Author: A Solitary Pagan
Night Shade
(Atropa belladonna) Poison Folk Names: Banewort, Black Cherry, Deadly Nightshade, Death’s Herb, Devil’s Cherries, Divale, Dwale, Dwaleberry, Dwayberry, Fair Lady, Great Morel, Naughty Man’s Cherries, Sorcerer’s Berry, Witch’s Berry Gender: Feminine Planet: Saturn Element: Water Deities: Hecate, Bellona, Circe Ritual Uses: The priests of Bellona, according to ancient tradition, drank an infusion of...
Herbs and the Minerals They Contain
Herbs and the minerals they contain is a very involved subject and should be we researched well beforehand. Minerals Calcium This mineral builds and protects bones and teeth. Helps maintain a regular heartbeat. Prevents muscle cramping. Herbal Sources: Alfalfa, burdock root, cayenne, chamomile, chickweed, chicory, dandelion, eyebright, fennel seed, fenugreek, flaxseed, hops, horsetail, kelp, lemon...
Beginning Herbalism
Herbalism, like midwifery skills, is one of the oldest parts of teaching within the craft, but is also one where we have lost a huge amount of information and where science has yet to catch up. Every pagan culture has utilized the herbalism of its particular region, and I have found no one source or teacher who could possibly know about every herb that grows on the Earth. Yet today we have the opp...
Your First Herb Garden
If you live in an area that gets very hot during the summer months, cover herbs with a layer of mulch to keep them from drying out. If you’re maintaining them in pots on your deck, opt for containers with their own water reservoirs (or use potting soil that contains water-retaining polymers). Check the height details for your herbs and plant accordingly with taller herbs behind shorter ones. Pay a...
Herb Gardening
Herbs play well with other plants. In fact, many of them (like rue, catnip, garlic and marigold) make good companion plants for pest control with vegetables and flowers. (When you don’t want to use pesticides, companion planting can save you a lot of headaches.) You may even have a lavender plant (at your garden gate, of course), or a rosemary bush as a privacy screen. That’s all a little differen...
Herbal Medicine Today
Herbal medicines are still in use today. In some respects, they have gained a new momentum in the medical field. As many people seek alternative treatments and begin to check out traditional, and Eastern, medicine, herbs are becoming more popular. As physicians seek new treatments for many common illnesses they are beginning to revisit the traditional remedies, using herbal medicines. Pharmaceutic...
The Greek Way of Herbal Healing
In classical Greek science and medicine, everything in the universe has its own inherent nature and temperament, or balance of the Four Basic Qualities: Hot, Cold, Wet and Dry. This is the basis of how Greek Medicine analyzes the natures and properties of herbs. To more precisely calibrate how Hot, Cold, Wet, or Dry an herb was, Galen introduced a system of four degrees for each of the Four Basic ...
Magickal Intentions – Hex Breaking
When people feel that they have been hexed, cursed, jinxed, or psychically attacked, an ordinary cause can usually be traced for the supposed hex. No matter how certain these people are of their condition, they are simply victims of life and their own fears and worries. A run of accidents, mishaps, illnesses, financial and emotional losses, even car trouble will provide the basis for imaginary hex...
Negativity/Hex Removal Bath
Sometimes we feel like we’re carrying around some excess negativity, bad luck or even possibly hexes. First thing to do is to assess why and how you feel that this negativity is weighing on you! For example… you could be cursing yourself! If you decide that you need to do something to spiritually remove it, this is a simple yet effective negativity/hex removal bath ritual that you can do: Cleanse ...
Hexes
The term hex comes from Early American Folk belief, and implies the use of magick to hurt or harm another person’s body, family, or property. The hex was usually cast by a hex-doctor or sorcerer, who used deep concentration and symbolic imaginary to affect his or her target. Although the hex is considered to be an evil curse or black magick, the process of hexing can be used in a positive manner t...
Hex
A spell or bewitchment. The term comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch, who borrowed it from their native German word for “witch,” Hexe, which in turn is derived from Old High German hagazussa or hagzissa (“hag”). In common usage, hex means an evil spell or curse, but among the Pennsylvania Dutch, for example, a hex canbe either good or bad. It is cast by a professional witch whose services are sought...
Hex Breaking
Now the nature of the hex is simple. It’s basically a dark cloud that follows someone causing havoc and misery. This is what we will learn to break today. First you must be able to sense the hex. Write down the person’s name whom you think may be hexed. If you start to feel a sudden depression Chances are that this person may be hexed. What you need to do now is create a barrier around the person ...