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If you create amulets to share with your friends, your good intention will be returned many times over. I keep a stock of little muslin drawstring bags, but the amulet will be even more powerful if you sew them by hand and stuff the dried herbs inside.
For courage: mullein and borage flowers
Tantra, a greatly overused and gravely misunderstood term, comes from the Sanskrit meaning “Ritual, Meditation, and Discipline.” It involves a form of mutual worship of the Godhead (lingam) and the Goddesshead (yoni), in which divinity is achieved through simultaneous erotic and emotional union. This exquisite approach to deepening the love between you and your partner requires you to share mutually held intentions.
At the nearest greenhouse or floral show, buy as many gardenias as your purse will allow. Ten or twenty of these heavenly flowers will fill your bower with a sweet, seductive air. Place some of the flowers in crystal- clear bowls of water and some in a warm footbath, and scatter some petals in your bed. Undress and light a single gardenia-scented candle at the head of the bed. Crush some of the petals and rub them into your skin and hair, then chant this love spell:
Many enthusiasts enjoy several cups a day of their favorite herbal infusion, which is a large portion of herb brewed for at least four hours and as long as ten. I recommend one cup of the dried herb placed in a quart canning jar and filled with freshly boiled water. After the steeping, strain with a non-metallic method, such as cheesecloth or bamboo. Herbal Infusions can be made with the leaves and fruits which provide the magical and healing aspects of this comforting concoction. Many of the favorite kitchen witch herbs contain minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, including the list herein. Roots, leaves, flowers, needles and seeds can all be used—depending on which fruit or herb is chosen to be the base. There are some cases when all parts of the plant can be used in some manner, and at others only one or two parts are safe—it is important, when creating a blend from scratch, that the creator has researched ingredients to understand what parts can be used.
What do you need to attend in your life now? This list of herbs and associations can be your guide; one of the smartest ways to approach this methodology is to brew right before bedtime, and you will awaken to a freshly infused herb. Some of the most popular herbs and fruits used to create infusions are:
You will experience years of enjoyment from tending your garden, as Voltaire taught us in his masterpiece, Candide. You can share that pleasure with your friends and those you love with gifts from your garden. Your good intentions will be returned many times over. I keep a stock of small muslin drawstring bags for creating amulets. If you are a crafty witch, you can make the bags, sewing by hand, and stuff the dried herbs inside.
For courage and heart: mullein or borage
After any magical work involving employment, you should immerse yourself in the waters of prosperity with a money bath. This particular ritual is most effective if practiced on Thursday night during a new or full moon. Pour pine, mint or green apple essential oil into running bathwater and bathe by the light of a single green candle. Immerse yourself completely and, as you rise, close your eyes and meditate on your truest desires. What does personal prosperity mean to you? What do you really need and what do you really want? Focus on the candle flame while whispering:
The lean times are past and possibilities are vast.
This year the summer solstice, longest day and height of the solar year, falls on Sunday the 21st of June. This is a time of fiery solar energy. Traditionally a time of faery revels, magic and great power, this is the perfect time to trust in your heart’s desire and seize your destiny. Throughout Britain and Ireland, it has been traditional to light a beacon fire at this time, and to seek spirit contact as well as a time for magic divination and blessing.
There is a host of plant lore connected to this time of the year in the Celtic traditions, but the main plants of the season are the elderflower, Vervain and St John’s wort. Gather Elderflower beneath the moon for healing tisanes or to make cordial, but vervain ‘the enchanters herb’, useful for all sorts of magic and scrying, blessing your sacred space and the highly protective St John’s wort are best gathered at dawn.
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The time you take to restore yourself is precious. Morning is the optimal time to perform a self blessing which will help you maintain both your physical health and provide an emotional boost. Lavender essential oil is the most popular essential oil the world today, but the benefits of lavender were actually discovered over 3000 years ago. Because of the deeply powerful calming and soothing effect as well as antioxidant, antimicrobial, sedative tranquilizing and antidepressive properties, lavender oil is simply wonderful even the scent brings joy. When King Tut’s tomb was opened in 1923 in Egypt, a faint perfume of lavender remained after 3,000 years. In the Bible, lavender was beloved as for anointing and healing. Lavender, let us count the ways we love you:
Alleviate headaches
