Yearly Archives: 2018

What follows is a dry and lengthy discussion about peppercorns as legal tender. I included it here at the Magickal Apothecary because it interested me and because I think the concept can be used in magick as well.

Consider this – you want to do magick, and you’d like to invoke the aid of a deity, an elemental spirit, or some magickal entity but you are unsure as to how to “seal the deal.” In a court of law, a “legal” contract, in order to be binding,  requires that both sides provide consideration, and I think that in magick this could be true as well.

So, my thought is, that a peppercorn might be offered up when food, or other offerings are inappropriate or inadvisable. A tiny little peppercorn could be left anywhere! I think peppercorns could also be used in binding spells and rituals, as well as other types of magickal agreements.

The Dry and Lengthy Discussion from Wikipedia:

A peppercorn in legal parlance is a metaphor for a very small payment, a nominal consideration, used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract. “A peppercorn does not cease to be good consideration if it is established that the promisee does not like pepper and will throw away the corn.” Somervell LJ in Chappell v Nestlé [1960] .

In English law, and other countries with similar common law systems, a legal contract requires that both sides provide consideration. In other words, if an agreement does not specify that each party will give something of value to the other party, then it is not considered a binding contract, and cannot be enforced in court. This requirement does not exist in contracts with civil law systems.

However, courts will not generally inquire into the adequacy or relative value of the consideration provided by each party. So, if a contract calls for one party to give up something of great value, while the other party gives up something of much lesser value, then it will generally still be considered a valid contract, even though the exchange of value greatly favors one side. Courts, however, will reject “consideration” that was not truly bargained for.

For example in the American case Fischer v. Union Trust Co., the Michigan court held that one dollar paid in exchange for the sale of real property did not constitute valuable consideration since the transaction was not bargained for. The dollar is considered nominal consideration, not because the dollar was too small an amount, but because it did not induce the seller to part with the property. Such promises that are motivated by love and affection are insufficient to constitute consideration.

So, in order for an essentially one-sided contract to still be valid and binding, the contract will generally be written so that one side gives up something of value, while the other side gives a token sum such as one pound, one dollar, or—literally—one peppercorn.

Peppercorn payments are sometimes used when a struggling company is sold. A failing company’s net worth may actually be negative, since its liabilities may exceed its assets. So if some other party agrees to take over the company and assume its liabilities as well as its assets, the seller may actually agree to make a large payment to the buyer. But the buyer must still make some payment for the company—even if that payment is only one dollar or one pound—in order to establish that both sides have given consideration.

A peppercorn is also used in more balanced contracts, where one side wishes to conceal the nature of their payment. For example, since real estate contracts are generally matters of public record, the purchaser of a house may not wish to list the exact amount of the payment on the contract. But there must be some specific payment listed in the contract, or the contract will be considered void for lack of consideration. So the contract may be written to reflect that the house is being sold in return for “ten dollars and other good and valuable consideration”. The ten dollars is the “peppercorn” that provides concrete consideration and ensures that the contract is valid, while the actual amount paid for the house is hidden and referred to only as the “good and valuable consideration”.

Another common example of a peppercorn payment being used in legal contracts is the English practice of peppercorn rent, which refers to a nominal rental sum for property, land or buildings. Where a rental contract is put in place and the owner of the property wishes it to be rent free it is normal to charge, say, one pound sterling as a peppercorn rent. Again, this is because, if the owner wants to lease the property, they must charge some rent so that consideration exists for both parties.

Furthermore, a peppercorn rent is often used as a form of nominal ground rent where a (potentially substantial) premium has also been paid on commencement of a long lease of, say, 99 or 125 years (a “virtual freehold”). The notional collection of the annual peppercorn rent helps to maintain a formal Landlord and Tenant relationship between the two parties, precluding the risk of a claim for adverse possession from the tenant arising, were no consideration to be paid for an extended period.

This is a, by no means complete, listing of plants and herbs that come especially under the dominion of the Moon, or are strongly Lunar. Many of these plants are also deeply associated with other planetary influences as well.

  • AcanthusAcanthus mollis
  • All-Seed Atriplex silvestris
  • Cabbage (all kinds) – Brassicae 
  • Cabbage (Lettuce) – Lactuca sativa
  • Chickweed – Stellaria media
  • CleaversGalium aparine
  • Cuckoo FlowerCardamine pratense
  • Cucumber – Cucumis sativus
  • Daisy – Bellis perennis
  • Duckweed – Lenticula palustris 
  • GaliumGalium aparine
  • Goose GrassGalium aparine
  • Gourd – Cucurbita Pepo
  • HawkweedHieracium pilosella
  • Hyssop – Hyssopus officinalis
  • Iris (Florentine) – Iris florentina 
  • Iris (German) – Iris germanica, dark blue flowers
  • Iris (Pale) – Iris pallida, pale blue flowers
  • Lady’s SmockCardamine pratense 
  • Lettuce (Cabbage) – Lactuca sativa
  • Lily (White) – Lilium album
  • Lime TreeTilia 
  • MoneywortLysimachia nummularia
  • Monk’s PepperAgnus castus
  • MoonwortRuta lunaria
  • Mouse EarHieracium pilosella
  • MyrtleVinca minor
  • NotchweedAtriplex silvestris
  • Nutmeg – Myristica fragrans
  • Orache Atriplex silvestris
  • OrpineSedum telephium
  • PapayaCarica papaya
  • PeriwinkleVinca minor 
  • Poppy (Corn) – Papa ver rhoeas
  • Poppy (Opium) – Papaver somnifrruni
  • Privet – Ligustrum vulgare 
  • Pumpkin – Cucurbita Pepo
  • SaxifrageSaxifraga 
  • Sedum – Telephium vulgare
  • Sharp StonecropSedum acre
  • Speedwell – Veronica officinalis
  • Turmeric – Curcuma longa
  • Wallflower – Cheiranthus cheiri 
  • Wall PepperSedum acre 
  • Water Chestnut – Trapa natans 
  • Watercress – Nasturtium officinale
  • Water Lily – Nymphaea alba
  • Willow (all kinds) – Salices

 

This is a, by no means complete, listing of plants and herbs that come especially under the dominion of the Sun. Many of these plants are also under the dominion of, or are deeply associated with other planets as well.

  • Angelica – Angelica archangelica
  • Angelica (Wild) – Angelica silvestris  
  • AshFraxinus excelsior
  • Bergamot – Citrus bergamium
  • BlueweedFchium valgare
  • Calamus – Calamus aromaticus (Acorus calamus)
  • Chamomile (German) – Matricaria chamomilla
  • Celandine – Chelidonium majus
  • Cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon – Cinnamonum ceylanicum
  • CinquefoilPotentilla reptans
  • Clove Tree – Caryophyllus (Syzygium aromaticum)
  • Dittany – Dictamnus albus 
  • Elecampanemula helenium
  • EyebrightEuphrasia officinalis
  • Five Leaf or Finger GrassPotentilla reptans
  • GentianGentiana lutea
  • GingerZingiber officinale
  • Grape VineVitis vinifrra
  • Ground IvyGlechoma hederacea
  • Juniper – Juniperus communis
  • Laurel – Laurus nobilis
  • Lemon BalmMelissa offtcinalis 
  • Lemon TreeCitrus limonum
  • Lesser CentauryErythrea centaurium (Entaurium umbellatum)
  • Lingwort – Angelica archangelica
  • MarigoldCalendula officinalis 
  • Marshmallow – Althaea officinalis  
  • MistletoeViscum album
  • Mustard (Black and White) – Sinapis nigraalba
  • Olive Tree – Olea europea
  • Orange TreeCitrus aurantium 
  • PassionflowerPassiflora incarnata
  • Peony – Paeonia officinalis
  • Pepper (White and Black) – Piper 
  • PlantainPlantago major
  • RibwortPlantago lanceolata
  • RiceOryza sativa
  • Roman Chamomile – Anthemis nobilis
  • RosemaryRosmarinus officinalis
  • Rue (Common) – Ruta graveolens
  • Saint John’s WortHypericum perforaturn
  • Scarlet Pimpernel (Common)  – Anagallis arvensis  
  • Sundew – Drosera rotundifrlia 
  • Sunflower – Helian thus anuus
  • Viper’s BuglassFchium valgare
  • Walnut Tree – Juglans regia 
  • Wild Strawberry – Fragaria vesca
  • Zedoaria, ZedoaryCurcuma zedoaria

 

  • Angelica:

Angelica was linked sometimes with St. Michael the Archangel and was even called “The Root of the Holy Ghost”. It protects against witchcraft, evil spirits, spells and enchantments.

  • Basil (Sweet):

Basil is believed to have derived its name form the Basilisk, the fabulous dragon-like creature that was deadly to anyone who looked at it. This may have spawned the old belief that Basil begot scorpions.

  • Betony (Wood):

Betony, the original herb of Magic and medicine discovered by Chiron the Centaur. Cured against ‘elf sickness’. Believed that animals seek it out when ill. Old lore says that if two snakes are put into a ring of Betony, they will fight to the death. Considered magically  powerful against evil spirits.

  • Bistort:

The word bistort means ‘twice twisted’. The twisted root resembles a snake. English names include snakeweed and adderwort. Regarded as a cure for snake bites. Lore also says that this herb can help a woman conceive a child.

  • Blackberry:

Blackberry was considered to be a holy plant. In the Highlands, they’re called Blessed Brambles. If twined into a wreath with rowan and ivy, will keep away evil spirits. Brambles or alternatively osieres, would be plaited around a grave to keep a ghost from rising. Believed that Christ used a bramble to drive the money changers out of the temple and to spur his donkey onto Jerusalem. Thought to cure various ailments if the sick would walk under an archway of bramble rooted at each end.

  • Broom:

A piece of broom is worn in a cap because its ancient reputation as a plant both useful to witches and against them. Was also used as a magic sleep enhancer and as a power in love spells.

  • Byrony (White):

White Byrony is used in place of European Mandrake root. Helped in fertility spells for barren women. Also called Womandrake and related to the Yam family. In France was called “Herb of Beaten Wives” because the berry juice resembles the black and blue marks of beatings.

  • Centaury:

Discovered by Chiron the Centaur. Centaury was used to cure fevers. Was considered to be another powerful herb against Witchcraft and Magic.

  • Chicory:

Chicory was believed to be a cure for failing sight and poor eyes because its flowers only open during sunlight. If gathered by a special ritual, it was believed to make one invisible and also open locked doors and chests. To do so, one must cut the plant with a gold blade on St. Jame’s Day, July 25.

  • Cinquefoil (Potentilla):

Cinquefoil meant “small and powerful”. Hung in doorways to keep out evil spirits. A main ingredient in Witch potions and ointments.

  • Devil’s Bit (Scabious):

Old lore says that the Devil bit it for envy because the herb had so many good virtues and was so good for mankind. In Cornwall England, was referred to as Devil’s Button and to pick the plant one was sure to receive a nocturnal visit from the Devil.

  • Dill:

Dill was known as an anti-witch plant. Was used to lull people into stupors and thus mothers used it on their babies to keep them sleepy. Used in and against spells.

  • Eyebright:

St. Michael used it along with rue and three drops from the Well of Life to anoint his hurt eyes after his battle with the Devil and the latter’s fall.

  • Fennel:

Fennel has genuine wind-expelling properties. Used to keep evil spirits away especially on Midsummer’s Eve when it would be hung with St. John’s Wort over doorways. Keyholes blocked with fennel would keep out ghosts. Was also believed to confer longevity and improve strength and courage.

  • Foxglove:

Foxglove was associated with fairies and elves as they gave gloves to the fox so he could raid the chickens and escape harm. Said that if the fairies wore these ‘gloves’ they could do anything. Was believed to be dangerous to cut foxglove but once you’d done so and lived it was a good defense against the little people.

In Wales it’s juice was rubbed into a floor in the shape of a cross to protect the home from the fey folk. It could also be used to kill a changeling child. Also believed that the souls of the dead inhabited the flowers thus the alternate names of ‘bells’, ‘thimbles’ or ‘deadman’s fingers’.

  • Mugwort:

Known alternatively as St. John’s Herb and Mugwort was considered to be the “Mother of Al Herbs.” Some believed that St. John the Baptist wore a girdle of Mugwort in the forest where he lived. Was cured in the Midsummer bonfires and hung up over doorways to keep evil at bay. Also used to keep travelers from getting too weary.

  • Orchid:

Orchid, another name for Satyrion root which was believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Men and women ate the tubers as sexual stimulants and in the hopes of defining what sex a newborn would take.

  • Parsley:

Parsley was not originally considered an herb but rather in connections with both ‘noble’ and ‘funeral’. The Greeks strewn it on graves. It was used on food plates as a garnish as an antidote to poison and thus put on a plate was considered a token of trust. It was also thought if a man ate some of the seeds prior to drinking he’d be able to drink more and still retain his faculties.

  • Peony:

The Peony was regarded as having a divine origin. Sacred to Peon, physician to the Gods. Would protect from evil spirits and storms and would in particular protect shepherds and their flocks, farmers and their crops. Was considered as dangerous as Mandrake to dig up and thus the same kinds of protections must be used. It was also believed to be highly dangerous to dig up if a woodpecker was nearby as the gatherer of the herb would lose his sight.

  • Plantain:

Plantain was known as ‘healing herb’ in Scotland and Ireland. Was considered a very powerful plant since it could stand back up against the boot heel or chariot wheel crushing it down. Due to this belief, it was used to treat wounds and bruises.

  • Rosemary:

Rosemary was dropped into coffins as a way of letting the dead know that you’d not forget them. Also very protective against physical injury and thunder and or lightning. Could renew youth and help ‘special’ enterprises to grow and succeed.

  • Sage:

Sage has an ancient reputation as a healing plant and thought to confer long life. Tradition says that if the plant lives or dies so will a business owner’s livelihood thrive or fail.

  • Solomon’s Seal:

Solomon’s Seas is said to bear a symbol on its roots, the two interwoven triangles which make up the hexagram, will scare off evil spirits! The white flowers were used in love potions and the plant was used to help ‘knit bones’ together.

  • Tarragon:

Also known as Little Dragon, Tarragon is reputed to have sprung up where the banished serpent from the Garden of Eden brushed up over the ground along with Mugwort and Wormwood. Since Dragons were both terrifying and protective, it was believed to cure snake-bite.

  • Viper’s Bugloss:

The seeds of this herb resemble a viper’s head and thus thought to be another cure against snake bite.

  • Yarrow:

Yarrow, also known as Bloodwort is noted for its wound healing powers and was regarded as another herb dedicated to the Devil.

 

Collected from various sources

  • Acacia:

Symbolizes purity, air, and used in initiations, psychic workings, and protection. Also viewed as a Mother tree, the gum from it symbolizing menstrual blood. Tree of the wiccan goddess Neith, Osirus, Astarte, Ishtar, and Diana. Alder: Sacred to the god Bran. Represents resurrection, rebirth, and fire.

  • Apple:

Used in love Magic and also for peace, happiness, prosperity, perpetual youth, and healing. Represents water. Associated with Venus, Hercules, Diana, Apollo, Hera, Athena, and Idunn.

  • Ash:

Represents water, the Universal Mother, and the source for unborn souls. Used in healing, protection, and sea Magic. Traditional Yule log. Associated with Poseidon, Neptune, Woden, Thor, and Mars.

  • Aspen:

Used for phyllomancy which is divination by leaf rustling. Used for protection.

  • Birch:

Sacred to Cerridwen and represents beginnings and births. Used for purifications and blessings.

  • Cedar:

Used for purification, prosperity, and longevity. Represents earth, spirituality and self.

  • Cypress:

Used for Maypoles, easing losses, healing, past life workings, and protection. Represents earth.

  • Elder:

A witch tree and often used to make wands. Used for healing, love, protection, and. Sacred to the goddess Hel. Represents air. Associated with Venus.

  • Elm:

Represents primordial female powers. Used for protection.

  • Fir:

Symbolizes youth and vitality. Used in prosperity magic.

  • Hawthorne:

Called the May tree. Represents water and the White Goddess Maia. Used for female sexuality, cleansing, marriage, love, and protection.

  • Hazel:

Sacred to witches and the Celtic sea god Manannan. Often used to make all-purpose wands and used in fertility, divination, marriage, protection, and reconciliation. Symbolizes female wisdom and air. Associated with Artemis and Diana.

  • Holly:

Represents fire. Used for protection.

  • Linden:

Used for prophesies and protection.

  • Maple:

Used for love and divination.

  • Oak:

Used for healing, strength, protection, masculinity and for fertility magic. Represents fire. Associated with Dagda, Dianus, Jupiter, Zeus, Cybele, Rhea, Janus, Cernunnos, and Herne.

  • Palm:

Metaphor for Osiris’s penis. Used for male fertility, strength, and virility.

  • Pine:

Symbolizes immortality and represents earth. Pine cones represent fertility. Used for purification, health, fortune, fertility, and prosperity. Associated with Pan, Attis, Venus, and Cybele.

  • Rowan:

Used for protection, healing, and strength. Represents fire.

  • Willow:

Represents water. Used in moon, wishing magic, healing, protection, enchantments, and easy delivery of babies. Associated with Artemis, Persephone, Hecate, Ceres, Hera, and Circe.

Source: Unknown

To prepare herbal tea, use approximately one to three teaspoons of herb per cup of boiling water. Boil water but do not use an aluminum kettle. Pour water into a mug or pot leaving herbs to steep for at least five minutes, but don’t leave for longer than ten minutes or the tea may become bitter. For stronger tea, use more herb rather than steeping the tea for a longer time.

Store herbal tea in amber colored or opaque jars, never in clear glass jars. The potency of the herb may be destroyed by light. Mild teas can be used daily over long periods of time with no ill effects.

  • Anise: Protection, purification, awareness, joy, calling Spirits.
  • Basil: Protection, love, healing relationships, courage, fertility, exorcism. Calming the nerves.
  • Bergamont: Success
  • Burdock Root: Purity, Protection
  • Caraway: Protection, passion. Has the power to prevent the theft of any object that contains the seed and to keep lovers from losing interest in one another.
  • Catnip (flavor with mint): Peace.
  • Chamomile: Love, Relaxation. Calming, Mediation
  • Cinnamon: Spiritual quests, augmenting power, love, success, psychic work, healing, cleansing.
  • Clove: Dispels negativity, protection, draws money, defrays gossip, vision, cleansing.
  • Comfrey: Safe travel, draws money, healing.
  • Dandelion: Divination, welcoming, messages.
  • Elder Flower: Divination
  • Eyebright: Mental and Psychic Power
  • Fennel: Purification, protection, healing, money.
  • Ginger: Protection. Power, success, love, money. (place a few slices of fresh ginger in boiling water).
  • Ginseng: Love, wishes, beauty, desire.
  • Hyssop: Purification
  • Lemon: Purification, love, blessings.
  • Lemon (Leaves): Lust
  • Lemon Balm: Health, Success
  • Licorice Root: Love and Sex. (boil licorice root)
  • Mint, Spearmint, Peppermint: Draws money, healing, strength, augments power, purification, luck, safe travel.
  • Mugwort: Divination
  • Mullein: Divination
  • Nettle: Averts danger, protection, healing. Use gloves to handle so as to avoid getting pricked.
  • Rose Hips: Psychic Power and Divination
  • Rose Hips and Hibiscus: Love, friendship, luck, protection, psychic power and divination.
  • Rosemary: Improves memory, sleep, purification, youth, love, power, healing, protection, intellectual.
  • Sage (sweetened with honey): Long life. Fertility, wishes, wisdom, protection.
  • Thyme: Sleep, psychic energy, courage, healing.  Use both the leaves and flowers.
  • Valerian: Love, calming, sleep. Gets fighting couples together.
  • Yarrow: Courage, love, psychic abilities, divination. The tea drunk prior to divination will enhance one’s powers of perception (a touch of added peppermint enhances its action).

  • Acacia:

Possessing high spiritual vibrations, this oil is worn to aid meditation and to develop psychic powers. Some also use it to anoint their altars, censers, and candles.

  • Allspice:

Very vitalizing. Gives added determination and energy, excellent for convalescents. Anoint daily.

  • Almond:

Almond oil, the symbol of wakefulness to  wiccans, is used in prosperity rituals (anointing candles, money, etc.) and also added to money incenses.

  • Amber:

This rich scent is used to harmonize the aura, and bring the yin and yang into balance within one’s self. Planetary ruler: Mercury

  • Anise:

A boon to clairvoyance, it is often added to a ritual bath preceding any attempt at divination. It is also worn during divinatory rituals.

  • Apple:

Peace of mind, relaxation, love, wisdom. This oil is best worn between the Autumn Equinox and Yule for its high energy of wisdom in Magick. Planetary ruler: Venus. Deity: Aphrodite

  • Apple Blossom:

Wear to promote happiness and success. Anoint candles during love rituals. Add to bath to aid relaxation.

  • Basil:

Used to soothe tempers between lovers in troublesome times. The scent of basil causes sympathy between two people, so wear to avoid major clashes. It creates harmony of all kinds. Prostitutes used to wear it in Spain to attract business. Also good for love potions, wealth, floor washes, and protection spells. Planetary ruler: Mars. Deity: Vishnu, Erzulu

  • Bay:

Best used for clairvoyance and to enhance psychic visions, but also known for protection. Planetary ruler: Sun. Deity: Apollo, Faunus, and Eros

  • Bayberry:

Anoint green candles for prosperity in the home. Brings “luck to your home and gold to your pocket.” A magnetic oil to be worn by men.

  • Benzoin:

This oil brings peace of mind. It is used in purification ceremonies. A drop or two smoldering on a charcoal block will effectively clear the area with billowing clouds of smoke.

  • Bergamot:

Used in protective rituals and also in drawing prosperity. In herbal folklore, it is said that the oil of Bergamot leaves, when rubbed on money, will ensure the return of riches; it is also well known for prosperity spells. Wear on the palm of each hand. Planetary ruler: Mercury

  • Camphor:

Wear to strengthen psychic powers. Also anoint yourself when you have decided to break off with a lover, or when they have done so with you and you find it hard to let go.

  • Carnation:

This sweet and floral scent is traditionally used to ensure strength and good health, and for protection. In candle Magick, it is used as an aid in path working. This is an oil of power. It is used as an energy restorer after exertion, as an aid to healing, and in consecration ceremonies. Should be worn when extra energy for a ritual is desired. Planetary ruler: Sun. Deity: Jupiter

  • Cedar:

Instills confidence, protection from misery and misfortune. The oil from this sacred tree is used for purification, and to rid a person of bad dreams. Planetary ruler: Sun

  • Cedarwood:

Used in Magick for wealth and prosperity. Planetary ruler: Jupiter. Deity: Wood Nymphs

  • Cherry:

Used in all love Magick for attraction. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Cinnamon:

A high-vibration oil, used for personal protection. It is also a sexual stimulant in the female. Added to any incense, it increases its powers. Mixed with powdered sandalwood, it makes an incense suitable for all religious or spiritual magick. Good for meditation, illumination, and so on. Known to raise spiritual vibrations, draw money, and stimulate psychic powers. Planetary ruler: Sun. Deity: Venus and Aphrodite

  • Cinquefoil:

Protective, strengthens the five senses. Also “five lucks”- love, money, health, power and wisdom, so is often used to anoint amulet and charm bags.

  • Citronella:

Attracts friends and customers, protection from insects.

  • Clove:

An aphrodisiac, worn to attract lovers. Strengthens memory, protects from hostile negative forces. Inhaled, the oil helps memory and eyesight, in Candle Magick it is used to gain prosperity. Planetary ruler: Jupiter

  • Coconut:

This oil is worn to ensure chastity, in a literal or magickal sense. Planetary ruler: Moon

  • Coriander:

A love oil used to anoint candles.

  • Cumin Seed:

Brings peace and harmony to the home. Anoint all doorways once a week just before sunrise when the household is asleep ad all is quiet.

  • Cyclamen:

Worn to ease childbirth by the expectant mother. Also used in love and marriage spells.

  • Cypress:

An oil of blessing, consecration and protection. It is a symbol of the Earth-element, as well as of death. When attending a funeral of a friend or loved one, wear this oil so that you will be uplifted by the meaning of death as the doorway to but another life. It also effectively screens out the negative vibrations of the mourners. Wear on Samhain to become aware and remember those who have passed on.It is worn to strengthen longevity of life and for healing. Planetary ruler: Saturn. Deity: Mithras, Pluto, Artemis, Cupid, and Hecate

  • Eucalyptus:

A healing oil, very useful in recuperation after long illnesses.  Promotes healing of any hurt, depression or illness. Especially good for colds or flu. Cures colds with daily application to the throat, forehead and wrists, and by adding it to healing baths. Also used for purification.

  • Frankincense:

One of the most sacred of all oils, used to anoint magickal tools, the altar, etc. A strong purifier used in exorcisms, purification rituals, and blessings. Sacred to the wiccans, this oil is worn to protect against negativity, and is used as a sacred anointing oil. Planetary ruler: Sun. Deity: Ra and Baal

  • Gardenia:

Wear to attract love. A powerful feminine magnetic oil. Protective. Sacred to the Goddess, this oil is used to bring peaceful vibrations and to attract good spirits into the circle. Planetary ruler: Moon

  • Geranium:

This sweet floral scent is used to attract others in matters of love. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Ginger

A tropical aphrodisiac. Induces passion.

  • Heliotrope:

Increases clairvoyance, assists meditation, protects from physical harm. High spiritual vibrations, drenched with the energies of the Sun.

  • Honeysuckle:

An oil of the mind, it promotes quick thinking and is often used as a memory aid by dabbing on the temples. Also used in prosperity rituals. Wear to increase psychic abilities and clairvoyance; in Candle Magick, use to increase money and prosperity. Planetary ruler: Jupiter

  • Hyacinth:

Brings peace of mind to the mentally disturbed. A very relaxing oil.

  • Hyssop:

Increases finances, and is added to the bath to create a purifying atmosphere. An excellent oil to wear during all types of magical rituals.

  • Jasmine:

Symbol of the Moon, and of the mysteries of the night. Jasmine oil is used to attract love. The scent helps one relax, sleep, and also facilitates childbirth. It is sometimes used for meditation and general anointing purposes. This is a purely spiritual oil. This moon flower is worn at night to induce sleep and cause prophetic dreams; in Candle Magick it is used for Love and Dream Magick. Planetary ruler: Moon. Deity: Vishnu

  • Juniper:

This woody, pine scent is used as an aid in meditation and spiritual enlightenment. In Magick, it is used to communicate with animals. Planetary ruler: Sun

  • Lavender:

Used in healing and purifying rituals, and also to arouse sexual desire in men. Prostitutes wore it extensively to advertise their trade and to attract customers.This bittersweet flowery scent is used in healing and to bring peace into a troublesome relationship. Also known for magicks pertaining to memory, peace and happiness. Planetary ruler: Mercury.

  • Lemon:

Evokes protective spirits.

  • Lemon Grass:

An aid to the psychic powers. Wear on the forehead. Spiritualists and mediums use it, for it helps make contact with spirits.

  • Lilac:

Induces Far Memory, the act of recalling past lives. It is also useful in inducing clairvoyant powers in general. Brings peace and harmony.This gentle, sweet scent is used in Candle Magick, as an aid in mental development and past life recollection. It is worn to keep away baneful spirits. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Lily:

This oil is best used magickally to stop manipulation in love affairs. It is also worn for its protective energy. Planetary ruler: Moon. Deity: Venus, Juno, and Kwan Yin

  • Lime:

This citrus oil is used for healing, love and protection. Planetary ruler: Sun

  • Lotus

The sacred oil of the ancient wiccans, lotus oil has a high spiritual vibration and is suitable for blessing, anointing, meditation, and as a dedicatory oil to your god(s). It is also used in healing rituals. One who wears lotus oil is sure of good fortune and much happiness. Used for healing energies and fertility. Also known to attract good fortune. Planetary ruler: Moon

  • Magnolia:

An excellent oil for meditation and psychic development. It also brings peace and harmony.This oil is used to maintain a faithful relationship. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Melilot:

Fights depression, or what the old Witches used to call melancholy.

  • Mimosa

Used in healing rituals, and also in producing prophetic dreams. Anoint the forehead before retiring.

  • Mint:

Used in prosperity spells, and to increase one’s business. Anoint wallets, etc.

  • Musk / Dark Musk:

The universally accepted “sex scent”. It is also worn to purify and to gain courage. It is a magnetic oil, worn with equal success by both sexes. This oil is worn as a sexual attractor, and stimulates the psychic body; magickally, it is used to anoint the censor. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Myrrh:

A purification, protection and hex-breaking oil. Possesses a high vibratory rate, making it excellent for the more religious rituals of magick. Anoint the house every morning and evening as part of any protection ritual. One of the sacred anointing oils, it is worn for blessing, protection, and consecration; magickally it is used for purification and meditation. Planetary ruler: Moon. Deity: Isis, Adonis, Ra, and Marian

  • Narcissus:

“Stupidfyer”. This oil brings peace and harmony, soothes the nerves and relaxes the conscious mind. A “narcotic” type oil. This scent is good for overcoming restlessness, and creating harmony. When worn with patchouli, it creates a high sexual atmosphere. Planetary ruler: Mercury

  • Neroli:

Magnetic women’s oil. Rubbed between the breasts to attract men, or onto the temples to give peace.

  • Nutmeg:

This oil is rubbed onto the temples and the third eye to help in meditation and to induce sleep. It is protective as well.

  • Orange:

Brings harmony, raises power.

  • Orange Blossom:

To make a person in the mood for marriage, wear this oil. Many women add it to their daily baths to build up their attractiveness. Sometimes known as mantrap.

  • Orchid:

This sensuous, floral scent is worn to attract love; in candle Magick, it is used for creativity, psychic perception, and mental clarity. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Orris Root:

Attracts the opposite sex. Douse your clothes with the oil.

  • Patchouli:

A very powerful occult oil, one of the magnetic oils to be worn by men. It attracts women. Also wards off negativity and evil, gives peace of mind, and is very sensual. The rich, earthy smell is best known for its capabilities to raise high sexual energy; in Candle Magick, it is used to increase prosperity. Planetary ruler: Saturn

  • Peony:

A lucky scent for all who need customers, success in business, or good fortune.

  • Peppermint:

Used to create changes within one’s life. Also used to relax and allow one to unwind.

  • Pine:

Cleanses, ends useless recriminations. This evergreen scent, best worn during Yuletide, is used to cleanse the aura; in candle Magick, it is used to increase prosperity. Planetary ruler: Mars. Deity: Cybele, Pan, Venus, Attis, Dionysus, Astarte

  • Rose:

The love oil. Used in all love operations, added to baths, and to induce peace and harmony. Take a handful of rose buds, place them in a silver goblet. Pour one dram rose oil over them. Let soak for a week. After this, on a Friday night, burn them over the charcoal to infuse your house with loving vibrations. This is an excellent “peace” incense, and can be done regularly to ensure domestic tranquility.This rich, seductive scent is used to promote thoughts of love and affection. In Magick, it is used in all aspects of love Planetary ruler: Venus. Deity: Hathor, Eros, Cupid, Demeter, Isis, and Adonis

  • Rose Geranium:

Oil of protection. Anoint window sills, doors of house. Wear on self. Also imparts courage to the wearer. An excellent oil to use to bless a new home or apartment. A few drops on a charcoal block will release its powerful vibrations throughout the entire house. Also used to anoint censers.

  • Rosemary:

A very vitalizing oil, rosemary is used in healing rituals and also to promote prudence, common sense, and self assurance. It aids mental powers when rubbed onto the temples. It is also protective and is used much like Rose Geranium. Rub onto the temples to ease pain of headache and in all healing rituals.

  • Rue:

To break up negativity and curses, anoint a sprig of dried rue with this oil. Tie up in a red bag and carry for protection. Add nine drops of the oil to the bath every night for nine nights in succession during the waning moon to break a spell that has been cast against you. Salt may be added to the bath as well.

  • Saffron:

Wear to aid in the development of clairvoyant powers.

  • Sage:

Powerful clearing and cleansing, removes negative energy. This oil is best used for purification of self, and one’s home. It is also known for longevity, wisdom, and power. Planetary ruler: Jupiter

  • Sandalwood:

Protective, very healing, this oil is used to anoint. It also aids one in seeing past incarnations. Try anointing the forehead to promote the Sight. This is known to be one of the most spiritual oils, and an excellent base for most anointing oils; it is also used for healing, meditation, and prayer. Planetary ruler: Moon

  • Sesame:

Gives hope to one who is sick, discouraged or lonely.

  • Sweetgrass:

Invokes spiritual blessings, aids transformation.

  • Sweet Pea:

One of the most beautiful of all scents, sweet pea oil is worn to attract strangers of all kinds, some of whom may become lovers or friends. Wear as a personal oil.

  • Spikenard:

Wear during rituals to the ancient deities of Egypt, also to anoint sacred objects, such as altars, tools, etc.

  • Tuberose:

Mistress of the Night, as it is also known, is an excellent aphrodisiac. Promotes peace and also aids in psychic powers. Men wear it to attract women. Very much a physical oil.

  • Vanilla:

Vitalizes energy, brings happy occasions to the premises, draws good fortune. A vitalizing oil, said to be sexually arousing in women. Use as an energy restorer. Sometimes used to gain extra power during magical ceremonies. This very soothing scent increases loving and lustful energy. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Vervain:

Assists in obtaining material objects. It also stimulates creativity. Aids those who desire success in the performing and creative arts.

  • Vetiver:

This oil is worn to attract a lover; it is used in candle Magick to repel negativity. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Violet:

The oil is used in love operations and is sometimes sexually exciting. However, many people can’t stand the fragrance of the violet, for some curious reason. Once thought to be sacred to the Fairy Queen. Very healing, added to baths. This light, floral scent is used in healing, wards off evil, and helps smooth out tensions in a love affair. Planetary ruler: Venus

  • Wisteria:

The door between the world of men and the realm of the Gods, the passport to higher consciousness and existence, and to bring illumination. Wear only when in complete serenity.

  • Ylang – Ylang:

Makes its wearer irresistible to the opposite sex. Also soothes the problems of married life. Can help in finding a job. If worn to interviews you will be much calmer and more impressive to the interviewer. Sometimes called “Flower of Flowers.”A very soothing oil, used in all aspects of healing. Often used in sex Magick.

Information collected from various sources

Many legumes have seeds, called peas or beans, that are lucky. There are also pasture and tree legumes whose leaves and seeds are carried for luck. There is quite a lot of magick and lore surrounding these little packages of energy.

  • Ruler: Mercury
  • Type: Vegetable, seed
  • Magickal form: dried, raw, cooked

Use beans to appease the spirits of the dead. Throw some around the outside of the home if a ghost or poltergeist is bothering you. Beans inspire creativity and communication and can be carried raw in a pouch or cooked and eaten for inspiration.

Here is a list of the different types of beans and their specific properties:

  • Black turtle beans help to jump hurdles and make important decisions.
  • Butter beans reduce stress.
  • Canary beans bring happiness and success in the arts.
  • Cow or black-eyed peas bring luck and increase psychic vision.
  • Cranberry (October) beans attract new opportunities.
  • Fava beans bring power, and make wishes come true.
  • Garbanzos (chickpeas) help beat the competition.
  • Great northern beans bring discovery and insight; they also help to protect plans and keep them secret.
  • Green baby lima beans bring new income.
  • Green split peas are for money or health.
  • Green pigeon beans represent resourcefulness and money.
  • Large lima beans allow expansion and financial growth.
  • Lentils bring peace and financial security.
  • Navy beans increase strength and determination.
  • Oval white beans protect assets.
  • Pink beans bring confidence and romance.
  • Pinto beans open channels and create action and movement.
  • Red kidney beans represent wisdom, love, and healing.
  • Roman beans bring power and precision.
  • Small red beans provide energy and lust.
  • Speckled lima beans create networking opportunities.
  • Tonka beans help in romance, often found in love-drawing mojo hands.
  • Whole green beans attract money.
  • Yellow split peas bring luck and fame.

Two legumes are widely utilized in rituals to cause wishes to come true. The Fava bean is for general good luck wishes, and the Tonka bean is for love-drawing wishes.

Sea Beans

Exotic to the eye, drift seeds, or “sea–beans” are actually seeds from common trees and vines that grow in the tropics. The beans fall from the parent plant, into streams and rivers, to drift with the ocean’s currents until being washed onto a shore thousands of miles from where they once grew. Floating in the sea by the thousands, only the hardiest endure long voyages on ocean currents which may finally bring them to rest on foreign shores. Sea–beans are known as symbols of good luck and longevity.

Sea beans can include the following:

  • Sea Hearts

Heart shaped beans such as Entada gigas found on northern Atlantic shores, and Entada phaseoloides and rheedii from the southern Pacific. Sea Hearts are produced in huge, hanging bean pods, up to six feet long. Sometimes they are found with imprints and lacerations, caused by the teeth of fish and mammals during their voyage. They are impervious to salt water, even after floating in the ocean for several years.

These beans have been fashioned into all sorts of trinkets and useful objects. Sailors carried sea hearts as good luck charms to protect them from sickness and to ward off the evil eye. Seeds were sometimes cut in half, the contents removed and the woody seed coats hinged together. Hollowed out seeds were commonly used in Norway and Northern Europe for snuff boxes, match boxes and lockets.

It is said that a sea heart (also known as fava de Colom) inspired Christopher Columbus to set out in search of lands to the west.

  • Sea Purses

Purse shaped beans such as Dioclea sp. found on Atlantic beaches, and the elusive Australian Dioclea hexandra. Coveted by collectors, Sea Purses and Saddle Beans (Dioclea sp.) are one of the rarest and most colorful of all sea beans found on any beach. Distinct color variations range from butterscotch to solid black.

It was originally grown in Asia, but has drifted to islands in the Caribbean and Central and South America, reproducing there. They are found growing on the Hawaiian Islands where they may have also drifted or, like so many other species, introduced by people.

  • Hamburger Beans

Such as Mucuna sloaneii, urens, and elliptica along with a few south Pacific natives, Mucuna gigantea and membranacea, so called because they look a lot like this popular sandwich.

Seeds from the Mucuna vine are called Hamburger Beans or True Sea-Beans in the United States. In Mexico, they are known as Ojo de Venado or Deer’s Eye. There are hundreds of varieties growing in tropical regions around the globe. They can be brown, red or brindle shades of red and brown.

These beans are members of the pea and bean family that contain toxic, hallucinogenic or medicinal alkaloids and therefore figure in good luck charms.

In the case of the Mucuna bean, the mature beans are considered both aphrodisiac and very protective in Mexico and Central America against the evil eye. Nowadays they are carried for good luck.

  • Vine Seeds

Every collector’s favorite, the Mary’s Bean (Merremia discoidesperma) is a rare find among drift material anywhere in the world and highly prized by drift seed collectors. Named after the Virgin Mary, it is also called the crucifixion bean because of a cross etched on one side of the seed, leading to it being used as a talisman and many superstitions and legends are connected with it.

A woman in labor was assured an easy delivery if she clenched a Mary’s bean in her hand, and the seeds were handed down from mother to daughter as treasured keepsakes. In northern Europe the Mary’s bean was a special find to pious beach-combers. The seed had obviously survived the ocean and they felt it would extend its protection to anyone lucky enough to own one.

In addition to its unique appearance, it holds the record for the longest recorded drift: 15,000 miles., along with some Caribbean Little Marbles and Florida native Bay Beans.

Bay beans (Canavalia rosea) are one of the most common and plentiful of all sea-beans growing abundantly in dunes worldwide. The vines and their pods grow low along the sand and are easy to spot on the berm with long flower-studded runners. These vines protect the dunes by stabilizing the sand along with other plants. The coloration of the beans vary from mottled and swirly browns to different shades of beige.

Little Marbles (Oxyrhynchus trinervius), also known as Black Pearls, are plentiful in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. The parent plant is an aggressive climber in the right conditions. A rare find on North American beaches, as they are not good floaters and few get very far from their parent plant.

  • Shrub Seeds

Shrubs that produce these beans are some of the most resilient plants found. They came from parents growing in inhospitable conditions such as drainage ditches, along barbed-wire fencing and embedded in hard-pack soil with drainage that would kill anything else.

Recurved spines growing on their branches protect the precious seeds from animals that probably shouldn’t be eating them. They include Coral Beans (Erythrina sp) and Grey Nickars (Caesalpinia bonduc) and the less aggressive Brown Nickar (Caesalpinia major).

Grey nickars (aka Sea Pearls) found on east coast beaches of Florida may have washed in from the Gulf Stream or are from plants growing locally. The name nicker comes from an old English word meaning marble. Nickernuts are used for playing pieces in board games the world over.

Far less common than Grey Nickarbeans, and a bit larger, the Brown Nickar comes from similar plants, but have the color of light milk chocolate.

  • Tree Seeds

All trees produce seeds, but not all are considered beans, much less sea-beans. More often the seed pods have flotation abilities, though short as they are since salt water starts to break them down as soon as they get wet.

Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum), one of the most beautiful beans of the New World tropics comes from a huge canopy tree. It is a fast growing species and one of the largest trees found in Central America.

The word Guanacaste, which is also the name of the Costa Rican province of Guanacaste, is of Nahuatl origin and means “ear tree.” The coiled, leathery pods resemble the shape of a human ear. Guanacaste seeds have a distinctive brown “eye” and make some of the most striking seed jewelry.

Makha-Mong (Afzelia xylocarpa). This tree grows in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma in deciduous forests. In Southeast Asia, the seeds are harvested for medicinal purposes. The seed pulp can be used to make cigarettes, and the bark and seed are used for herbal medicine.

Laurelwood (Calophyllum calaba), also known as santa-maría or false-mamey, this medium-sized tropical evergreen tree is frequently used for reforestation, as a shade tree or a protective hedge. The seeds are perfectly round and coloring runs from light beige to dark brown. At certain times of the year, they can be plentiful on beaches, looking like small ping-pong balls. Polishing brings out their natural coloring.

Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia). In the Caribbean, the pods from these trees are used for fuel and called “woman’s tongue” for the rattling noise they make when the wind blows them. The empty pods are classified as sea-beans but only have a maximum flotation of about a month. The seeds are gathered from pods and fashioned into jewelry around the world.

Large brown beans

Some large brown beans are tropical species that accidentally get distributed worldwide because their pods float. Swept downstream, they make their way to the ocean before the pods fall apart, and when these “Sea Beans” wash up in Northern climes, they are carried as lucky pocket pieces.

Other large brown beans are cultivated as fodder. Their seeds are often mildly toxic, containing DMT compounds or L-dopa, but some find use in local medicine as vermifuges. Most are carried as amulets.

One exception to the “large brown beans are toxic” rule is the greenish-brown Fava bean, which is cultivated for use as a food despite the fact that some people are highly allergic to it. Fava beans are also known as Mojo Beans, or African Wishing Beans and are widely believed to have the power to make wishes come true.

Some large brown beans are drilled through and hung on a cord, often for protection.

Large brown beans are often treated in the same way as other large brown botanical curios like Buckeye, nutmeg, and High John the Conqueror – that is, they are oiled and carried in the pocket as a lucky piece or combined with other curios in a Mojo bag. Sea beans are handled in this way, and in addition to general good luck and gambling luck, being seaborne seeds, they are also said to protect from death by drowning.

Large poisonous brown beans carried as lucky pieces include the following:

  • Entada Gigas: Sea heart, Sea bean
  • Entada phaseoloides: Matchbox bean
  • Mucuna pruriens, Mucuna spp: Cowhage, Cow-itch, Horse-eye nut, Nipay, Ojo de Llama, Ojo de Vaca, Ojo de Venado, Pica-Pica

Small Wild Red Beans and Peas

Many sub-tropical or tropical red beans or red peas are toxic and psychedelic, containing DMT or LSD-like substances. Some are fatal if eaten; others produce a visionary trance or altered state of consciousness. Although local shamans may prepare these dangerous seeds for ingestion, their most common magickal use is in amulets.

One exception to the “red beans are toxic” rule is the kidney bean or red bean well known as food. Like its white, brown, black, and spotted relatives in the Phaseolus genus, it plays an important role in edible bean ceremonies.

Small poisonous red beans crafted into amulets include the following:

  • Abrus precatorius: Abrus a Chapelet, Colorine, Crab’s Eye, Jequerite, Jequirity Bean, Lady Bug Bean, Ojo de Cangrejo, Peronilla, Precatory Pea, Rosary Bean
  • Adenanthera pavonina: Circassian seed, Jumbie, Jumble Bean
  • Erythina spp: Coral Tree, Frijol de Arbol, Gallito
  • Ormosia coccinea: Barakaro, Huayruru, Kokriki, Panacoco, Peonia, Wo-ka
  • Ormosia macrocalyx: Alcornoque, Chocho Grande, Huayruru, Tento
  • Ormosia nobilis: Huayuru Hembra, Mulungu, Tento

Bean Lore

Beans, like many other plants with strong-smelling flowers, are traditionally associated with death and ghosts, and have been so from early pagan times down to our own day.

In ancient Rome, edible beans were distributed and eaten at funerals. Until about the beginning of the 19th century, a similar custom was observed at some, though not all, north-country English burials. When it finally lapsed, a memory of it was preserved in the children’s couplet:

God save your soul,
Beans and all.

During the Roman festival of the dead, held in May, black beans were used in ceremonies intended to placate and ward off ghosts, and in early Greek ritual, the scapegoat who annually died for the people was chosen by means of a black bean drawn in a lottery.

In his Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme (1686) Aubrey mentions a charm used in his boyhood to avert evil spirits, which consisted in saying very quickly, three times in one breath:

Three blew beans in a blew bladder,
Rattle, bladder, rattle.

A very widespread country belief that persisted at least as late as the end of the last century, and perhaps later, was that the souls of the dead dwelt in the flowers of the broad bean. These flowers were still thought to be ill-omened in many districts. Old colliers in northern and midland England say that accidents in the pit occur more frequently when they are in bloom than at any other time.

Cases of lunacy are also thought to be more likely then, for the scent of the flowers is supposed to induce mental disorder, bad dreams, and terrifying visions. A Leicestershire tradition says that if any one sleeps all night in a beanfield, he will suffer from appalling nightmares, and will probably go mad afterwards.

Another very common superstition is that if in a row of beans, one should come up white, it is a death omen for someone in the grower’s family.

A well-known charm for curing warts is to rub them with the white inner lining of a bean pod, and then throw the pod away, or bury it in a secure place. As it rots, so will the wart disappear. This charm has been tried with success in Oxfordshire within the last ten years.

In Ireland, poultices made from the flowers were sometimes used to reduce hard swellings. A former use for the plant, half medical in origin and half magickal, was to make women beautiful. The pods steeped in wine and vinegar, or the distilled water of the flowers, improved the complexion, and so, according to Bulleyne’s Booke of Simples (1562) did a lotion made from bean-meal mixed with cold milk.

In Leap year, broad beans are said to grow the wrong way up. Various dates are given in different districts (in England) as the only fortunate days for setting beans (and peas) but these seem to spring less from superstition than from agricultural custom and the knowledge of local weather conditions. In the northern counties gardeners should:

Sow peas and beans on David and Chad,
Whether the weather be good or bad,

David and Chad refers to March 1st and 2nd, the festival days of St David and St Chad. Farther south, beans are set “when elm leaves are as big as a farthing,” or on certain dates in early May, often connected with local fairs. A limit to the variety of these days seems to be set by a well known rhyme which says:

Be it weal or be it woe,
Beans should blow before May go.

Edible Bean Ceremonies and Celebrations

Edible beans have had religious and magickal associations for millennia. The ancient Egyptians held the red kidney bean sacred, and thus taboo as food. The high priest of the Jews was forbidden to eat beans on the Day of Atonement. Beans were thrown to the spirits of the dead during the ancient Roman feast of Lemuria in May.

Bean soup is eaten to commemorate the dead on All Souls Day in Austria and is also a feature of Jewish mourning feasts. Bean cakes are eaten in Taiwan at the August full moon ceremony. New Year’s luckiness is associated with red kidney beans in many parts of the world including Europe, where the beans are eaten, and in Japan, where priests clap their hands and throw uncooked beans upon temple goers.

Sources:

  • Ruler: Sun
  • Type: Mineral
  • Magickal form: Resin, gemstone, essential oil

While often considered a gemstone, the glowing, warm amber is not actually a stone, but a fossilized resin from ancient evergreen trees. The oldest amber discovered on Earth is about 320 million years old. Imagine the incredibly powerful energy this amber contains!

Before man knew where amber came from, there were many ingenious theories as to its origins. Lynx urine, said some; others believed that it was chunks of the rays of the Sun, set hard in the sea and then washed upon the shore.

Like jet, amber burns easily, and it was for this reason that in Germany it was called Bernstein, meaning “burn stone.” The scent given off by burning amber was believed to drive away evil spirits.

Magickal Uses

The most obvious quality of amber is its old, old, (very old!) energy. With it comes the accumulated wisdom of the earth and its natural kingdom. You can often see little insects trapped in the amber while it started as a tree resin; this gives the amber stone quite powerful magical properties.

Amber is used as prayer beads in Christian and Muslim practice, is also known as the ‘Witch’s Stone’ and is used in Wiccan practice. It is worn for general good luck, financial stability and toward off danger from witchcraft.

Amber beads are perceived as bolstering health, however, not just any amber beads will do. Amber beads carved into the shapes of genitals, whether very literally or just vaguely reminiscent, allegedly provide protection, especially regarding health. Wear or carry as needed.

Due to its strong connection to nature and the earth, Amber is a great stone for grounding our higher energies. Amber can add stability to your life.

  • Amber is known to calm energies, attract love, inspire change and improve wisdom.
  • Wear or carry amber for protection and success.
  • A piece of amber that contains a beetle or fly trapped within its center is said to bring fame.
  • It has been used as a symbol for the renewal of marriage vows and to assure promises.
  • Amber has been said to bring good luck to warriors.

Amber is an Aura cleanser. It glitters like dew drops in the bright sun light. It assists in bringing our higher vibrations in order, dispersing negative energy and clears the surrounding environment. Amber is the stone, which brings about altruism and great wisdom.

Amber allows the body to heal itself by absorbing and transmuting negative energy into positive energy. It emits a sunny and bright soothing energy which helps to calm nerves and to enliven the disposition.

Amber has uplifting energies, and is especially helpful when you are felling weighed down with responsibilities, it is good for people with suicidal tendencies and those who easily get depressed. Helps you find humour and joy. Creates a balance between daily life and spiritual expansion.

Utilise Amber when you are feeling powerless or out of control, to remind you of your inner strength and past achievements. It brings balance and patience and encourages decision-making, promotes a positive mental state and creative self-expression. Its flexibility dissolves opposition.

Amber stimulates memory thus making it a good stone for studying. Amber is used for past life work, divination and scrying. It aligns mental and emotional bodies via its deep orange and yellow colour.

Amber is highly recommended for those who often have to meet challenging situations and at times frustrating atmosphere. It is good for those involved in political life and those wishing to have governmental patronage. Good for those interested in nobler types of deeds and social and humanitarian causes.

Amber is a powerful healer and cleanser that draws die-ease from the body and promotes tissue revitalization. It imbues the body with vitality and has the power to draw dis- ease out of the body. By absorbing pain and negative energy, Amber allows the body to balance and heal itself. Amber alleviates stress.

Add the resin to prosperity formulas and wear the oil for protection or to empower your magickal path. Men may wear amber essential oil to attract lovers.

It cleanses the environment in which it rests and is an excellent mineral for use in purifying birthing and re-birthing rooms. It also acts to purify ones body, mind, and spirit when worn, carried, or used as an elixir.

Cleansing:

Amber should be cleansed after being used for healing to dispense the negative energy it has absorbed. It tends to become cloudy when used for treating negative energy. Cleanse this stone by running it under warm water or charge it over night in a bowl of tumbled hematite. Be careful as this stone will become brittle in sunlight if left out for a long period. It should be kept away from heat or sun.

Properties and Colors:

The color depends on source and impurities. A deep tawny yellow is the predominant color, but it also comes in blue, violet, brown or even black. Amber that is green is colored artificially. Yellow and brown are the most common colors, other colors are extremely rare.

Because amber was once a liquid, sometimes small insects or bits of organic matter can be seen embedded within it.

The fossilized resin ranges from transparent to opaque. Transparency depends on gas bubbles. It is a lighter gem stone and softer than pearl. It becomes electrically charged when rubbed; indeed, the word “electric” comes from the Latin word electrum, which means amber.

Uses in History:

Amber has a rich history and has been used since prehistoric times for jewelry, religious objects, healing, also as amulets and mascots. The Baltic amber, the “gold of the North” is among the earliest-used gem materials.

Amber has a long history of being used in sacred incense and worn as a healing stone by Asian and American Indian cultures for centuries. This organic gem can date between 1 and 360 million years. Archaeologists have found amber artifacts dating back to such cultures as Assyrian, Egyptian, Phoenician and the Greek and Roman periods. It is known by the Persians as the “attractor of straw”, by the Greeks as “sun gold” and derived from the Arab name “al-anbar”.

The Greeks believed that amber was the petrification of sunrays; some even felt that it was petrified tears. They prized amber for the magical properties that electricity exhibited when rubbed. The term electricity is derived from the Greek word, elektron, which is also the Greek word for amber.

In the Far East, amber is the symbol of courage; Amber was considered the “soul of the tiger” in Asian cultures and regarded as the stone of courage. Pieces of amber were carried for protection during long travels, as well as used to treat jaundice.

Egyptians placed a piece of amber in the casket of a loved one to ensure the body would forever remain whole.

It is a sacred stone to both the Native American and Eastern Indians. It has also been used in the fire ceremonies of ancient tribal leaders. It was burned, beginning in medieval days, as a fumigant and as an incense to clear the environment of negativity.

In ancient times it was used as a penicillin-type remedy, ground and ingested or soaked (as in an elixir) and subsequently drunk.

Uses In Healing:

Amber will help relieve a tension headache, place on or around the head. It is excellent at detoxification and protection from radiation, especially x-rays, sun, computers, airport, planes and other people’s energies.

Make an elixir with this stone for wound healing and to apply to all pain issues. It is an excellent natural antibiotic.

Wear amber around your throat to heal asthma and prevent attacks. Minimize and ward off chills by wearing tightly beaded amber necklaces. Amber is believed to absorb body heat and retain it, thus magickally creating a balancing effect.

When used at the solar plexus, Amber will enhance intellectual clarity about your future path. It can stimulate the navel chakra and help in grounding energies into the body.

Amber as jewelry, it can be grounding and stabilizing. Wear for prolonged periods, especially on the wrist or throat, or place as appropriate. If treating babies or children, it is beneficial for the mother to wear the stone first.

It resonates with the throat, treating goiters and other throat problems. It treats the stomach, spleen, kidneys, bladder, liver, and gallbladder, alleviates joint problems and strengthens the mucus membranes. Amber is known to stimulate metabolism and treat skin disorders. It is also a good stone for treating asthma and allergic reactions.

Feng Shui:

Amber is used in the Center/Health position to encourage good health and create balance and calm. Use it in the Northeast area for self cultivation and wisdom, in the Southwest area for partners, love and relationships (use in pairs) and for dispersing negative energy in any room. Use it in any room to also attract change into your space.

Associated Deities:

Amber is thought to be the tears of the Goddess Freya that fell into the sea. It is used to honor her. Additionally amber is used in devotions to Elektra, Greek Goddess of the Sea, Jurate, the Lithuanian Goddess of the Sea, Nehalennia, the Gaulish Goddess of Sea Travelers, Oshun, the African Goddess of Love, Intimacy, Beauty, and Diplomacy, and Amberella, the Lithuanian Goddess of the Oceans.

Honor the Goddess Electra with amber. We get our beautiful amber from the sea. Interestingly, when you rub amber with a soft cloth you will produce static electricity – honoring Electra as you do. Wear an amber necklace or pendant when you are feeling a bit “stormy.” Use it when you need to make things better but you have to use a bit of force to get the job done. Electra will help you.

The preparation of food, with a particular intention in mind, is old magick. Look at food as sacred, let the act of preparing, cooking and eating food be a sacred act. Your kitchen can be a place of powerful magick, work slowly and deliberately to hone your craft.

When preparing foods for specific magickal purposes, cook with purpose and care. Keep your goal in mind, love, money, protection, health, fertility, sex, strength, psychic awareness. Always stir clockwise, clockwise motion is thought to be in harmony with the apparent movement of the sun in the sky, and has been linked with life, health and success. Cut foods into shapes symbolic of your magical intention, such as a Pentagram for protection etc.

The following foods can be used, prepared, and eaten with protection as the intention, and used in conjunction with your protection spells.

  • Artichoke
  • Basil: (also love and money)
  • Bay leaf: (also psychic awareness and healing)
  • Black Pepper: (also purification)
  • Blueberry ice cream
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Chili peppers
  • Chili powder
  • Chives: (also health)
  • Cloves: (also love and money)
  • Cranberries
  • Fennel: (also strength and health)
  • Garlic: (also health)
  • Horseradish: (also purification)
  • Leek: (also strength)
  • Mango: (also sex and love)
  • Marigold: (also happiness)
  • Mustard: (also courage)
  • Onion: (also health)
  • Parsley: (also sex and money)
  • Pineapple: (also healing,  money, love)
  • Pineapple pie: (also love, healing, and money)
  • Potato: (also compassion)
  • Quince: (also love)
  • Radish
  • Rhubarb: (also love)
  • Salt: (also grounding and purification)
  • Soy: (also awareness and spirituality)
  • Sunflower: (also success)
  • Tangerine
  • Tomato: (also health, money, and love)
  • Vinegar: (also purification)
  • Walnut: (also conscious mind)
  • Watercress: (also fertility)

Source: Witches Lore

“Magic is only unexplained science. Science is explained magic. When I study science, I study magic. When I study magic, I study science.” ― C. JoyBell C.
Notice
Do not use any ingredient if you are allergic to it. There is always something else that can be used, or substituted.
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