Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Lots of things going on here at chez Pauline so, rather than skip another post, here is some herbal advice from the archives. Enjoy!

Nettle is a common weed in cooler climates all over the world. Known to Native shaman, old wives and root workers alike, nettle's most common use is to break and turn away jinxes. But there is so much more to the ancient history of this herb.

In hoodoo, nettle is used specifically to dispel evil. A tea of nettle and rue is added to baths along with a handful of black salt to lift curses and crossed conditions. At least some of the bathwater should be thrown out the front door of the home to seal the cure.

Both natives in North America and old wives in Europe recommended nettle tea for pregnant women to strengthen the fetus and ease labor. After the baby's birth, nettle tea continued to be prescribed to encourage milk production. Dried nettle was also sprinkled on the feed given to dairy cows for the same purpose.

According to Scott Cunningham, nettle should be carried in a sachet or stuffed in a poppet to remove a curse and send it back. Wiccans sprinkle dried nettle around the home to ward off evil. It can also be thrown into a fire to prevent harm coming to home or person and it is held in the right hand to ward off ghosts, particularly while walking alone at night near haunted ground. Putting a bowl full of nettle clippings under the bed of a sick person is thought to aid healing.

Pow-Wow also uses nettle, and for similar purposes. Silver RavenWolf says that a combination of nettle and yarrow makes a powerful amulet against fear. Scott Cunningham agrees, saying the two will also dispel negativity. Pow-Wows also use dried nettle to enhance lust, and sprinkle it over the bedclothes of the sick to encourage recovery.

A very old German "spell", which probably originated in one form or another prior to the widespread success of Christianity in the Middle Ages, saw farmers using nettle to remove maggot infestations from their cows' hooves. In Highroad to the Stake: A Tale of Witchcraft, Michael Kunze says the nettle should be picked before sunrise and held between both hands. The farmer should then recite:

Nettle, nettle, hear forsooth,
Our cow's got maggots in her hoof,
If you don't drive the maggots out,
I'll twist your collar round about!

The nettle stem was then twisted until it broke off and both pieces were tossed over the farmer's head. If all steps of this process were repeated three days in a row, the cow would be cured.

Finally, nettle has been used for centuries as a bandage in cases of bleeding. The leaves should be bruised slightly to allow the juice to flow and then applied to the bloody wound before bandaging to help with clotting. Bonne chance ~

Header: At the Entrance by Boilly via A Harlot's Progress

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

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

Lundi: Recipes

It surely is that time of year and, because I made them yesterday after carving pumpkins on Saturday, I'm rerunning my all time favorite recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds. Yum!

This one comes from Silver RavenWolf's book Halloween which (witch?) is full of recipes, crafts and workings to fit the season. As I've noted before, the real secret to these gems is a quick dunk in boiling water before the seeds are roasted. Cooked with intention, the seeds are a great way to feed you family, body and soul.

Seeds from one large or two small pumpkins
1/4 cup (or to taste) sea or kosher salt (for protection)
2 tbsps olive oil (for health)
2 tbsps dried, crushed rosemary leaves (for prosperity)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse the pumpkin seeds and boil in water until they turn grayish and begin to sink to the bottom of the pot.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, combine the salt, oil and rosemary.

When the seeds are ready, drain them in a colander and pat dry. Put them in the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well to coat the seeds. Pour them onto the baking sheet and spread evenly in a single layer.

Pop the baking sheet in the oven and bake until golden brown. I like mine dark and crunchy so I generally bake them about 30 minutes. It all depends on your oven and your taste. Bon appetite ~

Header: Casper comic book cover via the now - unfortunately - defunct Tumblr Uncle Strangely's Dark Mansion of Big Crap Scares; I love this cover as the witch in red reminds me a little of the awesome Sharon Needles

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

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

For regular readers of my ramblings here at HQ, it will come as no surprise that I have been engrossed in research on healing herbs recently.  Dear friends have been helpful, particularly our yoga instructor brother-from-another-mother Joe, as well as holistic healing pyrates of the New World Seika and Captain Swallow.  Magickal ends are also worth seeking out, though.  Radiation therapy, meditation and grape seed oil can all use a little push, right?

To my surprise, one of the most effective healing herbs across all manner of magickal disciplines turns out to be humble, garden variety rue.  Rue is a favorite in Mediterranean cooking, and rue tea has been prescribed to pregnant women for centuries by midwives hoping to even out those occasional mood swings.  The herb is also a bit of a jack-of-all-trades magickally speaking, bringing luck, love, courage, protection and healing.

Druids, Wiccans and Gnostics/Copts have used rue for centuries.  The Coptic word for rue is bashoush, which can be translated as lucky.  The Ancient Etruscans and Romans included rue in their food not only as a spice, but to protect their internal organs from disease caused by hexes or the Evil Eye.  To this day one of the most popular amulets in Italy is the Cimaruta.  Made exclusively from silver, the Cimaruta is worn around the neck to aid in healing, ward against future illness and the Evil Eye, and bring luck to the wearer.  This tradition is popular in the Strega practice of Wicca, and is thought to date back to the Etruscan culture.  You can find a lovely example of a Cimaruta here.

Druids and Wiccans also use bundles of rue as sprinklers to shake salt water around homes for cleansing rituals.  Rue is rubbed along clean floorboards to repel evil magick, according to Scott Cunningham, and hung over the doors to protect against same.  Cunningham also recommends placing fresh rue on the forehead while relaxing to cure tension headaches and taking in the scent of fresh rue to clear the mind and enhance mental acuity.  Love poppets are often stuffed with rue.

In hoodoo, rue tea is is sprinkled around the home for protection and added to baths to help healing and break jinxes.  Cleansing incense is made by mixing dried rue and hyssop with ground frankincense, camphor and sandalwood.  The mixture is burned on charcoal and used to smudge the home or people for purification.  A healing and protecting mojo should include rue, comfrey root, coriander and nine Devil's shoestings.  These should be placed in a red flannel bag and dressed regularly with a healing or protection oil or whiskey.  The bag should be carried close to the skin whenever possible.

Silver RavenWolf mentions the use of rue in Pow-Wow, which echoes the Wiccan use of the herb for clarity of thought.  She also notes the hex-breaking qualities of the herb and, perhaps curiously, advises that rue can be used to protect self and home from werewolves.  I'd call that an added bonus.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Coming Events Cast Their Shadows Before by Charles C. Ward via American Gallery

Jeudi: Root Work

People want to protect what is theirs.  Whether it's just a pair of shoes, maybe the only ones we have, or an entire home full of stuff - half of which we keep telling ourselves we should give away or sell - we want to keep it and the people inside of it safe.

This primal need goes back to habits that probably began with our prehistoric ancestors.  Anthropologist note that the urge to protect what is ours tends to grow stronger at night and even in artificial darkness.  Our brains, no matter how tweaked by technology that evolution has not yet found a fit for, still remember the predators in the dark who would do us harm or even eat us whole.  We want to fend them off almost instinctively.  For most humans, that means doing something.

Historians call the action of guarding our homes at night shutting, or sometimes locking, in or down.  In Europe, clear documentation of this begins in the post-Roman era, when families became more nuclear and less extended and putting slaves on guard was no longer an option for most.  Animals and people would be brought into the home/barn and doors and shutters would be closed and locked.  Everyone was in for the night at that point and, baring a catastrophe like fire or earthquake, there would be no venturing outside until morning.

Today, most of us do the same thing. The predator at the mouth of the cave is no longer a wild animal but he (face it, 99.9 times out of 100 the person trying to break into a home is a man) could potentially be equally as savage.  Close the windows, lock the doors, make the rounds just to be sure before you go to bed.  The word paranoid might come to mind but that is an over-simplification.  There is real danger in our world and a few extra precautions cannot hurt.

That's why, as I lay in bed each night, I call up the four massive gargoyles who stand at the corners of my home to keep watch while we sleep.  In my mind, these four handymen look very much like the demonic mountain king in Disney's original Fantasia.  You know, the finally segment set to Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain"?  They work for me probably because that movie stuck with me as a kid and I'm a great lover of gargoyles.  I see them in mind's eye quite clearly and happily thank them in the morning for their help and hard work. 

I also call on ravens and wolves, two animals who I have always had an affinity for, to help out in keeping home and hearth safe.  Please do not mistake this for a familiar situation, as is common in Wicca.  That's great if it works for you, however if you happen to be a rabbit or a garter snake person, a larger, and yes, more potentially vicious animal might be in order.

Connect with creatures, or even humanoid forms such as samurai, Vikings or angels, that work for you.  As to animals, go big if you like: basilisks, griffins, lions, elephants, heck, I have a friend who has a Tyrannosaurus Rex running around his yard at all times of the day and night.  The visualizations and connections are key; if you can see these protectors clearly in your mind's eye, you're well on your way to securing their assistance.

Also, a sing-song or rhyming chant can sometimes help with this kind of visualization and, once you memorize your chant, you can connect to the visualization almost immediately upon beginning it.  I borrowed a bit from Silver RavenWolf, and begin my chant each night with "My house has four corners, one, two, three four; four ancient guardians protect her from rafters to core." 

From there the connection is made, and though my little rhyme goes on, I'll let you modify your own to your taste.  In times like these, to secure peace we must prepare for war, even on the home front.  Bonne chance ~


Header: The Flight Into Egypt by Adam Elsheimer c 1609 via Old Paint

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Rowan trees, also known as European mountain ash, are indigenous to Northern Asia and Europe and now grow all over the northern areas of North America.  Because the trees – which are really bushes and not relation to the North American ash or to the birch – cannot thrive where temperatures do not dip below freezing in winter, they are not a fixture in hoodoo practice.  They are used in Pow-Wow, according to Silver RavenWolf, but their use is most notable in modern Celtic, Druid and Wiccan disciplines.

The rowan is particularly prolific in the British Isles, where the influences of not only ancient Druid but also Gardenarian practices are strong.  This makes rowan, along with trees such as oak and holly, particularly fond in these areas.  As an example, the so called Celtic Tree Calendar’s month of Rowan begins on January 21 and ends on February 17.  This calendar, though sometimes purported to follow an ancient Celtic method of time keeping, is in fact a latter day invention probably developed by Robert Graves.  For more on this, see Mary Jones’ excellent discussion here.

In modern magick, rowan wood is used to make dowsing rods and wands.  Scott Cunningham advises carrying a piece of rowan wood to increase psychic powers.  Rowan wood or leaves may also be burned on their own or added to incense to achieve the same result.

For the purposes of protection, rowans should be planted as close to a home as possible.  Rowan walking sticks are helpful for protecting those who must venture forth at night, while a rowan branch kept in a house will protect it from lightening strikes.  Rowan was also carried aboard ships to see them safely through dirty weather.  A rowan grave marker is said to ensure that the spirit of the deceased will not wander forth and trouble the living.

Scott Cunningham also recommends the use of rowan berries, particularly in workings for healing, success, power and luck.  Please note, however, that all parts of a rowan bush are potential poisonous and should never be ingested.

In Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, old wives tied two rowan twigs tied together with red thread to form a powerful protective amulet.  Bonne chance ~

Header: A rowan tree on the British coast via Wikimedia Commons

Jeudi: Curios

Animal parts have long been used in various magickal disciplines as amulets and charms.  From individual teeth and bones to whole skulls, wings and claws, the animal in question was used virtually in its entirety for food, tools and to assist in shamanic working.

Badger teeth, usually carried individually, came into hoodoo through John George Hohman’s now famous book Pow Wows or the Long Lost Friend.  Hohman wrote in the book in the mid-19^th century and it has since been published in several additions by various publishers.  The work focuses on the folk magick of the German settlers of Pennsylvania, which was heavily influenced by Native American herbal and folk knowledge.  Hohman avers that a badger tooth is an all around good luck charm that should be carried whenever possible.

In American Folk Magick Silver RavenWolf touches on the use of animal charms in modern Pow-Wow but does not focus on specifics.

By the 1920s, hoodoo root workers were including a badger tooth in mojos for gambling luck, as well as those for general good fortune.  For gambling in particular, the tooth was often attached to a watch fob, necklace or keychain and worn in a pocket where it could be easily touched or rubbed for luck.  Dressing the tooth frequently, particularly with Van Van Oil, and saying the 23^rd Psalm while doing so was thought to increase its power.  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Gambler’s Wife via A1 Reproductions

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Skunks don’t live in Alaska but their smell certainly does.  Walk near a stagnant pond on a summer evening and you’ll swear someone just hit a whole herd of skunks with a vehicle.  Up here that disgusting smell doesn’t come from an animal, however, but from a plant.

Skunk cabbage – generously referred to in Pow-Wow as “meadow” cabbage – is in the same herbal family as the truly nauseating asafetida and it quite literally reeks like skunk spray.  It was used by Native Americans in the treatment of asthma and tuberculosis and it is still used by many different magickal disciplines.

In Wicca, a little bit of skunk cabbage is wrapped in fresh bay leaf.  If this is done on Sunday with proper intent Scott Cunningham tells us, and carried as a pocket piece, fortune will always favor the person who made it.

According to Silver RavenWolf, skunk cabbage is used in American Pow-Wow for “legal matters”, although she does not elaborate.  She also mentions mixing the plant with bay for prosperity.

Hoodoo, taking its usual like-makes-like path, employs skunk cabbage to jinx enemies.  A mixture of dried skunk cabbage leaves, licorice root, poppy seeds and calamus root is used as a throw for sprinkling on an enemy’s front porch and walk.  This will bring about illness and misfortune until the root worker removes the trick.  This is a nasty working that I personally have never tried and don’t recommend.  That like-makes-like can come back to bite you in the butt, I find.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Magpie on the Gallows by Pieter Brueghel the Elder c 1568

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Valerian, which is usually referred to in hoodoo as “vandal root”, is one of those plants whose awful scent has put it in high demand for protective magicks.  Historically, and now in modern herbal medicine, the dried root is brewed into a tisane to relax those who felt anxious and to help one sleep.  Some Native American tribes used a tea made with valerian as a cleanser; its astringent properties were also utilized to heal wounds.

In American Pow-Wow, valerian root is used for banishment, exorcism and protection.  Silver RavenWolf says that the plant was to be gathered with the left hand as Sirius was rising and that honey should be left as an offering to the valerian after harvesting.  This was then mixed with rosemary, fennel, sage, hyssop, lavender, basil, mint and holy water to keep away ghosts, evil intentions and ill-tempered elementals.

Old wives would pin a sprig of valerian to their marriageable daughters’ clothing, thus attracting men like meat attracts dogs.

It is probably from this traditional use that modern Wiccans derived the use of the dried plant in love sachets and incenses.  Scott Cunningham also mentions hanging the plant in the home to ward off lightening strikes and the evil eye. 

In hoodoo, valerian/vandal root is sometimes used as a substitute for graveyard dirt in jinxing tricks.  Vandal root is also burned with Uncrossing Incense to send back jinxes made against the root worker.  The dried plant is sprinkled on doorsteps to prevent unwanted visitors from approaching a home.

Probably because of its calming effect when ingested, valerian/vandal root is also used to stop fighting between spouses.  A vandal root should be wrapped round with a picture of you and your spouse.  Carry this for three days and then remove the vandal root and drop it in running water to “carry the anger away”.  Replace the root with a love herb such as a rose, lovage root or – for women in particular – rosemary and keep the pictures and herb with you from then on.  Your marital strife should subside.  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Miracle of the Jealous Husband by Titian c 1511

Mercredi: Herbal-Wise

Nettle is a common weed in cooler climates all over the world.  Known to Native shaman, old wives and root workers alike, nettle’s most common use is to break and turn away jinxes.  But there is so much more to the ancient history of this herb.

In hoodoo nettle is used specifically to dispel evil.  A tea of nettle and rue is added to baths along with a handful of black salt to lift curses and crossed conditions.  At least some of the bathwater should be thrown out the front door of the home to seal the cure.

Both natives in North America and old wives in Europe recommended nettle tea for pregnant women to strengthen the fetus and ease labor.  After the baby’s birth, nettle tea continued to be prescribed to encourage milk production.  Dried nettle was also sprinkled on the feed given to dairy cows for the same purpose.

According to Scott Cunningham, nettle should be carried in a sachet or stuffed into a poppet to remove a curse and send it back.  Wiccans sprinkle dried nettle around the home to ward off evil.  It can also be thrown into a fire to prevent harm coming to home or person and it is held in the right hand to ward off ghosts, particularly while walking alone at night near haunted ground.  Putting a bowl full of nettle clippings under the bed of a sick person is thought to aid healing.

Pow-Wow also uses nettle, and for similar purposes.  Silver RavenWolf says that a combination of nettle and yarrow makes a powerful amulet against fear.  Scott Cunningham agrees, saying the two will also dispel negativity.  Pow-Wows also use dried nettle to enhance lust, and sprinkle it over the bedclothes of the sick to encourage recovery.

A very old German “spell”, which probably originated in one form or another prior to the widespread success of Christianity in the Middle Ages, saw farmers using nettle to remove maggot infestations from their cows’ hooves.  In Highroad to the Stake: A Tale of Witchcraft, Michael Kunze says the nettle should be picked before sunrise and held between both hands.  The farmer should then recite:

Nettle, nettle, hear forsooth,

Our cow’s got maggots in her hoof,

If you don’t drive the maggots out,

I’ll twist your collar round about!

The nettle stem was then twisted until it broke off and both pieces were tossed over the farmer’s head.  If all steps of this process were repeated three days in a row, the cow would be cured.

Finally, nettle has been used for centuries as a bandage in cases of bleeding.  The leaves should be bruised slightly to allow the juice to flow and then applied to the bloody wound before bandaging to help with clotting.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Cows in a Pasture by Marie Dieterle Van Marcke de Lummen

Lundi: Recipes

Many of us are in the middle of pumpkin carving season, particularly here in the U.S.  With Halloween a week away and Thanksgiving only three weeks thereafter, a lot of pumpkins are on the chopping block.  Along with that, a lot of innocent seeds will go to waste.  And what ever for when it is so easy to roast those little devils and have a healthy, hearty snack around until the next holiday looms large?

The easiest recipe I’ve ever found for roasting pumpkin seeds comes from Silver RavenWolf’s book Halloween.  The secret to this one is quickly boiling the seeds before putting them in the oven.  It also adds a nice magickal touch in the simple but tasty ingredients.

Seeds from one pumpkin

½ cup (or to taste) sea or kosher salt (for protection)

2 tbsps olive oil (for health)

2 tbsps dried rosemary (for prosperity)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse the pumpkin seeds and boil in water until they turn gray-ish and begin to sink to the bottom of the pot. 

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil.  In a bowl, combine the oil, salt and rosemary.

When the seeds are ready, drain them in a colander and pat them dry.  Put them in the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well to coat the seeds.  Pour them onto the baking sheet and spread evenly into a single layer.  Pop them in the oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes.  I like mine dark and crunchy, so I usually extend that baking time by about 10 minutes.  Bon appetite ~

Header: Still Life with Pumpkin by Anna Bain

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Marigolds, though generally not thought of as an herb, are treated as such in many magickal disciplines.  They are used for protection, to increase psychic power and prophetic dreams, to bring favorable outcomes in legal matters and, particularly in hoodoo, for gambling luck.  This last application is probably a result of the like-makes-like process as the round, golden flowers resemble gold coins.

Marigolds are harvested for protection in Wicca and Pow-Wow.  The flowers are strung together on thread as garlands and hung over the front door of a home to ward off evil and ill intent.  According to Scott Cunningham, prophetic dreams are encouraged by scattering marigold petals under your bed.  He also recommends adding the petals to your bath water to make yourself more respected and admired by the people you meet.

Silver Ravenwolf recommends using marigolds to detect a cheating spouse.  Put a marigold flower in church before your husband or wife enters.  If they are being unfaithful to you, they will not be able to find their way out of the house of worship once the service or mass is over.  If something has been stolen from you, she also advises putting marigold and sunflower petals in a conjure bag and sleeping with it under your pillow.  Your dreams will reveal the identity of the thief.

A similar working in hoodoo is to fill a green mojo bag with gold and yellow marigold flowers.  Put this under your pillow and you will dream of winning lottery numbers and racing animals’ names.

To be at their most powerful, marigold flowers should be harvested on a warm day in the month of August and at noon.

Finally, and perhaps most curiously of all, an old Druid teaching said that if a girl walked over marigold petals barefoot before her first menstruation she would be able to attract unicorns and understand birdsong.  I can’t vouch for that one, but it is poetic nonetheless.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Young Woman with a Unicorn by Raphael

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

The humble plantain, that plant with the big leaves and dark-brown-husked, banana-like fruit, is quite popular in a number of magickal disciplines.  Some of which, perhaps, are simply less well known than others.

It probably goes without saying that plantain is used in Santeria and Voudon.  Both Cuban and Haitian cuisines use the fruit, so making use of all parts of the plant in magickal and spiritual workings is no at all surprising.  Plantains are also utilized in Wicca, American hoodoo and another less well known American magickal system called Pow-Wow. 

All three disciplines agree that plantain can be used to ward off snakes; carrying plantain root as a pocket piece is the most common recommendation.  Some root workers place dried plantain leaves in a blue flannel bag in their car to prevent it being stolen.  Plantain leaves used as decoration in the home are also said to deter thieves.

Wiccans use the leaves to ease headaches.  Scott Cunningham recommends tying them to the afflicted person’s head with red yarn.  He also mentions placing them beneath the feet to relieve weariness.

Similar uses for plantain can be found in the Pennsylvania Dutch faith healing system known as Pow-Wow.  In her comprehensive 1995 book on the subject, American Folk Magick, Silver RavenWolf notes that the leaves can be used to “… rid oneself of headaches or weariness…”  She also recommends placing a poultice of crushed plantain on the skin for ten minutes to alleviate the pain and swelling of bee stings.

Since, as hoodoo expert Catherine Yronwode notes at her Lucky Mojo Curio Co. website, Pow-Wow practice has greatly influenced hoodoo, it is not surprising to see similar uses for this and many other herbs in both disciplines.  If you would like to know more about Pow-Wow, I cannot recommend Ms. RavenWolf’s book enough.  It is available directly from Llewellyn Publications and at Amazon.  Bonne chance ~

Header:  A postcard from Pennsylvania Dutch country; Berks County Pennsylvania

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I’m feeling some folks getting that “desperate for a date” kind of antsiness. It’s a little sad that we allow a Hallmark holiday to put so much pressure on us. To that end, however, and perhaps to ease some of that pressure I thought I’d focus a little bit on finding love here at HQ as the 14th approaches. Knowledge is power after all. So today let’s talk about sugar.

Sugar and other sweeteners, like cane syrup and honey, are used in hoodoo for love and “sweetening” workings. Sugar in particular is consider a love “herb” in old hoodoo and was used around Valentine’s Day to help affection along. A lady or gentleman who fancied someone would give them (or send them) a Valentine card just as anyone might but, before sealing the envelope, the potential lover would sprinkle sugar into it to sweeten the recipient’s attitude toward them. Some root workers say this only works if you add a pinch of graveyard dust as well. Seems like the sugar is plenty but, in this day and age of anthrax and what not, I might recommend something a little less suspicious looking particularly if you’re using the mail. Ladies, try pink glitter; gentlemen, go with red glitter. Just add a little focus and intention as you sprinkle it into the envelope and if you can find the kind with hearts and cupids, so much the better.

Sugar and cinnamon are often mixed to attract money and enhance confidence. Put a pinch in your business’ cash register or, to feel surer of yourself on a big day, eat a piece of cinnamon toast with butter and the sugar/cinnamon mix sprinkled on it.

Want to fool around without your significant other freaking out? Well, shame on you. That said, some root workers say that if you fill a red flannel bag with a broken pin, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of chewing tobacco and one of your spouse’s pubic hairs then carry this mojo next to your skin, your adulterous affair will be free of spousal complaints even if they catch you in the act. But seriously, think twice about this will you? No one needs that kind of bad karma.

Hoping a lost love will return to you? Chew on a piece of sugar cane nine mornings in a row while thinking of your lover. After you run into them, bury the piece of cane in your yard or in a house plant to keep them close from then on.

In Wicca and Druid practice, sugar is used for protection and cleansing, just as salt might be. As Silver RavenWolf points out, however, sprinkling sugar in the corners of rooms is a tempting attraction for pests. Better to stick with salt for that kind of working. Bon chance ~

Header: The Proposal by John Pettie

Jeudi: Root Work

Workings don’t have to be complicated. Simply repeating an affirmation – much like a mantra in meditation – can bring tremendous benefits by getting your subconscious mind on board with where your conscious mind wants things to go. You are not so much what you eat, but what you believe you are.

That’s why I love author Silver RavenWolf’s “quickies”. These are scattered throughout her little books on spells for love, prosperity and protection. They give you a an idea for an affirmation, sometimes combined with a task, that you can repeat every time you arrive at one of life’s usually mundane situations like cooking a meal or looking in a mirror.

Here are a few that I like to use not only for myself but to impart to my children as well. These are specific to self-esteem and they all have a motherly quality about them that makes them not only easy but comforting. Try any or all. I think you’ll be pleased with the results:

Every time you look in a mirror, say three good things about yourself.

Each evening, think of one amazing thing that you did that day. Drop a coin in an old jar. When the jar is filled, wrap the coins and give the money to charity.

When you have accomplished something, share the limelight.

Say something nice to a stranger, and say two nice things to someone you know every day.

Each morning or evening, light a candle to signify the joy of life and the availability of universal love.

Remember your manners and your rewards will be doubled.

Simple but powerful, as the best work always is. Silver would be proud, and so would your Mom.

(Silver’s Spells for LOVE is published by Llewellyn and is available at local bookstores and Llewellyn’s website)

Header: A Young Witch from a Medieval manuscript

Lundi: Recipes

I'm not much for baking. I love to cook but baking involves measuring and then that turns into, as Dan Connor put it on the old “Roseanne” show, “… some kind of recipe!” I will, however make this cake quite happily despite the fact that it’s all I can do to make a box brownie mix work.

Known as the Green Man Cake, the original recipe comes from Silver Ravenwolf’s book Halloween. The book is great, and jam packed with handy facts, crafts, spells and, yes, recipes for our current season and beyond. It’s still in print from Llewelynn and I can’t recommend it enough.

So here is my take on Silver’s Green Man Cake which is great as a sheet or layer cake or, in the current case here at my house, as cupcakes (in pirate cups with paper Jolly Rogers hoisted above the frosting).

3 ounces chocolate chips
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt chocolate chips either in a ban Marie or in the microwave (approximately 1 minute on high). Allow to cool but not to solidify. Put softened butter, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and mix (by hand or with a mixer) until fluffy. Add vanilla and chocolate. Mix for another minute or so until batter is well blended. Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to batter alternately with sour cream and mix thoroughly. Add boiling water and mix again. The batter will be runny.

Spray the bottoms of two 9 inch round baking pans with cooking spray. Flour lightly. Pour batter into pans and bake about 35 minutes. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes before removing.

If you like you can add a tsp of green food coloring with the vanilla, thus creating the “Green Man” part of your cake. Great for this time of year when the ancestors might appreciate an offering of cake or for spring, when the Green Man returns. Jouir de ~