The Pagan Heart Callum's Herbaria

January 2005 Issue

Callum's Herbaria By Callum Mostyn     Dydd da. Croeso i Callum's Herbaria. I'm Callum, and welcome to my Herbaria. Walk with me on a tour of my garden, kitchen and cellar, as we explore some of the herbs and spices, oils and powders to be found stashed away. Each has mundane and magical qualities worth exploring. This month I am looking at some of the plants commonly associated on a spiritual or magical level with the end of winter and the start of spring. They can be used at any time of year, but their metaphysical properties are very compatible to this season, making this the best time to use them. I have always loved the apricot. Some of my earliest memories involve helping my grandfather pick apricots, plums and nectarines in the sprawling orchard he called his garden. Sadly, the flavor of a good, ripe apricot is one of the hardest things to find in today's world. Such a robust taste, yet so easy to destroy through commercial farming methods. Yet with a bit of effort I manage to find the occasional apricot whose smell makes me close my eyes, whose skin is soft with the smoothness of a maiden's cheek and whose taste makes my mouth water. Apricots are one of the original fruits of love and should be enjoyed, savored, devoured with gusto - preferably with someone else along! If you can't find good apricots, do not settle for the tasteless, floury things peddled under the name. They will bring those very qualities to your life, and should be avoided. Instead, look for good quality essential oil or (my preferred tactic) the larger cheaper bottles of apricot kernel oil used as a base in massage and body oils. I find the essential oil a bit strong for my nose - even when diluted - and it's also very 'flowery'. Using the scent in your home will encourage harmony in your relationships. If you use it in massage oil it will encourage the mutual expression and cultivation of the deep affection true satisfaction with your partner brings. Talking of affection and love reminds me of one of my favorite herbs. Basil. So common it could easily be discounted and devalued, it has a longstanding magical use in aphrodisiacal and money-orientated work. Basil, along with bay and rosemary, make up an important triad of power in my kitchen. I often use them together, not only in food but in spell-work as well. When Basil is used in cooking up some kitchen witchery it opens up the senses and stimulates the desire to savor and explore the moment. It's also quite beneficial in treating stomach ailments and abdominal discomfit. While dried herbs will work in an emergency, try and get fresh basil - better yet, grow your own pots. Seated upon the windowsill of the kitchen it will draw in harmony and tranquility to all endeavors in the kitchen. Less stomach burn, more laughter! Placed by entryways to the house it wards the home from harm and evil intent. I love to use the essential oil in my fire and water rituals - a few drops in an oil burner or the bath works wonders indeed. The scent of basil, its invigorating rich and fragrant aroma, is particularly efficacious in banishing spells. It also marries well with many other herbs and aromas. Always useful in scented spells! The second triad herb is bay which I find to be a useful divination and protection herb whose purification abilities surpass many other plants. I tend to use the leaves only in food magic, unless I can obtain them fresh. I used to have a bay tree. Being able to bind a branch into a wreath and hang it upon my door for protection, or use a few branches as a roughly constructed broom and sweep my home clean in spring brought me great satisfaction and added a certain element to my spell work that the dried leaves lack. But, lacking a bay tree these days, I rely instead upon the oil. If you cannot find a good, quality one, I advise you to make your own. I rarely use essential bay as I like to be able to include it in things I might eat - not a good habit with the essentials. Fill a clear glass bottle 3/4 with strong virgin olive oil and then stuff it full of bay leaves - you can sometimes buy fresh ones at the various marketplaces. Otherwise use the dried and break them first. Seal it and sit somewhere it will get sunlight regularly. Shake daily and after about 2-4 weeks, decant through a sieve (to strain out the leaves). The oil is wonderful in cooking, baths, massages and spells in general. The last triad member is Rosemary, one of the oldest herbs of magic and religion. A beautiful, strongly aromatic plant, it has been used from the Mesopotamian era down through to today to banish evil and draw hidden memories from the mind. Simply crushing the leaves opens the gates to memory and clears negative influences from the air. I always grow Rosemary and have it by the doorway I leave open most often. On sunny days its sharp scent drifts through my home, cleansing and purifying it. Any work you do that requires protection, healing or purification will be strengthened beyond measure by the addition of this plant. Both the oil and fresh foliage have equally strong properties. I find the dried herb less effective - possibly because rosemary's power is so closely tied to its smell. It also aids in the area of divination, brings sleep filled with restful and meaningful dreams and raises lustful fire in the veins! Before I close, I'd like to mention olive oil, something I commonly use in my cooking, and at times in massage and bath blends. I recommend it as a carrier oil wherever possible - this is because of its particular magical properties, all of which are related to its healthful nature. Olive oil is wonderful for the heart and blood, lowering bad cholesterol and raising good. It helps our body build its internal defenses against that which we let in or have inherited. So too on the magical level. Olive oil's nature, so to speak, is a rich and loving one. Think of the Italian grandmother cooking for her family - that is the oil. Too much can be stifling, but in the right proportions it strengthens and fulfills our need to be cherished, protected and cared for. Well, that's it from me for this month. Da boch, my friends, and bi bheannaithe!

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