Herbal Lore





Here's some of the Herbal Lore from the Herbal Magick page.

Apple

To discover who she would marry, a young girl would peel an apple and throw the unbroken peel over her shoulder. If it formed a letter, it was the initial of her future husband. If a girl has several suitors and cannot chose between them, she should remove the pips from an apple and throw them onto the fire, reciting the name of a lover with each one. If one of the seeds goes pop, she should marry him.

This toast comes from Devonshire, England, where the toast was repeated three times on Christmas Eve, or the Eve of Epiphany during a fertility rite - asking for a good harvest. The men and boys often fired guns and pistols, with the women and children shouting. This is known as "wassailing". The rite still takes place in some remote areas of Devonshire.

Apple is the Wiccan fruit of Samhein as it is considered a food of the Dead. Samhein has sometimes been called the Feast of Apples. According to Scott Cunningham, in the old English ballad, Thomays the Rymour, the Fairy Queen warned Thomays against eating any of the apples and pears which hung in her garden, for to eat the food of the dead ensures there will be no return to the world of the living. In some Wiccan traditions, apples are buried at Samhein so that the dead may eat during the winter months.

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Balm of Gilead

A number of plants have bene given the name 'Balm of Gilead'. The true plant is commiphora opobalsamum but this is a very rare Arabian desert plant whose export is prohibited. The common version of Balm of Gilead that we find in stores is usually Cedronella canariensis.

Apparently the true Balm of Gilead was given as a gift to Solomon by the Queen of Sheba. The plant we use now shares the name because of its similar musky fragrance. Folk magic said carrying the buds would help mend a broken heart.

You can make an oil from Balm of Gilead by packing a jar with the buds, and topping up with warm vegetable oil or jojoba oil. Seal and leave in a warm place for 14 days and then strain into a clean jar. This is an excellent oil todress candles for use in magickal healing

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Basil

In India, it is a sacred herb of the Hindus (called Ocimum sanctum) and is strewn around the Temple and the home. hindus believe a basil leaf placed on the breast of a dead person will gain them entry into paradise. Basil or "tulsi" is an important herb in Ayurvedic medicine and tulsi beads (made from the woody stem) are considered sacred to Krishna.

In Egypt basil is strewn on the graves of the dead and in ancient times was used in embalming, and is seens as a funerary herb in Iran, Malaysia, where it is often planted on graves.

In Europe basil is seen as a love herb. In Crete it was seen as a symbol of tragic love, a plant of bad omens and under the influence of the devil. In Moldavia there is a custom which says a young man will lvoe a girl from whom he accepts a sprig of basil. In Mexico is was carried to attract money and to return a lover's roving eye. In Haiti basil is sacred to the Goddess Erzulie, a Goddess of love, and considered a protective herb. In the West Indies basil infusion is sprinkled around new shops to attract customers. (To make a basil infusion, pour boiling water over the herb and infuse for 10 minutes, then strain.)

I use dried basil in money attracting incenses with cinnamon, patchouli and nutmeg (about equal parts of each). You can add some benzoin to make it burn better.

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Benzoin

According to Paul Beyerl in A Compendium of Herbal Magick, "Benzoin is considered sacred to Venus, Aphrodite and Mut. It makes an excellent incense for use in their temples."

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This page is Copyright Lilitu Babalon, 1999
I'll give you permission to reproduce anything on my page if you ask, provided it is mine.
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