9 Herbs Charm Healing Salve

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By Priestess Hypatia

Try this…….

Equal parts of dried:

Betony
Chamomile
Crabapple
Fennel
Mugwort
Nettle
Plantain leaves
Thyme
Watercress

You’ll also need:

1 Cup coconut oil
1 – 2 oz shaved beeswax
Cheesecloth

Use a mortar and pestle to pound all 9 herbs finely.

Combine powdered herbs and coconut oil.

Place ingredients of a double boiler and allow to infuse, leave 1 hr.

Strain using cheesecloth.

Melt beeswax slowly, pour over herb infused coconut oil.

Place in sterile mason jar.

Ready to use!

Note: the amount of beeswax will determine how hard or soft slave will be.

Beeswax hardens the salve

Herb Jar

the herb of Dandelion

witchcraft at our second home

Lammas Tisane- Ceremonial Tea

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Written for Coven Life

03/02/2020

By priestess Hypatia

Tea Anyone?

Tisanes are herbal tea that traditionally included barley.

Lammas

Lammas is the first harvest celebration, marking the transition from summer to fall and celebrating the bounty and abundance of the garden.

Spell crafting Herbal teas is a personal favorite of mine, especially herbs personally selected to reflect your intentions and the turning of the seasons. Such teas are a wonderful way to honor the seasons during your ceremony.

First harvest Tea Blend for Lammas

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried calendula blossoms
1/4 cup dried lavender buds
1/4 cup dried meadow sweet
1/4 cup oolong tea leaves
Optional: 1 tablespoon dried grated ginger

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a tea strainer or bag.
Pour hot water over the strainer and steep 3-5 minutes

Calendula– a beautiful bright beam of sunshine their bright orange and yellow petals are a beautiful representation of seasonal transitions.

Lavender– Often associated with Lammas, this beautiful plan ally will help you begin the descent into the waning and restful portion of the year.

Meadow sweet– All heal of the ancients. Acting as a natural pain killer because of its salicylic acid content, the same ingredient that makes aspirin. Wonderful for third eye activation, divination and honing of your skill.

Oolong– Adding a layer or complexity to this otherwise airy tea. Its earthiness encourages wisdom through reflection.

Ginger– Only a small amount is needed to reach its maximum benefit. Its distinct spicy notes encourages success, money and love.

Imbolc Charm Bags

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Written for Coven Life

On 03/02/2020

By Priestess Hypatia

Creating seasonal charms is one of my favorite types of spell work. You can generally make them from things you may already have on hand, or easily pick up at your local craft and nursery stores. The best ingredients are from my random collectables I have gathered from Nature Herself.

Spells crafted at this time of the year focus new beginnings, fresh starts and new growth. Think of it as the New Moon Phase. Ostara is like the waxing moon where you take action and Beltane is the time you see the manifestation, so you can compare this to the Full moon phase.

Set Your Intention

So before we start crafting the Charm bag for Imbolc let’s set our intention-

You can either choose a specific project or goal you want to manifest or you can focus on general new beginnings. For a specific goal, I would recommend adding at least one or two elements to these ingredients to give the spell focus.

Ingredients

Small piece of clear quartz, preferably charged at the new moon
Pine needles- purification
Cinnamon sticks- power
Nettles- strength in overcoming obstacles
Daffodil petals- fertility
Dandelion puffs – making wishes come true
White muslin or sheer sachet to place the ingredients in

Method

Light a couple of white candles, or one of your favorite scented candles
Take the pine needles in your hands and rub them to release the scent. Sprinkle the pine needles in the bag and say: “I cleanse and bless this spell, home and hearth”. I also like to put a couple of drops of fir pine essential oil in.
Place the cinnamon stick and quartz in bag and say: “To lend power to this spell”.
Place the daffodil petals in the bag and say: “To create a fresh start and a fertile beginning”
Sprinkle the Nettles and say: “ This is to overcome obstacles on my path to realization of manifesting my intentions”
Now tie the bag and place somewhere such as your lingerie drawer or our car glove compartment.

The above ingredients is just a sample of the endless possibilities that are accessible to you. It depends on your intentions. Rose quarts for love and friendship, Ginger root for fire and power, violet for protection, you get the gist. Remember to research your ingredients and understand that their energy represents your intention needed.

The Cosmic Witch Part 9

Written for Coven life

By Priestess Hypatia

30/01/2020

The 4th Pentacle of mercury- Seal of Solomon

Continuing from the previous post of aligning with Universal Powers for effective magickal practices…….

In this post I will be discussing the ^7thof the Sacred Seven (in no particular order) that I have been mentioning in the previous posts.

Here I will be talking about the final planet of the sacred seven and not in that order, the planet Mercury. Ruling over Gemini and Virgo it is the planet that influences the intellect and of communication and therefore the element of air.

Mercury the planet is androgynous and neutral, it is neither masculine nor feminine, neither positive nor negative, taking on the qualities of whatever aspects it comes into contact with.

The Planet

Distance from Sun: 57.91 million km

Orbital period: 88 days

Length of day: 58d 15h 30m

Mass: 3.285 × 10^23 kg (0.055 M⊕)

Surface area: 74.8 million km²

Wikipedia

The God

In the Ancient Roman World Mercury was the equivalent of the Greek God Hermes. The swift-footed messenger God traversed between the upper and lower worlds and his origins can be traced back as far as 13^th– 15^th Century BCE.

The many associations of Mercury include that of fertility, communication that include writing, messengers, trade, luck, and thievery. He was the patron saint of merchants, business people that were involved in all types of trade. The staff of Hermes, the Kerykeion is recognized as a symbol of trade and commerce and not that of medicine.

As the God of Medicine Aesculapius and His Rod is attributed to the arts of health and healing.

In the ancient Egyptian world he was connected to Thoth that is also connected with communication and responsible for writing the Emerald Tablet.

Planetary Magick Correspondences

Day- Wednesday

Colour– Purple, yellow and sometimes Orange

Element– Air

Gem stone– Opal, aventurine, moss agate, fluorite, and sodalite

Herbs– Almond, Anise, Clover, Dandelion, Dill, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lilac, Mace, Peppermint, Rosemary, Vervain

Number(s): 8, 64, 260, 2080

Archangel: Raphael

Metal: Mercury (toxic), safe replacement used in modern magick is Aluminum, sometimes also Zinc is mentioned

Olympic spirit (ruler): Ophiel

Importance in Alchemy– Spells, ritual and charms

Astrology

Due to Mercury’s speedy elliptical orbit, Mercury often appears to be going backwards, with frequent retrograde motions of about 3-4 every year. The good news is that these retrogrades are short lived, the bad news is that when they are in that motion they can at times wreak havoc in your life. Caution in signing contracts, breakdown in communication, avoid surgery, avoid travel, heightened anger, frustration, anxiety and of course the list of all your insecurities goes on. Now the majority of the time such retrogrades go unnoticed, that is until something happens in your life, then there is always Mercury retrograde if it does.

Spell Against Mercury Retrograde

If you are familiar with spell work you can try this to draw the positive aspects of Mercury during its retrograde. It encourages harmony, balance, protection and healing is such tumultuous times.

Spell work-

Purple candle
Anointed with frankincense
Surround with your choice of crystals and herbs from the magickal correspondences above
Light the candle and say:

‘My mind is a fortress, backwards Mercury, shall cause no deceit, nor damage. The light and stones shall save me’.

When the candle has burned all the way down, and extinguished itself, take the stones, place them in a mojo bag, and carry with you as long as Mercury stays in retrograde.

Orphic Hymn

Below is a beautiful hymn or prayer to the great God Mercury- Hermes. Use this if you want to invoke the energy of Mercury- Hermes, use the planetary magickal correspondences for extra guidance and remember as with any spell work to understand, observe and respect the energies that you are working and drawing from and with.

Invocation/ Prayer to Mercury- Hermes

The Fumigation from Frankincense.
“Hermes, draw near, and to my pray’r incline, angel of Jove [Zeus], and Maia’s son divine;
Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, with heart almighty, and a prudent mind.
Celestial messenger, of various skill, whose pow’rful arts could watchful Argus kill:
With winged feet, ’tis thine thro’ air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:
Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine, in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:
With pow’r endu’d all language to explain, of care the loos’ner, and the source of gain.
Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Corucian, blessed, profitable God;
Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, and in necessities to mortals kind:
Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere, be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear;
Assist my works, conclude my life with peace, give graceful speech, and me memory’s increase.”

Orphic Hymn- #27

A Tought for More Than Just Today

Priestess Hypatia and got to talk for a while Wednesday late afternoon. Physically she and her family are. But just as probably most Australians emotionally tore up with what has happened to their beautiful country basically needlessly. If the government would have been listening to the ingenious residents of many centuries and allowed those, to my way of thinking, who are learned and professional bush burners to keep the land productive with controlled burns that do not kill and destroy needlessly.

Aboriginal method to control fire

I ask each person reading this to pray or talk to or however you choose to communicate with the God or Goddess of your choice asking that they help open the closed minds of those with power and even those without open their minds to listen to the elders that have had instructions handed down from generation to generation on how to burn the bush in a manner that is safe for Mother Earth and her inhabitants.

Priestess Hypatia also told me there is talk of the ingenious elders teaching people from the USA how to safely do controlled burning to keep us from having out of control wildfires. Which to me would be answering many Californians prayers, especially those that have lost everything in a wildfire some people more than once.

In Wisconsin when I was a child, as you enter it from another state, in most rest areas along major highways, and in other locations they have very big signs of Smokey the Bear with his ranger hat on and a dirt shovel in his hands with his famous saying “Only you can prevent forest fires.” and blow that the risk of fire for that day in different colors depending on the level of risk for a spark or a carelessly thrown out burning cigarette or lightening or anything else that could start a fire. Even though we do not hear about fires in Wisconsin I have seen a couple and as a child I was terrified and as an adult just very angry at whoever the careless person had been. These fires I saw would be only a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the fires in Australia that burned so huge and hot as to create their own weather systems and kill even the seeds that would make the plants and trees starting to grow in the next year or so.

Us as humans, supposedly the smartest animal on this planted, need to learn that “new, improved modern ways” are not always better especially when it to caring for and living in harmony with all living things. We need to listen to the ingenious people who have inhabited the lands we live on for the best way to keep the land and I do not mean just the piece of land your own, as Priestess Hypatia told the land is the whole country around you not just your tiny piece of it, but your state, country, and continent you live in is also something we all need to take better care of. Than maybe…hopefully we will go back to when controlled burns were done instead of uncontrollable wildfires burning, actually having a distinction between the 4 seasons, enough rain globally for crops to grow, humans, domestic and wild animals would have clean water to drink, humans in what we consider 3rd world countries could live as their ancestors did and manage the land and fresh water in such away we would not see commercials asking for donations to feed hungry children or adults. It is time we look back before the industrial revolution to see how things with the land were done not just for the betterment of Mother Earth but for the betterment of all living things that grow upon her. It is time to quit raping the land and to again start caring about it.

So, please in your daily communication with whoever the Goddess and/or God you commune with ask for enlightenment not only for others but for yourself as well to open minds globally to listen to the elders of the land on the old ways of keeping Mother Earth healthy and living in harmony with her. Thank you for doing this!

Blessed be dear ones.

A Little Information on Seasonal Affective Disorder

DISCLAIMER – THIS ARTICLE IS NOT IN ANY WAY TO TAKE THE PLACE OF OR CHANGE WHATEVER YOUR MEDICAL PRACTITIONER HAS SUGGESTED OR FOR YOU TO QUIT TAKING ANY MEDICATION(S) YOU MAY BE ON FOR DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, PTSD. LADY BELTANE, WITCHES OF THE CRAFT AND/OR COVEN LIFE STAFF AND NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DECISION YOU MAKE ON THE TOPICS IN THIS POST. WE ARE NOT LIABLE IF YOU QUIT TAKING YOUR PRESCRIBED MEDICATION TO USE ONLY CRYSTALS AND/OR HERBS TO TREAT YOUR CONDITION. IT WAS WRITTEN ONLY TO SHINE SOME LIGHT ON SAD.

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SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder covers many seasons and things including depression, anxiety, and more PTSD to name a few. I myself have clinical depression, an anxiety disorder, and PTSD (from being raped 3 different times and my mother trying to suffocate me right before she tried to take her own life in 1971 after my father’s passing a year before). Many of us with different phobias and/or emotional problems are told, “Buck up and move on” or, “My favorite you can’t be disabled I can’t see anything wrong with you.” Just because we can walk unaided, see with out help, hear again without help, but it is what we try to cover over so we don’t have to hear unkind comments many of us just never leave our homes.

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You can help a friend or even a stranger by being an ear to listen to them and not judging them for what they need to say. You could find out about a home bound person possibly through a local church or even online. You could arrange to bring lunch or dinner once a week staying to eat with them so they have some kind of human contact. Usually when you get paired with someone you receive their phone number not their address this so you can make a connection via talking and work up to having a meal with them find out what they miss by not being able to leave home, i.e. sweets, reading material, word search or crossword puzzle books, etc.

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Do not judge a person you know because the seem really down or stressed to the max instead ask them, “Is there anything I can do to help you? I’m hear to listen anytime you need to talk.” If someone you know seems very depressed or stressed you may want to suggest they see their doctor to talk about how they are feeling.” Also offer to drive them if you can so they know someone cares enough to honestly want to help them not out of duty or you feel you have to, do because you want to help and you care about the person.

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I am here for you I will listen if you need or want to talk to someone just email me WitchesCovenHearts@yahoo.com and we will set up a time and how we will connect.

The Magick of Food 6

Garlic

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Written By Priestess Hypatia

For Coven Life

28/12/2019

So let’s start this article with a little Poetic Medicine……

An Ode to Garlic

Oh Garlic, what homage

can we bring you

and your graced state

of bulbousness?

Packed tightly into

your little white dome

we want to break you open

and spread your cloves like

shining white pebbles onto

the shores of our meals.

Continue reading this beautiful poem by

By Lara Kirsten

‘Eat no onions nor garlic, for we are utter sweet breath, and I do not doubt but hear them say, it is a sweet comedy’

-William Shakespeare in a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

A wonderfully pungent herb that has been known for its ability to ward off vampires and the like, is considered a staple in many people’s diets around the world. As a main feature in our culinary world, the humble garlic demands its presence in the medicinal home apothecary because of its numerous benefits. With all these wonderful components combined and its availability and accessibility garlic is renowned as a superfood and hailed for its healing properties since ancient times.

As a member of the Lily family, garlic is the cousin to onions, leeks and chives. It averages about 2 inches in height and consists of small separate cloves. There really is nothing like the taste of garlic. It stimulates the palate hitting it with a hot pungent and subtle sweetness. No wonder so many have written odes and poetry to this incredible plant.

A native to Central Asia garlic has been cultivated for over 5000 years. The ancient Egyptians considered it as sacred and was placed in the tombs of Pharos for the afterlife. It was not only the food of Kings and Gods but was also given to the slaves that build the Pyramids. Its known medicinal properties made garlic a valuable commodity in the world of labor. Healthy workers meant better productivity, better productivity meant advancements, better advancements made a strong, sustainable and superior civilization.

Grow

Propagate this wonderful hardy perennial or biennial by simply planting its coves in rich, moist soil that receives plenty of sunshine.

Eat

You can add garlic to pretty much anything that is savoury. Its addition will only benefit the dish.

Try

Garlic bread- by mashing a couple of cloves, add some chopped herbs to about 130g of butter. Make incisions in the bread roll or baguette, insert lavish wads of the buttery herbed garlic butter, wrap in foil, place in a hot oven and heat till butter melts approximately 15 min. Unwrap foil and allow bread to crisp in oven for a further 5 min and voila- done!

Heal

Garlic provides numerous health benefits including:

Heart health support
Anti-inflammatory properties
Immune booster
Reduces hypertension
Stabilizes cholesterol
Antibacterial and antiviral benefits
Anti-cancer support

It can be taken as a supplement.

Medicine for colds and flu in the winter season

This may assist in relieving sore throats because of its antimicrobial action.

Combine 1 part Witches Brew (recipe below) and 1 part Honey

Magick

Often seen as an herb of protection, garlic has been used in cleansing rituals, in legend and modern times especially against vampires. In ancient Greece it was placed upon a pile of stones at a crossroads to invoke Hekate. As a powerful amulet garlic will ward off any negativity and evil energy. Now, for those who worship the Goddess Cybele, as the herb is sacred to her, it is recommended that this herb is avoided.

Magickal Recipe

WITCHES’ BREW aka FIRE CIDER

Let’s have a look at a delicious way to keep the vampires at bay.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

Mason Jar

Organic, raw, apple cider vinegar

3 parts Garlic, peeled and chopped

2 parts Onion, peeled and chopped

1 part Ginger, fresh or dried, shredded

1 part brown and yellow mustard seed

½ part hot peppers of your liking (optional)

½ part black peppercorns

½ part horseradish root peeled and shredded

½ part combined optional herbs such as cinnamon, turmeric, and rosemary

Combine all the ingredients to loosely fill a mason jar. Pour the Apple Cider Vinegar over the contents to cover. Cap, label and shake daily for 3 – 6 weeks, storing in a cool, dark place. Strain through layers of cheesecloth or fine mesh fabric, filtering out all herb matter. Pour into amber bottles and label for storage.

Use as a salad dressing ingredient, combine with oil for a topping on rice and other grains, and take 1 teaspoon in a glass of water as an invigorating tonic. Shelf life is about 6 – 8 months.

It is recommended to check in with your local health practitioner for guidance if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have any outstanding health concerns prior to introducing new supplements, foods or herbs to your routine.