The Pagan Heart Callum's Herbaria

June-July 2005 Issue

Callum's Herbaria By Callum Mostyn     Dydd da. Croeso i Callum's Herbaria. I'm Callum, and welcome once more to my Herbaria. Spring cleaning time. Funnily I never actually get into it until summer approaches. I am more interested in getting outside into my garden I suppose. And that has been a wonderful experience this season. The changes are beyond what I'd hoped, making the blisters and aching back worth it. But, back to the spring cleaning. I always leave my kitchen 'til last - and last of the last is the herbs and spices. They demand that I spend time savouring and exploring, not just dusting and tossing the past "use-by". So there I sat last night, a mountain of sachets and jars spilling across the kitchen table. The fragrant smells always slow me down as I sort through and decide if I should add it to the compost heap now, or save for a last cuppa. And there's always the odd item that I don't grow, and it's not as easy to track down a quality source. My frankincense crystals being one. Not that they need to be replaced. Never lasted long enough to go stale - if frankincense does that. I'm not sure. But I certainly use it up. In amongst the pile is an old coffee box - the beans are long gone, but now it contains a random bundle of frankincense resin beads. I am not certain how these ended up here - they should be with the rest in my living room. I love frankincense. So many purposes, and such a strong aroma that permeates the wooden box I usually keep it in. Leaving the box ajar for a few hours in the living room always creates a slightly mystical feel, especially if combined with sandalwood. I wish I could grow it here, but the climate is not ideal for a plant native to the Middle East, me thinks. And the soil is certainly not "dry" by any stretch of the imagination - at least not for most of the year anyway. In the mundane world frankincense is a wonderful antibacterial agent. It is used to treat urinary tract infections and respiratory disorders. It also crops up in mouth and throat washes. Outside the medicinal it is a common ingredient in cosmetics and perfumes, and (my personal preference) in incense. As with many herbs, the mundane use is often related to the magical. This is a powerful agent of protection and exorcism, as well as being a potent ingredient in spiritual and meditative works. The scent alone banishes negativity and helps lift depression. Burning frankincense (either pure or in a blend) on a regular basis will help keep your home balanced and warded, and clear out the stale air too. Think about adding a few crystals to your potpourri or charm bags, or simply leave some out in a small offering bowl on your alter or sacred space. Frankincense may have regenerative properties, so think about including it in rituals of life, healing, and to honour the dead. Its association in Christianity with the birth of Jesus is tied to the sacred spiritual nature of the resin. It santifies that which it touches. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area conducive to growing the tree, remember it will reach 12-15 feet. And harvesting is best done in the hottest, driest months for the gum to be most effacious. Having emptied out the resin, I am left with an empty coffee box. Along with frankincense, coffee is another of my staples that I don't grow. Coffee is much more than a drink - what it brings to us on the physical level it induces metaphysically. As such, it is a good ingredient for memory work, energy boosting, and prosperity-type spells. I prefer to work with the beans unless scent is a crucial ingredient. Ground coffee (or, shudder, instant) goes stale very quickly, an aspect no one wishes to imbue their spells with. If the aroma is integral, grind it as a part of the spell, and if possible, brew it up into a strong cuppa. You can drink the coffee as a part of the ritual, or use it in an earth-based working where the liquid and grounds are dug into the soil. Concerning the spell work - the nature of coffee, I have always found, is brief rather than long-lasting. It is best used for immediate issues - short-term memory work for example. I know a lot of people use coffee in financial spells - I am really uncomforatble with this. Firstly, I don't tend to believe that we can magically wish money into our lives. Influence definately. But cast a spell and have money drop into our laps? No. I am more inclined to work personal prosperity spells - aimed at increasing my inner wealth. I find coffee works well in this because of its instant action and its degree of hyperactivity. Tends to push me to achieve my goals. Store your beans in the fridge - keeps them fresh longer. Also, once ground, keep it in the freezer. Coffee is susceptible to a particular fungal infection (or maybe it's a mould) which will turn it. Freezing it prevents the fungus from taking hold. Medicinally it is very useful. It helps treat migraines and headaches, narcotic poisoning, nausea, and even burns. I know someone who swear by a tepid bath in coffe-water after a bit too much sun. She takes a tablespoon of grounds in a small sachet and lets it soak in the water before climbing in. Not sure the aroma would suit me! I've been using that coffee box as a catchall for the scraps I need to throw out. There's a handful of dried berries in the mess - blackberry, I believe. Which brings me to another herb in my store that I do not cultivate (in this instance, it's a refusal rather than inability). Wonderful and tasty as it is, it is also a noxious weed. Once it invades the garden, good luck banishing it. In this you are shown the most significant part of blackberry's nature - tenacity and perserverance. I harvest the wild plants, drying the roots and leaves, and freezing, cooking, bottling, and making into syrups and jams the fruit. Blackberry, especially tonics from the leaves and roots, helps treat skin and mouth disorders. Syrups and teas can help cramps, stomach disorders, and kidney infections. Very versatile indeed. Also delightfully tasty. The fruits freeze well and defrost easily for out-of-season treats. You can also dry them - but I recommend storing them in a jar in the cupboard, not loose where they can gather dust bunnies. Blackberry has a longstanding tradition in protection - use it in spells that ward house, heart, and family. Any bindings or concealments will also benefit from its inclusion - but be careful with the wording. Blackberry can easily take a spell out of control and bring unexpected conclusions. It also has the potential to weave the spell-weaver into the working. If that's not your desire, pay close attention. I advise you also to avoid using blackberry in any rituals involving love and passion. With its tendency to escape boundaries and overwhelm whatever it touches, this herb can warp spells woven for beneficial reasons into ones of obsession. Mind you, that tendency makes it very useful in spells aimed at breaking compulsive behaviours - along the principles of homeopathy, using blackberry will engage defences against such tendencies and empower them within the spell. If you intend to grow blackberry, contain it in a large tub on cement or stone. And keep the runners prunned. Burn any clippings as otherwise they will take root. You could also grow a few canes in jars of water inside the house. Just keep the thorny branches out of general reach. This is an easy way to bring the protective nature of the plant permanently into your life. Okay, since this column is meant to reflect some of the plants I actually cultivate, I should probably turn from what I don't grow to what I do. So let's leave the kitchen and take a look outside. With summer in full swing my garden is looking a lot better these days. Still a trace of mud around the duckpond, but the profusion of growth is amazing. Outside my backdoor I have somewhat of a traditional kitchen herb garden. A few staples in the ground and a large wooden cask split in half filled with mints and chives. Chives are probably one of the easiest plants to grow and a necessary ingredient in many dishes. There are onion chives and garlic chives. The flavour is mild, but distinctive, and they work well in delicately flavoured dishes such as omlettes. If you grow them, let them reach about 6 inches before harvesting - snip off 1-2 inches from the ground and use fresh. If you need to preserve them, please, do not dry them. The flavour is lost and you end up adding tasteless grass clippings to your meals. Freeze them - lay flat in a single layer and freeze. Then scoop loos into a sealable bag, press out the excess air, and store in the freezer. Use as desired without defrosting. Eating them regularly will help keep your blood clean, build up resistence to colds, and aid in digestion. Magically, they are related to garlic and onions - but are gentler in action. Use them in family bonding meals, and cooking designed to strengthen ties of friendship. They help keep the home friendly and communicative when used regularly. Chives are suited best to simple kitchen witchery and garden based rituals - steer clear of them for more complex workings. They don't have the strength required. A pot at the doorway to the living spaces of the home also wards against negative energies. Think about using chives in house-warming gifts and as small tokens for friends. Seperate out a clump, pot in a pretty hand-decorated pot, and give away with love. Another simple plant I love is the sunflower. It certainly looks imposing, but it's really just a giant daisy. I have a stand of these along one wall - as they bloom it's a lovely place to sit and read. Here in the Northern Hemisphere we are of course headed into summer. Midsummer is upon us and we are celebrating the solstice, the crowning of the Summer King, and the joys of summer itself. And, to me, the ultimate image of summer is Van Gogh's Sunflowers. The brilliant golden flower would have to be my favourite in many ways. Strong and radiant it is representative of summer and the solstice. So it is only appropriate that I discuss this most masculine of plants in this, our Midsummer issue. Funnily enough, this decidedly sun-orientated, male-energy-filled plant is a strong component of many fertility spells for women. Partially, I am sure, from a sympathetic magic perspective - add the male to the female to encourage conception. So eat sunflower seeds that have been empowered with wishes and dreams of children when working fertility rites. It can't hurt, and it may indeed help. Growing the plant in your garden (as a border/wall plant naturally, since it does grow rather high) will increase the positive masculine energy within your domain. Do be careful - the fine hairs on the leaves and stalks are potential contact-allergy risks. Once the flower heads have ripened, harvest them at sundown (still bearing the seeds) and use in wish-fulfillment spells. A sunflower left beneath your pillow (or maybe the bed would work better) will bring true clarity in issues. Harvested at dawn they make a good ingredient in workings for financial and mental health matters. Healthwise, sunflower seeds are powerhouses of nutrition - especially vitamin E. They have diuretic properties as well, and help with constipation and worms. They also assist in reducing allergic responses which makes them a good addition to many modern diets. In closing, I'd like to share a small piece of folklore - pluck a sunflower while still heavy with pollen and use it to dust your face and shoulders. The seed of the Sun Father will fill you with vitality and draw women to you like honey draws bees. I am not sure how well this works - never having been inclined to try it myself - but it sounds delightfully naughty! Da boch, my friends, and bi bheannaithe!

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