Herb Magic for Beginners (14 page)

Today, the flowers are worked into perfumes and are often added to potpourri mixes. The shrub is grown in the garden to encourage good luck and to encourage the presence of those all-important pollinating insects, such as butterflies and bees.

Get a New Job with Honeysuckle

So you’ve been pounding the pavement, looking for a new or better job? Good for you! Now that you’ve turned in your applications, perhaps you’d like to sweeten your chances of being called back for an interview. Or perhaps you are waiting to hear an offer after the interview. Well, this beautiful herbal spell should help.

This spell would work well on a Thursday (Jupiter’s day) and during a waxing or full moon. Here is the supply list:

• A business card or letterhead of the place where you have applied

• A handful of honeysuckle blossoms

• 4 green votive candles for prosperity, good luck, a new job, and fresh beginnings

• 4 accompanying votive-candle cup holders

• A straight pin or nail to engrave the candles

• A lighter or some matches

• A safe, flat surface to work on

(Please note: Votives immediately turn to liquid wax as they burn, so you should always burn them inside votive cups. If you don’t, you’ll have a big puddle of wax all over your work area.)

To begin, carefully engrave a dollar symbol (or a symbol of whatever currency is used where you live) on the side of the first green candle. On the second candle, engrave a three-leaf clover for good luck. On the third candle, engrave the words “new job.” Finally, on the fourth candle, engrave a waxing crescent moon (
) to symbolize those fresh beginnings. Now place all the votive candles into their candle cups. Set the business card/letterhead flat on your work surface, in front of the candles. Take a moment or two to center yourself. Then light the candles and repeat this spell:

Four magic green candles that burn away,
Help me bring prosperous change my way.
One candle for money, another for good fortune,
A third for my new career, may I obtain it soon.
The fourth candle bears the symbol of the waxing moon,
May the job be offered to me, hear this Witch’s tune.

At this point, arrange the honeysuckle blossoms around the bases of the candles. Just be sure to keep the flowers and your fingers well away from the flames. Close the spell with these lines:

Honeysuckle blooms, with your scent so sweet,
grant my request with all possible speed.

Allow the candles to burn until they go out on their own. (Votive candles take approximately six to eight hours to burn away.) When the candles are gone, clean up your work area and keep the blossoms until they start to fade. Allow the flowers to air-dry and then tuck them, along with the business card or folded letterhead, into charm bags or herbal sachets that you can carry with you for continued good luck when you start your new job.

Herbal Trees for Abundance and Success

Sweet is the whispering music of yonder pine that sings.

—Theocritus

Pine

The pine tree (Pinus ssp.), classified as a coniferous evergreen, is associated with the planet Mars and the element of air. It comes in dozens of varieties and is extremely long-lived. This multipurpose tree was sacred to many gods and goddesses, such as Pan, Venus, Dionysus, Bacchus, and Astarte. It was considered magical, as it kept its luxurious green color all year long and represented life in the darkest, coldest days of the year. Is it any wonder that the pine became synonymous with the rebirth of the sun god at the winter solstice? This herbal evergreen tree was valued for its wood, resin, and tar.

Hanging fresh-cut boughs in the home, and over doorways at the winter solstice, was believed to bring good fortune and prosperity to all who lived in the home. The fruit of the pine tree, the pine cone, is considered to be a phallic symbol that represents abundance, new life, and fertility. If you enjoy collecting pine cones and displaying them in baskets or bowls, you can try charming them to increase the prosperity for your entire household.

The supple green needles of the pine may be tucked into sachets and charm bags to promote prosperity and fortune. Fresh, fragrant pine needles may be scattered throughout the house to drive away negativity and to naturally freshen the air. And here’s another practical, magical aromatherapy tip: green, pine-scented candles promote prosperity too. Light one tonight, and try a quick prosperity charm over it. Here’s a good one.

Pine Spell for Prosperity

Work this spell on a Thursday, and during a waxing moon, to pull abundance toward you, or during a waning moon, to remove worries and fears over financial situations. Light a green, pine-scented candle, and repeat this spell:

Bless this scented spell candle that burns so bright,
Send prosperity and abundance tonight.

If you want to jazz up this little spell, you could engrave a dollar symbol or the astrological symbol for Jupiter (
) on the side of the candle. Lastly, try arranging a few snips of fresh pine at the base of the spell candle. Happy casting!

Oak

The deciduous oak tree (Quercus ssp.) is associated with the planet Jupiter and the element of fire. A solar tree that is also associated with thunder and lightning, this tree is sacred to many religions and cultures. It is associated with the gods Thor, Jupiter, and Zeus. This long-lived tree can grow up to 150 feet in height and is often used as a sentinel or a marker of a sacred and magical place. Many magical rituals were held under the spreading branches of the oak. Some people believe that the word Druid comes from the old Gaelic word duir, which translates to “men of the oak” or even “oak knowledge.” Herbal tradition states that if you wear a chaplet or crown of oak leaves while calling on any of these gods, your petition will receive special notice.

The oak tree has links to each of the sabbats, and thus is a powerful symbol for the wheel of the year. You could create an amulet for protection by tying two oak twigs together, following the directions for creating a solar amulet out of ash that was featured previously (see “Herbal Sachet for Healing” in chapter 4). It is said that holding a green oak leaf to your heart and asking a question out loud to the spirit of the oak tree will soon show you the truth in any matter.

The fruit of the oak tree, the acorn, was once used as a food source in ancient times. Acorns were also fed to the livestock. The little acorn is a powerful talisman for good health and fertility, and also to increase a man’s sexual prowess and to promote prosperity. It is also a miniature symbol for the potency and life-giving power of the God. In herb magic, you can try planting an acorn in the waning moon to receive money in the future. Another fun idea is to create a pocket charm with a trio of acorns, and keep them in your pocket to increase your prosperity.

Acorn Pocket Charm for Prosperity

This pocket charm is quick and easy to make. First, go take a walk around the neighborhood or to the local park, and find an oak tree. Take a look on the ground beneath the tree. Gather a trio of nice acorns, and take them home with you. Once you get them home, hold them in your hands and imagine that they are surrounded with a bright, green light. Then enchant them with the following charm:

From little acorns mighty oaks grow, they say,
These charming talismans, send success my way.
Bring to me prosperity with the charm I rhyme,
This spell will create abundance, come rain or shine.

Slip the enchanted acorns in your pocket, and off you go.

Garden Witchery: From Garden to Cauldron

A garden full of sweet odours is a garden full of charm.

—Louise Beebe Wilder,
The Fragrant Garden

Heliotrope

Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) has the planetary correspondence of the Sun and the elemental association of fire. This fragrant blooming herb is a favorite of mine and will thrive in a sunny area of your garden. Heliotrope grows into a little shrub by the end of the fall, and if you keep its spent flower heads clipped off (a process called deadheading), it will continue to bloom all summer long. Heliotrope is listed as a toxic plant, so keep it away from youngsters. This herb gets its name from Helios, the Greek god of the sun, and the Greek word trope, which means “to turn.” It was thought that the blossoms turned to face the sun throughout the day.

This herb makes masses of purple flowers that have a wonderful cherry-vanilla scent, which is how it earned its folk name “cherry pie.” (There are some white blooming varieties too.) The dark-purple blossoms add a lot of visual impact to your garden. Keep in mind that the foliage of heliotrope may cause mild skin irritations, such as a prickly, red rash, so wear gloves while handling this herb.

In herb magic, you can put these sweet-smelling flowers in a sachet bag, and tuck it into your pocket to attract money. You can also place the flowers in a circle around a gold or purple candle to draw prosperity.

Sunny Spell with Heliotrope

This spell is a flower fascination, with candle magic to add some power. But here’s where we mix things up a bit. You should have the basic correspondences down by now, but I don’t want you to get stuck in a rut with green, Thursday, Jupiter, and blah, blah, blah.

So check this out. Purple is also a color associated with the planet Jupiter. The mystical color purple brings spirituality and power to magical workings, and is a very popular color among magic users. The gold candle is a symbol for the Greek god of the sun, Helios, and of course heliotrope was named after Helios. Helios brings victory, change, and riches into your life, so he’s a good deity to work with in prosperity spells. In this spell, you will call on him to bring success shining into your life. And, if you remember, gold is a color of the sun, and the sun promotes success, riches, and fame.

Here are the supplies you will need:

• 2 purple candles, for magical power

• 1 gold candle, to represent the sun god Helios

• 3 coordinating candle holders

• A straight pin or nail to engrave the candles

• Fresh heliotrope blossoms

• A lighter or some matches

• A safe, flat surface to work on

Work this spell on a Sunday, the day of the week that was once named after Helios. (The Greeks called this day hermera heliou.) If you can, set up this spell in a spot where the sunshine can beam down on your work area.

Position your candles with the gold in the center and the purple candles flanking it on either side. Carve a Sun symbol (
) into the center of the gold candle, and turn it so the engraving faces you. Arrange the heliotrope blossoms around the candles, and take a moment to enjoy their cherry scent. Think about what it is you really need to work for—nah, not millions of dollars, but to be a happy and prosperous person.