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

One of the highest hurdles I have had to surmount in my life so far was infertility.  Unfortunately, we needed a lot of help to get to the goal of sharing our lives with a couple of young ‘ins.  Of course this made Mothers’ Day a torturous hell that I was required to grin and bare. 

Should you find yourself in a similar situation, I empathize.  There are lots of options in this day and age and the universe can help you find the right one.  While you’re at it, why not encourage the process with a little magick?  It couldn’t hurt, and it just might help.

The botanica is full of helpful herbs that are considered perfect for promoting fertility.  For women, one of the most highly recommended is seeds.  The like-makes-like nature of this type of magick makes perfect sense, especially when you consider that many prehistoric peoples believed that a woman could become pregnant by swallowing a small living thing, a flower stamen or a handful of seeds.

In Wicca, carrot seeds are particularly popular for this kind of work.  Scott Cunningham recommends them for fertility and also the vegetables themselves to boost male virility.  This gives the carrot a definite one/two punch in the quest for parenthood.

Figs are also said to be an aid to fertility.  They are an excellent fruit for partners to share, regardless of gender, to promote conception.  Wooden amulets carved from fig wood, particularly if they have a suggestive, phallic shape, have long been warn by women in and around the Mediterranean to encourage fertility.

Sunflower seeds are one of the most popular herbs for fertility, recommended in Wicca and Pow-Wow as well as by Druids and root workers.  Eat up, but try to stick to the low sodium kind if you can.

In hoodoo, the pine tree is considered an aid to conception.  Perfectly shaped and unopened pine cones are collected and carried home.  They are generally placed in a room where the family most often gathers, such as the kitchen, and empowered to draw fertility as well as good health.  When the cone begins to open, plant it in your yard or near your home while continuing to focus on your goal of parenthood. 

Root workers also recommend that women carry Queen’s root for fertility.  This is the root of the plant known as stillengia or yaw root and should not be confused with Queen Elizabeth root.  This plant was also a favorite with old wives, who recommended placing one or two of its gray-silver leaves under the mattress to promote conception.  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Bath by Charles W. Hawthorne via American Gallery

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

With the sparkling season of autumn foreseeable on the horizon, my thoughts sometimes turn to wine country.  I’m a proud follower of Dionysus, and I have no qualms about proclaiming my love for vineyards heavy with grapes of all varieties.  The grape, both wild and tame, fruit and vine, is used not only in the magic of making one of the world’s favorite beverages but in the working of magick as well.

Because abundant harvests are a sign of prosperity, grapes are often used in money drawing work by Wiccans and Druids.  Green grapes in particular are popular in the U.S. for these kinds of spells and Scott Cunningham recommends laying them on your altar during prosperity work.

Grapes have been considered a fertility symbol since Roman times.  Painting grape vines bent with bunches of grapes on garden walls was thought to improve the output of any garden, even if it did not contain grapes proper.  By this logic, eating grapes is also thought to improve human fertility as well as – perhaps almost counter-intuitively – strengthening intelligence.

In hoodoo, the vines of wild grapes in particular are used for bonding people by tying the plant together.  They can also be used to break jinxes.  An early 20^th century prescription for catching an unfaithful spouse advises a man or woman to walk into the wilderness and find a healthy grape plant.  Two vines should be selected and held in the hands before naming each aloud; one for the cheating spouse and the other for their supposed lover.  A piece of brown paper should then be marked with the same names using a pencil; one name should be written over the other to form a cross.  Then the worker should urinate on the paper, pull the two vines together and unite them using the name paper like tape.  They should then tie the paper to the vines with a personal item that they have worn such as a stocking, a drawstring or a shoelace.  They should then go straight home without looking back at the grape vines.  If their suspicions are accurate, they will find the illicit affair in progress when they get home.  No further instructions are usually given.

While some pagan groups do not encourage drinking, others adhere to the time honored belief in communication with the divine through the ecstasy of intoxication.  In such cases wine, the fermented juice of the grape, is often the drink of choice.  Bonne chance ~

Header: A Dedication to Bacchus by Lawrence Alma-Tadema c 1889

Mardi: Herbal-Wise

Root vegetables don’t generally pop up much in the kind of spell work you find in modern books.  The “witchcraft” section at Barnes & Noble is jammed with tomes that will happily tell you to run around trying to find dragon’s blood and eggs from black hens but none of them seem inclined to recommend ingredients you can easily get at the farmer’s market.  Or in your own back yard.  It’s a shame, really, because some of the best ingredients actually are the easiest to come by.

Carrots are a fine example of my point.  They’re easy to grow (even here in the frozen north my daughter always gets a nice crop of orange and purple minis) or, if you’re not much of a gardener, easy to buy.  You don’t have to do much to them besides pealing them with intention to make your working successful, and they’re tasty and healthy. 

These fabulous root vegetables are best used in lust/love and fertility spells.  The ancient thought process of “like makes like” has made the carrot ideal for helping men recover from or avoid impotence.  Just eat them and feel virile.  Really, it’s that simple.

Women or men can feed carrots to a man to insight his lust.  Salads, particularly those made with endive, are a wonderful way to work this kind of magick.  Use creamy dressing rather than vinaigrette, however; too much vinegar will have the opposite effect and turn your man off.  Cole slaw is probably the hands down best salad for this kind of work as cabbage is said to create luck and faithfulness in love and the traditional dressing is mayonnaise based. 

Finally, wise women and old wives in European traditions would recommend eating carrot seeds for a woman wishing to conceive.  You can eat them individually (in odd numbered groups) or bake them into – what else – carrot cake.  Here a word of caution, however: pregnant women should not ingest carrot seeds so I like the more modern approach which is drinking carrot juice daily.  Better safe than sorry.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Turnips and Carrots, ho! by Thomas Gaugain

Mercredi: The Art of Beauty

Once upon a time “fertility” was the “f” word at my house.  Because of various issues no one wants to hear about, money was spent and painful medical procedures were performed.  Bottom line: two wonderful girls. 

But lots of folks, particularly at this time of year, are taking those first tentative steps toward trying to start a family.  I know a few, as a matter of fact, and my first advice is always the same.  Why not take a chance on an easy working that will not only give your fertility a little boost but also make your hair baby soft and runway model shiny.  Seriously, why not?

The secret is eggs, those familiar fertility symbols handed down to the Christian Easter by the Teutonic Ostara.  This recipe makes a single hair mask for medium length hair.  If you have short, longer or very thick hair, adjust the amounts accordingly.

3 eggs

¼ cup mayonnaise (the real thing; not “sandwich spread” or “salad dressing”)

Whip the eggs until light and frothy with a whisk or an electric mixer.  Fold in the mayonnaise and hit this mixture again with your chosen gadget until thoroughly combined.  While you do this, concentrate on your chosen goal – fertility, pregnancy or a safe delivery.  You can also use this mixture as an attraction working since lovely hair is appealing to both sexes.

Wash your hair and dry it with a towel.  Then work the egg and mayo mixture through your hair, concentrating on the ends of longer hair, and leave it in for about five minutes.  You will need to wash your hair a second and possibly even a third time to get the mayo out; it is unfortunately stubborn.  A rinse with apple cider vinegar will boost shine and body, particularly if you let your hair dry afterward.

It’s a simple but potent piece of work and can be repeated about once a month.  Beautiful hair, a helping had to fertility and a little boost in personal confidence.  Why not?  A votre santé ~

Header: Cascading Hair by Malcolm Liepke

Jeudi: Great Sprirts

With all the troublesome weather making things at least uncomfortable for many parts of my country, it’s probably hard for a lot of people to believe that February 2nd, Wednesday last, was the Celtic first day of spring. The day was known as Imolc or Imbolc and, despite the snow on the ground, the Celts recognized spring in the lambing of their sheep and the crocuses and irises that poked up through the white blanket at their feet.

With spring came the return of the spirit known as the Green Man. This male nature spirit was essentially the son of Earth and was thought to be present in every form of plant life. Given that many of the later Celts lived in areas where the thick forests were prevalent even into the late Medieval period – Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Northern France – this is not surprising.

Some writers place the Green Man’s origin firmly at the doorstep of agriculture. In this he is related to the later John Barleycorn who represents the life-death-life cycle of the harvest, particularly in the case of grains. Others see an ancient spirit, perhaps Neolithic in origin, that is the ancestor of Jack-in-the-Green. Jack was the spirit of the wild wood and could be either friendly or hostile depending on how he was approached.

The Green Man is probably the ancestor of both of these figures. He is the essence of all things that grow as is made obvious by representations of him throughout Europe. Generally the Green Man is shown as a face with leaves, twigs and vines growing over his skin so that only his eyes and lips can be seen. Even his hair appears made of foliage and sometimes stalks grow forth from his mouth. These images can still be seen in churches and on other buildings. An example is the Green Man sculpture at the header carved during the Roman period at Bath, England.

Clearly, the Green Man is a fertility symbol but he is not concerned directly with animals or humans. His purview is the biological life of plants down to the cellular level. That his plants feed the creatures around them is virtually of no consequence to the Green Man. He is verdant growth without conscience or concern. Just as wheat grows neatly in rows to be harvested, moss and molds grow unhindered over what is dead and rotten. The Green Man does not distinguish one as good or one as bad; they are all part of the urge to live, reproduce, die and be reborn.

It follows, then, that the Green Man’s descendants – his sons if you will – have each chosen a different path. John Barleycorn resides in those neat fields of grain, feeding the farmers who settled down to reap and sow. Jack-in-the-Green still lives wild where the moss grows on the northern faces of his beloved trees. Humans can find shelter in his realm, but only a certain type of humans. In the later Middle Ages, Jack-in-the-Green became closely associated with Robin Hood which hints at the kind of company Jack prefers to keep. The wilder outlaw, albeit with good intentions, is more to Jack’s taste than the diligent farmer.

The Green Man is still celebrated today, and not just by pagans. As an example, I offer you “The Green Man”, a song from the band Type O Negative’s album October Rust. There is not video for the song but this YouTube clip does a nice job with the rich, melodic sound. Here the Green Man, who is the narrator, takes on the guise of the May King courting the May Queen whom he worships and praises as “her highness”. A decidedly pagan sentiment coming from a Catholic from Brooklyn; RIP, Peter Steele.