Post by starr on Jan 20, 2008 17:26:18 GMT -5
Thanks to Tiggy and all those here, I am re-doing my kitchen to make it a wonderful magickal place. I just happened across these today on myspace shared with me through a friends bulletins. I hope you find this useful.
Herbs of The Kitchen Witch
Herbs of the Kitchen Witch
This is a summary of an article called “16 Must Have Herbs for the Kitchen Witch” by Garnet WindDancer. I hope you find this information as helpful as I have.
1.Basil
Uses: This herb can be used in a variety of ways. It is useful in love magick. In fact, one way to increase intimacy is to keep a potted Basil plant in your bedroom or to make sachets to put under your pillows. You can also carry a sachet with you to open yourself up to love. Keeping a pot of Basil on your desk at work can help with a bad work environment.
Cultivation tips: If planting Basil outside, make sure it receives full sun. If keeping the plant inside, make sure it is in a sunny window. Harvest the leaves often to encourage more growth.
2. Bay
Uses: Bay can be used for healing, psychic powers, purification, and strength. A tea of Bay leaves is said to aid in divination. Potted bay plants at the entrance to your home with protect your household.
Cultivation tips: Bay does well in a container or outside, however, it does need to be brought indoors in winter. This herb does well with full sun.
3. Catnip
Uses: Catnip leaves can be used in teas to aid in beauty and love spells as well as an aid for menstrual cramps.
Cultivation Tips: Catnip is very invasive and will take over the garden so make sure it is pruned a lot and often if it is in your garden. It can also be put into a container to prevent spreading. This herb does best in full sun so if you grow it indoors, make sure it is in a window.
4. Chamomile
Uses: The flowers of the Chamomile plant can be used in love and money spells. In a tea, it can be used as a sleep aid. Paired with lavender, it can be used to make dream pillows. Chamomile can also be used for protection.
Cultivation Tips: Chamomile is very easy to grow from seeds and does well anywhere in a garden.
5. Coriander/Cilantro
Uses: The leaves of this herb have well known culinary uses. Magickally, the seeds and leaves can be used for healing.
Cultivation Tips: Cilantro needs full sun to grow. It can be difficult to cultivate, however, very easy to find in the grocery store.
6. Dill
Uses: Dill is another herb that has many culinary uses and is very versatile. Dill can be used in love and protection spells.
Cultivation tips: Dill is a delicate plant that needs full sun. Since it is so delicate, it is ideal for indoor growing so that it will be protected from wind and rain.
7. Lavender
Uses: Lavender promotes peace and tranquility. It can be used in dream pillows with Chamomile. This herb is also used in love spells.
Cultivation tips: Lavender does best in full sun. Trim it in the Fall to promote new growth in the spring.
8. Lemon Balm
Uses: Lemon Balm can be used in love spells and aphrodisiacs. Using Lemon Balm in a bath can relieve headaches or enhance your mood. The leaves can be rubbed on an insect bite to relieve itching. Lemon Balm tea can relieve a stomachache.
Cultivation tips: Lemon Balm is a very easy herb to grow. It does well in containers and in gardens and spreads quickly.
9. Marjoram
Uses: Marjoram can be used magickally in sachets for protection and in money spells. Wild Marjoram is more commonly known as Oregano, which is a common herb in Italian cooking. From a culinary standpoint, there is little difference in taste between dried and fresh oregano.
Cultivation tips: Marjoram is a perennial that needs to spend the winter indoors.
10. Mint
Uses: Mint is used in money spells and healing. Scott Cunningham recommends keeping a few leaves in your wallet to attract prosperity. There are many culinary uses for Mint and it is used in salads, soups, sauces, and beverages.
Cultivation tips: Mint is an evasive plant that grows easily in the garden. It will also overtake your garden if you are not careful.
11. Mugwort
Uses: Mugwort should not be ingested and should not be handled if you are pregnant. A sprig can be placed under your pillow to induce prophetic dreams and in spells for protection.
12. Parsley
Uses: It is known for it’s protective properties and it is believed that those properties are the reason that parsley began to be used as a garnish on plates. Flat leaf (Italian) Parsley is a very common culinary herb and is a part of numerous dishes. It has a lemony smell and flavor.
Cultivation: Parsley is difficult to grow from seed but does well in containers indoors.
13. Pennyroyal
Uses: Magickal uses for Pennyroyal include spells that promote peace and harmony. Pennyroyal can be used to keep away garden pests.
14. Rosemary
Uses: Magickally, dried Rosemary can be bound together and used as a smudge stick to purify a space. It can also be used in incense form for the same purpose. You can hang dried Rosemary in your house for protection. Rosemary is also associated with Samhain as an herb of remembrance. You can cook with it, use it on your ancestral altar, or wear a spring of it on this Sabbat. Rosemary also has many culinary uses.
Cultivation tips: Rosemary is very hardy and easy to grow from seedlings. It can also be grown from cuttings. In climates where winter is cold and snowy, bring Rosemary indoors.
15. Sage
Uses: Sage is commonly used in smudge sticks for purification and creating sacred space. It promotes wisdom and clear thoughts. Sage is an herb used in many recipes and goes exceptionally well with poultry.
Cultivation tips: Sage is a perennial but it doesn’t always do well with the winter. A harsh winter can cause sage to be weak in the spring but it will typically come around during the summer months.
16. Thyme
Uses: Thyme is used frequently in healing spells. It can be used to purify a space before magickal workings. Cunningham suggests a bath in Thyme and Marjoram in the spring which will remove the sorrows and ills of the past. Again, thyme is a common culinary herb found in a variety of dishes.
Cultivation tips: Thyme does well in containers both indoors and out. It should be brought indoors at winter time.
Herbs of The Kitchen Witch
Herbs of the Kitchen Witch
This is a summary of an article called “16 Must Have Herbs for the Kitchen Witch” by Garnet WindDancer. I hope you find this information as helpful as I have.
1.Basil
Uses: This herb can be used in a variety of ways. It is useful in love magick. In fact, one way to increase intimacy is to keep a potted Basil plant in your bedroom or to make sachets to put under your pillows. You can also carry a sachet with you to open yourself up to love. Keeping a pot of Basil on your desk at work can help with a bad work environment.
Cultivation tips: If planting Basil outside, make sure it receives full sun. If keeping the plant inside, make sure it is in a sunny window. Harvest the leaves often to encourage more growth.
2. Bay
Uses: Bay can be used for healing, psychic powers, purification, and strength. A tea of Bay leaves is said to aid in divination. Potted bay plants at the entrance to your home with protect your household.
Cultivation tips: Bay does well in a container or outside, however, it does need to be brought indoors in winter. This herb does well with full sun.
3. Catnip
Uses: Catnip leaves can be used in teas to aid in beauty and love spells as well as an aid for menstrual cramps.
Cultivation Tips: Catnip is very invasive and will take over the garden so make sure it is pruned a lot and often if it is in your garden. It can also be put into a container to prevent spreading. This herb does best in full sun so if you grow it indoors, make sure it is in a window.
4. Chamomile
Uses: The flowers of the Chamomile plant can be used in love and money spells. In a tea, it can be used as a sleep aid. Paired with lavender, it can be used to make dream pillows. Chamomile can also be used for protection.
Cultivation Tips: Chamomile is very easy to grow from seeds and does well anywhere in a garden.
5. Coriander/Cilantro
Uses: The leaves of this herb have well known culinary uses. Magickally, the seeds and leaves can be used for healing.
Cultivation Tips: Cilantro needs full sun to grow. It can be difficult to cultivate, however, very easy to find in the grocery store.
6. Dill
Uses: Dill is another herb that has many culinary uses and is very versatile. Dill can be used in love and protection spells.
Cultivation tips: Dill is a delicate plant that needs full sun. Since it is so delicate, it is ideal for indoor growing so that it will be protected from wind and rain.
7. Lavender
Uses: Lavender promotes peace and tranquility. It can be used in dream pillows with Chamomile. This herb is also used in love spells.
Cultivation tips: Lavender does best in full sun. Trim it in the Fall to promote new growth in the spring.
8. Lemon Balm
Uses: Lemon Balm can be used in love spells and aphrodisiacs. Using Lemon Balm in a bath can relieve headaches or enhance your mood. The leaves can be rubbed on an insect bite to relieve itching. Lemon Balm tea can relieve a stomachache.
Cultivation tips: Lemon Balm is a very easy herb to grow. It does well in containers and in gardens and spreads quickly.
9. Marjoram
Uses: Marjoram can be used magickally in sachets for protection and in money spells. Wild Marjoram is more commonly known as Oregano, which is a common herb in Italian cooking. From a culinary standpoint, there is little difference in taste between dried and fresh oregano.
Cultivation tips: Marjoram is a perennial that needs to spend the winter indoors.
10. Mint
Uses: Mint is used in money spells and healing. Scott Cunningham recommends keeping a few leaves in your wallet to attract prosperity. There are many culinary uses for Mint and it is used in salads, soups, sauces, and beverages.
Cultivation tips: Mint is an evasive plant that grows easily in the garden. It will also overtake your garden if you are not careful.
11. Mugwort
Uses: Mugwort should not be ingested and should not be handled if you are pregnant. A sprig can be placed under your pillow to induce prophetic dreams and in spells for protection.
12. Parsley
Uses: It is known for it’s protective properties and it is believed that those properties are the reason that parsley began to be used as a garnish on plates. Flat leaf (Italian) Parsley is a very common culinary herb and is a part of numerous dishes. It has a lemony smell and flavor.
Cultivation: Parsley is difficult to grow from seed but does well in containers indoors.
13. Pennyroyal
Uses: Magickal uses for Pennyroyal include spells that promote peace and harmony. Pennyroyal can be used to keep away garden pests.
14. Rosemary
Uses: Magickally, dried Rosemary can be bound together and used as a smudge stick to purify a space. It can also be used in incense form for the same purpose. You can hang dried Rosemary in your house for protection. Rosemary is also associated with Samhain as an herb of remembrance. You can cook with it, use it on your ancestral altar, or wear a spring of it on this Sabbat. Rosemary also has many culinary uses.
Cultivation tips: Rosemary is very hardy and easy to grow from seedlings. It can also be grown from cuttings. In climates where winter is cold and snowy, bring Rosemary indoors.
15. Sage
Uses: Sage is commonly used in smudge sticks for purification and creating sacred space. It promotes wisdom and clear thoughts. Sage is an herb used in many recipes and goes exceptionally well with poultry.
Cultivation tips: Sage is a perennial but it doesn’t always do well with the winter. A harsh winter can cause sage to be weak in the spring but it will typically come around during the summer months.
16. Thyme
Uses: Thyme is used frequently in healing spells. It can be used to purify a space before magickal workings. Cunningham suggests a bath in Thyme and Marjoram in the spring which will remove the sorrows and ills of the past. Again, thyme is a common culinary herb found in a variety of dishes.
Cultivation tips: Thyme does well in containers both indoors and out. It should be brought indoors at winter time.