Herbal Magickal Correspondences
One teaspoon of the tea blend makes one cup of tea.
For relaxation and celebrating love.
Magical associations: love, happiness, peace, harmony
One teaspoon of the tea blend makes one cup of tea.
For the treatment of colds
Magical associations: energy and healing
Makes approximately 1/4 cup (2ox) of the tea blend. One tablespoon of the tea blend makes 1 1/2 cups of tea.
For cleansing the blood and toning the digestive system.
As this tea is bitter, you may want to add a full teaspoon of honey.
Magical associations: protection and healing.
One cup
For the treatment of a sore throat or digestive problems.
Take as necessary throughout the day.
Magical associations: protection, healing
Green witches are natural healers who seek to soothe the world around them. Healing is another form of rebalancing energies that have become disturbed. But healing cannot be rushed. Each step must be experienced in fullness and in time. This goes for healing the earth as well as yourself, other individuals, and the community.
You have to learn from the process so that each step is thoroughly felt, understood, and dompleted. there are two steps to healing:
We usually focus on the first step and forget about the second. nature abhors a vacuum, and what results from the first step is an empty space where the negative energy was and which new energy will rush to fill. The problem is that we do not always control what kind of energy fills that space. To gain control and finish the healing process properly, you can perform a blessing (which asks another entity or spirit to bestow positive energy) or channel positive energy yourself to strengthen the object or person being healed. Be wary, however, of channeling energy that has already been programmed until you know exactly what yoursubject needs. You may think your subject needs strength, but the need may be for something different. Filling the empty space with plain, unprogrammed, positive energy is safer. It allows the body to use it for whatever it requires.
To better understand the healing aspect of the green witch path, you can research healing deities of various cultures.
Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris).
One of my favorite culinary herbs - Thyme is what makes comfort food comforting. Strictly as a culinary herb, it is great in soups, pastas and rubs. Its purple flowers are also great in a garden because they attract bees.
As a medicinal it has a broad range of uses. It has astringent, antiseptic qualities so it’s good used in a tincture (with alcohol or glycerin) as mouthwash to fight colds, or even as a household disinfectant. A tea made from the leaves and flowers can be used as an expectorant and is also supposed to help control blood pressure and work as a calming antispasmodic. If you are trying to sweat out a cold, Thyme can be used in diaphoretic baths.
Thyme gets its name from a Greek word meaning “to fumigate” and was burned in ancient and Medieval times as a healing incense. Traditionally Thyme is thought to invigorate so it was believed to help motivate and start romance, awaken psychic abilities, and cleanse the soul to allow room for new opportunities.
Garlic (Allium sativum)
Garlic is a tremendously powerful herb that most of us have a steady access to. It is always found at the local grocery store and, with the increasing popularity of farmer’s markets, heirloom varieties can often be bought locally, which results in even more medicinal qualities. Today it is one of the most researched and most used herbs in our kitchens and herbal apothecary. It has a variety of actions, making it a great ally for a variety of health disturbances.
Raw garlic can be taken liberally at the first sign of a cold or flu to ward off the illness or to lessen the symptoms. I like to do this by dipping bread in olive oil with lots of minced garlic! Raw garlic is an emetic, so it’s a good idea to approach it slowly and back off if nausea occurs.
Herbalist Stephen Buhner reports in his book Herbal Antibiotics that garlic is effective against Staphyloccus aureas, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus spp., Salmonella spp., herpes simplex, and more. He recommends eating the fresh juice for best results. To do this without immediately experiencing its strong emetic qualities, Buhner recommends starting with a 1⁄4 teaspoon in a glass of tomato juice and slowly working up your tolerance.
For fungal infections garlic can be used externally as well as internally. It is quite strong and could burn sensitive areas, so it can be diluted by soaking it in oil for a 1⁄2 hour to several hours, straining and then applying to the area. An old time folk remedy that works wonders for congestion associated with colds and the flu is to take this same oil, spread it on the feet, cover with a pair of old socks, and then retire to bed for the evening.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Calendula is a wonder herb that produces a beautiful flower that exudes sunshine and joy. To harvest this highly resinous flower, pick it at its peak on a warm summer day. When making medicine with calendula, it’s almost always dried first. Drying calendula for oils decreases the water content, making a more stable oil, and it also concentrates the resins in the plant. When making a tincture of calendula, a higher-proof alcohol will extract more of the resins. Calendula will grow readily in your garden, often self-seeding after the first year of planting. By snipping the flowers regularly, you promote its growth.
Calendula has an affinity to encourage connective tissue to regenerate, therefore it can be made into oils and salves and used for a variety of skin conditions including:
- Rashes
- Burns
- Scars
- Scrapes
- Varicose veins
- Broken capillaries
- Chicken Pox
- Fungal infections like athlete’s foot
- Internally it can be used to treat swollen lymph glands and soothe ulcers
- You can also spread the fresh petals over your salads for added color and beauty
This is a must have herb for any budding herbalist (pun intended). Shortly I will be posting a how-to for making calendula-infused oils and salves, which are like nature’s Neosporin! Smooth on some calendula salve and your skin problems will be solved in no time!
