Magical Herbs
~Magical Mugwort~
Planet Association: Venus
Element: Earth
Astrological Sign: Libra, Taurus
Deity: Artemisia
Gender: Feminine
Mugwort is associated with divination and dreaming. If someone has overactive dreams, they can be balanced out with a ritual bath made from mugwort and indulged in prior to bedtime. To bring about prophecy and divinatory success, make an incense of mugwort to burn at your workspace, or use it in smudge sticks around the area in which you are performing divination rituals.
Mugwort is often associated with the female reproductive system, because of its associations with the moon, and can be used to bring on delayed menstruation.
NOTE: It is recommended that pregnant women do not take mugwort internally, because it can lead to potential miscarriage.
Native American tribes used mugwort leaves to rub on one’s body as protection from ghosts.
The leaves could also be worn as a necklace.
Mug-wort is a favorite of Witches, for its magical and psychic nature. It can burn to help in meditation to strengthen one's personal enter psychic understandings...
Magical Uses Mug-wort is burned with sandalwood or wormwood during scrying rituals, and a mug-wort infusion is drank (sweetened with honey) before divination. The infusion is also used to wash crystal balls and magic mirrors, and mug-wort leaves are placed around the base of the ball (or beneath it) to aid in psychic workings. In China it is hung over doors to keep evil spirits for buildings. Mug-wort is also carried to increase lust and fertility, to prevent backache, and to cure disease and madness. Placed next to the bed it aids in achieving astral projection. It is said to protect travelers from fatigue, sunstroke, wild animals, and evil spirits.
Other magical uses:
Use mugwort baths or incense in rituals focusing on treating depression. Make a set of smudge sticks using dried mugwort, to use in ritual settings bringing about prophecy or divinatory needs.
Place mugwort under your pillow to prevent astral attacks, or to ward off psychic attacks from those who would do you harm.
Plant mugwort in your garden to attract the Fae.
Create a magic broom or besom with mugwort woven into it, and use it to sweep negative energies from your home.
~Magical Lavender~
Planetary Association: Mercury
Element: Air
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Deity: Hecate
Gender: Masculine
Magical Uses: clairvoyance, cleansing, consecration, happiness, healing, love, Midsummer, money, passion, peace, peace of mind, protection, psychic protection, purification, tranquility Other magical uses: blessings, chastity, divination, dreams, energy, gentleness, good luck, grieving, harmony, keeping secrets, magic (esp. to increase the duration of a spell), meditation, memory, psychic development, retention, ritual, sleep, stability, virility, weddings Lore: Attributed by some to Hecate, Saturn,
Lavender is often associated with love spells, as well as for workings to bring calmness and peace. To bring love your way, carry lavender flowers in a sachet on your person, or hang stalks of it in your home. To get a good night’s sleep, with calming dreams, stuff a pillow with sprigs of lavender. It can also be used in a purifying bath or smudging ritual. Lavender is strewn into bonfires at Midsummer as an offering to the Gods and Goddesses. An ingredient of love spells, its scent is said to attract men.
Lavender in the home brings peace, joy and healing. Great in sleep pillows and bath spells. Believed to preserve chastity when mixed with rosemary. Burn the flowers to induce sleep and rest, then scatter the ashes around the home to bring peace and harmony. Use in love spells and sachets, especially those to attract men.
Lavender is an excellent meditation herb. Burning lavender incense during meditation can help you to relax, open your mind, and free yourself. The most relaxed I ever get is when I’m in a dark room with nothing but a lit candle and a stick of lavender incense burning.
Dried lavender leaves are great for placing into mojo bags, stuffed animals, or sewn into pillows to aid in sleep. This is a great idea for anyone who perhaps suffers from nightmares, as lavender is a protection herb that helps to ward off negative energies. Lavender can also heighten your psychic senses. Using it in conjunction with an amethyst stone during ritual may help you achieve a higher level of innate psychic ability.
~Magical Patchouli~
Planet Association: Saturn
Elemental: Earth
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Deity: Aphrodite
Gender: Feminine
Magical Uses: Patchouli smells like rich earth, and so has been used in money and prosperity mixtures and spells. It is sprinkled onto money, added to purses and wallets, and placed around the base of green candles. Also, owing to its earthiness, Patchouli is used in fertility talismans and is also substituted for ‘graveyard dust’. Patchouli is added to love sachets and baths. Patchouli is used to attract people and to promote lust. Burn as incense for: Drawing Money; Fertility; Protection; Defense;
Lust; Banishing; Releasing; Love; Earth; Underworld.
Patchouli is a popular herb found in many modern Pagan rituals. Its exotic scent brings to mind far-off, magical places, and it’s often used in incense blends, potpourri, and ritual workings. As a member of the mint family, the most commonly used portions of the plant are the dried leaves and the essential oils, but some practitioners use the stems as well. When grown, the bush will reach about three feet tall, and it’s covered in pretty purplish-white flowers. Patchouli oil is very strong, and has a deep, musky scent. It is associated with the element of earth.
Associated with love, wealth, and sexual power, patchouli can be used in a variety of magical workings. To make someone feel an attraction to you, wear patchouli oil – the scent is well-known as an aphrodisiac. If you don’t wish to wear the oil on your skin – and it’s a very strong oil, so you should always dilute it before applying it to the skin – then use the leaves instead. Place patchouli leaves in a sachet, and carry it in your pocket or wear around your neck.
In some traditions of hoodoo and folk magic, a dollar sign is inscribed on a piece of paper using patchouli oil. The paper is then carried in your wallet, and this should draw money your way.
There are some traditions of modern magic in which patchouli is valued for its repelling power. Anoint your doors or windows with either patchouli oil, or the scattered leaves, and use it to keep negative influences at bay or for magical self-defense.