To All My Sea Witches - Seaweed and its uses.
This is some very useful information on Seaweed! Since I can’t find any magical properties or witchy uses for it anywhere, I’d thought I’d go and do some deeper research on Seaweed and see what it was used for in older magical traditions.
“With a long history of use, seaweed has been thought of by ancient peoples as possessing magickal properties. While there are various traditions (all depending on the culture) regarding the magickal use of seaweeds, Western lore suggests that it is an excellent means to summon the elements of the sea and of water in general (undines), simply by offering a piece of seaweed into a body of water and calling forth the elementals. It was believed that seaweed could call forth the wind, and Early Greek sorcerers would whip a strand of seaweed above their heads clockwise while whistling in the belief that it called forth the winds - a practice that persisted until well into the High Middle Ages and the Dark Ages as a ‘spell’ that was said to conjure up a storm. Because it was a product of the sea and was in itself 'briny’ or salty, it was said to deter evil spirits. Braids of seaweed were hung outside the doorposts of coastal areas to prevent bad luck and drive away evil, while ships were sometimes festooned with braided seaweeds to ensure a safe voyage. In sympathetic magickal practices and folk magick, a jar filled with seaweed and some whiskey, when placed in a kitchen window, was said to promote good luck and a steady flow of money in business.
Carrying seaweed upon one’s person was also said to ward off demonic or evil entities, and, in Filipino shamanic magick, braids of seaweed tied to a staff or hung upon an entrance served as deterrents for goblins, demons, fell-beasts and their ilk.”
