Birch and The Season of New Beginnings

No matter how well versed they are in their art, every wort-cunner and herbalist will over time develop a few favorite botanicals. Whether these favorites are for healing, magickal or spiritual work there is something that “speaks” to the practitioner in some significant way. One of my favorite botanicals for magickal work is birch.

Birch trees (Betula alba. Betula benta) have long been harvested by mankind for a myriad of purposes; food, medicine, shelter, paper and clothing are among the many gifts that this beautiful and graceful tree has given humanity over the ages. There is also a vast amount of magickal and mythical folklore associated with the tree. From a seasonal prospective probably the best known associations are those of Imbolg and the festivals of the goddess Brigit. The birch is a feminine tree often associated with the Earth Goddess or Earth Mother and in some cultures is called The Lady of the Woods. Protection, exorcism, purification, love and fertility are among the many magickal associations for birch but the ones that really resonate with me are banishing and new beginnings; which pretty much go hand in hand if you think about it.

Over the years birch bark and leaves have found their way into many of my magickal products but it is the essential oil that I really favor. The fresh and stimulating scent is similar to that of wintergreen; similar but not the same. From a magickal prospective there are many oils that have similar properties and associations but energetically there is no substitute in my opinion. (*It should be noted here that while birch oil is incorporated into many skin healing products with great success it can cause skin irritation, rash or contact dermatitis if the undiluted oil comes into contact with skin. Never apply undiluted to skin and always take precautions when working with the oil.)

The leaves and bark are both ingredients in various charcoal incenses and herbal blends that I make. On the other hand the essential oil is an ingredient in many products; soaps, oil blends, candles, charcoal and stick incenses and more. The biggest disadvantage to using birch in magickal products is its sporadic availability. When the bark is unobtainable I can usually find the leaves and vice-versa so when it comes to charcoal incenses and herbal blends one can usually be substituted for the other. On the other hand when there is no oil to be had there are simply products that won’t get made.

We are currently in one of those periods of birch oil unavailability which many of you have noticed as some of your favorite products have been out of stock for a while.

I usually like to do business with companies that I am familiar with; when it comes to essential oils not all companies are created equally so when I find a supplier whose quality and value I have come to trust I am hesitant to go elsewhere. For a while now, all of my usual sources have been out and when questioned about estimated arrival dates they have no answers for me.  In fact one of my regular suppliers has even removed it from their catalog due to the inconsistent availability so I have reluctantly yet diligently been searching for a new source.

Without any anticipation of success I recently began what I was sure would be yet another futile search for the ever elusive birch essential oil. Of course I first I tried all of my regular essential oil suppliers just in case but as expected with no success. So I began searching about on the internet; mind you I had tried many times over the preceding months with no success. Whenever I was able to find a dealer that advertised the oil, I was always met with those discouraging words, “out of stock”.

So, was it coincidence, serendipity or simply the magick of the season that caused me to be successful on my very first try? After all, my previous searches had been before the Winter Solstice but this search was done in the Imbolg season. Also in keeping with the energy of new beginnings the supplier not only had large quantities of the desired essential oil but they also carried quite a few other products that I have been trying to find for some time now; so in my opinion it was definitely the magick of the season!

Birch essential oil is a major component in my Banishing Products and Brigit Products not mention my Special Birch Soap and the Birch Votive Candles.  All of these products are back in stock now and I have also added a Birch Pillar Candles and Tea Light Candles as well. In the coming months there will be other new products that will have been made possible by the quest for Birch Essential Oil.

So thank you Lady of the Woods for sending me on this journey that has resulted once again in New Beginnings!

A Blessed Imbolg Season to you all!

Raven

Raven’s Flight

The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net

The Magick of Color

Color plays an important part in the lives of all human beings perhaps a far more important role than many even realize. As magickal/spiritual people, we probably pay more attention to color than many do.

Color often has special importance in our seasonal and ritual observances. Certain colors may denote our level of training or accomplishment within a coven or other group. Many traditions have color associations that relate to elements, direction, seasons, sabbats, deities and so on. Ceremonial magicians as well as others who adhere to the Western esoteric traditions follow very defined systems of color correspondence in their workings.

But what of spell craft? There are many types of ingredients for spells and other magickal workings that are often chosen for their color such as candles, charm bags, magickal inks and so on. The modern practitioner has at his or her hands multitudes of books and internet sites that lay out color correspondence systems. These systems are often based on the same esoteric traditions that are favored by ceremonialists while others are based on different cultural or ethnic traditions and then there are those that are a mish-mash of all of the above.

It is true that for some the certainty and safety of following a chart may be desirable and even sufficient for the type and amount of work the practitioner is doing. In my opinion these correspondence charts are great reference tools especially for beginners but they are by no means absolute. Certainly when we are starting off on this path we all rely to a greater degree on correspondence charts that we find published on the net or in any number of books on spell crafting but as we gain experience and confidence in our work we should rely less and less on them. I am not suggesting that these charts are in any way ineffective or incorrect. Quite the opposite in fact; they are most probably very effective for those who published them, but that is no guarantee that they will be as effective for you.

There are general color correspondences that are perhaps adequate especially for more general types of workings but as we human beings are complicated creatures so are our desires and intentions in relation to our magickal work. For instance most people would agree that in general red and pink are a good colors for love spells and workings. On the other hand there are many types of love and many ways that a crafter might approach a love working. While red or sometimes pink are the generally accepted colors for love magick, I have myself found reason to use burgundy, magenta and white.

Another good example is that in America, the color most often associated with prosperity work is green, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that our money is green. In many other places gold or yellow are the accepted colors because they represent the precious metal gold that is so universally considered to be representative of wealth. While I often use green and gold for these types of workings, depending on the way in which I am trying to achieve prosperity I have also used orange, red and blue.

As a cunning woman I am bound by no set tradition of color correspondences when it comes to crafting. I have over the years worked with many types and versions of color magick and while this knowledge does influence my workings it by no means dictates it. Sometimes my choice for color correspondence might be influenced by planetary associations, elemental correspondences, and different cultural or ethnic traditions or simply by intuition. In fact there are times when I don’t even have to think about it, it is simply clear to me which color is appropriate.

How colors affect us and therefore affect our spell work is at least in part a product of all that we have experienced and believed in over the course of our lives. Since each person is indeed an individual it only makes sense that you not be restricted in your color choices by the associations and correspondences of others.

When designing a spell or other magickal working do not be afraid to make color choices that seem right to you. I definitely recommend that each practitioner be at least familiar with the many traditional systems of color association but I also encourage each practitioner to allow themselves the freedom to choose colors for candles, charm bags and all of the other possible parts and accoutrements of spell work based on intuition and preference.

Happy Crafting

Raven

Raven’s Flight The Magickal Apothecary

www.ravensflight.net