Autumn Allies: Charms, Spells, Divination, and Plant Magic; Part 2
by Keziah Zibelmann | Read Autumn Allies: Charms, Spells, Divination, and Plant Magic; Part 1 here!
Welcome to part 2 of sheydmade's Autumn Allies, a piece exploring the many magical uses of the plant allies autumn has to offer! With vegetables, nuts, herbs, and trees aplenty, autumn is an oft overlooked season offering bounty for practitioners of witchcraft, magic, and herbalism, and this article aims to remedy that. May it serve all those who make use of it.
[NOTE: The majority of these practices and beliefs were taught to me by my maternal grandparents and extended family members I grew up around. I'm from a multi-cultural family in the Southern US, so these customs will likely be a hodgepodge of practices similar or identical those within Southern folk traditions and traditions from Europe, particularly Central European, some Eastern European, and Irish and British traditions. While my main source of this piece is lived experience and things picked up from family and friends growing up, I will include a further reading section at the end of this post including books and/or articles that touch on similar practices.]
MINT
Mint is a beloved herb across magical traditions, known as a healing and cleansing plant, as a powerful ally in money and abundance work, and as a useful tool in protection work. Its versatility certainly makes it a valuable addition to one's magical arsenal.
Cleansing & Banishing:
Floor sweeps and washes can include mint (either fresh or dried leaves and/or sprigs for the sweeps, and mint infused waters or oils for the washes). These can be done to banish negative energy, malevolent or harmful spirits, and illness from one's home.
Similarly, one can make a mint wash or include mint in a wash for windows and mirrors in one's home to cleanse depressive and negative energies, and to banish spirits that seek to bring harm or sadness.
My grandmother's grandfather would take a handful or bunch of mint and brush it over the top of his head, from the forehead back, to cleanse his energy after being around illness, pain, arguing, etc.
A mint sprig can be worn in one's shoe to deter any energy or spirits from sticking to a person or following them home.
[photo by Elenor Chen]
Protection & Healing:
Growing mint either on one's property or in pots in/around one's home is believed to grant the home and property protection.
Bundles of mint and rosemary can be burned to both banish evil or malevolent forces from one's home and to bring protection to the space.
Hanging a bundle of dried mint at one's window and/or door, or above one's bed is believed to grant protection, particularly from illness and spirits.
Mint, being associated with health and being known as a healing medicinal plant, can be included in sachets and bags for healing works to help someone recover from illness or to ward off illness.
Money & Abundance:
Mint sprigs and mint are leaves are often included in money bowls and money jars.
To bless an endeavor or person with financial success or to gain a specified amount of money, one can take a mint leaf and write the name of the person/the name of the endeavor/the amount of money on the mint leaf. Roll the mint leaf up and let it dry this way. Once the rolled mint leaf has dried, burn it, preferably in a space associated with the person, endeavor, or money in question.
OAK
Oak trees are seen as sacred in many cultures and religions, and are associated with a wide array of deities and mythological and folkloric figures. Their leaves, bark, and acorns can be used to many magical ends. I've covered acorns on their own in Autumn Allies: Charms, Spells, Divination, & Plant Magic; Part 1, so this section will focus on oak leaves and oak wood/bark.
Health, Protection, & Abundance:
Offerings can be placed at oak trees in exchange for protecting one's health, spiritual protection, spiritual guidance and visions, or securing abundance.
To have an oak tree on one's property or to live with an oak grove in sight is said to grant protection to the home and those within.
Oak bark can be kept as a protective amulet or charm, said to protect the bearer.
A popular amulet for protection from evil spirits and/or baneful magical workings entails taking two sticks of an oak tree (they should be of equal length), crossing them over one another to form an 'x' or a cross, and binding these sticks together with red thread. The amulet can then be strung from one's door, porch, or window to keep the home protected. One can add to this amulet by using the 'x' or cross as the base and tying red strings to its branches. Bells can be tied to the red strings, the song of which is said to announce the presence of evil spirits and also to ward them away. Alternatively, nails, thorns, tacks, or shards of glass can be tied to the strings (this should only be done in a home or area where children, pets, and animals cannot access the amulet). Such items are believed to catch spirits and magical workings, snagging them as they try to access the home and keeping them from going any further.
Oak bark and oak leaves can be included in sachets and bag spells for healing works.
In a fireplace, burning oak wood or adding a bit of oak bark or an oak leaf to one's fire can cast any evil spirits, harmful energies, illnesses and diseases, or baneful magical workings from the home and property, blessing and protecting those within the home as well.
Sacred Spaces, Magical Amplification, & Visions:
Because oaks are held sacred across so many religions and cultures, and because oaks feature so prominently within folklore and mythology from around the world, it's no surprise that so many see oak tress as a naturally sacred space.
Magical workings may be boosted when performed under the shade of an oak tree, particularly an magical work seeking protection, healing, spiritual guidance, or divinatory aid.
My grandfather says that sleeping with a small stick of oak under one's bed or pillow ensures that one will receive a vision, a dream, or a message from a spirit or angel whilst one sleeps or immediately upon waking.
Oak is sometimes considered a lucky and sacred tree, but most especially for practitioners of magic. My grandmother says that she was always told that that oak trees attracted witches because the tree could boost their magic, protect them from being spotted by passersby, and ensure the success of any magical workings carried out beneath its branches. She also said that one should be careful what they say beneath an oak tree, because the oak can make one's words come true.
PUMPKIN
As I said in my pumpkin-focused piece 'Pumpkin Magic: Utilizing Pumpkin in Witchcraft', "Pumpkin season isn’t just for Halloween, nor is this fantastic gourd only good for carving jack-o’-lanterns, decorating for Halloween, or baking in a pie. [...] The pumpkin is so much more than this..." I stand by these words. Pumpkin has so much to bring to the table for use in magic — in prosperity and abundance works, in protection magic, in spells and charms for cleansings and blessings, and even in works for fertility; pumpkin packs a punch.
[photo by Gabby Orcutt]
Protection:
Pumpkin seeds buried at each of the four corners of one's yard or property can grant protection to the home.
My grandmother says that growing pumpkins near one's front gate is ideal, as the pumpkin vines and stalks can trip and trap spirits, keeping them from crossing the property boundary.
Dried pumpkin seeds can be placed in an envelope or small bag and kept near the front door of the home to protect from spirits. The envelope can be slipped beneath a welcome mat or kept in one's mail sorter. The bag can be hung from a doorknob or a nail in the doorframe.
Pumpkin seeds can be carried on one's person (ideally in a pocket, wallet, purse, or even in one's shoe) as a small, discrete protection charm.
Blessings & Fertility:
Pumpkin and food featuring pumpkin as the main ingredient should be gifted to someone who has just moved to a new home, or should be the first thing prepared in the new home. This is because pumpkin is a blessing bringer, drawing in abundance, happiness, and protection. I recommend pumpkin loafs, pumpkin pies, and pumpkin soups, as they typically also feature spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, which each have their own magical uses and also can be used for protection, prosperity, blessings, and abundance.
Pumpkin seeds can be included in any fertility spells, particularly in sachets and bag spells for fertility. The bag should ideally be kept beneath the bed or mattress to boost fertility.
Planting pumpkin on one's property when one is trying to get pregnant is said to boost one's chances and bring fertility, health, and abundance.
Luck & Money:
A dried pumpkin seed kept in one's wallet attracts money, according to my grandparents.
Dried pumpkin seeds can be included in money jars and money bowls to boost one's luck with money.
My grandmother once told me of a charm her grandfather had spoken of. He said that if one spilled honey over soil in which pumpkins had been planted, that one's wealth or wallet would grow whilst the pumpkins did.
A Sticky Pumpkin Spell to Attract Money, Luck, and Happiness (from Pumpkin Magic: Utilizing Pumpkin in Witchcraft; 2024 by Keziah Zibelmann):
What you’ll need:
a pumpkin
a sticky syrup or honey
pennies or coins
What to do:
-Coat one side of your coin in your sticky syrup or honey of choice. Then place that side of the coin on the pumpkin, pressing and holding it in place to help the coin to really stick on there. You’ll want to repeat this process with each of your coins, sticking them to the pumpkin, until you’ve formed a circle with your coins.
-Pumpkin is associated with money and abundance, while the syrup or honey represents sweetness and happy times to come. The circular shape signifies time and the unbroken goodness we’re hoping to bring on with this spell.
-Now you can place your pumpkin charm anywhere in the home or outside of the home and let it do its work.
-When you're ready to discard your pumpkin, you can throw it away or bury the pumpkin, but you should remove the coins first.
ROSEMARY
Oh, rosemary. Beloved, versatile, and powerful, rosemary. When we talk about essential herbal allies to keep at hand for witches, rosemary is, quite deservedly, the top of many a witch's list. Rosemary is, perhaps, best known for its use in protection magic and for clarity, divining, and introspection works, but it can also be used in magical workings for love, purification and cleansing, healing, and banishing.
[Rosemary illustration, artist unknown; from an Italian herbal book, circa 1500; via UCLA Library Digital Collections]
Protection, Cleansing, & Banishing:
Sachets and bags of rosemary should be kept beneath one's pillow, strung from a bedpost, placed beneath one's bed, or pinned to the wall above one's bed to keep nightmares at bay and protect one from harm whilst they sleep.
Rosemary growing on one's property, particularly near one's front door or front gate, is said to protect the property from malevolent forces and spirits, burglaries and thieves, and from illness.
Rosemary can be dried and hung from one's doorpost, porch post, door, or window to grant the home general protection.
My grandmother's grandfather believed that tucking a sprig or stem of rosemary in one's shirt pocket before leaving the house would protect one from witchcraft or baneful workings. He also said that the rosemary could fend off evil eye.
Rosemary can also be carried in one's pocket or worn on one's person to protect from enemies and their work.
Burning rosemary (either as an herbal bundle or as an incense) brings protective energies into the space and banishes negative energies, harmful spirits, and, according to my childhood best friend's grandmother, disease and illness.
Rosemary can be burned in herbal bundles or incenses to cleanse a space of and ward against harmful, negative, and depressive energies. It's one of my favorite herbs to use for smoke cleansings.
Luck, Love, & Relationships:
Rosemary, in Christian folk customs, is believed to be a lucky and blessed plant due to its association with Jesus and Mary. It's said that rosemary was one of the herbs present in Jesus' manger. Due to this, one Christian folk tradition calls for smelling fresh rosemary on Christmas Eve. Doing so is believed to ensure good luck, health, and happiness from that day throughout the year, up until the following Christmas Eve.
Rosemary is often featured in sachets and bag spells that seek to encourage attraction or romance.
So, too, is rosemary burned when one is divining about matters of the heart.
Rosemary can be gifted as a symbol of friendship, and doing so can grant the friendship protection from negativity and disharmony.
Clarity & Divination:
Rosemary is recommended for burning just before divinatory or magical work as a means of promoting focus and clarity.
Burning rosemary incense before or during a divination session is said to open one's mind, hone one's focus, and aid in one's work.
Fresh rosemary can be given as offerings to spirits, ancestors, or deities one may work with for divination purposes.
Rosemary is also known for helping with one's memory, another reason why this herb makes for a useful ally in divinatory works, as it can help one hold onto all the information and knowledge they may glean in the divination session.
Healing:
Rosemary can be used as a magical aid to encourage healing. This can be done by featuring rosemary in healing sachets or bag spells, using rosemary infused waters in a healing wash, using rosemary in a healing bath, or by placing fresh or dried rosemary in the home or room of whomever needs healing.
Burning a rosemary bundle near or over one's sickbed is believed to encourage a full and expeditious recovery.
Funerary Symbolism & Death:
Rosemary is a traditional funerary herb, meaning that it has been used in some cultures in their funerary customs. Used in Ancient Egyptian embalming rituals, carried by Greeks in funerary processions,
Rosemary could be placed in funerary bouquets as a symbol of memory and as a momento mori. So, too, could rosemary be tossed upon a grave or coffin.
Rosemary was not only used in embalming practices in Ancient Egypt, but was also often left with the deceased in hopes that they would be able to carry the rosemary with them into the afterlife and that the rosemary would grant their soul protection there.
Because of its association with funerals, death, and the dead, rosemary can be used in works to call upon or make contact with someone who has passed (either as a symbol, and offering, or burned in the area one is working in), but can also be used in work to help those who are grieving or mourning the loss of a loved one.
SOURCES, CITATIONS, & FURTHER READING:
Culpeper's Complete Herbal: Consisting of a Comprehensive Description of Nearly All Herbs (1880) - Culpeper, Nicholas
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2008) - Cunningham, Scott
Doctoring the Devil: Notebooks of an Appalachian Conjure Man (2021) - Richards, Jake
Funeral Plants and Flowers in England: Some Examples in Folklore; vol. 98, no. 2 (1994) - Drury, Susan
Ophelia's Herbal in Economic Botany; vol. 33, no. 2 (1979) - Newman, Lucille F.
Pumpkin Magic: Utilizing Pumpkin in Witchcraft (2024) - Zibelmann, Keziah [https://sheydmade.tumblr.com/post/768423412184006656/pumpkin-magic-utilizing-pumpkin-in-witchcraft]
Rosemary — A Symbol of Remembrance - Funerals with Grace [https://funeralswithgrace.com/blog/rosemary-a-symbol-of-remembrance/]
Rosemary: The Herb of Ritual and Remembrance (2024) - Foster, Nina [https://daily.jstor.org/rosemary-the-herb-of-ritual-and-remembrance/]
