Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Gentian or yellow gentian is used in both hoodoo and Wicca for love workings.  In hoodoo, a sprinkling of the plant’s dried root is also considered a good snake repellant.

In Wicca, gentian is used most often in love philters and sachets but it is also used to break hexes, usually by sprinkling the dried root or flowers around one’s property.  Scott Cunningham tells us that dried gentian added to any incense or sachet will increase the magickal power of that item.

Root workers use gentian for luck in love.  A bath to draw a lover or to rekindle a romance calls for the worker to rise before dawn and brew a tea of gentian root.  This should be added to a lukewarm bath.  Soak while burning two red (or white if you don’t have red) candles dressed, if possible, with a love drawing oil such as Love Me or Attraction Oil.  If these are not available, dress the candles with olive oil while envisioning your love life as you most want it to be.  After twenty minutes, step out of the bath and allow your body to air-dry.  To seal the working, take a cup of bathwater outside and throw it toward the rising sun with a prayer to enhance your romantic connection.

Herbalist and hoodoo scholar Catherine Yronwode notes that some root workers confuse gentian and Sampson snake root.  On her Lucky Mojo site (see sidebar) she advises to ere on the side of caution and, regardless of what root is called for, use gentian for love luck workings and Sampson snake root when working on commanding, protection and/or virility.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Jason and Medea by John William Waterhouse c 1907

2 comments:

Timmy! said...

And use both if you need both, I guess...

Pauline said...

I would say so...