The Grimoire Day 12

Today, an actual short post to share with you the on bit of fancy witchy material I still use - signature ingredient of one of the people who taught me witching at college (and is reading these *waves - also doesn't use your name in case you don't want your -at least comparatively- professionally motivate LJ to be linked with witchiness ) that always finds its way into my work, too.

Usually, when I'm using herbs, I'll go look for something that seems right for the purpose, out in the world.  Living with a horticulturist in training means I kind of am, too, so I'm actually kind of excited to use more local weeds and leaves for witching, but one thing that I will probably use until the day they my toes curl up under some farm house is dragon's blood.

When asked - this is tradition - what it is, you're obligated to simply restate its name.  When asked how you get it - this is also tradition - the answer is "First you have to find a dragon and then ask it very politely to bleed so you don't have to."

Actually it's a plant resin, coming from a number of different plants.  A pretty big number, most of them from islands off the coast of Africa.  Knowing what plant it came from is sort of important if you want to do anything medicinal with it (which I don't recommend, especially not with this stuff - and, actually, I don't recommend it in general with any herbal thing [or at least the ones more exciting than say what shows up in herbal teas] until you do some research - some of them do have science behind them and some are utter bunk.)

Anyway, dragon's blood.  Just about any witchy store will have it, could order it (I like to give them business) and, of course, you can get it on the internets. 

So what do I use it for?  Anything I don't mind staining rusty red in at least one place.  Whatever I do or make, if I look at it and decide "not big enough" I break out the dragon's blood. 

I mean, technically, you don't *need* it for anything - though on its own wikipedia says it's "used to increase the potency of spells for protection, love, banishing and sexuality" - frankly, half of everything you're likely to do with magic.  If you know some Hoodoo, I guess it's good for raising up power and drawing good stuff to you, also making sigils, all of which we're going to talk about sometime. 

Generally speaking, if you're doing at thing, and you want it to be moar thing, and you don't need to be subtle or gentle, that's when I use it.