Under The Spells Of Witchery
What other spell shall I make? (eons.com/groups/topic/1891345-2-Hot-Witches-and-Warlocks)
Once upon a time, in a land where witchcraft and witches felt at home, someone made his or her voice heard and defined a witch as being “a healer, a walker between the worlds, a weaver, a shaman, a wise one”.
Though remaining anonymous that person continued by saying that “A witch is also…a therapist, a priest or priestess, a herbalist, a mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, a counselor, a researcher, a writer, a psychic, a teacher and an environmentalist.” I know not if this comes to be the truth yet I know that most of us tend to view witches differently…
I may now say just like Anne Sexton once said “The speaker in this case is a middle-aged witch, me tangled on my two great arms, my face in a book and my mouth wide, ready to tell you a story or two.” My story starts with the night that has come down over me while attempting to write this, and since night is generally known as a land being dwelt by witches (no need to worry though because these ones though ugly in appearance for the most part, populate the imaginary land only) I thought about proclaiming this ugly Monday a Monday of Magical Herbs and spells being cast over you. Even though I may not look like a witch at all to you…I come to be one in disguise right now.
Herb Magic (iloveherbs.net/magical-herbs)
Speaking about witches I am rather curious to find out how you picture one such being. Is it an evil creature, a funny one or whenever you happen to think about a witch there is simply no image there attached to this word? In my case it happens to be a funny picture, probably because I tend to associate this word with an old wrinkled lady who by the way needs a lifting (Is there anyone who offers to take care of her looks?). Speaking about looks, this old lady happens to be quite ugly having a quite long pointed nose, some rather beady eyes, a crooked smile… and sharp curled nails ready to just pick someone for a ride on her broom, even though given the era we live I tend to think that no one should be surprised to hear that she prefers mops to the rather ancient by now broomsticks. I picture her moving her nose to the right or to the left…whenever she wishes to make something happen and getting on people’s nerves whenever she happens to talk because it must be made clear to everyone…she speaks in sharps and trebles, sounding much like a frog. To make a joke, though a bad joke for sure, I could say just like I found it written somewhere “Ooops I think I just described my mother in law.” Or I could also say that a witch can be anyone of you, in a certain moment from his or her life. I have to admit that I turn into a real witch whenever I get angry; though I may not have my broomstick with me…I am a witch.
Of course I am just kidding unless a long pointed nose started growing out of nowhere just to prove me that indeed I happen to be one…yet there was a time, in olden days as some would say, when wise women deeming the beneficent properties of herbs used to prepare all sorts of potions making use of all these herbs and even more used to brew them to be later on gracefully sipped by all those who believed their sayings. Most of these women ended badly being burned as witches.
As Van Gogh supposedly once said “Everywhere we look complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes.” Indeed it could be said that nature resembles a huge pantry, yet one loaded with tons and tons of magical plants which keep on growing in every corner of this planet. Surprisingly or not, some of these plants have been used since ancient times, or time immemorial as some would say in magical rituals or for the sake of magic, most of those using them hoping for a change of the things or of one’s life in better. I guess that this whole magic wrapping that keeps herbs under some sort of a veil continues to exist even nowadays being transmitted from one generation to the other. And if I were to quote someone I’d have to say that those days when fairies used to populate gardens were in fact never gone and that nowadays witches may be dwelling in some secret, hidden places situated somewhere under the earth, a place which is dimmed by many as being “a delicious place”, a place where things abound, being some sort of a womb of plenitude, a womb of magic plenitude.
Speaking about fairies I feel an almost stringent need to quote Edmund Spenser who used to write as follows in his poem entitled “From The Faerie Queen”: “There, in a gloomy hollow glen, she found / A little cottage built of sticks and weeds, / In homely wise, and walled with sods around, / In which a witch did dwell in loathly weeds / And willful want, all careless of her needs; / So choosing solitary to abide, / Far from all neighbors, that her devilish deeds / And hellish arts from people she might hide, / And hurt, far off, unknown, whomever she envied.” There was it-the down earth home of witches…Do you happen to be interested in finding out something about the way certain plants and herbs came to be used under the land or touch of the ancient wise women?
(southwestflair.com/holiday2007/christmasherbs)
I guess you did manage to see by now either on TV or in newspapers questions written in bold letters asking you whether or not you wished to have it all, meaning love, fortune, wealth, health, prosperity and whatever else was there that one could wish to have on this rather crowded planet of hours. Was there a moment in which you though that an herb could solve all your problems? Those who tend to be more skeptical probably raise their eyebrows right now and say something that may resemble this “Hey Lady…time has passed and we now live in the era of speed…we do not have time for your herbs anymore or for your witches.” I guess most of the people living nowadays do have time for herbs because by now they have discovered their many benefits yet they do not have time for witches. It gets to be more a matter of personal choice and personal beliefs as well, does it? According to this, witches may turn to be very real in their perception or on the contrary they may be just some characters in some stories for children. As for herbs, they are quite palpable and they do carry with them their fragrant scent, their unmistakable taste and their rather bushy green history.
Money, fertility, lust, protection, healing, and purification –you can have it all if you decide to call upon the help of herbs and their magical properties. What did I say to you in the very beginning when trying to picture a witch? Everyone is a little witch that needs to just bend his nose and this comes to be just enough to bring him everything he or she wishes. You don’t believe me? If you don’t then we shall better see what happens when coming into these magical herbs. Do they make one fly? Unless one gets to grow some wings on his back…I doubt that this is what actually happens, yet I’ve learned across the years that almost everything is possible in this world of ours. Fly-checked! How about some more beneficent effects on your body? Certainly so-checked!
Herbs and magic (http://herbs-medicinal.com/encyclopedia-of-magical-herbs-book/alternative-medicine-herb)
There was a time when this world used to be populated by many women herbalists who used to take care of everyone else, practically making sure that all the above wishes and much more to come were to be checked. These women healers came to be known under various names. Either midwives, green women, wise women, nurses, old wives or witches…they have been dismissed as being just “old wives’ tales” or folk wisdom or they have been embraced partly or entirely in some cases. I know not which is your case, yet I think it would be interesting to go through the “treating diary” of such a woman, be it a green one or just a plain witch.
It could be said without being wrong that the history of herbs came to be written by trial and error. Our ancestors have learned the hard way what was there in nature that helped them and what was it that harmed them. There was a time when people used to have a quite low life expectancy and as such almost anything that managed to make life longer or at least more predictable stood under an aura of magic.
It must have been magic when people simply rubbed rather strong smelling herbs on their bodies just meaning to become “invisible” to the animals they happened to either haunt or just be scared to death about them. How about rubbing yourself with some fragrant herbs just meaning to keep insects away or to please the senses of your mate? You may be bending your nose just like I said witches use to do, yet this is supposedly what actually happened at a certain moment across the times. And if this sounds and smells pretty good then what I am just about to evoke certainly doesn’t smell that good. I am referring to the Medieval Ages that brought with them some sort of a not so magic belief for one’s senses that bathing was unhealthy. As such people started using aromatic herbs to freshen up the air. What a relief this must have been to them!
Nowadays we use the herbs that once just used to be sprinkled around to either bathe in them, or as sachets meant to be tucked beneath the pillow or just be carried in one’s pocket. We may as well use them to create an aromatic incense or just to make a by now well known delicious old-fashioned pot of tea. How about hoping for some visionary skills? There was a time when various shamans used to smoke various herbs just meaning to open another path for them, a visionary one.
Gathering herbs (loveamourlove.com/LoveArticles/Love_Spells_Magic_Charms_Tests/herbs_for_love_spells.html)
How about combining some cooking and magic by making use of herbs? Hocus pocus, abracadabra, alakazam-does anyone see any of the so called kitchen magical herbs appear in a well established row? Guess not yet I insist…
I guess you’ve not been able to see any fairies until now in real life, only in stories or in cartoons, out there in the wild world there is an herb carrying the name of thyme which is said to be able to make your wish come true. What? Which wish? The one related to fairies of course…And just because this herb is supposed to possess this “power” you may feel like being a good beautiful enchanting fairy yourself, meaning simply irresistible to everyone surrounding you. And because there is quite a high risk for you to feel this then thyme is just there to make your wish come true. I say all this having in mind the information according to which there was a time when ladies were just required to wear thyme to become irresistible and when if one wished to see Fairies he needed to wear the same magical herb with him. The same herb can as well help you gain more courage and amaze the ones close to you with your energy. As a conclusion I may say that thyme comes to be a pretty useful herb.
The next one on my list of magical herbs is the already famous by now rosemary. If you ever felt like being helpless in matters of fortune telling then it is clear to me that you happen to have no knowledge whatsoever in matters of rosemary. Why do I say this? Rumor has it that if burned on charcoal, the very smell of it will trigger some answers to whatever happened to be haunting you lately.
When it comes to this herb I happen to find it quite funny that there was a time when it was thought that once burned the wood of the plant was able to preserve youth. I now know what I have to do to be always young…fire my apartment and embalm all my neighbors in the smoke of rosemary. Speaking about apartments I may as well mention the much dreaded thieves that existed since ancient times…At least this is what some of the magical uses of herbs come to tell us…Take for example rosemary which is said to be able to protect the house against thieves. All one needs to do to keep thieves away is to hang rosemary on the porch. If it was for me to start doing what magic tells us to do I would certainly surround myself with rosemary and other herbs as well.
Herbs (witchcraftemporium.com/plants_and_magic)
Going on the path of rosemary I may as well say that rumor has it that when placed under the bed it works miracles on the people inhabiting that room. Feel like placing any under your bed as you read this? Feel free to do this, because it may keep thieves away and offer you some protection too. As for the thieves part…I supposed that not everyone has a porch.
Wish to be loved more? Marjoram is at your feet. You may need to move the tip of your nose on to the right or to the left and make things work with marjoram. While writing this I could not hold myself from picturing this image and it made me smile. Hope this happens to be your case too! There was a time when marjoram was used in love spells. What did all these love spells consist of? Some food and of course some marjoram added to it and you had a strong love relationship. If you feel like happiness kept avoiding you then there surely was no marjoram there in your life. At least this is what the voices of the so called wise women come to tell us. No wonder happiness comes to be associated with the name of this herb since in case you did not know up to now one of its many folk names is “joy of the mountain”. Therefore let’s en-joy it and joy with it! Besides from bringing joy to one it may as well bring money with it and we all know that “money makes the world go round”.
Whether this happens or not…though as days keep going by and I get older I tend to believe this more and more…I do not mind surrounding myself with all these supposedly magical herbs. I tend to think that the whole nature could be envisaged as a magical lab.
Magic (http://kittenkaboom.wordpress.com)
How about a Fuzzy Weed or as people know it some tarragon? This is a plant Indians used to wear it to attract love. Yet I guess wear it is not the most suitable word to be used when it comes to tarragon because people used to assign this herb a more personal use, rubbing it on the body and clothes. Do you proclaim yourself a hunter? Now do not say yes if you feel like going on a hunt for women, even though this may as well be a hunt in itself. If you do feel like hunting comes to be included among your favorite past time activities then just to bring good luck on the hunt you should make sure that you have some of this Fuzzy weed with you. All this luck might have started with the supposedly miraculous properties of this herb supposed to cure any poisonous bites coming from animals which happen to actually not be that friendly with the hunter.
The next herb on my list of magical herbs is the all powerful basil. Did you tend to think that basil is just good when cooking? If this is what you actually believed then voices from the past and present as well may come to tell you that it may also prove to be helpful in matters of love, wealth, protection, exorcism and surprisingly enough flying. I have to admit I was rather amused to discover that according to the laws of magic all I needed to do in order to start losing some weight was to place some basil under the dish being served. Things get a little bit more complicated when thinking that the one who needs to go on a diet is forbidden to know anything about this. Mmmm…this made me curious. Rumor has it that if basil is placed underneath the dish the one who is supposed to eat it will find himself unable to do this. If I was required to make a joke I’d say that this may indeed happen if the person eating the respective dish cannot stand the very smell of basil.
As for the flying thing, you may already know that witches are supposed to be flying, either on mops or on a broomstick. Did you ever think about this like some innate gift witches have? If you have then you will most surely be surprised to hear that there was a time when basil juice was said to be the favorite beverage of witches, one that helped them fly better.
(thethingsiwant.com/madisonw/list/wishlist)
Though associated with witches basil is also said to be able to ward off any evil spirits. There is even a well known phrase saying that “basil on the floor, to keep evil from your home.” Apart from driving away any evil spirits, rumor has it that carrying basil in one’s pockets is supposed to attract wealth. As for the love part while writing this and planning to start carrying some basil with me, a quite naughty idea crossed my mind, namely that of welcoming my husband tonight with basil shower. He may think, rightfully I dare say, that I am crazy, yet love is worth everything. I am ironic of course though you may feel free to try this if you believe in the old sayings claiming that if sprinkled on the loved person, basil makes the love remain true and unchanged.
And as I have heard that basil goes well with parsley I shall go on and share some of the magic of parsley with you too. The folk names may not be that relevant at all when it comes to it, yet it happens to be nevertheless interesting. How about serving some Devil’s oatmeal? Apart from being an already well known by now breath freshener, parsley can do many other things as well, interesting ones I dare say. Do you happen to have some problems on the side of fertility? Parsley is supposed to be of great help and bring passion to places that lacked in it. And just because people tend to sometimes get drunk and forget about oneself, the next time you plan on doing this prepare yourself a wreath of parsley and crown yourself king of drunkards or not…because surprisingly enough this wreath is said to be everything one needs in this case to delay drunkenness. Honestly I would not count on this but you may feel free to try it. A joke just crossed my mind as thinking better about this situation and how things may look like I pictured the parsley itself being drunk.
Drunk or not parsley accompanies various dishes when being served in restaurants. It may come staggering one one’s “feet” or walking proudly on the margins of the plate yet the explanation for its presence there comes to be nevertheless surprising. I guess the chefs placing it there do not know that by doing that they manage to help food “guard from contamination.” Not only that is supposed to do good to you but rumor has it that if thrown in a pond, fish living there will be healthier than ever before. I may summarize this by saying: this comes to be the always surprising parsley!
How about some garlic? If you plan to go on a ship and travel across the seas and lands then all you may need according to the world of magic is a clove or perhaps two of them to make sure that the ship won’t be wrecked. Those traveling on Titanic probably forgot this aspect when stepping on the board of it. Are there any other
strange magical uses of garlic which you may not know yet? Certainly there are! When saying this I have in mind the information according to which if you happen to feel like there are any hidden “negative vibrations” in the pans you’ve been using lately then some garlic may be all you need to remove these. It is true that the food, any food will taste like garlic, yet for a good cause.
Beautiful Witch (http://witchcrafted.info)
Have you ever heard about a plant called Hens and chickens or Welcome-Home-Husband-Though-Never-So-Drunk or Welcome-Home-Husband-Though-Never-So-Late or Jove’s Beard? It is the same plant, a plant which is supposed to bring one luck, love and protection. Apart from being an aphrodisiac and being said to contribute to an increase in the birth rate, Welcome Home Husband has proven to be equally helpful in protecting a building from lightning. In fact, rumor has it that long, long time ago, in the 9th century, Emperor Charlemagne himself sort of proclaimed this herb as a protector of homes deciding to make it grow on roofs.
Home about some comfrey? One of the old names of this herb is that of Miracle herb. I was really surprised to find out that as far as magic was to be brought into discussion I used to be pretty ignorant. I have to admit that I did know that there was a simple way to prevent my baggage from being stolen when traveling. Surprisingly or not all I needed to do was place some comfrey inside my suitcase and things would have been settled.
Herbs (http://magickshop.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/witching-with-herbs-a-quick-guide-for-starting-witches)
And just if you don’t like comfrey, you feel like serving some rue. It is believed to work miracles on the mind as well as on the body. And just to make sure that sage doesn’t escape my supposedly magic writing I shall mention it right now. Surprises seem to be showering over me as with every minute that goes by I keep on finding more and more miraculous or in other words magic uses of herbs, herbs which before I only used to provide some savor to my daily routine. As for Sage, rumor has it that you may not need to move your nose to make a wish come true but instead just write that wish on a sage leaf and place that leaf under a pillow. Most probably you and the sage leaf will become best friends because as the stories say or as magic recommends it, you’ll need to bear that leaf for three long nights, while sleeping on it. And just to make sure that nothing bad happens to you I have to warn you that if being driven by a strong desire to sleep on a sage leaf you plan to plant sage yourself in your garden then you should assign this task to another person. While reading this you may ask rightfully why. Magic comes to tell you that if you do this by yourself it is supposed to bring bad luck.
Feel like having some catnip or chicory? You’d better force yourself to have some if you wish to gain more beauty or happiness and protection. If you feel like you do not get enough protection then some catnip placed in your pillow is supposed to change your feelings and actually bring some protection with it. As for chicory and its magical uses I think that one word will tell all: invisible. Amazingly enough and ironically to others, there was a time when it was believed that chicory could make one invisible. By reading this I wish I had some with me from time to time. And the magical story of chicory does not end here since if you wish to meet Angelina Jolie or Brad Pit and get some favors from them, this is exactly the herb you have been looking for. This of course if you happen to consider these two important persons and you do not feel like dining with someone else…
Wish to make anyone confess something? There was a time when a plant called St. John’s Wort was used to make witches themselves to confess. How was that possible? By bringing the plant next to the witch’s mouth. This simply made words rush out in confesses. And because I am a woman and I know sometimes unmarried women feel ready out of curiosity for sure to sleep with herbs under their pillows and eat them if needed just to dream of the future husband (once married I cannot but wonder why and smile), I feel an almost stringent need to tell you that what people usually call Goat weed is supposed to be able to make you see your future husband as well. This time it all happens in your dream and if it doesn’t appear there it certainly appears in reality at some point. No need to despair whatsoever! There are plenty of gentlemen who cannot wait to become husbands! Of course I am just making a joke here. I don’t see anyone rushing towards marriage…unless irremediably blinded by love.
(http://katybugdidit.tripod.com)
Though outside as I am writing now snowflakes keep on falling down and covering the ground, I wish to end it all this magic with some magical sunflowers. They are flowers and they have sun in them. Even though If I was asked to be mean I’d have to say that if a woman wishes to remain pregnant does not necessarily need a sunflower, magic comes to contradict me and tell me that all a woman needs to do in such a case is eat one such flower. I guess she can do both while being with a man, does she? Again I should say that I am joking.
Wish to be loved? My answer to this question is a quote provided by the words once uttered by Hecato of Rhodes who used to say wisely: “I will reveal to you a love potion, without medicine, without herbs, without any witch’s magic; if you want to be loved, then LOVE.” After all it could be said that much like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said “Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that you can make anything happen.”
As it all started with a story it may as well end with a story, one told by Jeanette Winterson: “Tell me a story…It was a woman. You always say that. There is always a woman somewhere, child; a princess, a witch, a stepmother, a mermaid, a fairy godmother, or one as wicked as she is beautiful, or as beautiful as she is good.” In our case it all started with a witch and some herbs.
