Magical properties of the Plantae kingdom; a compilation from various esoteric works throughout the ages.
This paper will offer knowledge about plants, trees, fungi and what a lot of witchcraft practitioners call « herbs ». The language of flowers—popularized during the Victorian era, with many books published on the subject since then—is a rather well-known tool among artists to convey emotions as well as to deliver meaningful messages to their readers. With this guide I wish to give my fellow craft persons the capacity to use all and every resource that Mother Nature puts to our disposition to embellish our lives.
What you do with this knowledge is yours.
Disclaimer
The rituals and remedies in this work are historical and spiritual references used for teaching purposes only. The contents are not meant to diagnose, treat, prescribe, or substitute consultation with a licensed healthcare professional. Readers are advised to avoid external and internal use of plant material or any derived natural treatment without supervision of a trained medical professional, especially when taking pharmaceuticals, supplements, if pregnant or immunosuppressed. These recipes should be used as a holistic tool next to modern medical treatments and not as a replacement. The Caution section in each entry is based on average human beings and adverse effects can be vastly different for children and animals. Cross referencing and doing your own research are highly recommended. The author is not responsible for any actions taken by the readers.
Preface
Magic is shaped by its people.
It is a universal tool that humours the need to control the uncontrollable, to actualize what’s needed, adding weight to the balance. All around the globe and throughout all the ages, we can find evidence of people practicing some kind of magic, having these common principles as the process: channeling, transforming, and manifesting. From divination to hexing, exorcism, to deity worship, from the north to the south, east to the west, they all somehow fall into this simple recipe. Being such a simple concept, magic has taken many forms and will still have many more to come. It is constantly being reformed by the user’s culture and its knowledge of the world around it.
I think it is important to look at the sources, the classics, the very fundamentals of how and why we do magic the way we do today. It is also imperative that we try to shape it back to our own image. Pushing back against stigma and adapting the old to the new is our duty for the next generation of magic practitioners. For that, it is important to reflect on the source of our knowledge along with its use. A good exemplification is the many faces that Witchcraft, utilizing the same core principle—Magic—but having different inceptions, forms a full array of practices. One side of the spectrum is the day-to-day practical low magic customs and the other is the ceremonial and elaborate form of high magic practices. The former is the craft of ideas transformed by the witch so it can be set forth as intended, in its raw, simple, and locally based way—making it accessible to anyone without any strict rule set. The latter is an elaborate equation, that cumulus a certain agglomeration of knowledge and actions that results in the wonder wanted. It is ritualistic, complex, and requires many resources—which can be rarely substituted— making it quite inaccessible for a day-to-day practice. If both high and low magic, like their names suggest, are two sides of the same coin, what ultimately separates them? Their roots are not the same. A lot of folk magic came from the desperate, just like most of the occult came from the boredom of the upper class. High magicians having time and money on their side would travel the world, returning back to their motherland with stories of faraway religions, strange practices, and previously unknown remedies that they would include in their work without grasping the impact—nor the origins—of those new concepts and integrating them into their system, reducing their profile to a one-dimensional point of view of a foreigner. It cast many ethnic groups as lesser than while taking components from them without credit or care. In this digital age, more and more knowledge is accessible from the comfort of our home, making it a propitious opportunity for cultural exchange—while sometimes unfortunately blurring the lines between appreciation and appropriation.
This is why it is also important to note that some of the content of this paper will have information about close practices—practices that are only allowed to be used by a certain ethnic or cultural group for any amount of reasons—and are there only to point back to accessible practices that have been influenced by it. Giving it credit, meaning, and even for some a concise reason of why we should discontinue the said practices as a practitioner not belonging to that certain group.
The language of the text was also modernized to suit better the reality that we currently live in. As an example, the words Masculine and Feminine when it comes to describing the magical energy of an object have been replaced by Active for the former and Passive for the latter. The utilization of the binary sexes was mainly used within alchemy and no longer reflects today’s standards and only propagates unhelpful stigma about magic. Active, balanced, and passive energy is more straightforward anyway and is way more self-explanatory. Anatomical sexes are mentioned in historical concepts and are separate from gender identities that are manifested within different cultures.
The content within this paper is intended as a resource for all curious minds that desire to acquire knowledge with intent and respect.
Knowledge is power; what you do with it, then, is your own.
“True,—This! Beneath the rule of men entirely great The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold The arch-enchanters wand!— itself a nothing!— But taking sorcery from the master-hand To paralyze the Caesars—and to strike The loud earth breathless!—Take away the sword—States can be saved without it!”
Richelieu; Or the conspiracy, 1839 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Aa~
Abre Camino
Koanophyllon villosum
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Florida Keys, Thoroughwort
Origins: Central America
Parts used: Leaves and stems
Energy: Active
Planet: Saturn
Element: Air
Magical properties: Cleansing, healing, and boosting psychic powers.
Within the Santeria tradition, Abre Camino is renowned has a mighty plant « opening the roads » as its name sake can be directly translated from in Spanish. The shrub can remove blockage that is in the way of your goal. No matter the subject of your spell, however abstract or concrete, Abre Camino is the key that can unlock the door to move forward. Abre Camino also have some diuretic properties, making it great for any urinary issues, such as urinary track infections. Brewing the leaves as a tea is a simple way to tackle the problem along side modern treatments.
Acacia
Acacia sensu lato
Warnings: Overuses may cause hair loss and stunt growth
Other names: Wattle, Thorntree and Arabic gum.
Origins: Southern hemisphere
Parts used: Wood, seeds and leaves, gum.
Energy: Active
Planet: The Sun
Element: Air
Magical properties: Protection, healing, and boosting psychic powers.
In the Exodus, acacia wood is described as being used to build God's very first temples and tabernacle. The famous Ark of the covenant is supposed to be made of acacia wood. It would have been indeed a fairly easy resource to find in the Sinai Peninsula. Because of these frequent apparitions within this sacred text, Acacia wood has been associated with protection, worship and connection to the divine. Furniture made of this wood are still used in churches and temples. Not only those who adders to the Abrahamic faith hold a certain reverence for this wood. Some people around Southeast Asia sometimes hang young sprigs of the tree over their beds or carry it as amulets as an old way to ward off evil. The gum of the tree is a relaxant, easing pain and inflammation. It can also soothe a sore throat and reduce the resulting cough that comes with it.
Adder’s tongue
Erythronium americanum
Warnings: Contain thiaminase, which breaks down Vitamin B1 from The body.
Other names: Dog’s tooth violet, Adder’s mouth and American adder’s tongue.
Origins: North America
Parts used: Leaves
Energy: Passive
Planet: The Moon
Element: Water
Magical properties: Healing
Adder’s tongue is named so for is stalk protruding out of the plant, more or less looking akin to a snake tongue flicking up in the air. This plant had the reputation of healing minor skin wounds and ulcers. The healer would soak the leaves in cold water, then wrap them in a clean piece of cloth. It would then be applied directly on the skin rash until the herb gets warmed up by the wounded body heat. The leaves and wrappings would then be discarded by burying them in muddy soil.
African Violet
Saintpaulia ionantha
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: None
Origins: Southeast Africa
Parts used: Flowers and leaves
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Spirituality, healing, and protection
Some say that the plant helps create a sacred space around it. The plant would absorb any harmful energy as long as it is taken care of properly. The flowering plant is also a good source of vitamins, such as vitamins A and C, making it a good candidate for boosting the immune system, fitting a cough along with treating bruises as a cataplasms.
Agaric
Amanita muscaria
Warnings: Poisonous
Other names: Death cap, Redcap mushroom, Fly fungus.
Origins: Northern hemisphere
Parts used: Whole plant
Energy: Active
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Magical properties: Spirituality and fertility
In addition to the advert effects like vomiting and diarrhea, consuming the mushroom gives the consumer hallucinations. Some people would use agaric to enhance their spiritual journey. Some would put the fungus above their bed to promote fertility and help with conception.
Agarwood
Aquilaria agallocha
Warnings: Considered endangered worldwide.
Other names: Aloes wood, Eaglewood, Oud
Origins: South Asia, Middle East
Parts used: Wood and sap
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Spirituality and strength
Agarwood and its derived resin called oud, has been used for ritualistic magic for a long time. Egyptians would attract good fortune with it and would be utilized by magicians throughout the renaissance to evoke spirits of all sorts. It is said to be quite potent and be used to strengthen any kind of effect seeker by the user. The complexity of the formation of oud in nature and its wide use by practitioners has made this tree quite inaccessible nowadays. A good substitute as a spell booster is cinnamon; coming from a more common, less expensive, and especially less endangered tree.
Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Church steeples, Sticklewort and Stickwort
Origins: Northern hemisphere
Parts used: Whole plant
Energy: Active
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Magical properties: Protection, love, healing, and sleep
Agrimony has been—for a long time—used for protection against hexes and witches. It is even said that it can revert energy, returning unwanted spells back to the senders. It also has the reputation to make someone fall into a profound sleep, not unlike a coma, if placed under one’s head. Ironically, for the English used it as an aphrodisiac. In more contemporary settings, Agrimony is a great ingredient for skin care, helping with acne, allowing the skin barrier to heal.
Ague roots
Aletris farinosa
Warnings: Do not ingest raw; it may cause abdominal pain and vomiting. Do not use if diabetic. Do not use if pregnant, it may fluctuate the oxytocin level. The plant is also considered endangered in Canada.
Other names: Bitter grass, Crow corn, Stargrass, Colicroot, and Unicorn root.
Grinding this plant up to a powder form, that is then sprinkled around can create a magic circle, acting as an aegis during magical works. It’s protecting properties can also be used for uncrossing works of various forms. In addition to protection, Ague roots do also enhance psychic abilities. It is probably due to the fact that the raw plant is considered as a narcotic. Some medium do steep the plant into a tea to enhance their divination skills.
Air plants
Tillandsia
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: None worth mentioning
Origins: Central and South America
Parts used: Whole plant
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Magical properties: Cleansing, grounding and peace
This silvery plant have a very unique way of finding nutriments. They have a special kind of cells coating its leaves, called trichomes. These cells gives the Air plants the ability to imbibe water within sole from the moisture from the air. Their roots on their part, serve mainly as an anchor point for plant, grappling wherever they can. These hardy little fellas are beautiful manifestation of perseverance, of making with of what one’s have. Many practitioners use this low maintenance plant for cleansing while bringing serenity to a chaotic environment.
Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Buffalo herb, Lucerne and Purple medic
Origins: Northern hemisphere
Parts used: Sprouts and leaves
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Magical properties: Prosperity
Often used for money spells, this herb can be scattered around one’s property to promote prosperity or can be kept in the kitchen to ensure that no famine would strike the owners.
Alkanet
Alkanna tinctoria
Warnings: Not for internal use
Other names: Dyer’s bugloss and Orcanet
Origins: Europe
Parts used: Roots
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Purification and prosperity
Incense made of this herb can quickly purify its surrounding and attract prosperous opportunities.
Allspice
Pimenta officinalis
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Jamaica pepper, Myrtle pepper and Pimento.
Origins: Central and South America.
Parts used: Dried unripe berries
Energy: Active
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Prosperity, luck and healing
Adding allspice to incense or any kind of mixture can promote prosperity and augment the odds of getting money out of sheer luck. It is also used as a healing ingredient.
Almond
Prunnus communist
Caution: Do not use if pregnant. Careful not to confuse it with Bitter Almonds which are toxic.
Other names: Greek nuts
Origins: Europe
Parts used: Wood and Seeds
Energy: Active
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Magical properties: Prosperity and wisdom
The entire tree, not just the nuts, is used as a ritualistic tool for prosperity magic. Many folk tales and traditions confirm the latter. It’s said that successfully climbing an almond tree will assure the climbers success in any business venture. Having almonds in your pocket can help guide the walker to treasures. Some even think that eating the nuts can somehow promote wisdom. The wood of this tree is often used to create wands because the tree is strongly linked to the air element which—under certain tradition—ruled the magic tool as well.
Aloe Vera
Warnings: Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Not for internal use, may cause diarrhea. Considered invasive worldwide.
Other names: Burn plant, Medicine plant
Origins: Middle-east
Parts used: Leaves
Energy: Passive
Planet: The Moon
Element: Water
Magical properties: Protection and luck
In Egypt, sprigs of aloe were hung over the main door of a house to drive out bad events and bring in good ones. Meanwhile, in South Africa, aloe vera is used more as a good luck charm for its tendencies to shift things in your favour. In Mexico, freshly cut aloe can be seen as an offering on shrines of deities and saints of diverse faiths.
Aplectrum
Aplectrum hyemale
Warnings: Poisonous
Other names: Adam and Eve roots and Putty roots
Origins: North America
Parts used: Roots
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Relationships and longevity
Native Americans are reported to use the roots of this plant to mend pottery. Thence it’s common name; Putty roots. The freshly harvested rhizome, when crushed, produces a white substance that, with added water, becomes a very effective adhesive. The bulbous corms and the slender rhizome each vaguely resembles female and male genitalia respectively. Within the context of a spell or ritual, they can represent partners within a hetero-normative relationship. One attracts the other, sticking them together ensuring long-lasting love. One could use two corms or two rhizomes to create the same effect for same-sex relationships. To represent a non binary partner, cedar seeds can be a good substitute—cedar being traditionally a gender neutral tree.
Althea
Althaea officinalis
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Marshmallow, Sweet weed
Origins: Europe, North Africa and Western Asia
Parts used: Roots and young leaves
Energy: Passive
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Magical properties: Protection and psychic abilities
To carry the plant or burn it in the form of incense can bring protection to the user. Voodoo practitioners says that the plant is a very good « spirit puller » meaning that it can attract good entities during ritual if placed on an alter.
Alyssum
Alyssum spp.
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Alison, Madworth
Origins: Europe, Asia and Northern Africa
Parts used: Young leaves, stems and flowers
Energy: Passive
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Magical properties: Protection and peace
The Greek physician and father of pharmacognosy, Dioscorides, pictured Alyssum as a protective plant. As an amulet it can expel charms, especially glamour spells that could be affecting the user. Alyssum was also used to treat rabies, way back before we had treatments for it. The act of calming the rage caused by hydrophobia gave the pacification properties that people associate with this plant. They say that the plant has a calming effect just by being close to it.
Amaranth
Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Love lies bleeding, Velvet flower
Origins: South America
Parts used: Whole plant
Energy: Passive
Planet: Saturn
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Healing and spirituality
Amaranth was actually banned by the Spanish colonists during their occupation of what is now known as Mexico. The reason for the ban was the Aztecs continuous use of the plant in death rituals and burials. They say that the dried flowers could call forth the dead and help the grievers.
Anemone
Anemone pulsatilla
Warnings: Not for internal use.
Other names: Windflower, Meadow anemone
Origins: Southern Hemisphere
Parts used: Flowers
Energy: Active
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Protection and healing
Anemones are a good flower for healing rituals, especially the freshly blossomed buds plucked at the beginning of spring. The red-coloured ones are said to have protective properties.
Angelica
Angelica achangelica
Warnings: Do not use if pregnant or diabetic. Phototoxic; avoid sunlight for day after direct skin contact with the plant derived products.
Other names: Wild celery, Garden Angelica
Origins: Europe
Parts used: Roots and seeds
Energy: Active
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Banishing, protection and healing
By its name, Angelica is closely linked to angels and therefore shares the same attributes. It is said to expel evil, protect the innocents, and heal those in need. The legend says that a nameless monk received a vision of the Archangel Micheal himself, giving him the plant, announcing that it was the cure for the black plague. There is truth to this myth, the plant do harbour some natural antibacterial properties, which could have been useful to somewhat prevent diseases. Another tale tying the angel to the plant is the one that Saint Micheal, when the first time descending on earth, landed on a field sprouting the plant on the spot. The flower does bloom during the Saint's feast day.
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Warnings: Do not use if pregnant.
Other names: Aniseed, Sweet cumin
Origins: Turkey
Parts used: Seeds
Energy: Active
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Magical properties: Protection, purification, love and healing
Anise is commonly used for driving off and preventing evil. Its purifying qualities are helpful when it comes to nightmares, allowing the space and the user to reject bad dreams but not the act of dreaming itself. Within the preeminent work of Dioscorides, Anise is place in high regards as a medicinal plant. It says that treatments made with this plant can help with arthritis as well with rheumatism. As for the ancient Romans, they would use the plant in a more ritualistic way, incorporating it in baths for the couple before the ceremony and adding it to the wedding cake, assuring a long loving partnership with lots of offspring.
Apple
Pyrus spp.
Warnings: The crushed seeds are poisonous in large quantities
Other names: love fruit
Origins: Central Asia
Parts used: Wood and fruit
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Love and healing
The apple, being such a widespread fruit, has often being used to depict as the forbidden fruit from the book of Genesis, despite never being formerly identify as such in the text. The easily recognizable fruit came to be associated with the divine trees from the Garden, which are immortality, love and hubris. These theme can be found linked to the apple in many traditions other than Christianity, such as in Celtic tales, Greek mythology and even in some Wiccan practices.
Apricot
Prunus armeniaca
Warnings: The kernels are poisonous in large amounts
Other names: None worth mentioning
Origins: Central Asia
Parts used: Fruit
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Love and peace
It is said that eating this fruit can pacify one’s mood, bringing calm and loving energy. The sweet aroma of the apricot is a very good candidate for love spells.
Arabic Gum
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Egyptian gum and Indian gum
Origins: Middle East
Parts used: Sap
Energy: Active
Planet: Sun
Element: Air
Magical properties: Spirituality and purification
This tree gum is often used as an incense to cleanse and purify a space. It can be added to a blend or be used alone on a burning charcoal.
Arbutus
Arbutus unede
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Madrones, Strawberry tree
Origins: Western Europe
Energy: Active
Parts used: Wood
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Banishing and protection
Ancient Romans valued this tree as a potent protector, especially toward small children.
Asafoetida
Ferula assa-foetida
Warnings: Do not use if pregnant or have colics
Other names: Assyfetida, Devil’s Dung and Stinking gum
Origins: Middle East and Eastern Europe
Parts used: Roots
Energy: Active
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Banishing and protection
The very pungent smell coming from the tap root can be used as a potent repellent, perfect for exorcises and for protection spells. It is not recommended for long-term ritualistic uses, for the smells can be easily overwhelming—possibly causing nausea.
Ash
Fraxinus excelsior
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Fraxinus
Origins: Northern Hemisphere
Parts used: Wood
Energy: Active
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Protection
The Norse believed that Yggdrasil, the tree branching all the worlds together, was an Ash tree. Like many tall trees, it is considered to have good protective properties. Although it is said that the ash tree attracts lightnings, so it is not a good practice to use one for cover during a storm.
Aster
Callistephus chinensis
Warnings: None worth mentioning
Other names: Chinese Aster, Starwort
Origins: Eurasia
Parts used: Flowers
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Love
The blooms of the flower attract love; to carry the plant or even growing it in a garden will activate its effect.
Avens
Geum urbanum
Warnings: Not for internal use
Other names: Geum, Golden star, Colewort
Origins: Worldwide
Parts used: Roots and leaves
Energy: Active
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Banishing and purification
Can be added in mixtures and incense to be burned as a cleansing ritual and can even banish if necessary.
Avocado
Persea americans
Warnings: Not for internal use
Other names: Alligator Pear, Avocado Pear
Origins: Central and South America
Parts used: Fruit
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Love and Lust
The fruit is considered an aphrodisiac; eating it can increase one’s lust. Bringing the pits into one’s home can welcome love into it.
Bb~
Balsam poplar
Populus balsamifera
Caution: None worth mentioning
Other names: Balm of gilead, Balsam tree
Origins: Central and South America
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Love, protection and healing
This tree is said to protect those with a broken heart. To carry its buds can mend one’s heart and potentially attract new love. The products from this tree have been traded all throughout history for its scent and aroma. Women would use it to create perfumes to seduce men. Dioscorides, the physician from Ancient Greece, also praised the plant for its healing properties, apparently helping with menstruation issues and regulation.
Bamboo
Bambusa vulgaris
Caution: None worth mentioning
Other names: None worth mentioning
Origins: Asia-Pacific region
Energy: Active
Planet: To be determined
Element: To be determined
Magical properties: Protection, divination
Bamboo has been used as a divination tool by the Chinese for thousands of years now. There is a practice derived from Buddhist and Daoist religions that consists of asking the divine questions. The answers are interpreted by the placements of small bamboo sticks thrown on a flat surface. Bamboo wood is also used as a protective barrier around one’s properties and can even bring good fortune to the habitants.
Banana
Musa sapientum
Caution: None worth mentioning
Other names: Dessert bananas
Origins: Indomalayan region
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Magical properties: Fertility and prosperity
It is said that bananas can help with fertility issues, such as impotency—probably due to its resemblance to the male appendage. Due to his fruitfulness, the banana tree is also often associated with prosperity.
Banyan
Ficus benghalensis
Caution: None worth mentioning
Other names: Arched fig, Indian fig tree, Indian God tree
Origins: Indian subcontinent
Energy: Active
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Magical properties: Luck
Banyan is a very important symbol for India, being its national tree and is also respected within Hinduism. The tree is often planted near temples, allowing their followers to pray under it. It is said to do so brings luck and clarity. Crossing waters, the Banyan tree is also related to the worship of the God Maui within Polynesian religion and Hawaiian culture.
Barley
Hordeum spp. vulgare
Caution: Not to use if Celiac or uses sprouted seeds if pregnant
Other names: Malt
Origins: Fertile Crescent
Energy: Passive
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Magical properties: Love, healing and protection
An old way that people would seek healing via the power of visualization is by harvesting some barley that has been laid down by the wind, symbolizing one’s body folding from the pressure of nature. The barley would be then placed around a stone, imagining all the pain from the disease getting into the rock. It would be then placed into flowing water—like a river or a stream—letting the water run through it, gently washing away the pain from the ore therefore the caster’s body.
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Caution: Not recommended in large amounts if pregnant, nursing, or using internally
Other names: Sweet Basil, St. Joseph’s Wort, Witches herbs
Origins: Central Africa, Southeast Asia
Energy: Active
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Love, banishing, cleansing and protection
In some parts of Eastern Europe, basil would be used as an aphrodisiac. Some women would rub the herbs fresh directly onto their skins, creating an alluring aroma. Basil is also said to repel goats for the sake of attracting scorpions. Despite this fun fact, witchcraft practitioners have been using the herb for all kinds of purposes. Being an easily accessible plant all around, it can cleanse, protect, and of course, banish just by strewing around the dried leaves on the floor.
Bay
Laurus nobilis
Caution: None worth mentioning
Other names: Bay Laurel, Sweet Bay
Origins: Mediterranean region
Energy: Active
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Magical properties: Protection, divination, and purification.
In Ancient Greece, the priestess of Apollo would use bay leaves as a way to enhance their connection to the God. By surrounding themselves with the smoke of the burned dried leaves and by masticating on the fresh herb, it would bring them into a trance state, ideal for prophetic visions. Many practitioners nowadays still use this plant for the same purpose. As an incense, or in a brew, in a spell bag, or under a pillow, bay leaves are a sure way to bring about answers to questioning minds. It is also said that the herb is a fantastic source of protective properties. To place the leaves at the window sill can prevent lightning, hanging bundles of the plant can ward off malicious ghosts such as poltergeists, and growing the very tree near someone’s house will avert any illness that could affect the residence. A very popular practice is to write one’s wish directly on the leaf, then burn it, ensuring the prayer comes to fruition.
Bean
Phaseolus spp.
Caution: Beans other than those from this variant may be poisonous
Other names: Poor man’s food
Origins: South America
Energy: Active
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Magical properties: Protection, banishing, love
For a very long time, various beans were mainly used as safeguards and to repel evil. An very amusing way to put some kick into a banishing spell is to spit a bean directly onto the person you are trying to banish. If not effective, it would surely be cathartic. A less direct approach would be to rattle the beans in some kind of amulet or any receptacle. The sounds, it says, can ward off ill intent spirits, driving them away from inside the body of the afflicted. Beans are also known to quell couple’s quarrels. Carrying beans in one’s pocket is supposed to appease the other party over time.
[…]
Bibliography
Blackthorn, Amy. Blackthorn's botanical magic: the green witch's guide to essential oils for spellcraft, ritual, and healing. Newburyport, Massachusetts: Weiser books, 2018.
Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2021.
Diaz, Juliet. Plant Witchery: discover the sacred language, wisdom, and magic of 200 plants. Carslburg, California: Hay House, 2020.
Dioscorides. De Materia Medica. Johannesburg, South Africa: Ibidis Press, 2000.
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition of the Holy Bible with Apocrypha. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publications, 2023.
andulkaphoto
gummygunk
dailybridgerton
yousharknotpass
snowghoul
blakekathryn
