Samedi: Herbal-Wise

The herb known as Grains of Paradise is extremely versatile. Used in hoodoo, Voudon, and Wicca for everything from getting a job to protecting one's home, Grains of Paradise are also known as African or Guinea pepper grains.

Scott Cunningham says that Grains of Paradise can be used for the simplest kind of magick: wishing. Take a handful of the herb and hold it in both hands while you make a wish. Visualize your wish coming true; take your time here and really see the thing/change you desire. When you are certain your wish has been firmly grounded in future reality, send it off to the Universe by throwing a little bit of the herb to the four directions, starting in the North and ending in the West. This type of magick is a wonderful way to grow your powers of visualization. Start with something small and work your way up to more serious wishing.

In hoodoo, Grains of Paradise are mixed with frankincense and myrrh to encourage spiritual pursuits and protect a root worker during conjuration. The mixture is burned on charcoal and some workers add rue as well. It is said that this mixture added to Crown of Success Oil can make a powerful dressing for mojos intended to help one rise to the height of their profession and/or to draw fame. I would caution, however, that one be careful what one wishes for here.

For piece of mind and spiritual health, one Grain of Paradise should be disolved into a cup of hot water (tea or coffee will work just as well) and drunk daily. This mixture is also said to elevate the mood and make one capable of facing whatever life may bring.

In the early 20th century, Grains of Paradise were recommended for job-seekers. One was instructed to put nine of the grains in each shoe and then to hold another nine grains in the mouth while asking for a job. The grains were then spit onto the ground outside the employer's property as one left. This may not be the best way to approach this working today; try carrying the extra nine grains in a mojo bag and then - perhaps wrapped in a tissue - deposit this into a waste basket on the employer's premises.

New Orleans voodoo root workers would make a pair of protection packets filled with Grains of Paradise. Generally made of red or yellow flannel, a prayer card of Saint Michael was then sewn onto the outside of each mojo. These were secreted near the front and back doors of a house to keep both the structure and the inhabitants safe from all manner of ills. Bonne chance ~

Header: Harrods catalog cover - once a wish book to end all wish books - from the early 20th century via A Harlot's Progress

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

The herb known as fumitory or earth smoke is most commonly used in modern Wicca and hoodoo as a money-drawing incense. It has a long history, however, as an herbal cure as well.

Pliny the Younger mentions the herb in his writings where he says it is used in a decoction to treat irritations of the eye. According to Pliny, fumitory will cause the eyes to water profusely when applied which may be the origin of this use.

Old wives held that the plant grew not from seeds but from the "vapors of the earth," which may or may not be the origin of the plant's alternative name. The flowers and leaves were used in ointments to sooth skin irritations and rashes. A tea of fumitory was given to aid indigestion an cure constipation.

As an incense, the traditional use for fumitory was to drive out evil. The herb was used during exorcisms and added to the pyres upon which agents of the Devil would be immolated. In modern Wicca practice, the herb is still burned to avert the Evil Eye. Scott Cunningham also recommends the herb to increase prosperity; sprinkle dried fumitory around your home and rub it into your shoes once a week to bring quick cash.

Root workers use fumitory for money-drawing as well. The dried herb is added to Fast Luck incense to increase traffic to a business and to Money-Drawing incense to help with home finances. It can be burned alone for either purpose as well or brewed into a tea which is then sprinkled around home or business. Fumitory was also recommended to salesmen of old; placed in the shoes, it was thought to increase sales.

Finally, the seeds produced by the smokey-colored flowers were once added to a sweet syrup such as honey and given to colicky babies to help them sleep. Mothers of such infants were advised to take a spoonful as well to help them through the "sloth", as postpartum depression was once known. Bonne chance ~

Header: The Fat Woman by Aubrey Beardsley c 1894 via Old Paint

Jeudi: Curios

Amber, as Scott Cunningham notes in his Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic, is quite possibly the oldest form of adornment in the world. The solidified sap of now extinct coniferous trees, amber ranges in color from a deep reddish-orange to sunny yellow. And, of course, there are sometimes little bugs and leaves permanently captured in the stones.

Amber has a myriad of magickal uses and is certainly the jewel of choice for Wiccans and particularly High Priests and Priestesses. Considered a source of energy, amber is believed to represent the so called fifth element or Akasha that binds the four visible elements - fire, air, earth and water - together. Thus wearing of amber, usually in silver settings, is thought to increase the power of the worker and the efficacy of his or her spellcraft.

Viking children were often given simple amber necklaces to protect their health. This habit is still common today in colder areas of the world where amber is most plentiful. In Siberia, Canada and here in Alaska, natives wear amber and ivory together to bring prosperity and turn away the evil eye.

Wearing amber has for centuries been thought to improve the wearer's looks. Cunningham notes the irony of this: during the Renaissance, women wore amber in order to gain weight while in our times it is worn to assist in healthy weight loss. The efficacy of both these approaches may be a little spurious, but I have found that wearing amber regularly does lift one's mood which in turn makes one more attractive.

If you feel you are under psychic attack, or perhaps just having a run of "bad luck," add a few amber beads to a warm bath, settle in and soak. Then wear or carry the beads with you until your next bath. Taking loose amber or wearing a piece of amber jewelry to a job or other interview will also increase you confidence and by turns your chances of landing that job.

A bit of powdered amber added to any incense is said to increase the intended purpose of same. In Ancient Sumer, Babylon and Phoenicia, amber dust was burned during labor to ensure a safe birthing for both mother and child.

When buying amber, be sure to do your research. Items labeled amber are sometimes nothing more than glass or resin. Know your dealer and choose wisely. Amber is not cheap by any means so you will want to purchase the best quality you can afford. I have found that the right piece of amber will often find you rather than you finding it. You may receive it as a gift, stumble upon it at a flea market or run across an ad in the paper or online. For instance, I found the amber ring I now wear regularly at a local art store that was reducing their inventory. I knew the store owner well and therefore had no concerns about quality. The real kicker was when the ring fit - which I did not at all expect given my unfortunate "man hands," to use a "Seinfeld" reference. Reduced price, trusted source and it slipped on perfectly; ring me up, if you'll pardon the pun. Bonne chance ~

Header: Amber pendants via Wikipedia

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Today's herb, moonwort, can be a little confusing particularly if one is considering planting some in the garden. Two separate plants are called moonwort and, as this nice description at Alchemy Works points out, one is a variety of fern and quite difficult to grow particularly from seed. The other, and the one that is generally used in Wiccan love spells, is called Lunaria annua and is a member of the broccoli family. It grows large, silvery seed pods that have been used in various alchemical and old wives' concoctions since Medieval times in Europe.

The nearly transparent seed pods were once placed in purses and money chests to encourage an increase in wealth. Alchemists believed that the moonwort would actually spontaneously produce silver if left alone in such places. As a pocket piece, the seed pod is probably no less beneficial for increasing cash than any other herb/curio used with intention for the same purpose.

The sweet smelling leaves are dried and added to love sachets. They can also be sprinkled into a bath or simmered into a tea to add to same to make an individual more attractive to a potential love interest. Likewise, wearing the lovely violet-colored flowers is said to draw love. Having a lover hold one of the seed pods is said to encourage their honesty should they be less than faithful, so to say.

The fern known as moonwort was thought to magickally open locks and was thus a favorite of thieves and embezzlers. A fresh sprig from the plant was simply inserted into the lock and the rest was easy pickin's, so to say. The fern was also thought to remove shoes, from both horses and people. Blacksmiths and farriers were advised to carry the plant with them and simply have a horse with a stubborn shoe step over it for instant results. This believe was so persistent that colonists from Europe brought the fern and its folk name with them to the New World where it was largely known as "Unshoe-Horse".

The Lunaria annua is said to be easy to grow and Alchemy Works offers the plant's seeds for sale as well as a wide variety of other magickal herbs. Bonne chance ~

Header: The Love Potion by Evelyn de Morgan c 1903 via Wikipedia

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Bon Mardi Gras to one and all! The calendar is bringing the moveable feasts early this year and, shameless thing that I am, I started the day with a King Cake cupcake. It's never too early to celebrate, after all.

Valentine's Day, not being in any way moveable (not much of a metaphor for love when you think about it) is Thursday. And so today, the violet which is universally considered a bringer of love, friendship and harmony.

According to Scott Cunningham, the Ancient Greeks wore violets not only to diffuse anger but also to bring restful, restorative sleep. Old wives would weave violet flowers and stems into a kind of crown or chaplet that was then placed on the head of someone suffering from headache or dizziness. This treatment, along with a little rest, was thought to banish the problem within a day. Violet leaves were also applied to cuts and burns, and carried on the person in a green bag to keep the wound from festering. It was also said that picking the first violet one found as spring burst forth was a very lucky omen. One's most ardent wish would be fulfilled, the story goes, before the following spring.

In hoodoo, violets are used in workings for love and lust. The violet known in the southern U.S. as Johnny Jump-Up was mixed with High John the Conqueror and snake root chips, then carried by men to draw the sexual attention of a woman or women.

To bring a new love into their life, men and women alike would wear a violet leaf in their shoe for seven days. To boost the strength of the trick, three violet leaves are worn on consecutive weeks. The entire working then lasts twenty-one days and is thought to ensure a new love will follow one home.

Chewing violet to increase that new love's affection for you was also advised. Men who did not want to be "caught" shied away from a lady who might offer to wipe their face with her handkerchief. She may have spit into it after chewing violet, than let it dry. Rubbing the lover's skin with the hanky thereafter was thought to make them wild about you and, to some degree, "trap" them in the relationship.

When love goes wrong, as it does for all of us at some time, the violet can come to the rescue to ease the pain. Mix pansy flowers - which are a form of violet - with the buds of Balm of Gilead or rosemary (particularly for ladies). Steep this in hot water, drain and add to a nice warm bath. With luck, harmony will return to your life. This ritual is said to also soften the anger that often accompanies such episodes, and make one's frame of mind more open to reconciliation or at least friendship with the former lover.

Finally, growing a violet in the kitchen is said to draw prosperity and bring peace to the home. Ask an expert at the nursery; some violets are edible and they make an attractive addition to salads. Serve some to your lover on Valentine's Day and see what happens... Bonne chance et bon Mardi Gras ~

Header: The Reluctant Bride by Auguste Tolmouche via Two Nerdy History Girls because sometimes love just doesn't happen...

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

The ash tree is a long-standing staple in European folk healing, magick and Wicca. Some of those teachings have rubbed off on hoodoo as well although, as you can imagine, the rituals are a little different.

Ash trees are hearty, long-lived and usually found in cooler climates. Like birch, they're easy to find up here in my current home. It really is no wonder than that much of our current folklore about the ash and its uses comes to us from Teutonic and Celtic legend.

To the Vikings, an ash tree was the World Tree, Ygdrasill, from which Odin hung to obtain his knowledge of the sacred runes. Similarly in Celtic imagery the ash tree, drawn with roots and branches forming a sacred and continuous circle, represented the ongoing nature of the life/death cycle.

Staffs and wands of ash wood have been a staple in European magick for centuries. A branch of ash was hung over the cottage door to ward of the Evil Eye and other troubles. Staffs of ash wood were used in healing rituals, as were the trees leaves. Scott Cunningham notes that ash leaves were floated in a bowl of water which was placed next to one's bed at night. This was thought to catch and prevent illness from troubling the sleeper. In the morning, the water was thrown out and the ritual repeated the next night. Women also fashioned garters of the green bark to turn away the jealousy of other, perhaps witchy, women.

Ash leaves placed under one's pillow are thought to bring prophetic dreams. An equal-armed cross carved of ash wood and carried to sea was a popular sailor's charm to prevent death by drowning.

Burning an ash log at Yule is considered an excellent way to ensure prosperity in the coming year. The fresh leaves, carried near the skin, are thought to attract the love of the opposite sex.

Hoodoo also recommends ash leaves for love. Add a few, along with rose buds and dried lavender, to a pink flannel bag. Dress this with whiskey or Oil of Attraction and carry the mojo daily. It is said you will be irresistible to the opposite sex.

Ash is also used in hoodoo for protection while traveling, much as sailors of old once did. Write your name, or the name of a loved one about to travel, on brown paper in blue pen. Place this name-paper along with three ash leaves and a comfrey root in a yellow flannel bag. Carry this mojo, or make sure your loved one does, until returning home. Bonne chance ~

Header: Tree-Clouds-Sky via EcoInteractive on Twitter

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

We're having a troublesome day here at chez Pauline. It is time to say good-bye to our very old and very sick Saint Bernard, Thor. The wait for the vet appointment at 11:30 Alaska time is like slow torture. How fortunate we are, though, to be able to stop the animal's pain and see an old friend off to a better place.

My thoughts turn to something that will help bring peace and piece of mind to me and my family as we say adieu to one of our own. I'm wishing I had a few bachelor buttons, those pretty blue blooms also known as corn flowers, to help me do the trick.

In Wicca, corn flowers are used to draw and/or prognosticate about love. Women should wear them on the lapel as a corsage to attract affection. Scott Cunningham advises that men should carry a flower in their pocket. The freshness or wilting of the flower at the end of the day is said to predict future success - or lack thereof - in love.

In hoodoo, the flowers are steeped in water along with other blue or bluish-purple blooms like periwinkle and forget-me-not. Rosemary, which is very affective at improving one's mood, is often added as well. The water is strained and used to sprinkle in the corners of the home to bring peace to those who live there, people and animals alike. You can add some of the water to your floor wash to achieve the same end.

Dried corn flowers are also sprinkled into the corners of a room where a fight has occurred. This is said to restore harmony to the environment as well as relax the tensions of those who are at odds.

As an aside, the forget-me-not, which happens to be Alaska's state flower, is said to bring peace and prosperity to a home when grown in the kitchen. I have a big yellow pot with a thriving forget-me-not in our kitchen. With luck, it will help us through this difficult process. Bonne chance ~

Header: Letters by Annie Stegg via American Gallery

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Bayberry chips, which are rather like wood chips that one might find in a garden, are a wonderful little bit of magick to have around this time of year. Most of us spend too much at the Holidays - a tradition that, contrary to what many an anti-consumerism advocate would have us believe, has been firmly in place since Roman times when people went broke giving gifts at Saturnalia. I personally don't think this is a "bad" thing; when was making others happy labeled "bad"? But, we do need to pay the bills and refilling the coffers in January is not a bad thing to concentrate on, either.

So go get some bayberry chips (easily found at any herbalist) and try one - or all - of these old hoodoo tricks for getting back at least some of what you've paid out.

Keep a few bayberry chips in the place that you keep your paper money and coins. I've mentioned that I have an envelope that I stuff the stray dollar or five dollar bill into for safe keeping until the next time one of the kids "needs money" at six thirty in the morning. There are bayberry chips in the envelope and I occasionally add a little cinnamon for good measure. Though not full to bursting by any means, that envelope is never empty.

Dress a green candle with olive oil or, if you have it, Money Drawing Oil or Oil of Success. Put the candle in a sturdy holder and put bayberry chips in a circle around the holder. Visualize your need - a job, a raise, a good tax return or investment - and light the candle. Allow it to burn down and out with the confidence that fortune will come your way.

In a green flannel bag, place six bayberry chips, a cinnamon stick, a whole nutmeg, a sprinkling of thyme and a piece of pyrite (fool's gold) or a silver dime. Tie up the bag with yellow or gold thread and say the 23rd Psalm or recite out loud your need to good fortune/luck/prosperity. Feed the mojo frequently with whiskey or Money Drawing Oil and carry it with you.

As a final note, bayberry candles were originally made from wax from the plant - which is also known as the myrtle candleberry - and were burned to draw success and good fortune to the home. Modern bayberry candles by and large are only scented with synthetic fragrance and have, therefore, lost their innate power to draw luck. These candle should be dressed before burning when being used in magick, just like any other store-bought candle. Bonne chance ~

Header: Illustration by Coby Whitman via Mid-Century

Jeudi: Weather-Wise

The weather on New Year's Day has always been a portend of things to come. In more mild climates, it is usually agreed that whatever the weather brings on that day - wind, rain, sun - will be the predominant type of weather throughout the year. A simple prognostication perhaps but you'd be surprised how well it works, particularly on islands and in desert climes.

In areas that tend toward rougher weather, however, what happens on New Years may have more subtle indications.

A very old tradition not only in Europe but in the Far East as well is that making as much noise as possible at the exact turning point of a new year will bring good luck. The setting off of firecrackers, discharging of guns, ringing of bells and clanging of pots and pans was done just at the stroke of midnight to drive evil away and welcome in prosperity. In some European locals, particularly the far north of Scotland and many of the Scandinavian countries, the usually unwelcome thunder storm was a happy accident on New Year's Eve. The din caused by nature at that time was thought to bring particular good luck in the coming year.

In some parts of Britain, the idea that whatever one might be doing when the New Year's noise began - be it bells from the local church or just the family clanging away in the kitchen - would be the thing to take up most of one's time in the coming year. A superstition arose around this idea that if one had retired early and was in bed when the celebration commenced, they would spend the year ill - or worse. Thus it is quoted in A Dictionary of Superstitions edited by Iona Opie and Moira Tatem that "few people go to bed, for obvious reasons, and even the old and infirm prefer to sit up."

Opening up the house at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve was also highly recommended. Regardless of the weather, and in some places especially if it was inclement, all doors and windows should be flung open just at that time. This tradition was thought to "let the old year out and welcome the new year in" but may have had its origin in the idea that unlatching closed things allowed negative energy to escape.

Other non-weather traditions surrounding New Year's Day included clearing up debts so that the next year would bring no more... or at least fewer. Pepys mentions this in a diary entry. On the 30th of December, 1664 he writes of "looking over all my papers to ascertain what debts should be attended. After dinner, forth to several places to pay away money, to clear myself in all the world."

The idea of "first footing" is also a New Year tradition that survives to this day. Probably originating with a Celtic ritual, it is believed that a certain person - usually a "dark man" - should enter one's home with specific items in hand. The things in question vary depending on where the tradition is upheld, but usually a piece of coal, a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine or ale or any combination of these is spoken of. Sometimes the man must travel through the whole house and then exit through the back door. Sometimes he need only enter, step in with his right foot first, and place his offerings near the hearth. Whatever the program, if it is followed, good luck will follow as well.

Much like the dead who should not be grumbled about until they are buried, the old year should be treated with respect. "Say not ill of the year, till it is past," wrote Thomas Fuller in 1732.

And as to the bird above, keep an eye out for him or his brothers the crows, on New Year's Day. According to L'Estrange writing in his version of Aesop circa 1692 "If you see two ravens or crows on New Year's Day, you'll have good luck after it, but if you should chance to spy one single, tis a bad omen, and some ill will betide you."

Here's wishing you a late night, noisy weather, a dark man with a cask of ale and two ravens this New Year.

Header: Raven by John Mankes via Old Paint

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Pomegranates are often referred to as a "winter fruit." Nicely wrapped boxes of these beautiful, dusky orbs are often available for giving during the Holidays. Most people who see them these days are probably thinking more about anti-oxidants than Hades, but the reason pomegranates are associated with winter has to do with Greek mythology. Persephone, kidnapped by and held in the gloomy realm of Hades, swore she would eat nothing until she was restored to her mother, Demeter. Overcome with hunger as the long days dragged into months, she ate three blood-red seeds from a pomegranate. This sealed her fate; though restored as she requested to the sunlight for most of the year, she was judged by Zeus to spend three months with Hades as his bride. Those three pomegranate seeds, then, inadvertently brought on the season of winter.

Though not an herb of any note in hoodoo, there are many old wives tales about the magickal properties of the pomegranate. Women who wished to know the number of children they would have were instructed to throw, not just drop, a pomegranate to the ground. The force had to be enough to break open the skin and the number of seeds that tumbled out foretold the size of the woman's future brood.

Women with troubles conceiving were told to eat pomegranate seeds to increase fertility. The like-makes-like reference here seems almost painfully obvious.

Along that same thought process, Scott Cunningham tells us that the pomegranate is lucky. Pomegranate branches in the home, or trees in the yard, are thought to attract wealth. The dried skin of the fruit is used as an incense to do the same. Cunningham also notes that the fruit's juice can be used as a magickal ink and as a substitute for blood should your magicks require same.

In Mediterranean countries, pomegranate branches are hung above doors and windows to repel the evil eye and jinxes.

Finally, when you're eating your Yuletide pomegranate, be sure to make a wish before you do. Your wish, it is said, is sure to come true. And what better luck could I wish you at this happy season? Perhaps health, which the pomegranate will also grant. Or so they say. Bonne chance ~

Header: Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti via The Pre-Raphealites

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

The weed commonly known in the Americas as boneset has a number of uses and is very popular in those two curiously North American magickal disciplines, hoodoo and Pow-Wow.

The plant, which is in the same family as dandelions, was originally introduced to Africans and Europeans by Native Americans. Various groups used the plant differently but for the most part the dried leaves and flowering ends were used to treat digestive problems as well as colds and fevers. For these ends, the plant was brewed in a tea.

Before I go further, though, it is important to mention that fresh boneset is toxic and will, at the very least, induce vomiting. In fact, Scott Cunningham lists boneset as "not recommended for internal use" and I would advise the same.

In hoodoo, boneset is used mostly for protective and healing rituals. The plant is added to mojo bags carried to prevent jinxing and illness as well as snake bites. Dried boneset leaves were once rubbed all over the body of someone who felt they had been tricked into ingesting poison or magickally attacked. The leaves were then taken outside and burned to carry away the negative energy. Bathing in water to which a tea of boneset has been added is thought to encourage healing after an illness.

Pow-Wows also used boneset for protection, carrying a bit of the plant as a pocket piece to that end. Silver RavenWolf advises that she hangs a sprig of boneset from her rear view mirror for long car trips to protect against accidents. She also notes that dried boneset and five-finger grass should be sprinkled around an orange candle charged with the intention of landing a job. Light the candle and let it burn out while concentrating on the job you desire. Try putting your resume or a copy of an application under the candle to personalize the spell. Any remaining wax, along with the herbs, should be buried in a houseplant or somewhere in your yard.

Also according to RavenWolf, mothers practicing Pow-Wow have been known to surreptitiously dip a sprig of boneset into the beverage of an unfit suitor to turn the person's ardor away from their child. One has to imagine that the ill-effects of the plant worked their not-really-magickal touch like a charm. It's hard to feel amorous when you're throwing up, after all. Bonne chance ~

Header: The Glass of Wine by Vermeer via Wikimedia

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Onions, those common garden vegetables that are a base for so many delicious recipes, are also a well thought of magickal herb. The white and yellow variety have an extended history in Wicca, folklore and old wives' tales. But today we are dealing specifically with that purplish kind known as a red onion.

In hoodoo, red onions are used extensively both for so called "white" magicks such as keeping the peace around the house. They also lend themselves to more "gray" magick - or gris-gris if you will. In these cases the red onion or parts of it are used to keep a beloved under the root worker's thrall, beginning and/or continuing a relationship whether or not the other party is entirely on board with the idea. This is a type of manipulative magick that hoodoo very rarely thinks twice about. In practices like Wicca, however, the rule of three would be minded and manipulation would be shunned. At least in theory.

So let us turn to an old hoodoo trick for a peaceful home, which surely a number of us could use with the Holidays fast approaching.

Take a red onion and bore a hole in it through to the center but not all the way out the other side. Fill the hole with sugar and seal it up with some sort of stuffing, onion bits, hot wax, what ever works for you. Now conceal the onion somewhere over the door that most folks go in and out of the house through. A great way to accomplish the concealment is to put a little shelf over your door - they're available all over the place now - and fill it with knickknacks. Include a decorative box in which to put the onion. Voila! Be sure to do this with intention, and change the onion as often as you like but at least once a year.

According to Scott Cunningham, old wives once insisted that red onions could draw away illness and misfortune and protect the home they were in. For this reason a red onion was tied to the bedpost, especially of those who were recuperating from illness.

Both Wiccans and root workers will advise you that throwing away onion skins - particularly on the ground - is a sure way to end your prosperity. The skins should instead be burned, either in the fireplace or on the stove, to increase prosperity, draw in business, multiply affection and, in hoodoo at least, keep the law away. Bonne chance ~

Header: Two Idlers by Robert Frederick Blum via American Gallery

Jeudi: Root Work

Knot spells are probably as old as human beings. The magick of the knot is easy to perform as all you need is your intention, your words and something to tie consecutive knots in. A strand of hair, a blade of grass, a flower stalk, the list continues ad nauseum and makes the relative ease of knot work so very obvious.

I think it is this easy, with its lack of fancy ingredients that sound like something out of Faust, that makes knot work a relatively untouched subject among modern spell book writers. Believe me, I own a book or two on the subject across a range of magickal disciplines and there are only a few that include knot magick. Silver RavenWolf stands out as a modern Wiccan who discusses the practice in detail in more than one of her books - To Ride A Silver Broomstick, for instance.

The formula for a knot spell is to tie a series of knots - generally but not always in multiples of three - in a length of thread, string or ribbon. The knots should be relatively equadistant from one another so the length of the thread is important; you don't want to run out of material before your work is done. Another broad generalization is that knot work is done to bind something or someone: keep illness at bay, drive off unwanted attentions or make a partner faithful in love, for instance. This follows the like-makes-like philosophy of magick and, though it makes sense, you should not limit yourself if knot work particularly appeals to you. Once you get good at it, you can use these spells for virtually anything and with surprising success.

Once the working is done, the knotted item should always be stored somewhere safe. No one else should see or most importantly touch the knots or the working will lose power. If you should decide that you no longer wish to apply the power of your knot work, simply reverse the process: with intention and while speaking the knots out loud, take the knots out of the item and dispose of it. Burning, burying or release in running water is best to ensure that all of your spell has been undone.

Speaking the knots is one of the largest parts of this type of spell. It allows the worker to focus on their goal and say out loud the intention of the working. This is particularly important for those who are knew to root work. Focus can be the most difficult part of successfully working magick, and all of us - regardless of our intentions - should take a little bit of time away from the constant distractions of our day to meditate, pray or focus somewhere quiet.

All knot spells follow the numbering formula and the best way for me to express that is to give an example. Here are the spoken words for each knot in a spell to keep an unwanted suitor at bay:

By knot of one it is begun;
By knot of two I'm done with you;
By knot of three you forget me;
By knot of four I close the door;
By knot of five ardor cannot survive;
By knot of six you find a new fix;
By knot of seven away from me you're driven;
By knot of eight no love, no hate;
By knot of nine freedom from you is mine.

You would tie each knot as you speak it's number. The rhyming is not a necessity but it is certainly an aid to focus as well as part of the knot work tradition. You may want to write down your speaking before you do your working. Most of us aren't good at coming up with this kind of thing off the top of our heads, particularly when we are dealing with something in which we are emotionally invested.

This brings me to two final points. If you can get something the person you are doing the knot work about and/or for to put knots in, or even have he or she touch the thread or sting that you will use, so much the better. Neither of these points are ablsolute necessities but they do help. Also, speaking of writing things down, it always helps to keep a working journal of your magick - call it a Book of Shadows or Grimoire if you have to but keep some kind of record of your spells and how they manifested. It will help you learn not only from your mistakes, but from your successes as well... Bonne chance ~

Header: Painting by William Stott via Old Paint

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

I am so glad that it is finally election day here in the U.S. that I can't express my joy. This has been a miserable, divisive, contentious year of campaigning all the way around. And I'm tired of it. Sick and bloody tired.

In case you're wondering, I am personally an Independent who advocates for fiscal responsibility (do my kid's kid's kids really need to be paying off a debt currently rivaled on the world stage only by that of Greece?) and social reform (why is it that same-sex couples can't have a legally recognized partnership like marriage?). I don't believe anyone will take my guns away from me or deny my daughters the right to a safe, legal abortion. Regardless of who is elected President. Yet I am called names by both sides - racist, hater, and oh yeah, I'm going to Hell - because I can think for myself and will not follow a major party like a blind goat on a lead.

To put it mildly, I am fed up with being anxious, angry, confused and, well, the list goes on and on.

So I'm changing up today's post and introducing all of the HQ readers to the special magick of something that is not exactly an herb: honey.

Honey is used for sweetening work in hoodoo. Through the doctrine of like-makes-like, it is believed that honey will calm the home, stop gossip, reconcile you with a lover, make a judge smile on you in a court case and so forth. Here is a powerful piece of root work utilizing honey and candle magick that you can use for all that and more.

Take a small jar that has a wide enough top to set a candle holder on. Write your name on a small piece of brown paper and put it at the bottom of the jar along with a strand or two of your hair (clippings from a razor will work if you're bald). Now, fill the jar with any type of honey you have on hand. Cap the jar tightly - you may be using it for a while and you don't want it to attract pests.

Place the jar in a central area of your home where it is safe to burn candles on. I personally like either the fireplace mantel or somewhere in the kitchen for this one. Now, put a candle holder on top of the jar and choose a candle color that matches your need:

Blue: peace in the home (for this one, you may want to add a name paper/hair strand for each person living in your house - include pets if you like)
Yellow: stop malicious gossip or lies being told about you or a family member (here, you may wish to add name papers - at the very least and hair if possible - for the family member being victimized and the bully)
Pink: draw new love/friendship or to reconcile with a lover or friend (again, if you are looking to reconcile, add a name paper for the person you have been estranged from)
Red: encourage lust (do I even need to mention adding a name paper and strand of hair here?)
Purple: revive health (a name paper for the person you wish to heal - if it is not yourself - is a must)
Brown: for a favorable outcome in court (a name paper for the judge couldn't hurt...)
Green: to draw money and/or get approval for a loan (this one works wonders when trying to get a mortgage; try adding a "name" paper with your future home's address on it)

Dress your candle, as always, with olive oil and light it with intention. Keep your need or desire in the back of your mind while allowing the candle to burn down and out. Bury any remaining wax on your property or, in the case of court, health or money issues, carry it with you in a mojo or conjure bag to appointments, trials, etc.

You can increase the power of your name paper(s) by using ink the same color as your candle. Using other sticky, liquid sweeteners - such as cane syrup or molasses - will work just as well should you be unable to use honey. You can also reuse your honey for other influencing work if you don't mind fishing name papers and hair out of it when needed.

For particularly difficult issues - like clearing away all this negative political energy - burn new candles on three, six or even nine consecutive days. Watching the moon face can help you here, too. To carry something away, do this ritual during a waning or dark moon; to draw something to you, choose a waxing or full moon.

Stay calm and carry on and remember that sometimes accepting what we can't change while working graciously to change what we can is always a better solution than calling each other names. Bonne chance ~

Header: It's Up to You by Gil Elvgren via American Gallery

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

I talked a little bit about sailors' use of tobacco at sea today over at Triple P, so I thought I'd cross-pollinate and talk about the magickal uses of this uniquely American herb here as well.

Tobacco was cultivated and used in various ways in both North and South America long before Europeans showed up. Ritualized, made into medicines and used for relaxation and bonding, tobacco's utilization by various Native cultures has influenced Wicca, Druid, hoodoo and Pow-Wow. Variously associated with protection and healing as well as jinxing, tobacco has known a myriad of uses in different magickal systems.

The ritual drinking of tobacco juice to induce visions remains a staple of some shamanic traditions. The plant has been considered sacred by many Native American cultures, and continues to be treated as such in some areas to this day. Tobacco was smoked to encourage communion with spirits and the use of tobacco as an offering was common all over the Americas. People of importance were sometimes buried with pipes and tobacco.

Tobacco was also used as an incense and burned, much like sage, to smudge both living areas and people. The smoke was thought to do everything from driving away evil spirits to curing common maladies such as upper respiratory infections.

Nightmares could be carried away by offering tobacco to a running stream immediately upon waking, according to Scott Cunningham. He also notes that tobacco can be used as a substitute for harder to find herbs such as nightshade and for curios like sulphur. The plant is considered less harmful, but that is only in the immediate. Both smoking and chewing tobacco have been proven to cause cancer; don't make the mistake of starting a habit that could potentially kill you outright.

In hoodoo, tobacco is a favorite additive to jinxing and court case workings. Generally speaking, people use chewing tobacco for such things. A simple mojo to win a court case consists of equal parts salt, deer's tongue leaves and tobacco carried into court in one's the pocket. Tobacco is burned as incense along with black candles to bring harm to an enemy.

Tobacco is also believed to draw love and in particular past lovers. Burn an incense made of tobacco and myrrh near your phone or computer for 9 days; it is said that you will be contacted by a lost love on the 10th day. Bonne chance ~

Header: The Widow of a Chief Watching His Weapons by Joseph Wright of Derby c 1785 via Old Paint

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Today's is the 600th post here at HQ, an accomplishment I am personally quite proud of. So I thought, by way of celebration, I would write about the most popular herb in hoodoo and certainly a universally used magickal herb: five-finger grass.

Also known as cinquefoil, five-finger grass gets its name from its distinctive leaf pattern. The compound leaves form five segments, similar to fingers. Each is said to symbolize a seperate grace or blessing: love, money, power, luck and wisdom. This is true for all magickal disciplines that use the plant, which is not, by the way, a grass but a flowering herb.

Cinquefoil grows wild in moderate and cool climates and was often the focus of old wives' remedies in pre-and early-modern Europe. A small bag of the leaves was hung over the cottage door to protect the inhabitants. The same would be hung over the bed or from the bedstead to protect the sleeper and ward against nightmares. Young girls were told to pick a cinquefoil leaf with seven "fingers", should they have the good fortune to find one, and bring it home. This was then placed under the pillow, particularly on auspicious nights for divination such as Hallowe'en or Christmas Eve. The cinquefoil leaf was said to bring dreams of one's future husband. I can find nothing about whether or not the same mechanism worked for boys wishing to dream of a future wife.

Scott Cunningham recommends making a tea of cinquefoil leaves. This is then used to wash the forehead and hands on nine consecutive mornings in an effort to undo malicious magick and curses.

In hoodoo, a bag of five-finger grass leaves is hung above a home's mantel but hidden from view. Hang the bag behind a picture, statue, stack of books, etc. Used with intention and replaced each new year, this trick is said to make it impossible for anyone - even the bank - to drive you from your home. A tea of five-finger grass leaves is added to floor wash to protect a home, clear away any crossed conditions (such as after a fight, an illness, or an unlucky event like the loss of a job) and bring better fortune into the home. The same sort of tea can also be added to baths for uncrossing, lifting jinxes and improving mental health.

A famous money drawing mojo is made from a five-finger grass leaf, a stick of cinnamon, and three mojo (fava) beans. Carry these in a green flannel bag and dress it frequently with whiskey or Money-drawing Oil.

According to Silver RavenWolf, five-finger grass is a "catch-all for Pow-Wow."  The five blessings noted above make the plant useful as they encompass "all that the Pow-Wow desires to receive and to give."  That's a tall order for one little herb. As in other disciplines, Pow-Wows also employ five-finger grass for hex breaking.

Bonne chance and thank you so much, one and all, for continuing along this journey with me.

Header: The Three Graces by Edward Augustus Bell via American Gallery

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Though probably not technically an "herb", that's how we are going to treat kelp and that odd form of seaweed know as agar today here at HQ. The stuff is certainly in demand for magickal workings both in Wicca and hoodoo regardless of any semantics issues.

Sea kelp, which can be found in fresh and dried form on just about any saltwater beach, is sometimes still called bladderwrack for its diuretic properties. In the past, the home nurse and/or local wise woman would keep the stuff handy to help out when frequent urination was called for as a form of purge.

In Wicca, kelp is often utilized as a way to connect with the spirits of the sea. Mermaids and other potentially helpful water sprites are thought to be drawn to the stuff. According to Scott Cunningham, one should stand in the water and toss kelp that has washed ashore back into the waves while calling to the sea spirits and asking them for their help. Be careful though; like fairy folk, sea spirits can do just as much harm as they can good.

Old wives told that carrying seaweed while one was at sea was a must for protection. This practice has expanded in our modern age and it is now considered protective to carry a piece of seaweed while traveling by plane as well as by ship. This particularly if the plane is crossing the water.

Another old wives tale - or perhaps it is an old sailor's tale - adds kelp to improve the efficacy of "whistling up the wind." The story goes that standing on the shore while waving an arm of kelp over ones head, in a clockwise motion, and whistling will stir up a good wind.

In hoodoo, kelp is boiled into a tea which is then strained and used as a floor wash to keep a steady stream of business coming in to any sort of establishment. In the home, a bit is bottled up in a jar to which whiskey is added. The jar is then sealed tight and placed near the stove or in a sunny kitchen window. It is said that this trick will ensure that the family is never caught penniless.

Agar, or agar-agar as it is sometimes called, is best known as that semi-gelatinous medium in which bacteria are grown in a lab. In hoodoo, the same stuff is used in a powder form which is often called sea spirit. It is said that carrying a bit in your pocket can make you recede from view in a crowd as long as you are careful and quiet. A pinch of the powder sprinkled in a glass of water that is then kept next to one's bed at night is thought to ward off bad dreams and malicious sendings.

Bingo players also wash their hands in a tea made with chamomile and sea spirit before going out to play their chosen game of chance. This is said to increase anyone's chances of winning at the game. Bonne chance ~

Header: Mermaid by Henry Clive via American Gallery

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Galangal is a plant with large, tuberous roots and lacy flowers. It grows like a weed, which it technically is, in mild climates, and is a particularly popular herb in hoodoo. Known in that magickal discipline as Chewing John or Little John to Chew, it is one of the Three John Roots that are said to be particularly helpful for men.

In Wicca, galangal is often used for protection and jinx-breaking work. The root is carried on the person for protection and to draw good luck. Dried and powdered galangal root is burned as an incense to break jinxes and to discourage crossed conditions in the home. It is also sprinkled around the home or in the path of an unsuspecting love interest to encourage unbridled lust. Galangal is placed under one's pillow to encourage psychic dreaming and/or to speed recovery from an illness.

In hoodoo, Chewing John is particularly prized for its ability to favorably effect court cases. A small piece of the herb should be chewed as one enters the court room. Then the juice should be spit, as surreptitiously as possible one imagines, on the court room floor. This is said to turn any case in your favor. In our modern environment, discretely spitting into the palm of your hand and then touching a piece of the courtroom is said to also do the trick. It is certainly less likely to raise eyebrows.

Chewing and spitting Chewing John out of one's front door is said to drive away jinxes as well.

A mojo known as a Jack Ball, which is only created for and carried by men, can be made using the Three John Roots mentioned above. A small ball of wax should first be formed, then chips of Chewing John, Southern John (trillium) and High John the Conqueror roots should be stuffed into the wax. While focusing on the desired outcome, red thread or twine should be wrapped around the wax ball until none of the wax is showing. This should then be anointed with High John the Conqueror oil (made by soaking a few chips of the root in olive or almond oil) and carried in a red flannel bag. The bag should be dressed with High John the Conqueror oil occasionally with the result that the bearer will be protected from harm, obtain power and be a magnet for passion.

Scott Cunningham notes that if galangal is unavailable, ginger root is an excellent substitute. Bonne chance ~

Header: A book illustration by Harold Von Schmidt c 1942 via Wikipedia

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

The herb known as Solomon's seal is, it probably goes without saying, named for the Biblical King Solomon. The seal part comes from an obscure talent that the Hebrew king happened to have: imprisoning demons. He kept his catches in a jar with an enchanted seal and thus the herb, in almost all magickal disciplines, has a reputation for guarding, protecting and banishing.

Scott Cunningham tells us that Solomon's seal root is dried, powder and sprinkled in the four corners of a home to guard it. Wiccans also use the powdered root in exorcism rituals and spells for protection. An infusion of the root is used to sprinkle things and people to banish troubles, often with fern fronds or fresh rue.

In hoodoo, Solomon's seal root chips are placed on window sills and along the tops of door frames to keep trouble from entering the home. I remember my aunt doing this when she didn't want her daughter's "no account" boyfriend coming around. It worked; my cousin is now married to a doctor. Catherine Yronwode advises adding fern fronds if there is a particular concern about break-ins.

A mojo to encourage others to respect you can be achieved by combining Solomon's seal root, High John the Conqueror root, three Devil's shoestrings and a chip of Dragon's Blood resin in a red flannel bag. Feed the mojo with Crown of Success or olive oil. This should be kept near the skin and is said to draw advantageous friendships to the person who carries it. The results can be enhanced by adding a curio such as a silver dime (best if it is from the year of your birth, or that of a successful person you know) or something that belonged to someone successful.

Solomon's seal is a favorite herb in Pow-Wow as well. The dried root is used in healing rituals, particularly sprinkled in the four corners of the sick person's room or to make a magick circle around them. As Silver Ravenwolf notes in her book American Folk Magick:

To country folk, a salt circle was considered suspicious in nature to outsiders, therefore Pow-Wows mixed angelica, Solomon's seal, and vervain to create an area of protection inside a room. It could be swept away easily without raising any undue attention.

And, as unfortunate as it may be, that is an excellent tip for those of us who to this day have to be a little clever and a lot surreptitious about our magick. Bonne chance to all and a Happy Birthday to Ms. Ravenwolf.

Header: Lamb Clouds by Adolf Bohm via Old Paint

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Sarsaparilla is known to most of us as an additive in "old time" soft drinks. Anyone who has watched old Westerns remembers the guy who orders a "sas'perilly" at the saloon being made fun of by the hard drinking toughs around him. Hey, a steady hand shoots better. Or that's what my Daddy used to say. But the herb sarsaparilla is considered in magickal practices as a drawer of money and lust, which is nothing to make fun of.

In Wicca, dried sarsaparilla is mixed with true cinnamon bark and sprinkled around a home to draw prosperity. Scott Cunningham also mentions burning it with sandalwood as an incense for the same end.

This jibes nicely with hoodoo usage of the herb. Dried sarsaparilla is burned with cinnamon and sandalwood to draw money. It is also burned with frankincense and myrrh as a house blessing incense. This ritual is particularly popular around yuletide, when the cleansing and blessing of one's home is a nice way to start things off right in the New Year.

In the late 18th and early 19th century, root workers and those familiar with their ways would sprinkle a pinch of dried sarsaparilla in the envelope in which important documents were being mailed. This was thought to ensure safe passage and accurate delivery for the mail in times when such things were spotty at best.

Sarsaparilla is also used in baths to spark flagging sexual passions. Combined with two or eight other love drawing herbs such as rose petals, mint, dill or juniper berries, brewed into a tea and added to bath water, sarsaparilla is said to aid in the rejuvenation of carnal interests.

Those drinks that may seem old fashioned these days but include sarsaparilla as an ingredient can have a positive magickal use as well. Used with intention, they are said to prolong health and encourage a happy life. And who among us doesn't want that? Bonne chance to all, and in particular to those of you on the Gulf Coast. You are in our thoughts and prayers...

Header: Transporting the Mail AD 1800 to AD 1900 by Lloyd Branson via American Gallery