Basic Herbs 102

Hello readers,

As some of you may remember, I did a series of blog posts a while back on 10 basic herbs that I was learning about in my lessons on Witch School, taught by my mentor Rev. Sherry Cooper.
I am now taking her second herb class, Basic Herbs 102 and, like the last group of blog posts, I will be going over the 3 herbs I learn in each lesson and giving you spells and formulae that I learn outside of the course. I will not be giving course information as it is a free lesson and any of you can easily log into Witch School and sign up for the Basic Herbs 101 and 102 classes yourself and any info I put on here will simply be redundant.
If you have not read my previous blog posts, please check out the lesson 10 post which has links to all of the previous ones. With that, let's begin!

A picture I made of Dandelion on Polyvore

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Medicinal Uses:  Used as tinctures, extracts & capsules. Stimulates bile production and helps with digestive disorders.
Dandelion reduces swelling and inflammation.
It may help with gallstones.
Women’s health has benefited from the use of dandelion for menstrual problems.

Magickal Uses:  Divination, wishes, calling spirits

Dandelions are some of the simplest magical tools, and many of us have been using them as such since we were children and are a great way to teach other children the basics of spells.

When the dandelion's go to seed, their heads become puff-balls of little parachuted seeds ready to take flight. Pick them, make a wish and blow and, much like birthday candles, if all of the seeds go in one puff of air, your wish will come true.
 Another way to work with this is, supposedly, if you blow on a puffed head, the number of seeds you have left is how many years you have left in life.
To tell the time, blow on the dandelion head three times and the hour will be shown in the number of seeds left.
To send a message to a loved one, blow the seeds in his or her direction with the message in mind.

Dandelion's are herbs of Jupiter, the Sun, and Leo as well as the element of air and the tarot card Strength. Use this herb on the altar when you've need of any of these energies as it is sometimes easier to grab a dandelion from the front lawn than it is to collect another representative item.

According to Karen Harrison in her book The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook:
The root brewed in a tea brings psychic impressions and dreams.
Adding dandelion to an herbal amulet for abundance increases financial acumen and opportunity.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Medicinal Uses: acute rheumatoid arthritis, mumps, hepatitis, respiratory, high fever, throat infections, boils, nettle rash, food poisoning, urinary tract, antibiotic, diuretic.
Flowers aid in breast cancer

Magickal Uses:  Money, psychic powers, protection
Crush flowers and rub on third eye to heighten your psychic powers
Grown near home symbolizes good luck.

I have used honeysuckle flower water (1 pint with 1 tsp of witch hazel for preservative) as a facial wash for beauty and to aid in Faery glamour magick.

According to Scott Cunningham in his Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs:
Ring green candles in honeysuckle to attract money, or place them in a vase in the house for the same purpose.

According to Harrison:
The use of honeysuckle in any herbal formula brings increase and energy.
Honeysuckle can be used to gently protect (great for children)

Pictured is a bottle of honeysuckle ink that is pink and gold. The creator, Gilded Quill, states of the ink:
"This colorful bottle of pink ink shimmers with gold swirls. It has been hand mixed with the sweet scent of Honeysuckle, a favorite of Hummingbirds! This ink would be good for use with metal or glass nibbed pens. 
Honeysuckle is a beautifully sweet and floral scent. In aromatherapy it can help memory and recollection as well as generate emotions of happiness.
In color magic, pink is for happiness, fun and romance.
Gold is for illumination, wisdom, and wealth."
I think this ink would be perfect for good luck magic as well when used to write out your intended goal and carried with you through the day to help achieve it.

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Medicinal Uses: In Chinese medicine it was used for heart disease, tuberculosis, dry coughs, and gastric problems.  It’s used externally for broken noses and hemorrhoids.
Used to stop profuse menstruation and is also used as a laxative.
Said to be an aphrodisiac.

Magickal Uses:  protection, exorcism

According to Harrison:
The name of the plant was given when the root was cut transversely and that the characters shown looked to be Hebrew letters. Legend has it that Solomon set his seal on the plant in testimony of its medicinal and magickal powers.
Solomon's seal helps to physically manifest the energy and dreams of the practitioner.

According to Cunnngham:
This root is placed in the four corners of the house to guard it...it is also used as an offeratory incense.

Pictured is Solomon's Seal root sold through Etsy at Occult Supplies.
"(ONE SOLOMON SEAL ROOT IN OIL IS ALSO INCLUDED)
Used for protection, exorcism and cleansing. Used to drive away evil/negative spirits.
To increase wisdom and make wise decisions; for success; for protection.
Solomon's Seal Root is named after King Solomon who was reported to have kept demons confined in a jar by means of a miraculous seal. Therefore it is looked upon as being a very powerful protector and is used to banish demons and ward off all known types of evil. It is good to sprinkle the root in front of the outer doors to your property and along window sills to protect family and home.
Solomon's Seal is also widely used for bringing success to all financial matters making it an excellent choice for business owners etc..
Perfect for adding to mojo bags / poppet dolls / making magickal oils / cleansing ritual tools, Love potions."

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
Poison

Medicinal Uses: enema for round & thread worms in children, topical crèmes for scabies, lice and fleas.

Magickal Uses:  Health, Longevity.

According to Cunningham:
Since this plant was given to Ganymede to make him immortal, tansy is carried to lengthen the life-span.

According to Harrison:
Tansy's connection with the Goddess makes it a perfect herb to bless a young girl's first menses and to gift to a woman at her Croning.

Super Moon Magick

Blessed Summer Solstice and Super Moon my friends!

I celebrated with friends and my beloved husband and girlfriend and made Magic Melons punch from Patricia Telesco's The Kitchen Witch's Cookbook with a few variations

Magic Melons
Melons were especially popular in Renaissance Europe, carefully carved for the deast table. The fruit was originally introduced from the East through Italy. In the Koran, one of the fruits which will be served to deserving Moslems on the day of judgement is melons.

Magical Attributes: Things coming into abundance, full moon magic, joy.
Celebrations: Birthday of the Moon, harvest festival, Feast of the Milky Way...and now, The Summer Solstice Super Moon!

The recipe (with my variations):

1 half of a seedless watermelon, diced
1 half of a Golden Melon or honeydew melon, diced
1 half of a cantaloupe, diced
1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
a few handfuls of crushed ice
gingerale

Blend the melons, vanilla syrup, and ice until smooth.
Pour into cups 2/3 full, then fill with ginger ale.

Sipping this melon potion, I collected the things i would need for the super moon -

Aysu - my quartz crystal that has a water energy in her. I will be setting her out to be cleansed and empowered.
A mason jar of clean water to create a super moon potion for later creations.
and a few other selections of stones and crystals for later projects.

I hope you all have a blessed Super Moon!

Hedgewife

Been Busy: A Picture Blog Post

 I've been super busy for the past while and thought I'd post a fun picture update.

Here is a protection and healing altar for my girlfriend. You can read about the healing and protection grid I did on my new website HERE

 This is a gift I was recently given by my dear Aunty Flanna who uses it for divination. This table has a specific style set up for it using the 4 elements as well as 4 aspects - Death or Change, Time, Chance, and Love. It was part of a Collection of  New Divination Tools from her.

 I've been using the table also to do my Wheel of the Year readings as there are 8 sections. It works perfect.

 My new Sekhmet Matron Deity Altar featuring 2 figurines that I received also from my Aunty Flanna.

 A healing altar for a dear friend of mine. It is still in place and if you would like to send love, light, reiki, prayers too it I would appreciate it.

 A travel altar for my girlfriend who is currently in the lower 48 to visit her godson and his family.

 Just a little glimpse at my library in my newest bookcase.

Some books on tarot and oracle decks.

Books of shadows.

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse at my life and what I've been up to.

Much love

HedgeWife

A Short History of the Sacred Circle in Two Forms

The Wheel of the Year, The Mayan Calendar, the May-pole dance, the Earth itself – all of these things represent a circle or sphere in sacred form.

All cultures have a form of sacred circle in their mystical, religious and metaphysical teachings. Native Americans have Sacred Circle Wisdom also known as The Great Hoop or The Web of Life. The Mayan calendar is the oldest known record of time and is based on sacred numbers and sacred space. Other cultures use the space for sacred circle dance, the lineage of which can be traced through Shakers, Sufism, traditional witchcraft, heathenism, and other forms of paganism.

Two Forms of Sacred Circle
There are two main types of magic circles used.  Those formed by ceremonial magicians are designed to protect the magician from the forces that he or she raises.  The Ceremonial magician would choose his Spirit to summon, and align all aspects of the ritual with the desired energy. Using a pentacle to help focus the ritual’s energy, the magician would invoke the spirit, and seek to compel it to do his or her bidding. To do this the magician would create the Sacred Circle (usually three circles, 9, 10, and 11 feet in diameter) which he or she would stand outside. This was for the Magician’s protection from the spirit that would be contained within the space. The magician would stand inside a Triangle to magnify his or her own power. Modern Ceremonial magic and its use of the sacred circle can be traced back to the 16th century in most texts, while others say that it goes back much further.

Sacred Circles formed by witches and wiccans, are mainly used to create sacred space in which to meet and commune with Deity. Many witches refer to the sacred circle as “a place between worlds.” It is a space that is between the world of the mundane, where the focus is on the physical, and the “other world” or astral plane, where the focus is on the spiritual. Unlike the Ceremonial circle, witches stand inside their circle. However, like the Ceremonial circle, the witches’ circle is also meant to contain – not a spirit but the spiritual and magical power raised by the practitioners.

“Having a Circle”
The Sacred Circle of the Witches does not have a clear historical beginning. References to circles can be found in many ancient texts and among various religions. The use of the term circle can also refer to a meeting, wherein magical practitioners would come together in a circle of bodies, standing to meet on various magical aspects, events, sabbats, etc. This form of sacred space, created merely out of the presence of witches, has very little written history at all but can be guessed to go back to the dawn of man since, when humans gather around a fire for community and sacred blessing of light, it is in the shape of a circle.

Bibliography
The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism by Raymond Buckland
Comparative Religion by Rev. Don Lewis-Highcorrell
First Degree by Rev. Don Lewis Highcorrell

**Essay on Lesson 6 of First Degree through Witch School

My Spring Altar

I thought I would share with you all my Spring Altar

 Lace altar cloth I thought gave it a lightness that Spring brings to mind. The flowers in the bowl on the left are wild flowers and roses that my husband has gathered for me in the past and I have dried.
Fairies called out to me for this altar so they have a few items added. There is of course a picture of a blue fairy resting on and surrounded by bubbles or crystal spheres. The other fairy item is the wand on the right side of the altar - it is actually a pencil that came with my fairy journal and I thought it made the perfect want for me as I am a writer.
Other items on the altar include a small blue, glass chalice; butterflies, which you can read more about in my post on Found Objects; stones including Amethyst, Fuchsite, and Rhodochrosite; a photo of a statue of a woman that reminds me of the Goddess in her maiden form; behind the photo is a ceramic candle holder in the shape of a Doric column holding a lavender candle; and a crystal grid seen below.

The crystal grid is made up of 8 quartz crystals, 1 Alaskan Jade, 1 green Flourite, 2 green Aventurines, and 1 Citrine in the center. I did not choose these stones with any intent in mind. Instead, they called to me when I began to go through my crystals for my spring altar. The square design just felt right. above the grid you can see the larger quartz crystal point that I used as a wand to activate the crystal grid.

Spring is a time of new beginnings, rebirth, and especially when you're in Alaska, like me, it's a time of sunlight. The days will grow longer until I have almost 24 hour sun.
This is also a signal to start planting. I have a small indoor window garden that I will take pictures when they start sprouting.

Love and Light and Blessed Spring.

G is for Gold

Gold

Gold is Alaska's State Mineral.

It is the metal of the Sun and is therefore associated with the Sun Deities such as Apollo and Ra.
Gold still holds that place in the hierarchy of metals and their magickal properties. Not least because Gold is said to reflect and show the inner beauty of those that wear it.

Physically, Gold is said to stimulate both the skeletal and circulatory systems as well as being extensively used in matters relating to the skin.
Jewelry made from gold is said to bring pain relief, especially from arthritic or inflammation discomfort.

In magic, Gold is most known for its use in Wealth and Abundance magic. Even the color Gold is said to bring these energies into a spell. Gold also is associated with drawing in knowledge, represents power within, and is use in spells that effect authority figures.

Ordination Certification

I received my Ordination Certification Card from the universal Life Church in the mail!

I can take this card to the court house now and set up paperwork as an Ordained Minister so that I can legally do wedding in Alaska.