#devils claw

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[doodlebethel]

Day 1: Devil’s claw

[leavesofolive]

So I’ve noticed that during 2020 I became so melancholy and fractured at some points that currently my third eye and general spiritual awareness is borderline nonexistent. This, of course, can only mean one thing...

It’s time to break out my Astral Awakening tea again and get back into my meditation routine.

My tea recipe below is for more advanced practitioners and yes I am stating this for a damn good reason!!  Two of the herbs involved in this tea have specific doses and several contraindications and one of them is psychoactive (although most places consider it legal since the effects are rather minor).

I cannot stress this enough: Always, ALWAYS! research each and every herb thoroughly before using, messing with, or adding them to literally anything! Even generally safe, common herbs such as chamomile can have contraindications (ie: chamomile should not be used by people who take blood thinners).

I have experience in this field. Years of it. I’ve done all of my homework six ways from Sunday. That is the only reason I personally even considered experimenting with more risky herbs and ingesting them.

But yeah now that that’s out of the way, here’s my Astral Awakening tea recipe to be used in conjunction with meditation to open your third eye and connect to the spirit realm!

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Blue Lotus → 1/2 tsp. Devil’s Claw → 1 tsp. Cornflower → 1 tsp. Lavender → 2 tsp.

**This should be steeped for 5 to 10 minutes in a small pot with hot water.

Blue Lotus is the psychoactive flower. It has long been associated with the spirit world and the astral realm. It also opens your third eye chakra and assists with astral travel, lucid dreaming, and general psychic ability boosting/awakening.

Devil’s Claw is something I always throw in because it is an extremely powerful protection herb and very, very much wanted when you are in such a vulnerable state as leaving your own body. When projecting, traveling, or even lucid dreaming it’s always a great idea to have some kind of backup, be it a charm, a ward, or a protective herb of some kind. Since you never know how deep or far you’ll travel with this specific tea, I chose Devil’s Claw as my guardian since it is ultra protective and hella good at its job.

Cornflower is strongly associated with the Indigo Children and Star Children in general. It is also known for its influence with deeper, inner connections, spiritual connections, lucid dreaming, and astral travel. Where as Blue Lotus is more like a ship since it kind of just...detaches you and throws you into the unknown, you could say that Cornflower would be a bit more like the starry night sky. It’s a natural compass to guide you through your journey as long as you’re willing to pay attention.

Finally, Lavender is my round-out herb that, although it is also associated with relaxation, sleep, and dreaming, is also pleasant to taste and should keep your travels on the mellow side and aid in side-stepping danger in that regard.

Happy realm hopping!

[klongua]

Demon design based on a creepy looking plant called devil’s claw.

[shadyufo]

Here’s this week’s Etsy Shop update at Shadyufo Studios! Pathological skunk skull, bone scraps for crafting, devil’s claw seed pods, and ancient American bison bones! Stop by and check it all out!

☠ New items added on Fridays! ☠

[txwitchery]

Drawing Down the Rain

Take four seed pods of the devil’s claw and set them facing each cardinal direction with their pointed horns. In the middle, light myrrh incense and set a dish containing a mixture of holy water and wine. Raise up your hands to the clouds and the spirits within, and sing:

io, nubes aireae, in caelo pererrantes, matres patresque pluviarum fecundarum, in toto mundo fructus annutritis, cum venti vehementibus, fulmina formidulosa de caelis missa. vaditis cum spiritu ventorum: vos compello! fer imbres almos ad agris nostris.

(O heavenly clouds, who run amongst the heavens, mothers and fathers of the fruitful rains, in all the world you feed the crops, with impetuous winds, sending terrible thunders from the sky. you rush with the spirit of the winds: I urge thee! Bring nourishing showers to our fields.)

Sprinkle the wine and water in each of the four directions until all is gone. Allow the incense to burn out and leave the devil’s claw pods where they stand.

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[txwitchery]

Devil’s Claw

Proboscidea louisianica

Though its name, and the seed pod which inspired it, looks a bit sinister, the devil’s claw was seen by the Hopi as a rain-bringing blessing charm. The weedy, sticky plants were allowed to grow in crop fields undisturbed, as their outstretched horn-shaped seed pods welcomed the formation of clouds in the sky. The seedpods also yield a black dye that was used to color basketry materials.

Though the plant has no recorded medicinal uses, it is mostly edible. The young seedpods may be harvested while still tender and used much the same way as okra is used. They may be chopped and added to soups as a thickener, or pickled in vinegar. Their mucilaginous texture is similar to okra. The small black seeds are also edible and may be eaten raw like sunflower seeds, the black seed coats cracked off to yield a nutty seed interior that makes a protein-rich snack. An edible oil may also be drawn from the seeds.

In modern magical use, the seedpods may be used in rain-bringing charms and rituals or to bring luck, especially when weather and the harvest is concerned. I associate the plant with the astrological sign Scorpio, the Moon, the god Iuppiter, and the element Water.