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April 23 - May 10, 2023
The fresh leaves can be decocted to make an external wash for sores and acne, and a poultice of the leaves can be applied to poison oak or poison ivy.
Like Burdock, Dandelion is a deeply rooted plant that is in close contact with the Underworld Spirits of the Fairies, the ancestors, and the dead.
The roots are sacred to Hecate because she fed them to Theseus for thirty days, giving him the strength to defeat the Minotaur in the Cretan labyrinth.
You can use the roots in spells to contact the Underworld Spirits. Cut up a root and make a necklace of the dried sections to wear when working with Underwo...
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To develop your psychic abilities, place the flowers in a sachet and let it soak in the bathtub. Float some petals on the water before you climb in and immerse yourself in the waters.15
You can also use the Maidenhair Fern to divine the likelihood of marriage.
Royal Fern is sacred to Thor. Use it to place magical protection on your possessions and to keep you safe while traveling. It is also protective of the home and family during times of war and other disasters.35
Ferns at Beltaine Place Ferns on the altar, doorsteps, windowsills, and on holy wells. Use a bunch of ferns to ritually sweep out the house. Watch a stand of Ferns on May Day eve and night. If they part, it’s a sign that the Fairies are leaving the house.
“Bawming (anointing) the Thorn” is an old ritual in which a Hawthorn tree is decorated with red and white ribbons and children dance around it. On
Plant a ring of flowers and crystals around an old Oak to delight the Fairies.
Primroses are sacred to the Goddess Freya and are especially well-suited to priestesses. Place them on the altar in spring and wear them in a crown to enhance your contact with the Goddesses and do healing magic. Soak in a bath of Primrose petals to enhance your personal magnetism and attract a new lover.
Thyme is incorporated with Marigold (Calendula officinalis) and other herbs into an oil that can be rubbed onto the eyelids and forehead.
You can plant Thyme near the home to attract money.
Carrying Thyme with you will attract admiration and praise, increase your vitality, and lift your spirits.
Thyme is an herb of strength, happiness, and courage,
Plant Yarrow and other blooming trees and flowers in the garden to please the Fairies and the bees.
Holding a Yarrow leaf to your eyelids can help you develop second sight.61
In Irish lore Yarrow was called the Herb of Seven Cures and was a key remedy of Fairy doctors to ward off Fairy stroke or the evil eye.
In Scottish magical lore Yarrow is used to divine your future spouse.
Here is a traditional Scottish love charm from the Carmina Gadelica that makes the person reciting it more attractive and also protects them from the pains of love. Sing it as you pick the plant or make a tea from it. I WILL pluck the yarrow fair, That more benign shall be my face, That more warm shall be my lips, That more chaste shall be my speech, Be my speech the beams of the sun, Be my lips the sap of the strawberry. May I be an isle in the sea, May I be a hill on the shore, May I be a star in waning of the moon, May I be a staff to the weak, Wound can I every man, Wound can no man me.62
Yarrow has numerous healing applications, but perhaps its most effective quality is its ability to stop bleeding.
the Ash has been associated with magic, divination, and secret knowledge.
the Cherry tree also has the capacity to heal many ailments. The inner bark acts as a sedative to the nerves of the respiratory tract, which is why it is added to cough remedies, and tea made from the inner bark has been used for diarrhea. To
Chickweed’s special magic is the strengthening of relationships and of love,
Pick Chickweed with the dew still on it, and eat it to increase your beauty.
With its tiny flowers that look like little stars, Chickweed is an herb of the moon. Use it when doing a magical working under the moon,
Kitchen Witches can use the magic of Chickweed in dishes to inspire and strengthen love.
Chickweed has a number of medicinal uses. Taken internally, a tea made from the herb helps rheumatic stiffness and joint pain, cools fevers, and acts as an expectorant for lung conditions and allergies.
To calm anxiety and nervous complaints and to relieve insomnia, add the tea to your bathwater or wash with it, then apply a warm fomentation of the herb to your neck and shoulders. To make the tea: Steep 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried herb per ½ cup of water.
Wash your face and hands in dew-soaked Chickweed on May Day morning before the sun rises. Gather Chickweed at dawn on May Day morning and eat it with the dew still on it to enhance your beauty. Harvest it under the full moon of May and wear it as an amulet to attract a faithful lover.
Sleep with Fern leaves under your pillow, and you will dream of the future; sleep with fern roots under your pillow, and you will find solutions to your problems within your dream.
Place the flowers under your pillow to strengthen prophetic dreams and to make your dreams manifest. Make a strong tea of Pot Marigold and add it and some of the flowers to your bathwater to strengthen your will and Spirit with all the power of the sun.14
Marsh Marigold is used to attract money and wealth by sympathetic magic. Place an offering of Marsh Marigold flowers (or other yellow flowers), honey, oranges, and yellow butter under an old tree and ask the tree Spirit to help enlarge your fortune.
In ancient Greek lore Mushrooms were sacred to Dionysus and Pan and were said to be food for centaurs, satyrs, and maenads. They were eaten during the rituals of the Orphic Mysteries.
Yarrow is used for divination spells and oracles.
Gather nine stalks of Yarrow after sunset on May Eve, Midsummer’s Eve, or at Samhain (Halloween) and recite the following verse: Good morrow, good morrow, fair yarrow; And thrice good morrow to thee; Come tell me before tomorrow Who my true love shall be? The clothes that s/he wears, and the name that s/he bears, And the day that s/he’ll come to wed me.
Another way Yarrow can be used to divine your future mate is to place it in a sachet under your pillow. When you go to sleep you will dream of your soon-to-be love. But you must not speak one word between picking the plant and going to sleep.
Make a wand of Ash or carry its wood to surround yourself with a shield of strength and courage.
Birch is a traditional wood for the Witch’s besom, Beltaine fires, Maypoles, and yule logs. It is a tree that offers psychic protection, and when Birch is the guardian, the wanderer is said to be shielded from madness and Fairy mischief.
Magically, the leaves are used in spells and rites involving animals.4 Boxwood incense is used to purify the home and herds.Hang a wreath of Boxwood, Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), and Rowan, bound with Ivy, on the gatepost or door to keep evil Spirits at bay. You can also hang it in the home, but be sure to keep it away from cats and dogs as they might get sick from consuming it.
Boxwood at Beltaine Burn Boxwood alone or in combination with Juniper or Rosemary and use the smoke to purify the home and herds.
Hang Elder boughs on the door or from gateposts or place it along the windowsills to repel psychic attack and make an equal-armed, solar cross with Elder twigs and red thread to protect the house and barn from chaotic wandering Spirits.
Personally, you can wear a sprig of Elder as protection from magical harm and keep a crooked piece of Elder wood in your pocket to ward off rheumatic pains.
Slippery Elm has a soothing nature when used medicinally, and the same quality applies to its magic: sprinkling it in a room, carrying it in a spirit bag, or using it in a wash or bath can block slander, gossip, jealousy, and lies directed against you. Carry a bit in your pocket to rid yourself of false friends and anyone trying to destroy or harm your love life.
Garlic is sacred to Hecate,
Traditional herbalists in Scotland mixed mashed Garlic with Foxglove leaves (Digitalis purpurea) and butter to make a poultice for “bad knees.” The same poultice was applied to the neck to treat diphtheria.8
Garlic is known to kill more than two hundred strains of bacteria and viruses.
For sinus infections try making a Garlic drink by blending vegetable juice, a few cloves of raw Garlic, grated Horseradish, a pinch or two of Cayenne Pepper, and the juice of half a lemon. Or blend Garlic with good-quality local raw honey and lemon juice and then strain to make a natural cough syrup for bronchitis and other lung conditions.
Garlic at Beltaine Place Garlic at a crossroad to honor Hecate. Hang it over the door or place it on a windowsill to keep mischievous Spirits from entering.
Ivy can also be used for divination. On Beltaine Eve in Scotland three leaves were pinned to a night shirt or gown so one could dream of a future lover. To divine your future for an upcoming year, place an Ivy leaf into a bowl of water on New Year’s Eve and leave it there until Twelfth Night. If it is still green it means that the new year will be happy. If there are black spots on the leaf it foretells sickness in the feet or legs. If there are spots at the pointed end it indicates stomach troubles. Spots in the center of the leaf mean problems in the head, and spots near the stem mean
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