When Witches Move

  "Honey...hand me the packing tape!"

...and why I'm having a Moving Sale.....

Let’s face it; moving is a pain in the ass no matter who you are. The sorting and cleaning, the wrapping and packing, the toting and loading; it makes me tired just thinking about it. Then when you get to the new place you have to do it all in reverse. Now, when witches move it’s even more of a pain in the ass. First off witches tend to have more stuff than most other people and if you’ve been a witch for a while you have a lot of other stuff because over the years it just seemed that natural to have whole collections of witchy accoutrements. I mean why have one wand when you can have 12? Even if you seldom use them there may come a time when you need this or that one. One chalice is certainly never enough and people just love to give them to you as gifts. Then of course there’s the various and assorted sharp pointy things that you’ve collected over the years; you know the blades of all sorts, sizes, lengths and configurations. Then there’s the mortars and pestles, candle holders, incense burners, drums, rattles, bells, gongs, singing bowls, statuary and the list goes on and on. Of course we haven’t even gotten to the two heaviest of items that we witches always seem to have an over-abundance of; books and rocks.

Witches, and Pagans of all kinds, always have lots and lots of books. Even though so much is on the web and the trend towards electronic books seems to be taking hold we still have an obsession with books; well at least all the best witches do! At one point my husband and I had so many books I was trying to figure out how to use them for furniture since we were rapidly running out of room for the regular kind. Even though I did do a pretty intense purge a few years ago we certainly still have more books than any of our non-Pagan friends ever thought about having. Books are glorious wonderful things…..until you have to pack them, carry them and unpack them. But what’s a witch to do; I need those books!

Then there are the rocks; really do I need this many rocks? There are small and large ones, polished and tumbled ones, rough and jagged ones, holy rocks and holey rocks, various things made out of rocks like candle holders and plates. Rocks I gathered from the shore during Mabon rituals, rocks I gathered on the beach in San Francisco with my favorite fairy, rocks from the forest in Mendocino County, a rock from ancient Greek ruins, a rock from Petra and even a rock from Michigan. I love my rocks…..but man when you start carrying those boxes to the truck you have to keep telling yourself how much you really need them. When the guy you hired to help is struggling under the weight of a surprisingly small box asks, “What’s in this box, rocks?” …..you just smile.

Of course we’ve only covered the actual moving of material things; the things that must be packed and put in a box but for the witch there’s all those other things. When witches move cleaning takes on a whole new meaning. Of course you still have to do the regular cleaning but then there’s the other type of cleaning that we witches have to do. The latent energy from working with the other side has to be truly cleaned up. I mean it’s perfectly okay for you to live with it but it’s simply bad manners to expect the next occupants to have to deal with it. The miscellaneous fetches, guardians and other various creations will have to be taken with, which in and of itself can be a bit of chore. If you don’t take them with you then you they will have to be deconstructed, banished or in some other way sorted out as it is unwise and unkind to leave latent spectral beings milling about. Witches bottles have to be unburied, the spikes at the corners of the property will have to be pulled up and depending on the witch there may be several other “cleaning” jobs that will have to be taken care of.

I bring this all up because yes we are moving again. We’re not moving far, just a little further up the mountain and hopefully this will be it for a very, very long time. We have been blessed with one of those opportunities that simply can’t be passed up so of course we are not passing it up. A bigger house, a huge space for Raven’s Flight and a temple, a much larger area that can be cultivated with herbs, a greenhouse, a bigger area for the dogs, a lot more storage for all those things I simply can’t bring myself to part with and the some of our dearest friends for neighbors….what could be better! So as I was packing and making lists of things to do it occurred to me all of the things that witches have to do to move…..and I haven’t even brought up the chore of moving Raven’s Flight. So to hopefully make the move a little less labor intensive we are having a Moving Sale! Lots of wonderful items have been reduced from 20-75%. The sale runs until May 25^th ‘cause that’s when Raven’s Flight gets wrapped, boxed and hauled to the new space. So please….for the sake of all those helping us move…..shop, shop, shop! As an added incentive all those reading this blog can take another 5% off Moving Sale items and almost anything else you purchase[i], just use the promo code MOVE5 at check out.

Blessings

Raven Womack

Raven's Flight The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net

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[i] Some items that were already on sale might not be eligible for the extra discount, but most are.

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 [RW1]

Patchouli: A Potent Magickal Botanical

Patchouli (Pogosteon patchouli, Pogostemon cablin)

Patchouli is, at least in my opinion, one of the most valuable and versatile herbs to have in your magickal cabinet; both in herb and oil form. It’s peculiar in that most people have a very definite feeling about the herb; one way or the other. Many people have very strong feelings about the scent of patchouli and to be sure it does have a very strong and particular scent. Few are ambivalent about it; most either love it or hate it. The bad thing is that those who love it generally assume that everyone loves it as much as they do. I’m sure many of you know exactly what I mean; that guy who douses himself with an incredible amount of the strongest patchouli oil he can find knowing to his core that it drives women crazy. Funny thing is they don’t seem to get that it’s not the kind of crazy they’re looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I love patchouli for a variety of reasons and a variety of uses but I am the first to say that more often than not people who wear it as a personal scent tend to wear WAY to much of it.

In the 1960’s and 70’s patchouli was a favorite scent among the “generation of love” earning it a deserved reputation as a hippie scent. Used to cover the aroma of unwashed bodies and marijuana it is perhaps through this overuse in these times that some people became so passionate about their love or hate for the scent. Even today it still has the reputation as being an effective disguiser of the scent of marijuana. Just a few years ago I was driving through Utah on my way to a trade show in Colorado when we got pulled over by the highway patrol. Our van was full of product samples for the show and you could smell the patchouli. That smell had the direct result of having the whole car searched as the barely pubescent officer explained to me that patchouli was used to cover up the smell of marijuana so he suspected that we were transporting the illegal herb.

                                                          

Unless you live in a tropical rainforest or jungle you won’t really be able to cultivate the plant. Of course a good quality greenhouse would do the job but due to the ease of acquiring both the herb and the oil growing it to use as an ingredient isn’t really practical although if you live in South Florida you might be able to give it a go. About ten years ago I actually acquired a seeding of my own. I still lived in Los Angeles and I was hoping to be able to grow it just for my own personal satisfaction. I nursed it and loved it and it did very well until one night the whole of the plant was ravaged by horde of un-merciless slugs. All that was left after their onslaught was but the twig of the main stem covered in unmistakable slug slime.

Traditional lore as well as my own personal experience has it that patchouli is good for love, lust and prosperity. It’s an herb of attraction to be sure and one that is often used in conjunction with other herbs or oils. Both the herb and the oil have a wonderfully rich and earthy scent that blends well with many other botanicals. It’s also effective in fertility workings and can be used as a substitute when a spell calls for graveyard dirt. Another use is in jinx or spell breaking formulas. The Elemental association is Earth but there do seem to be those who associate it with Fire. From my own extensive personal experience I will tell you that it is definitely an Earth herb; I don’t understand how anyone can smell its aroma or hold the herb in your hand and say that it’s not an Earth herb. It’s feminine and associated with the planet Saturn.

If you like to mix your own oils don’t be afraid to try some patchouli oil in your blends even if you think you hate it. When the earthy and sometimes even sharp scent blends with other oils it adds a wonderfully deep and almost musky quality to the blend not to mention it’s very potent energetically. Patchouli is one of those wonderful oils that work not only energetically but also emotionally making it all the more valuable. It’s also used in holistic aromatherapy for skin care, nerve stimulation and endocrine issues among other things. It’s also an effective insect repellant and has been used for centuries for that purpose.

Once upon a time the oil was quite inexpensive but the last ten years or so the price has fluctuated quite a bit. The essential oil price can vary depending on the country of origin as well as the age. Patchouli is one of those oils that actually improve with age. That being said, even expensive patchouli isn’t that expensive when you compare it to the price of some other essential oils. Sadly it’s also often mislabeled in that it’s sometimes labeled as natural when in fact it’s not or it’s highly diluted. Many companies mix patchouli oil with either other natural oils or even synthetic ones to lower the price and soften the sharpness of a young oil. There are also lots of synthetic patchouli oils out there too and to the unfamiliar nose it may be hard to tell. Your best shot at getting true, undiluted essential oil is to buy it from someone you trust.

The herb on the other hand is relatively inexpensive and is a wonderful addition to incense and charm bag herb blends. I’ve even used it in magickal potpourri. Using the herb in a bath infusion is a great rejuvenator and can help clear confusion while easing a troubled mind. The Chinese use patchouli herb in a number of their over the counter patent remedies including one that I am never without that is wonderful for all sorts of digestive system issues.

At Raven’s Flight we sell the cut & dried herb in both ½ oz and 4 oz sizes. We sell the pure, undiluted and unadulterated essential oil in 1 dram and 2 dram bottles. I also make a house blend of patchouli and honey amber that is very popular called Royal Patchouli that is available as an oil, stick and cone incense, soap, lotion, body wash, room & body spray and candles. All patchouli products are 20% off from Sunday, March 31, 2013 through Saturday, April 6^th, 2013. No promo or coupon code needed. So if you've never used it now's a good time to try some and if like me you use it a lot now's a good time to stock up!

Happy Crafting!

Raven Womack

Raven’s Flight

The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net

Book Review-Essential Herbal Wisdom by Nancy Arrowsmith

Essential Herbal Wisdom: A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs.© 2009 by Nancy Arrowsmith. Llwellyn Publications. Woodbury, MN ISBN 978-0-7387-1488-2

Originally published as Herbarium Magicum by Allgeria, an imprint of Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH, Berlin, 2007.

Disclaimer:

No disclaimers here; I’ve never met the author and I have nothing what-so-ever to do with the publisher.

Personal Expertise:

I am considered by myself and a few others perhaps to be a wort cunner; an herb worker. My business and all of my free time are taken up with my deep rooted love of all things herbal.

Review:

If you love all things herbal like I do, you may have come to the conclusion that many herbals are quite repetitive; almost like there’s a basic herbal somewhere from which most modern herbals are born and usually by the cut and paste method. Well actually for the most part they seem to be rehashes from A Modern Herbal by Grieve[1] with hopefully some added info as well. That’s not to say that there aren’t some notable exceptions. Until I happened upon Essential Herb Wisdom I hadn’t bought an herbal in many years. In fact I had pretty much quit looking since so many of the books I picked up seemed to simply be reworded copies of the books I already had.

Quite by accident, in that I was not looking to buy a new book on herbs, I happened upon this book at the Enchanted Crystal in Running Springs, California. I am in the habit of perusing books whether or not I’m in the market for a new one. After all the best spouses seem to be found when you think you’re not looking so why not books as well?I think it was the subtitle that got my attention; “A Complete Exploration of 50 Remarkable Herbs”. Most herbals outside of Mrs Grieve’s classic do in fact contain within them a little information about a whole bunch of herbs but they don’t completely explore them and for some people that’s just fine. A large percentage of magickal “herbalist” know a little bit about a whole bunch of herbs but have never really and completely explored many of the herbs they work with.

 As a Pagan, I am of course not only interested in the medicinal properties of herbs but also the magickal properties, folklore and history of the herb. If you’re like me in that respect then you’ll like this book.

For instance, while it would be very hard for any one book to cover all of the folk names of a particular herb the author Nancy Arrowsmith does as good a job as can be done in my opinion. She even covers many of the names used by non-English speaking cultures which is understandable since the book was originally written in German. She explores everything from the history of the name to cultivation techniques, appearance to magickal merits, culinary virtues to modern medicine; there are so many sub-headings denoting the various information on each herb that I dare not list them all here for sake of brevity. Let it suffice to say that each chapter devoted to each herb has pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about that herb that can be learned outside of actual hands-on experience. How many herbals do you have that include entries entitled, “Uses in Husbandry”?

The herbs covered are not obscure or hard to get and only a few of them have any real toxicity issues and even then they are slight for the most part and the author gives great care in explaining them. I dare say that unless you are the newest of newbies to the herbal arts you are at least slightly familiar with all the 50 remarkable herbs. The book is well written, easy to read and an incredible wealth of information.

To sum it all up I highly recommend this book to anyone from beginner to expert. In my opinion it’s a great place for a budding herbalist to start and I believe that even the most learned expert will find useful information. I usually have at least one or two criticisms about any book I read but for the life of me I can’t think of any in regards to this wonderful herbal.

Happy Herbing!

Raven Womack

Raven's Flight

The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net

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[1] A Modern Herbal (In Two Volumes) by Mrs. M. Grieve. ©1971. Dover Publications. New York, NY. ISBN 0-486-22798-7. Considered by many including myself to be a must have reference for anyone studying herbs and botanicals.

Reversing, Uncrossing and Banishing Magick; The Subtle Differences

Okay, so after my last post on the Ethics of Reversing Magick I got a few emails from people asking me to clarify the differences between Reversing Magick and those oh so similar yet subtly different magickal intentions Uncrossing and Banishing. It could be argued that the similarities are far more in number than the actual differences. The truth is, at least in my opinion, that the differences and similarities, much like beauty is in the eye of the beholder so to speak.

Reversing magick is designed to return to the sender any negative or otherwise unwanted energy and/or magick; this would also include any unintentional negative energy coming your way. Reversing can also be used to reverse a situation although this is a less common but certainly valid use of this type of working.

Uncrossing can be defined as curse or hex breaking. While I would be the first one to admit that 90% of the people who think that they have been “crossed” or cursed are in fact mistaken but occasionally it does happen. Hexes or crossings do not have to be actual spells in the way that we think of them they can also be a simple focused attack of hate, jealousy or some other malicious intent by someone with enough power to make it stick.

Banishing is used to ….well to banish something. Often banishings are used for getting rid of a nasty habit, removing obstacles or to get rid of unwanted visitors, corporeal or non, to leave your home or person.

Now some of you may have already come to the realization that all three of these types of magick might in fact be interchangeable which of course they are. In any given situation it is obviously up to the practitioner to decide which type of working to use to accomplish their goal. As with most things magickal I don’t believe that there is one universally right and only true way. The definitions I’ve used here are fairly generic and there are of course plenty of other ways in which all of these types of magick can be used. One could certainly use uncrossing magick to get rid of a bad habit and one could also most certainly use banishing to get rid of negative energy and one could definitely use reversing to send some nasty creature back to wherever it came from or whoever sent it to you. Then again there’s the issue of luck; bad luck can be reversed, uncrossed or banished. So with so many options how do you choose the right one for you and your specific situation? That is a question I can’t answer for you. With time and experience we all learn what works best for us in any given situation. 

Happy Crafting!

Raven Womack

Raven's Flight The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net