FIRST, Gather Your Herbs.

FIRST, Gather Your Herbs.
FIRST, Gather Your Herbs.

FIRST, gather your herbs.

Consider starting with something gentle that will be nice to learn with. Some of my first tinctures were skullcap and lemon balm. These herbs aid in stress and are usually effective if taken multiple times daily over time. I find that trustworthy plants like these are great doorways into herbalism. 

The best place to gather herbs from would be your own garden. If this is not possible be sure to find a trustworthy local herb shop or a bigger buyer like Mountain Rose who sells organic. It is best to tincture most herbs fresh, but dry works well too.

*** If the herbs are coming straight out of the garden you can gently wash the aerial parts, and definitely scrub the roots clean of any dirt residue.  

THEN, chop and macerate.

Chop up the herb or root as small as possible. Once you think it is small enough, go smaller. The more surface area that is exposed during the maceration process, the stronger the medicine can be! For roots, dried herbs, and larger projects I will use a Vitamix. If you often have a small amount that can be easily ground, you may want to consider getting a coffee grinder to reserve for all your herbal endeavors. 

Now you are ready to macerate, which basically means to let the plant sit in alcohol for a few weeks. This process pulls out all the healing constituents that make tinctures therapeutic! 

For your menstrum (or solvent) you will need to use some sort of alcohol. Some people like to use glycerites which are sweeter, or apple cider vinegar. Traditionally brandy or some form of alcohol like vodka was used. When I do the standard method, which is a bit more complicated, I use grain alcohol that is nearly 100%!

Fill a jar all the way to the top with your herbs. Cover it with your brandy or alcohol of choice. Let the herbs macerate for one full lunar cycle. Starting medicines on the full moon can be quite magical! Label your jar with the ingredients and date, and store in indirect light. Shake the maceration daily with good intentions.  

***Remember that you are powerful and the energy that you put forth and the intentions that you set will come through in the medicine.

FINALLY, strain and enjoy!

After a month (or longer) has passed, strain out your herbs with the muslin cloth. Squeeze out any remaining liquid that might be living in the herb. Compost the finished herb which is also known as mark. Pour the now tincture back into jar or into a dosage bottle with a custom label. You have now made your very first folk tincture!

Now you can make medicine from all the beautiful plants that grow around you. You will begin to discover that most of what you need is pretty close by. The St. John’s Wort on the highway, the kudzu on the pine trees, the wild oats dancing in the pasture, the dandelion in your lawn, all the plants are here waiting for you! 

With love and healing light,

Summer Ashley

More Posts from Moss-pond and Others

5 years ago
Creamy Oat Milk Recipe

Creamy Oat Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

4 cups water (use less for thicker, creamier milk)

1 cup rolled oats

pinch of sea salt

Optional add-ins for flavor:

1 pitted date or 1 tbsp maple syrup for sweetness

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp cacao powder for chocolate milk

1/4 cup fresh berries for berry milk

Directions:

Blend oats, water, salt, and any additional add-ins in a high-speed blender for 30 seconds to 1 minute until well combined

Pour milk mixture over a large bowl or pitcher covered with a thin towel or clean t-shirt to separate the pulp

Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate

Shake well and serve cold. Will keep for up to 5 days in refrigerator

8 years ago

Invocation writing II

Here’s a template I made, inspired by the author Richard Kieckhefer.

1. Opening statement.

To summon a spirit: + “I summon” + “I call upon” + “I conjure” + “I invoke”

To banish a spirit: + “I banish” + “I dispel” + “I return” + “I expell” + “I release”

To demand something: + “I ask” + “I command” + “I demand”

2. Name of spirit. “ You… “

+ Whole name + Whole name + birthplace (town/city/country) + Whole name + name of parent + Whole name + occupation in life + “Spirit”

3. Power or authority.

“ By… “ + “My powers” + “My might” + “This token” + “My authority as [insert authority]”

“ In the name of ” + “ All that is ” + “ The powers that be ” + “ What was and will be ”

4. Command.

To summon: + “Manifest thyself within this [circle/room/smoke/mirror/basin/water]” + “Make thyself known” + “Come to me” + “Come forth” + “Grant me audience”

To banish: + “Leave this place” + “Leave me” + “Begone”

To demand something: State your demand and offer a reward for the completion of this task.

Example: “ I summon [Opening statement] You, John Doe [Name of spirit], By my power and in the name of what once was [Power or authority]. Manifest thyself in this circle! [Command] ”

5 years ago

Friendly reminder not to bury glass or plastic jars or throw them in the ocean :)

Environmentally friendly options include:

-seed starter pots

-bell peppers

-paper towel rolls

-toilet paper rolls

-tissue paper

-hollowed out vegetables

-hollowed out fruits

-eggshells

-wrapped banana peels

(Updated thanks to all of your lovely suggestions <3)

If you have any suggestions or concerns please let me know and they will be added

5 years ago

those little things on ur nose aren’t blackheads, don’t try and get rid of them they’re sebaceous filaments and they’re permanent and literally everyone has them

every girl has that little pouch of fat on her lower tummy, despite what magazines try n show u, you have important organs there that need to be protected don’t try and get rid of ur pouch

ur body is smarter than u think and it knows what to do when u eat more than normal. one bad day, or even week, of eating poorly isn’t gonna ruin anything at all I pinky promise

if u think u look good up until u try taking a selfie, it’s not ur fault - our faces are asymmetrical and when u see ur face flipped it will look unnatural to u, since u don’t see it that way when u look in the mirror. to everyone else it looks perfectly fine

no one’s stomach looks the same at 8pm as it does at 8am. no one has a chiseled six pack after a day of eating, not even the super fit people u see on tumblr, because ur stomach naturally expands after eating and expecting to have a flat tummy before bed is very unrealistic

no one notices if the bags under ur eyes are bad today. no one pays attention to the bump in ur nose or the zit on ur chin or the piece of hair that u missed when u were straightening. literally no one notices these things except you so stop worrying about it ur gonna be fine

sometimes u just gotta get over urself

9 months ago
3-card | T A R O T | Spreads |

3-card | t a r o t | spreads |

past / present / future

mind / body / heart

goal / blockage / guidance

in one week / in one month / in one year

true feelings / true intent / potential together

what / why / how

you / me / us

strength / weakness / guidance

you / them / relationship

situation / obstacle / solution

their wants / your wants / potential together

action / reaction / outcome

connection / repeating cycle / havoc

you / current path / potential

start / stop / continue

solution / alternative solution / how to decide

strengths / weaknesses / growth

pain / healing / advice

situation / attitude / advice

idea / manifestation / process

beauty / truth / knowledge

feelings / improve / caution

history / problem / advice

past life / present life / future life

physical / emotional / spiritual

7 years ago

Regain & Maintain Your Self-Control (Spell)

A little bit of magick created for @jesycastarr.

Before I get started on the magicky hoo-hah, I’m just going to write you a thing: you can address self-control (or a lack thereof) by performing grounding.

Grounding Visualisations ✧ Grounding/Meditation Chant ✧ Grounding ✧ Grounding Techniques

image

Onward; to the magick!

This magick will come in the form of a talisman, as talismans can be concealed as everyday items, such as jewellery - discreet and easily carried.

You Will Need:

The item you wish to enchant and carry; a piece of jewellery you wear regularly would be a very good idea.

Black Salt - this is normal salt, mixed with the ashes of this sigil after it has been drawn on paper and burned.  **(Salt is cleansing, and can be used to charge your talisman, and it is imbued with the control-giving power of the sigil, which is activated upon burning.)

A Rhodonite crystal. **(A crystal associated with stability, self-control, calm, and growth.)

Pen & Paper - for the sigil.

A way to burn the sigil - however you choose to do this, be careful. Safety first.

A bowl.

What To Do:

Firstly, draw your sigil onto the paper and hold it in your hands for a little while. As you do this, focus on that which you wish to gain - in this case, focus on self-control; focus on gaining the ability to rein in your impulsiveness. 

Burn your sigil, this activates it.

Wait for the ashes of the sigil to cool, and then mix them into the salt. You can use table salt, sea salt or rock salt - any salt, really will work just as well. The salt will probably turn a bit of a strange colour - this is normal.

In a small dish/bowl place your Black Salt, your soon-to-be-talisman and your Rhodonite crystal. This will charge the object and imbue it with the energy of the crystal. 

To bolster the effectiveness of this talisman, leave it to charge under the Moon for 3 nights.

**Optional step: Each morning of the talisman’s charging process, speak or think these words as you stand before it:  “Within this object my control is lain, bestow unto my being that which shall be mine; control over body, over action, over mind. Et sic factum est, et semper erit.”

When you feel the talisman’s effects begin to wane, and it will, you need only perform this same ritual again.

8 years ago

Magical correspondences of food

abundance and fertility: apples, bananas, barbecued foods, basil, beef, berries, cabbage, carrots, coconut, corn, figs, fish, grapes, honey, kiwis, lettuce, milk, mustard, oats, olives, oranges, peaches, pork, rice, tropical fruit, walnuts

cleansing: barbecued foods, bay leaves, beer, chicken, cinnamon, coconut, fennel, garlic, grapefruit, honey, horseradish, hot peppers, hot sauce, lemons, limes, mint, mustard, onions, oranges, peppers (all kinds), red foods, rosemary, sage, thyme, vinegar, water, whiskey (or any distilled beverage), white foods

comeliness: apricots, avocados, basil, beets, cucumbers, eggs, ham, honey, oats, olive oil, peanut oil, pears, rose water, rosemary, tea, water

creativity: anything made in pot or served in a bowl or cup, allspice, carrots, celery, grapes, ham, honey, mead, milk products, mushrooms, mustard, pomegranates, pork, water, wine

decisions: brazil nuts, caraway seed, celery, coffee, dill, grapes, hazelnuts, honey, mustard, raisins, rosemary, tea, turkey, watercress

knowledge and education: apples, beans and seeds, caraway seed, celery, citrus fruits, coffee, dill, figs, grapes, greens, hot foods and spices, meat, mint, nutmeg, root vegetables, rosemary, savory, tea, walnuts, watercress

employment: alfalfa, almonds, basil, bay leaves, cashews, chamomile, cinnamon, cloves, dill, ginger, grapes, maple syrup, meat, mint, nutmeg, oats, oranges, pecans, pineapple, pomegranates, radishes, salt, wheat

luck: allspice, bamboo shoots, bananas, beer, black-eyed peas, cabbage, champagne, coconut, coleslaw, fish, hazelnuts, kumquats, mincemeat, noodles, nutmeg, oranges, pears, pineapple, pomegranates, red beans, rice, sugar, tea, wine

happiness: apples, apricots, barley, beer, bubbly beverages, celery, cherries, chocolate, cucumbers, cumin, honey, lemons, lettuce, marjoram, milk, mint, olives, oregano, peaches, quince, raspberries, saffron, wine

money: alfalfa, allspice, almonds, bananas, barley, basil, beans, berries, cabbage, cashews, chamomile, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, dill, eggs, figs, ginger, grapes, lettuce, maple syrup, marjoram, milk, mint, oats, onions, oranges, parsley, peanuts, pears, peas, pecans, pine nuts, pineapple, pomegranates, rice, sesame seeds, spinach, tea, tomatoes, wheat

promises: bay leaves, cumin, figs, garlic, honey, lemons, licorice, mulberries, nutmeg, onions, oranges, peanut butter, plantains, rose water, rye, salt, sunflower seeds, tea, wine

psychic awareness: bamboo shoots, bay leaves, bean sprouts (all), carrots, cauliflower, celery, celery seed, cinnamon, citron, coconut, cucumbers, dill, fish, flowers (garnish), grapes, lemons, lettuce, mace, mint, mushrooms, nutmeg, onions, potatoes, rose water, thyme, tofu, vegetarian fare

relationships: apples, barley, basil, bay leaves, cabbage, catnip, cheese, cherries, chestnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, dill, ginger, honey, kiwis, lemons, marjoram, nutmeg, oranges, parsley, raspberries, strawberries, sugar, tomatoes, vanilla, wine

protection: almonds, artichokes, bananas, basil, bay leaves, birch beer, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cayenne, chives, cloves, corn, cranberries, dill, eggs, garlic, horseradish, jalapeno peppers, leeks, marjoram, mustard, nettle, olive oil, onions, parsley, peppers, pineapple, prickly pear, radishes, raspberries, red rice, rhubarb, rosemary, rum, salsa, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, vinegar

sex: beans (men), blackberries, brandy, caraway seed, cardamom, carrots, celery, cherries, chocolate, cinnamon, figs, fish, ginger, honey, mangoes, mint, mustard, nutmeg, olives, oysters (women), parsley, peaches, plum wine, raspberries, rice, rose water, sesame seeds, shellfish, strawberries, truffles, vanilla yams

changes: asparagus, beans, beets, beverages, celery, cheese, citrus fruits, fennel, fermented items, frappés, ginger, grapes, lavender, microwave foods, mint, mulberry, oregano, rosemary, saffron, tea, vanilla, vinegar

health: alfalfa, allspice, almonds, apples, bananas, barley, basil, beans, berries, bran, brandy, cabbage, chicken, cinnamon, cloves, cornmeal, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, eggs, figs, garlic, ginger, honey, kumquats, lemons, marjoram, milk, oats, onions, parsley, peanuts, pears, peas, pine nuts, pineapple, rice, sesame seeds, spinach, thyme, tomatoes, walnuts

Source: Bubble, Bubble, Toil &Trouble – Mystical Munchies, Prophetic Potions, Sexy Servings, and Other Witchy Dishes by Patricia Telesco  

8 years ago

❣ Eyeliner Magick ❣

❣ Eyeliner Magick ❣

Eyeliner wings can be both frustrating and satisfying. There are so many styles, shapes, colors, and techniques for applying them. 

❣ Eyeliner Magick ❣

Corner to Outer Lid - Openness to new experiences and people. Use this technique if you’re feeling or want to feel particularly social or creative.

Outer Lid to Corner - Protection. Use this technique if you feel a bit reclusive or are not in a very social mood and want to go about your business in solitude.

❣ Eyeliner Magick ❣
❣ Eyeliner Magick ❣

Short and Clean - Organization and task completion. Making good first impressions and completing business/work tasks efficiently. (Photo Source, originally from the user who’s @ is under the brow line. I can’t make out what it is, unfortunately.) 

❣ Eyeliner Magick ❣

Chunky/Thick - Power and confidence. Wear this style when you need a little confidence boost or are about to enter a confrontational or negotiation situation. (Photo Source)

Keep reading

5 years ago

15 reasons to build an herb spiral for your garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

(By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

Whether you’re a city mouse or a country mouse — with a high-rise patio or 1000 acres — building an herb spiral near your kitchen allows you to partake in the sustainable permaculture revolution and have fresh organic culinary herbs at your fingertips. An herb spiral is a compact vertical garden built on specific principles allowing for individualized management of wind and water flow to create the ideal garden in a limited amount of space.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

The spiral is a natural form that provides an efficient method for managing space, storing and sorting. Using the natural universal design of a spiral, the forces of gravity and water flow are utilized to their fullest allowing for proper drainage downhill. Herbs that thrive on drier soils live at the top, whereas those needing more moisture reside at the bottom where water collects. This form allows for planting of a widely diverse number of plants, and creates natural, sunny and shady areas — a perfect miniature microclimate landscape environment. The herb spiral as a permaculture form that allows you to create your own ecosystem and become self sufficient. The format can be adapted to large gardens if space is available.

Stone or block building materials allow for retention of heat and insulate plants in colder weather or at night, while acting as the backbone for the structure. Collect water at the bottom and have a small fish or frog pond or even a bog and grow edible water plants. An herb spiral can be built even on a concrete foundation and filled with the richest biodynamic, organic earth to support any plants included.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

The spiral should always be built to move in the direction of water drainage in whatever hemisphere it’s located in — for example, in the Northern hemisphere, water runs off in a clockwise direction and the opposite is true for the Southern hemisphere. This allows for optimal positioning of the pond at the bottom and reduces evaporation. The spiral can be built as a round or oval shape to take advantage of the movement of summer sunlight.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

15 REASONS TO BUILD AN HERB SPIRAL FOR YOUR PERMACULTURE GARDEN

1. Maximize growing space to grow more food. 2. Multiple microclimates available for optimal plant growth.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

3. Healthier plants where growing needs are met and companion planting is easy to reduce insect problems and foster beneficial plant relationships for better growth. 4. Aesthetic garden focal point.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

5. Maximizes space even in very small areas on top of concrete or in high-rise buildings. 6. Harvesting access is easy and all plants are effortlessly accessible. 7. No bending, everything is at waist height — hooray!

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

8. Save money by growing your own food. 9. Eat organic, using heirloom seeds and avoid pesticides and genetically engineered seeds. 10. Reduces maintenance, little weeding and easy to turn and mulch.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

11. Manage water amounts and use natural forces to perpetuate the growing season. 12. Reduce building costs when you use local available materials. 13. Use drip irrigation or a small sprinkler for easy watering and irrigation.

15 Reasons To Build An Herb Spiral For Your Garden (By Jean Bardot, Natural News)

14. Create a bio-diverse habitat for creatures who come to visit. 15. Build an herb spiral to grow medicinal herbs to avoid Big Pharm drugs.

Sources for this article: http://www.mitra.biz http://themicrogardener.com http://welcometovoluntarysimplicity.wordpress.com http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/creating-an-herb-spiral/

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