A Herbalist's Glossary: Herb Actions

Des' healing foods: Cinnamon Sugar yellow squash

Normally it’s tea, but sometimes you need a little more than tea to get you going.

Right now, I’m sick. This is a recipe my aunt gave me, it’s not a lot of magic, bit it’s a lot of love.

What you need: • crook neck yellow squash, small • one table spoon cinnamon • 1 ½ table spoons white or brown sugar • two table spoons butter

What to do: ○ cut squash into small rounds, cutting larger rounds into fourths or halves so they cook evenly. ○ place squash into a medium pan with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. ○ cook on medium-high heat to the butter and sugar don’t burn. ○ cook until squash is tender. About 15 minutes.

What my aunt says when she makes this for me: You’re going to feel better, don’t you worry little one.

Riot magic tip: Coyote bones and coyote powder are the shit for rioters. Get some coyote teeth or claws, maybe powder that stuff, or buy some of the coyote spirit powder from a local botanica and give it to your rioter friends or use yourself if going to riots. The stuff usually wards off the law, makes you unconquerable, and allows you to slip past others. The typical trickster attributes you want.

Magickal Folk Names for Herbs

Having knowledge of herbs and plants (either magically or medicinally) during the Middle Ages, often was reason enough to accuse a woman of being a “witch,” so there is no doubt some of the country folk at the time took these herbal folk names literal.  Chances are, these names were used merely as descriptors to help remember them easier.  Most plants were given names descriptive of their uses and others were given names for something they generally resembled. Spells written by witches in ancient times were often written with such descriptors, which personally i believe to be a form of secret coding.

Here is a small list of “witchy” herb names (most of these are already floating around the community) that you can use in your craft when you create your spells.  This list could be a great addition to any Grimoire and i hope you find them as useful as i do.

Enjoy ~~~  Cannawitch

Plants

Aaron’s Rod - Goldenrod or mullein stalk Absinthe - Wormwood Adder’s Fork - Adder’s Tongue Fern or Bistort Adder’s Tongue - Dog’s Tooth Violet (or Adder’s Tongue Fern Ague root - Unicorn root Alison - Sweet Alyssum Angel Food, Archangel - Angelica Angel’s Trumpet - Datura Ass’s Ear - colt’s foot or comfrey Ass’s Foot, Bull’s Foot - colt’s foot Auld Man’s Bells, Old man’s bells - wood hyacinth, Hyacinthoides hispanica

Bad Man’s/Devil’s Oatmeal/Porridge - hemlock Bad Man’s/Devil’s Plaything - Yarrow Bastard - false Dittany Bat flower - tacca Bat’s Wing - Holly leaf Bat’s Wool - moss (which moss?) Bear’s Foot - Lady’s Mantle Bear’s Grape Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bear Paw - ramsons Allium ursinum or the root of male fern Dryopteris Felix-mas Bear weed - Yerba Santa Eriodictyon californicum Beard of a Monk - Chicory Beggar’s Lice - Hound’s tongue Beggar’s Buttons - Burdock Bird’s Eye - Speedwell Veronica officinalis Bird’s Foot - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum (Also bird’s foot violet and bird’s foot trefoil) Bird’s Nest - carrot, Indian pipe Bishop’s Wort, Bishop’s Elder - Wood betony Stachys betonica Bitter Grass - Ague Root Aletris Farinosa Black Sampson - Echinacea Blazing Star - liatris Blind Eyes - Poppy Blood from a head - Lupine * Blood from a shoulder - Bear’s breech * Blood of a Goose - Sap from a mulberry * Morus nigra Blood of an Eye - Tamarisk gall * (probably the tannin extracted from) Blood of Ares - purslane * Blood of Hephaestus - wormwood * Blood of Hestia - Chamomile * Blood - sap of the elder or bloodwort Bloody butcher - Valerian Bloody Fingers - Foxglove Blue Bottle - Bachelor’s buttons Boy’s Love, Lad’s Love: Southernwood Brain Thief - Mandrake Bone of an Ibis - buckthorn * I am not sure if this is Rhamnus cathartica or sea buckthorn Hippophae spp If I can find a recipe containing this, I will know for sure by comparing its purpose to their very different qualities Bread and Cheese - Hawthorn Bride of the Meadow - meadowsweet Bull’s Blood - beet or horehound Burning bush - false dittany, also a modern name for species of Euonymus Cow’s Horn - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum Bride of the Sun - calendula Brown Dragon - wake robin Buttons - tansy

Calf’s snout - Snapdragon Candlemas Maiden - snowdrop Candlewick - mullein, the flower stalk Capon’s Tail - valerian Carpenter’s Herb - bugleweed Lycopus europaeus Carpenter’s Square - knotted figwort Carpenter’s weed - Yarrow Cat - catnip Cat’s foot - white balsam, black cohosh, ground ivy Cat’s herb - valerian Chameleon star - bromeliad Cheeses - marsh mallow Chocolate flower - wild geranium (I don’t buy it) Christ’s eye - wild clary Salvia verbenaca Christ’s ladder - centaury Christ’s spear - adder’s tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum Church steeple - Agrimony Clear eye - clary sage Cleavers - bedstraw Click - goosegrass Clot - great mullien Cocklebur - Agrimony Cock’s comb - amaranth Colt’s Tail - fleabane Crane’s bill - wild geranium Crow’s foot - wild geranium, or wood anemone bulbous buttercup (verified) Crowdy kit - figwort Cuckoo’s bread - common plantago Cucumber tree - magnolia Cuddy’s lungs - great mullein Crown for a king - wormwood

Dagger flower - blue flag Daphne - bay laurel Dead man’s bells foxglove Death angel - fly agaric Amanita Muscaria Death cap - fly agaric Amanita Muscaria Death flower - Yarrow Death’s Herb - Belladonna Delight of the Eye - rowan Devil Plant - basil Devil’s Apple - Mayapple or Mandrake Devil’s beard - houseleek Devil’s bit - false unicorn root Devil’s cherries Belladonna berries Devil’s plaything - yarrow Devil’s dung - asafoetida Devil’s ear - wakerobin Devil’s eye - henbane or periwinkle Devil’s flower - bachelor’s buttons Devil’s fuge - mistletoe Devil’s guts - dodder Devil’s herb - belladonna Devil’s milk - celandine Devil’s nettle - yarrow Devil’s Shoestring: Various varieties of vibernum, esp Black Haw, cramp bark, hobblebush Dew of the Sea - Rosemary Dog Berry - wild rose hips Dog’s mouth - snap dragon Dog’s tongue - hound’s tongue Dove’s foot - wild geranium Dragon - tarragon Dragon Flower - blue flag (really, wild iris? not an arum or a Antirrhinum?) Dragon wort - bistort Dragon’s blood - calamus

Eagle - ramsons Allium ursinum Earth apple - potato Earth smoke- fumitory Elf’s wort - Elecampane Enchanter’s plant - vervain Englishman’s fruit/ White man’s foot - common plantain Everlasting friendship - goosegrass Eye root - goldenseal

Fairy smoke - Indian pipe Fairy fingers - foxglove Fat from a Head - spurge * Felon herb - Mugwort Five fingers - cinquefoil Fox’s Clote - burdock Frog’s foot - bulbous buttercup From the belly - Earth-apple. * potato?? Did the writers know about potatoes? When was pgm written? From the foot - houseleek * From the loins - chamomile *

Goat’s foot - morning glory Goat’s Horn - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum God’s hair - hart’s tongue fern Golden’s star - avens Gosling’s wing - goosegrass Graveyard dust - mullein (and sometimes it’s just graveyard dust)

Hag’s taper - mullien stalk Hagthorn - hawthorn Hair of Venus - Maidenhair fern Hairs of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Seed * Hare’s beard - mullein Hawk’s Heart, Old Woman - Wormwood Artemisia absinthium crown or seed head * Hind’s tongue - hart’s tongue fern Holy herb - yerba santa Holy rope - hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum Horse tongue - hart’s tongue fern Hundred eyes - periwinkle

Innocence - bluets

Jacob’s Staff - Great Mullein Joy of the Mountain - Marjoram Jupiter’s Staff - Great Mullein

King’s Crown: Black Haw vibernum Knight’s Milfoil - Yarrow Kronos’ Blood - sap of Cedar *

Lady’s glove - foxglove Lamb’s ears - betony but more likely lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina Lion’s Hair - The extra little roots that stick out of the turnip bulb or the base leaves Brassica rapa * Lion’s tooth - dandelion Little dragon - tarragon Love in idleness - pansy Love Lies Bleeding - amaranth (Not so ancient, a modern ornamental variant) Love Leaves - burdock Love man - goosegrass Love Parsley - lovage Love root - orris root

Maiden’s Ruin - Southernwood Man’s Bile - Turnip Juice * Man’s Health - Ginseng Master of the Woods - Woodruff May Lily - Lily of the Valley May Rose - Black Haw viburnum May - Black Haw viburnum Maypops - Passion Flower Mistress of the Night - Tuberose Mutton Chops - Goosegrass

Nose Bleed - Yarrow

Old Man’s Flannel - Great Mullein Old Man’s Pepper - Yarrow Old-Maid’s-Nightcap - Wild Geranium

Password - primrose Peter’s Staff - Great Mullein Poor Man’s Treacle - Garlic Priest’s Crown - Dandelion leaves

Queen of the Meadow Root - Gravelroot Queen of the Meadow - Meadowsweet Queen of the Night - Vanilla Cactus

Rats and Mice - Hound’s tongue Ram’s horn - valerian Ring a Bells - bluebell Robin run in the grass - goosegrass

Scaldhead - blackberry Seed of Horus - horehound See bright - Clary sage Semen of Ammon - Houseleek * Semen of Ares - Clover * Semen of Helios - White Hellebore * Semen of Hephaistos - Fleabane * Semen of Herakles - arugula * Semen of Hermes - Dill * Seven Year’s Love Yarrow Shameface - Wild Geranium Shepherd’s Heart - Shepherd’s Purse Silver Bells - Black Haw viburnum Snake Root - black cohosh Soapwort - Comfrey or Daisy or maybe Soapwort Sorcerer’s Violet - Periwinkle Sparrow’s Tongue - Knotweed St. John’s Herb - Hemp Agrimony St. John’s Plant - Mugwort Star Flower - Borage Star of the Earth - Avens Starweed - Chickweed Sweethearts - Goosegrass Swine’s Snout - Dandelion leaves

Tail of a Pig - Leopard’s bane * Tanner’s bark - toadflax Tartar root - ginseng Tears of a Hamadryas Baboon - Dill Juice * Thousand weed - yarrow Thunder plant - houseleek Titan’s Blood - Wild Lettuce Lactuca virosa * Torches - mullein flower stalk

Unicorn’s horn - unicorn root or false unicorn root Urine - dandelion or maybe urine

Wax dolls - fumitory Weasel - rue Weasel snout - yellow archangel Winter wood - wild cinnamon Canella alba White - ox eye daisy Witch’s Asprin - white willow bark (this is ancient?) Witch’s brier - wild brier rose hips Wolf claw - club moss Wolf’s foot - bugleweed Wolf’s milk - euphorbia Woodpecker - herbLpeony Worm fern- male fern Dryopteris Felix-mas

Yerba Santa Maria - epazote

Plant Parts/Body Parts

Blood - Sap or juice Eye - The disc of a composite flower, or a seed Foot - Leaf Guts - Roots, stalks, tangly bits Hair - Very stringy roots (sometimes silk or tangly stems) Head - Flower head or seed head Tail - Stem Tongue - Petal, sometimes stigma Toes - leaf or bud Paw - sometimes bud, usually leaf Privates - Seed pod Worm - stringy roots Wool - Moss

Minerals

A Snake’s Ball of Thread - soapstone * Blood of a Snake - hematite * Crocodile Dung - Soil from Ethiopia * A Physician’s bone - sandstone *

Animal Parts

A Snake’s Head - A leech * Blood of a Hyrax - A rock badger, * small weasel-like/rodent-like (but actually neither) creature native to Africa and the Middle East Blood of a Hamadryas Baboon - Blood of a spotted gecko * Bull’s semen - the egg of a blister beetle * Lion Semen - Human semen * Kronos’ Spice - Pig Milk *

* From Ecloga ex Papyris Magicis: Liber I, V, xxvi

More Sources for verification -

Galen - De succedaneis, Claudii Galeni Opera Omnia, v 19

Paulus Aegineta, Corpus Medicorum Graecorum IX/2 vII

Dioscorides De Materia Medica

Witchipedia

Lady Raven

Tryskelion

.:: Defining Traditional Witchcraft ::.

What is Traditional Witchcraft?

According to Michael Howard, Trad Craft refers to “any non-Gardnerian, non-Alexandrian, non-Wiccan or pre-modern form of the Craft, especially if it has been inspired by historical forms of witchcraft and folk magic”.

Traditional Witchcraft, therefore, is not a single monolith. We can, in fact, distinguish between:

Operative Witchcraft or Folk Magic

Ritual(istic) Witchcraft

This first difference is taken from Margaret Murray; she used the first term for indicating the practice of magic, as carried out by cunning folk and folk magicians, and included the non-religious practice of spells, charms, divinations, etc. “whether used by a professed witch or by a professed Christian, whether intended for good or for evil, for killing or for curing. Such charms and spells are common to every nation and country, and are practised by the priests and people of every religion. They are part of the common heritage of the human race and are therefore of no practical value in the study of any one particular cult.” (The Witch-Cult, p. 11.)

The second term (also called “Dianic cult” by Murray) indicates, instead, “the religious beliefs and ritual of the people, known in late mediaeval times as ‘Witches’. The evidence proves that underlying the Christian religion was a cult practised by many classes of the community, chiefly, however, by the more ignorant or those in the less thickly inhabited parts of the country. It can be traced back to pre-Christian times”. Therefore we can say that Ritual Witchcraft is the cult of pre-Christian Deities or Spirits connected to the witches.

While the ideas of Murray about this cult have now been discredited, other scholars have reopened this field as a viable area of study, discovering many ecstatic witch-cults. The most known academics in this field are: Carlo Ginzburg, Éva Pócs, Emma Wilby, Claude Lecouteux, Wolfgang Behringer, Sabina Magliocco, Gábor Klaniczay, Gustav Henningsen and Bengt Ankarloo.

Relying on the work of these scholars, we can say therefore that Ritual Witchcraft was/is the religious system surrounding the Sabbath, the Procession of the Dominae Nocturnae from house to house, the spiritual flight, Elphame, the Wild Hunt, the Night Battles, etc.

As we can understand, even if the majority of the Ritual Witches were/are also Operative Witches (practitioners of Folk Magic), not all the Operative Witches were/are also Ritual Witches. The majority of Folk Magicians/Operative Witches, in fact, didn’t go to the Sabbath, didn’t astrally fly, didn’t astrally go with the Wild Hunt, from house to house with the Domina Nocturna, to Elphame/the Otherworld or to the Night Battles. Ritual Witches did.

We can say, therefore, that Operative Witchcraft is a practice, while Ritual Witchcraft is a religion.

Traditional Witches who are secular are, therefore, usually Operative and not Ritual Witches. While the distinction between Ritual and Operative Witchcraft is an established one in the Witchcraft community, I introduce a new, according to me useful, second distinction, inside Ritual Witchcraft (i.e. Witchcraft as a religion), by borrowing the terms “Revivalism” and “Reconstructionism” from Polytheism, in which it’s an already established terminology:

Hereditary Witchcraft

Revivalist Witchcraft

Reconstructionist Witchcraft

Hereditary Traditional Witchcraft brings together all the traditions that claim a lineage from the Witchcraft of the past.

Revivalist Traditional Witchcraft is inspired by folklore, trials and the figure of the witch without any presumption of hereditarity. Unlike the Reconstructionist one, it leaves ample space for personal initiative and the influence of other traditions, without slavishly following the history in every single detail.

Reconstructionist Traditional Witchcraft, finally, tries to resume, starting from the in-depth study of folklore, historical trials and documents, the exact practices and beliefs of Historical Witchcraft. For example, the pantheon of Spirits, the festivities, the structure of the Sabbath, the structure of the offerings, and so on.

An important aspect for those who practice Reconstructionism is the resumption of the names of the Gods (or it would be more correct to say, of the “Deific Familiar Spirits” or “Major Spirits”) forgotten and remained only in the trials papers and in folklore. The idea is to reopen roads, ways to these Spirits. Reconstructing therefore means paying homage to these Spirits and allowing those interested to re-establish a connection with Them.

We said before that Traditional Witchcraft is not Wicca. What’s the difference?

According to the Traditional Witchcraft author Lee Morgan:

“It could easily be said that one of the major differences between the modern revival referred to as “Traditional Witchcraft” and the other modern revival known as “Wicca”, is that Traditional Witchcraft draws on “folkloric material” and is largely “shamanic” whereas Wicca is more of a fusion of Western Occult ceremonial and natural magic traditions.”

(From: Lee Morgan’s “A Deed Without a Name: Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft”)

Old Herb Names

Raven and Crone

Adders Tongue: Dogstooth, Violet, Plantain Ass Foot or Bulls Foot: Coltsfoot

Bats Wings: Holly Leaf Bats wool: Moss Bears Foot: Ladys Mantle Birds Eye: Germander Speedwell Black Sampson: Echinacea Blood: Elder sap or another tree sap Blood of Hephaistos: Wormwood Blood from a Head: Lupine   Blood of Ares: Purslane Blood of a Goose: A Mulberry Trees Milk Blood of Hestia: Chamomile Blood of an Eye: Tamarisk Gall Blood from a Shoulder: Bears Breach Bloody fingers: Foxglove Bloodwort: Yarrow Bodily Fluids: Houseleek Bone of an Ibis: Buckthorn Brains: Congealed gum from a cherry tree Bread and Cheese Tree: Hawthorne Bulls Blood or Seed of Horus: Horehound Burning Bush: White Dittany

Calfs Snout: Snapdragon Candelmas Maiden: Snowdrop. Capons Tail: Valerian Cats Foot: Canada Snake Root and or Ground Ivy Cheeses: Marsh Mallow Chocolate Flower: Wild Geranium Christs Ladder: Centaury Christs Eye: Vervain, Sage Clear-eye: Clary Sage Click: Goosegrass Clot: Great Mullein Corpse candles: Mullein Corpse Plant: Indian Pipe. Crocodile dung: Black earth Crowdy Kit: Figwort Crows Foot: Cranesbill, Wild Geranium Cuckoos Bread: Common Plantain Cucumber Tree: Magnolia Cuddys Lungs: Great Mullein

Daphne: Laurel/Bay Dead Man: Ash or Mandrake root carved in a crude human shape or poppet Devils Dung: Asafoetida   Devils Plaything: Yarrow Dew of the Sea: Rosemary Dogs Mouth: Snap Dragon Doves Foot: Wild Geranium Dragons Blood: Calamus Dragons Scales: Bistort Leaves Dragon Wort: Bistort

Eagle: Wild Garlic Ear of an Ass: Comfrey Ear of a Goat: St. Johns Wort Earth Smoke: Fumitory Elfs Wort: Elecampane Enchanters Plant: Vervain Englishmans Foot: Common Plantain Erba Santa Maria: Spearmint Everlasting Friendship: Goosegrass Eye of Christ: Germander Speedwell Eye of the Day: Common Daisy Eye of the Star: Horehound Eye Root: Goldenseal Eyes: Aster, Daisy, Eyebright

Fairy Smoke: Indian Pipe Fat from a Head: Spurge Felon Herb: Mugwort Fingers: Cinquefoil Five Fingers: Cinquefoil Foxs Clote: Burdock Frogs Foot: Bulbous Buttercup From the Belly: Earth-apple From the Foot: Houseleek From the Loins: Chamomile

Goats Foot: Ash Weed Gods Hair: Hart’s Tongue Fern Golden Star: Avens Gosling Wing: Goosegrass Graveyard Dust: Mullein Great Ox-eye: Ox-eye Daisy

Hags Taper: Great Mullein Hagthorn: Hawthorn Hair: Maidenhair fern Hairs of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Seed Hair of Venus: Maidenhair Fern Hand: The expanded frond from a male fern used to make the true hand of glory, which is nothing more than a candle made of wax mixed with fern Hares Beard: Great Mullein Hawks Heart: Heart of Wormwood Heart: Walnut Herb of Grace: Vervain Hinds Tongue: Hart’s Tongue Fern Holy Herb: Yerba Santa Holy Rope: Hemp Agrimony Hook and Arn: Yerba Santa Horse Hoof: Coltsfoot Horse Tongue: Hart’s Tongue Fern Hundred Eyes: Periwinkle

Innocense: Bluets

Jacobs Staff: Great Mullein Joy of the Mountain: Marjoram Jupiters Staff: Great Mullein

Kings Crown: Black Haw Knight’s Milfoil: Yarrow Kronos’ Blood: of Cedar

Lads Love: Southernwood Ladys Glove: Foxglove aka Witches’ Gloves Lambs Ears: Betony Lions Hairs: Tongue of a Turnip [i.e., the leaves of the taproot] Lions Tooth: Dandelion aka Priest’s Crown Little Dragon: Tarragon Love in Idleness: Pansy Love Leaves: Burdock Love Lies Bleeding: Amaranth or Anemone Love Man: Goosegrass Love Parsley: Lovage Love Root: Orris Root

Maidens Ruin: Southernwood Mans Bile: Turnip Sap Mans Health: Ginseng Master of the Woods: Woodruff May: Black Haw May Lily: Lily of the Valley May Rose: Black Haw Maypops: Passion Flower Mistress of the Night: Tuberose Mutton Chops: Goosegrass

Nose Bleed: Yarrow

Old-Maids-Nightcap: Wild Geranium Old Mans Flannel: Great Mullein Old Mans Pepper: Yarrow Oliver: Olive

Password: Primrose Peters Staff: Great Mullein Pigs Tail: Leopard’s Bane Poor Man’s Treacle: Garlic Priests Crown: Dandelion leaves Pucha-Pat: Patchouli

Queen of the Meadow: Meadowsweet Queen of the Meadow Root: Gravelroot Queen of the Night: Vanilla Cactus

Rams Head: American Valerian Red Cockscomb: Amaranth Ring-o-Bells: Bluebells Robin-Run-in-the-Grass: Goosegrass

Scaldhead: Blackberry See Bright: Clary Sage Seed of Horus: Horehound Semen of Ammon: Houseleek Semen of Ares: Clover Semen of Helios: White Hellebore Semen of Hephaistos: This is Fleabane Semen of Hermes: Dill Semen of Herakles: Mustard-rocket Seven Year’s Love: Yarrow Shameface: Wild Geranium   Shepherds Heart: Shepherds Purse Silver Bells: Black Haw Skin of a Man: Fern Skull: Skullcap Snake: Bistort Snakes Blood: Hematite stone Soapwort: Comfrey or Daisy Sorcerer’s Violet: Periwinkle   Sparrows Tongue: Knotweed St. Johns Herb: Hemp Agrimony.(this is not St. John’s Wort) St. Johns Plant: Mugwort Star of the Earth: Avens Star Flower: Borage Starweed: Chickweed Sweethearts: Goosegrass Swines Snout: Dandelion leaves

Tanners Bark: Common Oak Tarragon: Mugwort Tartar Root: Ginseng Tears of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Juice Thousand Weed: Yarrow Thunder Plant: House Leek Titans Blood: Wild Lettuce Toad: Toadflax Tongue of dog: hounds tongue Tooth or Teeth: Pinecones Torches: Great Mullein

Unicorns Horn: False Unicorn:Helonias Dioica Unicorn Horn: True Unicorn Root Unicorn Root: Ague Root

Wax Dolls: Fumitory Weasel Snout: Yellow Archangel Weazel Snout: Yellow Dead Nettles/Yellow Archangel Weed: Ox-Eye Daisy White: Ox-eye Daisy White Mans Foot: Common Plantain White Wood: White Cinnamon Witch’s Asprin: White Willow/Willow Bark Witch’s Brier: Brier Hips Wolf Claw: Club Moss Wolf Foot: Bugle Weed   Wolfs Milk: Euphorbia Worms: Gnarled, thin roots of a local tree

Litha Recipes with Correspondences and Vegan Alternatives

Cinnamon Red Sun Tea

Ingredients:

- 6 cups water

- ¼ cup loose red (rooibos) tea leaves

- 2 Cinnamon Sticks

- Simple syrup or Agave to taste

Directions:

- Place water, tea leaves and cinnamon sticks in large container or pitcher. Stir. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Let stand in sun for 3 to 5 hours.

- Strain tea, discarding tea leaves and cinnamon sticks. Serve tea over ice or refrigerate until chilled. Sweeten with Simple Syrup, if desired.

Correspondances:

- Tea ~ courage, mental powers, prosperity, restfulness, strength

- Water ~ purification

- Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success

- Sugar ~ love

Peach Earl Grey Fritters

Ingredients:

- 1 ½ cups whole milk (almond or soy for vegan)

- 1/3 cup earl grey tea

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (coconut oil for vegan)

- 5 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 pinch nutmeg

- 1 pinch cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon salt

- ¼ cup sugar

- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

- 2 eggs (egg substitute for vegan)

- 6 cups Vegetable oil, for frying (use more if needed)

- 3 large peaches, diced

For Icing:

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 3 tablespoons honey (agave or maple syrup for vegan)

-  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

- 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream (almond or soy for vegan)

Directions:

- In a small pot, heat the milk, tea, and butter until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

- Mix the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl if mixing by hand). Add the warm milk mixture and mix to combine.

- Add the eggs, scraping the bowl well. Turn the mixer up to medium speed, and, using a dough hook, mix until the dough begins to pull away from the edges. If mixing by hand, knead until it easily pulls away from the sides of the bowl as you knead (it will still be quite sticky).

- Transfer the finished dough to a well-oiled container and cover. Allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the dough overnight so that it’s ready to make in the morning—but you may need to punch the dough down once or twice during that period to prevent it from over-fermenting.

- Roll out the doughnut dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Size/precision of the rectangle isn’t important—just focus on an even thickness for the dough. 

- Use a knife, pastry scraper, or bench knife to cut the dough into long vertical strips about ½ inch wide. 

- Next, cut the strips horizontally about ½ inch wide—this should make a whole bunch of ½ inch squares. 

- Divide the dough squares into 12 even portions. 

- To shape each doughnut, take about 2/3 of one portion of dough squares and smoosh them gently together. Place about ¼ to 1/3 cup of diced peaches on top of the dough.

- Top with the remaining 1/3 of the portion of dough squares and smoosh the dough gently to adhere to the peaches and other dough. It’s best for each piece of peach to be touching dough in two places (on top and on bottom), otherwise some may fall out when you go to fry them.

- Cover the doughnuts with greased plastic wrap and let them rise for 20 to 30 minutes.

- While the doughnuts rises heat the oil. If you have one, use a deep-fry thermometer to test the oil and help regulate the temperature—around 350° F is best. If you don’t have one, throw a doughnut hole or scrap piece of dough into the oil and see if it sizzles and rises to the surface. When it does, you’re good to go.

- Working in batches, gently drop the doughnuts into the oil, frying until they’re golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. It’s helpful to use a spider or slotted spoon to support the fritter for the first 15-30 seconds, until the dough sets.

- Drain the doughnuts on several layers of absorbent paper towels. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. 

-In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, honey, cinnamon, and milk or cream to combine. Add more milk or cream as needed to make drizzly glaze. Drizzle each doughnut into the glaze, and serve immediately.

Correspondances:

- Milk ~ Goddess energy, love, nurturing, spirituality

- Tea ~ courage, mental powers, prosperity, restfulness, strength

- Butter ~ smoothing relationships, spirituality, tenacity

- Flour ~ revealing hidden matters, consistency

- Nutmeg ~ confidence, emotional openness, fidelity, healing, luck, prosperity, social interaction

- Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success

- Salt ~ cleansing & purification, grounding, protection

- Sugar ~ love

- Yeast ~ grounding, purification

- Egg ~ fertility, lust, protection, spirituality, strength

-  Oil ~ spirituality

- Peach ~ happiness, healing, fertility, longevity, love, wisdom

- Honey ~ happiness, healing, love, lust, purification, spirituality, sweet things in life, weight loss, wisdom

- Maple Syrup ~ prosperity, love

Raspberry Banana Bread

Ingredients:

- ¾ cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed

- 1 ripe banana

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

- ½ teaspoon baking soda

- ¼ teaspoon salt

- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1 cup white sugar

- 2 eggs (egg substitute for vegan)

- ½ cup vegetable oil

- ½ teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan.

-  Mash raspberries in a bowl with a fork. Mash banana in another bowl with a fork.

- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl.

- Beat sugar, eggs, raspberries, banana, and vegetable oil in a bowl with an electric mixer set on low until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

- Stir flour mixture into raspberry mixture until batter is just moistened; stir in lemon extract. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Correspondances: 

-  Bread ~ (in general) kinship, sustenance

- Cake ~ (in general) celebrations, hospitality

- Raspberry ~ happiness, love, protection, stamina, vigor

- Banana ~ fertility, love, luck, potency, prosperity, spirituality

- Flour ~ revealing hidden matters, consistency

- Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success

- Baking soda ~ raising energy or expectations

- Salt ~ cleansing & purification, grounding, protection

- Nutmeg ~ confidence, emotional openness, fidelity, healing, luck, prosperity, social interaction

- Sugar ~ love

- Egg ~ fertility, lust, protection, spirituality, strength

- Oil ~ spirituality

- Lemon ~ faithfulness, friendship, happiness, longevity, love, marriage

The Viking's Journey

Awhile back while meditating on the runes, I realized that the Elder Futhark could be read as a personal development path, much like the Fool’s Journey in the Tarot. I call it The Viking’s Journey because it models the path of someone who is ruthless in the pursuit of getting their life in order and individuating. Like the Fool’s Journey (or the Hero’s Journey or the Girls Underground Journey), events in this sequence don’t necessarily happen in order. They loop back and around and sometimes—like Hagalaz—they jump out and snag you unawares.

Fehu: The journey begins with abundance. You have enough wealth and good fortune to be able to think about who you are and who you could be. You know that you are worth investing in, and you intend to do it.

Uruz: You develop knowledge of yourself at the animal level. You know where you end and where others begin, and you do what’s necessary to protect your boundaries. You trust your gut. You assert your right to your own space. The will to be pumps through your veins like fire.

Thurisaz: You don’t have the time or energy for bullshit. You are ruthless about dealing with unresolved conflicts. The conflict can either be resolved, or the people involved can go. You are pruning your life of people and things that aren’t good for you, even if it hurts.

Ansuz: When the things that have held you down in the outer world are dealt with, you discover that the worst bonds are still undealt with. They are the bonds in your mind. As you deal with mental patterns that have you stuck dealing with the same old shit, you find your voice.

Raidho: Nothing is holding you down anymore, so you just go. You’re done with your hometown. It’s time to see the world.

Kenaz: You have plunged into the unknown and find yourself in darkness, but you have a torch that lights your way. As you explore, you gain knowledge of the world around you, but also, most importantly, of yourself.

Gebo: You make a wish, and it is granted. You receive a gift. In gratitude, when you’re done with what you’ve received, you give it away. In doing this, you learn that nothing really belongs to you. You just carry it around for awhile. In learning to share what you have, you discover the power of community.

Wunjo: No longer defining yourself by your possessions, you begin to see yourself more clearly. You are beautiful and worthy of joy.

Hagalaz: Loss comes suddenly like hail from the sky. As you survey the devastation and try to salvage what you can, you realize that not every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes the sky is a solid mass of gray that broods. Want your life back? You’ll need to descend to the underworld and ask it from Hel herself.

Naudhiz: You are nothing but need. There is no room for anything optional. There is only the next thing you have to do. Now. As you work, you slowly begin to notice that you’re not alone. You are surrounded by people who have suffered the same losses as you. You are stronger together.

Isa: You get things together enough to breathe, and then you freeze. It’s like you’re back at the beginning, caught in bondage and bullshit. The allies who helped you while you were in trouble are satisfied enough with just getting by. You know that you can do better than that, but you can’t force anyone to change. You need to shut everyone out in order to strategize an escape.

Jera: The wheel turns, and you’re ready to move on. You’re binding up your wounds, reevaluating the mistakes you’ve made in the past. How did you get here? Why do you keep getting tied down? How do you make sure you never get here again?

Eihwaz: You begin to realize it’s not just about you. The world itself is bound by illusions. Everyone around you is following scripts handed out to them by society. Seeing the strings gives you power. To find out who you really are, you have to journey within.

Perthro: When you were a child, you knew who you were. In connecting to memories, bringing this old knowledge of yourself forward into adulthood, you are reborn. Your luck returns.

Elhaz: You are new and fragile. You can feel in your bones that your old ways of protecting yourself are inadequate. New, more sophisticated boundaries are needed—less like armor, more like skin that grows with you.

Sowilo: The sun comes out and melts away your icy shield, but that’s okay. You don’t need artificial barriers keeping you from others anymore. You are enough to keep yourself safe.

Tiwaz: You are tested, and there is only one right way to go. You have been in this seemingly choiceless place before, but this time it’s different. This time it is not the outerworld that is forcing your hand. It is your inner code of ethics. There is only one way to go and remain yourself. You weigh the cost and accept it. Nothing is worth betraying your integrity.

Berkano: You have been wounded while doing your duty. It was your choice, and you take responsibility, and that means owning your healing, too. You retreat for a while to lick your wounds.

Ehwaz: When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you. (Yeah, Firefly!)

Mannaz: You are ready to start pulling your own weight, and you begin to form a partnership with the person who carried you. Balance is hard, but you soon develop a relationship of equals.

Laguz: In cooperation, you learn that gaining more power and forcing your will on the world isn’t the only way to manifest your desire. One can be strong. Many flowing together are stronger. You learn to lead.

Ingwaz: Night falls, and you begin to long for home. You look back at how far you’ve come, and the thought of having to walk back all that way fills you with dread, so you find a way to make a door and just…step through.

Othala: You have returned home. You realize that home is not just a place to hang your hat. It’s part of you, and now you can give your home the same care you give yourself.

Dagaz: The end credits roll, and the lights come on, and you realize that even this journey is an illusion, a metaphor to help you find your way, a metaphor you no longer need. You rise and leave the theater.

Fighting Consumerism in Magic

aka, little things to distance your craft from capitalism

Let’s all just admit that buying stuff is fun. That said, there’s a big issue of consumerism within the witchy/pagan scene. As magic work and the pagan “aesthetic” becomes more of a commodity in the mainstream, there’s a mounting attitude of needing All The Items in the highest quality (even if we’re not certain we’ll use them,) and big corporations mass-producing cheap stuff to make a buck off of a growing trend. Here’s some things you can do to help detach your practice from that and support other people in the craft:

Go outside. Check your backyard or local park for local plant life, waters, roots, etc. If your work involves things from nature at all, you can probably find a lot of your supplies… in nature. It takes a little more time, but it’s free and then you’ve gathered stuff yourself! 

Make stuff. This one is pretty straightforward. There may be key items to your practice that you can make yourself instead of buying it! That said, I know sometimes spending money is inevitable so I won’t dwell too much on this… let’s talk more about shopping:

Shop mindfully. The price of a lot of items will skyrocket once it has a pentacle or other symbol engraved on it. For example, little mortars and pestles can be very pricey in witchy shops, but you could probably get a bigger one that’s actually food safe for less at a nice grocery store. Antique stores and international markets are now your new best friends.

Support small businesses! Things are cheaper on Amazon, but the extra money goes to support real people, likely other practitioners. If you can, supporting small, local, independent shopkeepers and crafters does a ton of good. It also helps build and sustain a local community. 

Shop based on need. Don’t get something “just in case” (unless it’s banishing or hex breaking stuff; those are decent to have on hand.) It’s tempting to impulse-buy a ton of niche items and ingredients, but unless you have a reasonable idea what you’re going to use them for in the near future, it’ll probably just create clutter for you to deal with later.

Prioritize effectiveness over aesthetic. Ultimately your practice has to work for you, not just look good. I think making your work aesthetically pleasing to yourself can be an important part of really connecting with what you’re doing, but don’t make that desire burn a hole in your wallet and distract you from what brought you to this path in the first place. Altar envy is a real thing. 

Recycle/Upcycle. Use old clothing fabric for an altar cloth. That old trinket dish makes a great offering dish. Enchant jewelry you already own. That jar of strawberry jelly you just finished off will work just fine for that spell. Things can be re-purposed and made into new things.

Analyze your offerings. Special occasion wine isn’t a special occasion if you do it every time. Not every offering needs to be a grand gesture, regular maintenance is more important generally.

Organize trades. Have any pals that also practice? See if you can help each other! You could trade different goods (that old mini cauldron you bought and never used for that abandoned tarot deck, maybe?) but also services. A protection spell for a luck charm. A reading for a reading. You help them with the laundry and they cook you a meal one day. 

As always, the goal is to foster a local community of individuals doing honest work, and shedding the consumerist mindset society taught us to make us spend more money. Take up the idea that you can do magic completely on your own with what you already around you, and if you do want to spend money, see if you can do it in a way that helps the world a tiny bit.  :) 

Jólakötturinn