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I've been a freelance writer for over 8 years. Over the years I've had a number of articles published in various Llewellyn publications. My articles have appeared in Llewellyn's yearly Witches' Calendar, Wtiches' Datebook, Magical Almanac and Herbal Almanac.

Here are links to a few of my favorite Llewellyn books that are in my personal library. Anyone with an interest in herbalism, herb magic or herbal medicine may want to research one or more of these titles.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs, Medicinal Herbs

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Magical Essential Oils (LINK)

January 10th 2008 18:53

Herb Magic

"Fragrance played a large part in days gone by. An attempt was early made for sanitation in home and community by the protective measures of strewn, burning, and inhaling aromatic herbs. Pleasing odors had beneficial effects and vile odors would ward off evil."

Rosetta E. Clarkson, Magic Gardens

Aromatherapists use a variety of aromatic substances to facilitate healing, reduce stress, and promote a sense of well-being in their clients. Aromatherapists may employ essential oils along with aromatic fresh or dried plant material into their healing practices.

Essential Oils
Essential oils are the volatile aromatic oils of plants, leaves, and flowers. Essential oils are very potent and usually need to be diluted before being used. Never use an essential oil in its undiluted state unless otherwise noted as they may cause skin irritation if used directly on the skin.

Do not confuse essential oils with fragrance oils. Essential oils are 100% pure plant oils with no added ingredients. Fragrance oils are blends of synthetic compounds to be used for aromatic purposes only. Essential oils can be used both for medicinal and aromatic purposes. The fragrance oils are only used to scent items such as potpourris, candles and soaps.

It is beyond the scope of most herbalists and gardeners to make their own essential oils as large quantities of raw plant material are required to produce even a tiny amount of oil. High quality essential oils can be purchased at health food stores and select grocery stores. Most grocery stores and health food stores sell the oils in ¼ ounce or ½ ounce size bottles.

One of my herbal supply catalogs lists over 50 essential oils in their current catalog. Most of them are available in ¼ ounce, ½ ounce, 1 ounce, 4 ounce, 8 ounce and 16 ounce bottles. Essential oils are very concentrated, a little goes a long way. Unless you are contemplating opening your own store I would not recommend buying anything larger than a ¼ ounce or ½ ounce bottle of essential oil at a time.

Methods for using essential oils:
Here are some methods you may utilize in order to enjoy the healing and aromatic properties of essential oils:

Place two to four drops of essential oil into a large bowl full of hot, steaming water. Place a towel over your head and lower your face to within a few inches of the water. Let the aromatic steam waft over your skin until the water has cooled down and is no longer steaming. Lemon is a balancing essential oil that can used for both dry and oily skin types. After you have completed your aromatic facial treatment splash your face with cool water and pat dry with a soft towel.

Mix one cup of Epsom salts with six to eight drops of essential oil and blend together. Place this mixture into an airtight glass jar until ready to use. For a soothing and aromatic bath add ¼ cup of the scented Epsom salts to a bathtub full of warm water and enjoy a nice relaxing herb infused bath.

Place a few drops of the essential oil onto a diffuser ring that is meant to be placed over a light bulb. An alternative is to use a diffuser that is placed in a container over a tea light (small candle). The heat from the light bulb or candle will cause the essential oil to slowly vaporize while releasing the scent of the oil throughout the room.

Place a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto a cotton ball and put it in your vacuum cleaner bag or canister. The scent of the oil will be released throughout your home as you vacuum your carpets.

Place a drop or two of essential oil onto a candle before lighting it. Make sure not to get any of the oil onto the wick as this will prevent the candle from lighting properly. As the candle burns the scent of the essential oil will be released into the surrounding air.

You may combine essential oils to make your own unique blend of scented oils. A few of my favorite combinations include lemon blended with clove, rosemary blended with patchouli, and sweet basil blended with rose geranium. Experiment with different combinations of essential oils to come up with your own unique combinations.

Magical associations of essential oils:
Essential oils can be used in your magical spells and rituals. Here are a few of my favorite essential oils.

Sweet basil - Ocimum basilicum - sweet basil is an energizing and uplifting oil with a very refreshing, clean scent. Basil essential oil can be used to help relieve mild depression and fatigue. This oil blends well with lavender, rose geranium, and thyme. I like to use this oil in my essential oil diffuser to scent my home office.

Planet=sun, element=fire, magical uses=mood elevator, leadership, prosperity, protection.

Bay - Laurus nobilis - this oil is calming and grounding and blends well with all citrus based oils, lavender and rosemary

Planet=sun, element=fire, magical uses=divination, meditation, purification.

German chamomile - Matricaria recutita - this is a calming and relaxing oil. Be careful when using this dark blue colored oil it as it can stain any object it comes into contact with. This essential oil is a terrific one to use as a facial steam treatment for your skin. German chamomile can also be used to help relieve mild depression, insomnia and a variety of digestive complaints. This oil blends well with lavender, marjoram and ylang ylang

Planet=Venus, element=water, magical uses=dream work, meditation.

Clove bud - Eugenia caryophyllata - this oil is energizing and stimulating. It also smells wonderful when mixed with a bit of lavender, lemon or ylang ylang essential oil. Clove bud oil can also be used to help treat acne, athlete's foot, and the pain associated with a toothache

Planet.=Jupiter, element=fire, magical uses=courage, healing, memory enhancement, protection.

Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia - this is a harmonizing, soothing, and rejuvenating oil. It can be used to help relieve mild depression and insomnia. Lavender blends well with most citrus and floral scents in addition to clover, patchouli, and rosemary. This is a great oil to use to help relieve a tension headache. I like to rub a few drops of the oil into my temples before lying down in a quiet, dark room to recuperate.

Planet=Mercury, element=air, magical uses=dream work, healing, love.

My complete article, Magical Essential Oils, can be found on the Associated Content website.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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A Few Herbs Used in Rootwork (LINK)

January 3rd 2008 17:44

High John the Conqueror Root

Root Doctor & Root Working
Root doctor is a folklore term for a healer that uses plants, especially the roots of herbs, for their magical, healing and spiritual powers. Root working is an ancient southern tradition originating from West Africa and the Caribbean and brought to North America by slaves. Root working combines elements of herbal folklore, spirituality, magic and healing.

Root working is associated with the folk magic belief system called Hoodoo. According to author Stephanie Rose Bird in her book Four Seasons of Mojo Hoodoo "...is not a religion but a collection of folk practices involving magic and healing." Roots are most commonly used as one of the ingredients found in a mojo bag. Mojo bags are a small pouch, often made out of red flannel, which contain a variety of herbs, gemstones and personal objects that the user wears close their body as a type of magic amulet.

A few examples of some of the more popular plants used by root workers include:

Adam & Eve Root (Aplectrum hyemale) - used in love magic, happiness and fidelity spells. Due to over harvesting this plant is now endangered or threatened in many states. You may substitute Orchis spp. in its place. This plant is most often sold in pairs of male and female shaped roots.

Angelica Root (Angelica archangelica) - AKA root of the Holy Ghost or Archangel root. Used in protection spells, to cure ills and in strength and hex breaking spells.

Devils' Shoestrings (Viburnum spp.) - this roots magical uses include invisibility, good luck charm, new job, protection and spells to ward off evil.

High John the Conqueror (Ipomoea jalapa) - this plant is a member of the morning glory family. High John's magical uses include confidence, health, love, luck, money, protection, strength and success spells.

The entire article, A Few Herbs Used in Rootwork, can be found on the Associated Content website.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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Garden Witches and Wildcrafting

October 22nd 2007 17:45

Garden witches know a great deal about the magical and medicinal properties of herbs. They love to putter around outdoors, dig in the dirt and grow a variety of their own herbs, vegetables and flowers. Practitioners of this tradition of the craft use these homegrown plants to make a variety of lotions, potions and culinary creations for use in their own celebrations and magical rituals.

WILD CRAFTING
Garden witches may also collect certain herbs in their natural habitat, a practice which is called wild crafting. Wild crafting should only be done in an area where you have obtained permission from the land owner. When wild crafting, be sure to leave behind enough of the plant material you are harvesting to ensure the survival of future generations of the plant. Unethical collectors over harvest or even dig up the entire population of the herb they are collecting.

Certain species of herbs can no longer be ethically wild crafted due to the over harvesting and destruction of their natual habitat. One of my favorite herbs suppliers has gone so far as to list the herb products that they will not carry due to their being over harvested by commercial enterprises.

THREATENED HERBS
A few of the herb species that are being threatened due to over zealous wild crafting include beth root (Trillium erectum), lady's slipper root (Cyprideium pubescens), true unicorn root (Aletris farinosa), false unicorn root (Helonias lutea), wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and wild goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs, Medicinal Herbs

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Judicial vs Natural Astrology

October 18th 2007 02:44

Astrology is a form of divination which foretells the future based upon the influence of the positions of the stars and planets on the object whose fortune is being told.

Judicial astrology attempts to tell a persons future based on their birth chart. A personal horoscope is created based upon the positions of the planets, sun and moon at the exact date and time of ones birth.

Natural astrology foretells the future of weather and other natural phenomena and attempts to predict when is the best time to plant and harvest crops. The modern-day farmer’s almanacs are filled with natural astrological information such as astrological timetables, gardening by the moon’s sign, moon’s place in the astrological zodiac and secrets of the zodiac.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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Herbal Fortune Telling

October 16th 2007 19:40

Divination is a method of fortune telling which attempts to foresee the future. It entails the observation and interpretation of a variety of phenomena. Various forms of divination are employed by natural magicians such as shamans, witches, medicine men, cunning men and wise women.

Divination uses various divinatory tools, such as tarot cards or rune stones, and interprets these tools to foresee the future. Although there are many different types of divination practiced I am limiting today’s blog to ones that are of particular interest to the hedge witch and other practitioners of natural magic.

Botanomancy - divination based upon the burning of plants especially leaves and tree branches. Specific questions would often be carved into the bark of the branch before placing the branch into the fire.

Capnomancy - observing the smoke of burning herbs.

Causimomancy - reading and interpreting the patterns made from the ashes of burned plants.

Daphnomancy - divination based on burning laurel leaves.

Dendromancy - divination based upon the relationship between oak trees and the parasitic mistletoe growing on the trees. This form of divination was probably practiced by the Druids. A few modern-day scholars think that this form of divination was based upon the interpretation of the shapes and direction of smoke rising from burning mistletoe and oak.

Floromancy - divination based upon the observation of flowers.

Hydromancy - divination based on the use of water, wells, rivers, streams, ponds and lakes. A form of herbal hydromancy would be to throw herb leaves onto a moving body of water and interpret their patterns of movement as they move along the water.

Libanomancy - divination based on the interpretation of incense smoke.

Phyllomancy - divination based upon the interpretation of the sound of rustling leaves.

Phyllorhodomancy - divination based on rose petals. The petals are clapped against the palm of your hand and the sounds that are made are interpreted for omens.

Pyromancy - divination based on seeing shapes and visions within a fire. You could use this form of divination along with capnomancy and daphnomancy.

Tasseomancy - tea leaf reading. This form of divination interprets the symbols formed by loose teas leaves that are left behind in the tea cup after the tea has been drunk. The person who is having their fortune read (querent) drinks their cup of tea. The querent turns their cup three times in a clockwise direction then turn the cup over onto a saucer. When any water that is present has drained into the saucer quickly turn the cup right side up. The cup is handed to the fortune teller who interprets the symbols.

Symbols towards the rim of the cup represent the present, symbols towards the middle of the cup represent the near future and symbols towards the bottom of the cup represent the distant future. In addition symbols that are well formed are positive while symbols that are fuzzy or not fully developed represent delays that you may encounter.

You must make your cup of tea with loose tea leaves, herbs or flowers in order to practice this form of divination. Tea bags won’t work unless you break them open! Some common symbols that may be seen in the tea leaves can be interpreted as follows:

Bell - wedding
Butterfly - insincerity
Cat - domestic problems
Chair - unexpected visitor
Cross - hardship
Cup - harmony
Hand - help
Heart - confidant, love, lover
House - change, security, success
Key - opportunity
Letters - initials of people
Mountain - journey, hindrance
Ring - marriage, partnership
Snake - hurt feelings, falsehood
Spade - good fortune through industry
Straight line - careful planning, peace of mind
Tree - comfort
Triangle - fortune
Wavy lines - uncertainty

For a more extensive interpretation of the tea leaf symbols you may want to look at the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards which were created by Rae Hepburn and illustrated by Shawna Alexander. This is a 200 card deck which comes with a 89 page book. This set illustrates and explains the meanings of the various symbols that may be formed by the tea leaves. This set was published in 2000 by Charles E. Tuttle Co.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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Green Witch

October 14th 2007 01:31

Green witch
A witch that utilizes a variety of herbs and plants in order to tap into their magical occult properties. Green witches may practice as solitaries or be part of a coven. Green witches are in tune with mother nature and feel a great affinity towards the natural elements of earth, air, fire, and water. The green witch can often be found puttering around in their garden, exploring a forest trail or creating their own lotions and potions which incorporate a variety of natural ingredients.

This is a picture of your I Love Herbs blogger Lynn Smythe. It was taken as I was on my way to the 2007 South Florida Renaissance Festival which took place at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach. Sewing is another one of my hobbies - I made the striped corset I'm wearing in the picture - I really love how it came out.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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Herbal Alchemist

October 13th 2007 19:05

Alchemist
Alchemists were ancient chemical philosophers who were primarily concerned with the transmutation of base metals into gold. Alchemy included elements of philosophy, religious mysticism, mythology, astrology, botany, zoology, mineralogy and primitive chemistry.

Herbal alchemy was used for healing purposes. The herbal alchemist mixed together a variety of herb based tinctures, salves and ointments in their pursuit of creating the elixir of immortality which was also known as the philosophers stone. Mystical alchemists gradually involved into the more scientifically orientated chemists found in the current day.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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What is a Natural Magician?

October 13th 2007 18:52

A natural magician is someone that focuses on the magical and healing powers of natural herbal remedies and wild plants. This is in opposition to traditional doctors with their focus on using chemical drugs. Natural magicians concentrate on healing the entire patient and improving their overall quality of life not just on curing their individual symptoms of disease.

Natural magicians look to heal their patients body, mind and soul which results in an overall improvement in their quality of life. They may employ a variety of techniques such as herbal medicine, plant magic, chants, rituals, spells and divination in order to enhance the healing and well-being of their patients.

Natural magicians are known by a variety of titles including Kitchen Witch, Green Witch, Natrual Pagan, Garden Witch and Medicine Man.

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Posted By: Lynn Smythe - Category: Magical Herbs

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October 12th 2007 17:26

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