of this post.

 Mabon Insence

 (recipe by Scott Cunningham)

• 2 parts Frankinsense
• 1 Part Sandlewood
• 1 Part Cypress
• 1 Part Juniper
• 1 Part Pine
• 1/2 Part Oakmoss
• 1 pinch of pulverized Oak Leaf

Astrological sign 

 1 degree Libra

Mabon strones 

 yellow agates, carnelian, lapis lazuli.

Colours

  Reds, browns, yellows, maroons, golds.

Herbs

Acrons, myrhh, seeds, tobacco, ferns, marigolds.

 

 

Activities 

 Long walks in the woods, scattering offerings in nature, making wines, making corn dollies,

making of talismans and amulets, dip leaves in paraffin wax and bless them (they make perfect little gifts).

Mabon

(by Ezzy Violet)

The Time of Change is upon us again -
the Equinox comes, the Wheel turns...

The Goddess and the God prepare for
Their journey to the Otherworld,
as the Earth and all of Her children
prepare for the Time of Quiet and
Reflection that lies ahead...

May we use this Autumnal period to seek for the strength and power within
to assist us on our own quests for
vision, feeling, and peace...

May we see and feel the presence of

the Goddess and the God within, though
without, the Earth begins Her slumber...

Keep us in Your light...

 

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Blessed Mabon! 

http://www.davidrowan.co.uk/solar/introducing_astrology.html 

http://www.davidrowan.co.uk/solar/astrology_online_teaching.html

Making your everyday life Magikal...

Magik is all around us, it surrounds everything and everyone- all we have to do is become tuned in to it to feel the great effects it can have on our every day life. Magik isn't just present in our rituals or within our sacred circles- its absolutely everywhere!! 

Sometimes in our hectic busy life schedules its very hard to find the time to put aside to practise Magik- casting a circle with all the tools and props can take alot of preparation and in turn be quite time consuming. It took me a while to realise this wasn't all necessary to bring magik into our lives on a daily basis- there are so many very simple yet effective ways you can lead a magical life with hardly any preparation at all... I would love to share a few of my ideas with you all. 

Divine Dialogue

For those of you who have never heard of Charming Pixie Flora- I would strongly suggest you check out her youtube videos- she helped me so much when I first started on my pagan path, she has such a positive energy about her and her videos are really inspiring. In one of her videos she talks about daily divine dialogue. Its all about talking to not only the goddess and god but to our spirit guides, our animal guides, the elementals, the Fae.. and so on. Communication is essential- and we can all do this on a daily basis but just talking to them. I usually do this in my car- Ill chat away to the Goddess giving my thanks and asking for anything I require at the time. If we don't ask we don't get- it really is that simple. Ill link Charming Pixie Floras video below (I promise all of her videos are worth a watch!!) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJXeDPaA6QY

5 Minute Morning Affirmations 

Every morning spend 5 minutes making daily affirmations, and instead of saying to yourself 'I am going to have a great day today' change it round and say 'I am having a great day today', 'I am making a difference to someones life today for the better' 'I am confident' 'I am beautiful', 'I am happy' 'I am feeling great' (and so on) It works- I promise!! If you start the day by rolling out of bed and thinking 'oh I hate work im dreading it', 'I feel exhausted and have no energy' .. guess what- that's exactly how you will feel- its all magik! You create your own reality. You attract if your day is going to be positive and productive and enjoyable. So take a few minutes each day to focus on how you want your day to be- and believe it!

 Crystal Baths/Showers

We all shower or bath on a regular basis (id like to hope :p)- so make it magikal by adding crystals! Pop your favourite crystals into your bath and their energies with radiate through the water and our bodies are literally bathing in this energy- a great way to start the day!

If only we all had a bath made out of crystal-  I can always hope!

Adding Magikal Intention Into Your Cooking

Food...we all love our food don't we- food is our fuel, its how our bodies run- so lets add magikal intent into our food when cooking. When preparing meals really focus on positive energy, healing energy, and love energies all going into what you are making. When we eat we absorb this energy into our bodies- if food is made in a rush with anger and frustration- its likely we may absorb these feeling when we eat the food. When making a cup of tea I usually start by stirring anti-clockwise and imagine all negativity disappearing, I banish all bad thoughts. I then stir clockwise imagining positive energy being infused into the drink- love, healing, prosperity.... its so easy and effective.

Don't just look- see!

We all look around at nature, as we drive to work, as we walk in the park and we stare out of our windows- but looking isn't always enough- really see what you are looking at, take a  minute to appreciate it. Once you start taking that extra second to really see a whole new world opens up. Look at the birds in the trees, look at the flowers in the garden, look at the wildlife, and the trees and the rocks.... That's when you start to get messages from nature. 

Music

Music has such an incredible affect on us- its truly incredible. It can completely change the way we feel instantly... now that's powerful!! If you listen to gentle meditation music its likely you will feel relaxed and calm, if you listen to shamanic drumming you may feel the energy building up inside you until you feel you need to dance or sway or express yourself in some way. Its magikal. Pop a CD on on the way to work in your car- start the day with some gentle soft music, or songs you love. A CD with chants is also a good idea- I love to sing along to the chants whilst driving along- its fun, relaxing, connects you to the Goddess and raises energy at the same time- its a win win!!

You can add intent and magick into pretty much everything you do in your daily life- weather it be a hobby such as knitting or gardening, having a cup of tea or getting ready for work. Getting in these little habits will actually make a difference to your life- its worth giving it a go and see the results for yourself.  

Making Magik with Gaia

I have just returned from a glorious week away in the beautiful Alcudia, and whilst I was away soaking up the sun on the white gold sandy beaches,

I had the pleasure of reading 'Making Magik with Gaia' by Francesca Ciancimino Howell. I thought I would share this book with you all as it really made me take a huge step back and re-evaluate myself and my own life. It focuses on how as individuals and as a society we (often unknowingly) have such a negative and harmful impact on the environment and our mother earth. I put my hands up and admit that I for one am guilty of buying many materialistic items that I do not necessarily 'need', wasting too much water on baths/showers, using our planets resources without a second thought... and until reading this book had not even considered how certain things really impact the natural world around us. The book was very refreshing and has encouraged me to make certain day to day changes and break bad habits and replacing them with newer ones that will have a more beneficial impact on our mother earth. 

Within each chapter these are numerous exercises to help us heal our planet on a physical and spiritual level- and in return receive healing ourselves. There are so many signs our planet is sick and needs our collective help to re-gain her strength. This book is not only aimed at pagan or even spiritual individuals- it can be enjoyed and be of value to anyone who takes an interest in protecting our earth- our mother Gaia. 

 Whilst I was away I discovered a gorgeous crystal shop with hundreds of the most spectacular crystals I have ever seen- I was in heaven! (my family knew they were in for an even longer than usual wait outside of this shop!!) They had every crystal I can think of- and some extortionately priced ones too- but as we all know its not always the expensive immaculate polished crystals that catch our eye- its the ones we really need in our lives that draw us to them!
 

 


The first one to jump out at me was this gem to the right- and after reading Making Magik with Gaia I had decided I needed a crystal to represent our  mother earth when directing healing- and this one is perfect! 

 

The next one is the tiniest little Citrine cluster- (its so very cute!) Citrine is one of my favorites- a great crystal for prosperity- and im sure none of us would turn a little prosperity away one in a while!

 

The next one to jump out at me was this clear quartz point- it was sitting at the back amongst about 30 others- but Im sure we all know that familiar feeling when we just get drawn to one particular crystal and we know that's the one that's coming home with us.. I find clear quartz is such a great all-rounder and can be easily programmed to have almost any property you desire. 

 


 

My favorite of all is this Agate Crystal...with what looks like an evil eye on the surface.... I was very excited when I found this little gem. For those of you not familiar with the evil eye- it is a symbol well known in many cultures to ward off evil and protect the person to carry it or wear it- a little lucky charm!

Animal Spirit Guides

I have always been an animal lover and am overwhelmed by the connection we can build with them on a personal and also spiritual level. Animal spirit guides or 'totem animals' as some prefer relate to a particular animal that comes into your life to offer you guidance at that particular time.

 Some animal guides are at our sides for life and others come and go as you need them. Have you ever seen an animal in a strange place or one that particularly stood out to you for no reason? These are messenger guides that come into your life in order to give you a message or guidance, and once you have understood and interpreted this- they leave until you need them again. A few months back I saw 3 foxes on the way to work- I hadn't previously seen a fox in months perhaps even years. This was my fox guides way of getting my attention at that particular time in my life.




The next type of animal guides are 'Life animal guides'. From the earliest age I can remember I had a fascination with Grizzly bears, I watched films, documentaries, had bear t-shirts, mugs, I was so intrigued by their immense power and beauty. I had a deep spiritual respect for them. The grizzly bear is my Life animal spirit guide, and in times of need I will often seek guidance through meditation.
Did you ever have a favourite animal as a child? Children are so much more receptive to animal spirit guides, try to remember back to your childhood, perhaps this could be one of your animal spirit guides?




Other spirit guides may grab your attention by causing fear. Fear is one of the strongest emotions, and if animal causes you sudden unexpected fear then pay attention to it. It is creating this fear as a warning to you. It may bot necessarily be a real life encounter with this animal- often these spirit guides will come to you in a dream. I went through a phase of having a recurring dream about cows- not very scary I hear you thinking- but In the dream I was terrified. To be fearful of something you would not normally be afraid of is of even more significance. 

 So our guides have grabbed our attention- what next?

This is what I used to struggle with- I would notice a guide but then be a little confused where to go from there... if only animals could talk! 

Books

 
I purchased a lovely little book by Ted Andrews, called Animal-Speak Pocket Guide.

It is a fabulous pocket size book that gives a summary of what each spirit animal may represent or be trying to tell you. This is a great way of beggining to interpret your little friends messages.

 Meditation

 Next you could try meditation to search a little deeper into the message- there are numerous guided 'spirit guide meditations' available for free on youtube and I have found these to be very helpful.

 Oracle Cards

Oracle cards are another way of getting that all important message across, I have the 'Messages From your Animal Spirit Guides' deck as pictured to the right. 
It is a beautiful deck that comes with a little book explaining the meaning of each card. I tend to just pick one card per reading although im sure there are more fancy and complex ways of getting more details messages with different spreads.








There are many other ways of getting in touch and interpreting your guides messages but these are the ones I use myself and find work wonderfully. Animals are such beautifully intelligent creatures and we as human beings often underestimate their power, if we just take the time to step back and pay attention to them then they really can make a difference to our lives.