Kitabı oku: «The Element Encyclopedia of 1000 Spells: A Concise Reference Book for the Magical Arts», sayfa 7

Is this what those old Alexandrian magicians intended? We may never know. The moral of the story, however, is never cast spells that aren’t comfortable for you. It is neither uncommon for botanical and other materials to be named for animals, nor is the practice relegated to ancient history. Many spells in this book, for instance, call for deer’s tongue. I assure you, no deer need be harmed. Deer’s tongue is a type of grass, reputed to provide eloquence: the name is a pun on the plant’s appearance and its ability.

Swallow’s blood is a red powder that allegedly transmits the magical power of that long-migrating bird; no blood of any kind is required. Dragon’s blood, an extremely potent magical material, surely ranks among the Top 20 most popular spell-casting ingredients. No need to emulate Saint George, dragon’s blood is the resin from Dracaena draco, an Indonesian tree. Unlike most resins it’s red, hence the name. If you burn it, it does indeed bear a resemblance to blood. (There is also another dragon’s blood, used in Peruvian magic. This one, too, is a botanical substance, although completely distinct from the Indonesian resin.)

Spell-casting Using the Power of Botanicals

Botanical just means plant, however because of the vast variety of forms used (some no longer remotely “plant-like”) any type of plant-derived power, in its original form or otherwise, is categorized as a botanical. Botanicals, as a category, are probably the most common ingredients in spell-casting. Many people will never cast a candle spell, never work with crystals or wands or magic mirrors, but it’s virtually impossible to engage in magic without relying on botanical power to a greater or lesser extent. Plants are ubiquitous in magic. Their power is accessed via many forms, which lend themselves to various styles of spell-casting, so that botanicals are incorporated into virtually every style of spell.

Casting Magic Spells in Partnership with Your Living Plant Allies

Fairy-tale witches reside in huts, cottages, or castles surrounded by magically empowered gardens. When Prince Charming seeks Sleeping Beauty in her enchanted castle, the surrounding garden, full of thickets and thorns, actively reaches out to prevent him. Although one must never rely on one’s Protection Spell Garden to play the role of armed-response guard, there is a metaphoric truth hidden in this story.

Gardens can be both products of enchantment and independent producers of enchantment; they are a living, on-going magic spell. Gardens may be arranged in any variety of ways—color-coordinated, whatever was on sale at the nursery, even completely haphazardly. If you select, coordinate, and arrange plants according to the magic powers they radiate, then planting a garden becomes one style of casting a spell. Thus your desire to draw wealth, protection, or fertility to one’s home is manifested by carefully arranging the appropriate plants, and vigilantly removing those possessing opposing, contradictory powers.

This obviously is a long-term extended magic spell, rather than the type of quick-fix luck spell you might choose for a spontaneous trip to a casino. How will you benefit from this type of garden spell?

 The actual spell-casting, and then time spent among the botanicals and their radiant energy creates the desired adjustment on your own energy

 The radiant energy of the coordinated garden draws and/or repels the targeted goal to you and to your home in a more powerful manner than one botanical or amulet could achieve alone

 This spell is a symbiotic, reciprocal process, which ultimately strengthens all living participants for their mutual benefit. The garden will additionally attract complementary animal and spirit allies who will also contribute to the success of your spell

This type of magic spell is not limited to those with access to personal property or sunny weather. Magic spell gardens may be created indoors in pots. Furthermore, an entire garden need not be created; one or two individual plants may be grown as part of a magic spell or to further other magic spells.

There are several very good reasons to maintain living plants:

 If you are pursuing a spiritual or magical alliance with a specific plant, this is best accomplished with a living plant, redolent with power and consciousness, rather than processed, dried plants that retain power but lack conscious intelligence

 You can grow plants necessary for magic spells and/or physical healing. As you nurture the plant, communicate with it: share your fears and desires, let the plant know what you want from it. These plants will potentially provide more power for you than any others. They become your partners in healing and magic. It is a symbiotic relationship: they care for you as you care for them

 In many cases if you want to work with a plant, you’ll have to grow it. That’s the only way it is guaranteed to be available. The plant realm is as ecologically devastated, if not more so, than the animal kingdom. Many plants are extinct or seriously endangered. The only way to work with some magical plants ( Solomon’s Seal or Low John the Conqueror, for instance), the only way to incorporate them into any spell, is to grow and nurture them. It is the only way their power will be available to you

Because there have always been economic, space, and climatic reasons why working with living plants is impractical, and because different parts of a plant (roots, leaves, flowers) manifest different magic power and energy, and thus are used independently in different spells, various methods of processing plants have evolved over millennia. These include: dried botanicals including incense, flower essence remedies, hydrosols and oils, including fixed, essential, and fragrance oils.

Harvesting Botanicals

In order to maximize botanicals’ magic potential, magic rituals and spells are incorporated into their harvesting.

Because plants are alive, removing them from Earth is a risky operation. One has the option of increasing and enhancing their inherent power, or of offending Earth and the presiding Plant Spirits. Once upon a time, all harvesting, for magical or other purposes, was accompanied by spells, rituals, and propitiation of various Earthly and Spirit forces. Unless you purchase your botanicals from magically oriented vendors, one can safely assume that modern harvesting is accompanied by no such rituals or spells.

If you practice extensive botanical spell-casting you may wish to incorporate similar gestures in other ways, to enhance your spells and to provide spiritual protection for yourself. If however, you grow and harvest your own botanicals, ancient spells and rituals may be borrowed or adapted.

Because they’re alive, have power, and must be treated with respect, it’s not appropriate to just go out and grab a handful of plant. Botanical materials are safely harvested through magic ritual. Essentially you cast a spell in order to gain materials to cast more spells. The plant (or its presiding spirit or Earth herself, however you best understand this) must be addressed. The purpose for gathering should be explained. Because of the principle of reciprocity, gifts are exchanged. Libations of water are always appropriate, however different traditions favor different gifts. Native Americans offered pinches of tobacco; Anglo-Saxons once offered oatmeal. The ancient Romans offered bread and wine. Honey, wine, and menstrual blood are popular offerings. Fragrant incense may be burned in the vicinity as a gift.

Magic spells are always as simple or as complex as the practitioner wishes. An involved, formal harvesting spell follows; follow it precisely, if it suits you, or consider how best to adapt for your own personal needs.

Sometimes distinct plants demand distinct rituals. Two spells follow, one from Wales, the other from ancient Greece, one for an extremely popular magic plant, the other for a more obscure one. Consider these spells, follow them precisely if you like or consider how best to adapt them for your own harvesting needs.

Virtually any list of Top 10 magical plants will include vervain. Legend says vervain sprang from Isis’ tears; the herb is believed to have a special fondness for humans and thus works extra hard to provide happiness and success for us. It is believed to have been one of the crucial ingredients of Cerridwen’s Cauldron. The Druids insisted that vervain be harvested with an iron knife. An ancient Welsh formula stipulates how vervain must be gathered in order to guarantee its maximum magic power:

WARNING!

Many people exhibit a dangerous tendency to assume that if a plant is used for magical reasons, particularly benevolent ones, it does not also create a physical impact. This is not true, and this assumption can lead to disaster.

Botanicals are an holistic power: they affect us simultaneously on spiritual, emotional, magical, and physical levels. It is possible to cast word charms, image magic or play with candles and crystals without profound physical effect. This is not so with plants. Plants are the basis of medical knowledge, and even magical plants have a physical effect.

Because something has power doesn’t mean it is always the right power for you. For instance, many magic spell sites on the Internet offer directions for protective spell baths featuring the herb rue with nary a health warning, despite the fact that it has abortifacient properties and the British master herbalist Nicholas Culpeper said that he couldn’t recommend that a pregnant woman even walk through a room containing rue, let alone handle or bathe with it.

Be careful. If you have anything that could be perceived as a physical vulnerability, it is your responsibility to verify whether any botanical may aggravate your condition. If you are pregnant, attempting to become pregnant or nursing a child, the potential safety of all botanicals must be determined. This is not obscure information. Many excellent literary sources on herbs and botanicals exist. Knowledgeable, professional herbalists, physicians, and medical providers can give you information as well. This does not only apply to traditional modes of internal application such as consuming botanicals, but also inhaling fumes or topical application such as bathing, or even perhaps intensive, concentrated handling, depending on the potency of the plant.

Magic is always intended to improve one’s life; injuring one’s health in the process of casting a spell defeats that purpose. Incorporate your personal needs into choosing the best spells for you.