HedgeWitch

by Silver RavenWolf

  Berry Magickal Ink

  Some practitioners believe that writing petitions in magickal ink (liquid that contains herbals, scented oils, and color that has been blessed and empowered before use) makes the attraction power of their work extremely powerful. Here’s a natural recipe to juice up your spells!

  You will need:

  ½cup ripe berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries,

  cherries, etc., or a mixture of various berries)

  ½teaspoon vinegar (you can use your herbal vinegar—

  vinegar helps to hold the color)

  ½teaspoon salt (to deter mold)

  1 bowl

  1 clean baby food jar

  Strainer

  Wooden spoon

  Instructions:

  Place berries in strainer. Hold strainer over bowl. With rounded back of wooden spoon, crush juice from berries and allow to drip into the bowl. Continue to add berries and crush until only pulp remains in strainer. Add salt and vinegar to the berry juice. Stir thoroughly. If your ink is too thick, add one tablespoon of distilled water. Store in baby food jar.

  Note: Natural ink does not keep long. You can scent your mixture by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Use this ink with a crow quill pen or feather pen you have made yourself. To make a feather pen, cut the tip of a large feather at an angle with a sharp craft knife, then carefully cut a slit in the angle. Dip pen in ink, dab on paper towel, then write! Repeat dipping the pen and dabbing on towel as needed.

  Herbal Potpourri

  Herb potpourris are extremely easy to make—you just need time for the mixture to age appropriately.

  You will need:

  A large glass jar with lid (or a huge airtight Rubbermaid container

  with lid)

  Dried herbs, flowers, and spices

  A fixative such as orris root or calamus root (1 tablespoon of fixative

  per 1 quart of flowers, herbs, and spices)

  Your choice of essential oil for added fragrance

  Instructions:

  Mix dried herbs, spices, and flowers in large bowl. Add fixative. Toss like salad. Add your essential oil five drops at a time until you reach the aromatic level you desire. Toss again. Place in airtight container. Let sit for about thirty days, checking each week and tossing to ensure you are reaching the desired aroma. Add more essential oil if necessary. Once the mixture has cured, you can use the potpourri in sachets, around candles, in decorator bowls on the fireplace mantle, etc.

  Fixatives can add their own aroma.

  Here’s a quick list:

  Frankincense

  Myrrh

  Orris root

  Gum benzoin

  Calamus root

  Storax

  *Avoid powders—try to use chunks instead.

  Harvest Home Bonfire/Cauldron Fire

  Winter’s not far off, and it is time to harvest those lovely herbs you’ve been growing all year. Time to thank Mother Nature and cut those herbs the HedgeWitch way! Note that this rite uses only primal language.

  Timing: Morning, just after the dew has left the plants

  Supplies:

  Large cauldron (use candle), burn barrel, or fire pit

  13apples (for love and long life)

  4 large pumpkins (for abundance and good fortune)

  Dried straw or hay (for food in the house throughout the winter)

  Fire supplies (to unite with Spirit)—Supplies depend on whether you are

  using a candle in a cauldron or a fire pit in your back yard. For the fire

  pit, you will need logs, lighter fluid or pre-soaked logs, and a long-

  handled lighter manufactured for grill and bonfire use. Follow the

  directions carefully to avoid accidents and serious burns. For the candle,

  a handheld lighter will do.

  Pumpkin spice powder (for luck)

  2cups of any no-salt recipe (for cleansing; see recipes on pages 256–257)

  Pumpkin Spice Powder

  5 tablespoons ground cinnamon

  3 teaspoons ground ginger

  2teaspoons ground allspice

  2teaspoons ground cloves

  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  1teaspoon powdered sweet chocolate

  Place the pumpkins (each standing for a direction—north, east, south, west) around the burn barrel. Intersperse the shined apples (for the thirteen moons of the wheel of the year). If you are using a bonfire or burn barrel, place a little straw in the barrel. If you are using a cauldron, place bound straw near the cauldron but not in it. Sprinkle unlit logs or candle with the pumpkin spice.

  Face the east, and intone this chant three times:

  Eastwards I stand, for favors I pray

  From goddess divine and lord of the day

  Earth lends her power and breath sends the spell

  Day’s end will reveal that all will be well!

  It always works. Always a blessing!

  Smile, and breathe deeply. Light the candle or bonfire. Turn and face your garden. In your own way, thank the plants and earth for the bounty you are about to receive. Sprinkle any tools you will use to harvest with a little of the pumpkin spice. After you have harvested your herbs and dug up the annuals, turn the earth in the garden three times, removing any weeds you may find. Sprinkle the perimeter of your garden with any of the no-salt recipes to cleanse the earth and prepare her for her deep sleep. Return to your fire or candle, and thank Spirit for your fruitful harvest. Allow your garden to sit for three days, then cover the garden with straw or a winter compost mixture. Clean and disinfect garden tools so that they will be ready for next year.

  Drying Your Herbs

  Harvest your herbs in the morning after the dew has dried. I usually sing or chant as I cut the plants, shake off dirt, and remove dead or unsightly leaves now, rather than having to go through the herbs later. While still in the garden, I use rubber bands to make one-inch-thick stalk bundles, then tie with long cotton cord, leaving plenty of length at both ends so that I can easily hang the bunches later. I loosely tie the bundles on the garden fence until I’m ready to bring them all in. This saves time and keeps the bundles out of the dirt. I also label the bundles with tags from the craft store, looping one end of the cord onto a tag while I am still in the garden. This way I can easily identify the herb bundles at any given time. Bring your bundles inside and lightly rinse them, being careful not to get the tags wet. If you have not used pesticides and do not live in a high-pollution area, you don’t need to wash off the leaves. Some organic gardeners believe that washing the leaves destroys some of the oils in the plants. You might wish to wash the herbs you will consume, but not the ones you will use in potpourris or gris-gris bags (such as patchouli, which isn’t edible). Whether you wash your herbs or not is entirely up to you.

  Hang bunches upside down in a warm, dark, dust-free area with good ventilation. When bunches are dry and brittle (about two to three weeks), take them down and carefully remove leaves. Store leaves in jars or plastic bags. Do not crush leaves until you are ready to use them in cooking or magick.

  For short-stalk herbs such as thyme or needle-type herbs such as rosemary, I poke a small hole in the bottom of a paper bag, then insert the herb bundle in the bag with the cut stalks at the top of the bag and plenty of empty space in the bottom of the bag. Twist the top of the bag, secure with rubber band, tie cotton cord around bag, and hang. This will keep the small leaves from falling all over the floor and help to retain the flavor of the herb. These herbs can also be dried loose on a clean window screen placed on a few bricks (to allow air circulation under the screen). Flip herbs every few days until dry, then store as indicated above.

 
Pumpkin Seed Recipe

  In magick, the pumpkin is a symbol of abundance and good fortune. Toasted pumpkin seeds are a great snack, and they can be ground (once toasted and flavored) and added to your favorite bean dish (also served to draw abundance and good fortune to the home). Being able to eat the seeds makes Halloween pumpkin carving even more magickal, especially if you have empowered your pumpkin for abundance and good fortune!

  You will need: Pumpkin seeds; cooking oil, olive oil, or butter; garlic salt or other herbal flavorings such as onion powder, cayenne pepper, or one of the no-salt recipes given in this book; cookie sheet; paper towels.

  Instructions: Wash and pat dry pumpkin seeds. Lay out seeds on paper towels and allow to dry for 24 hours. In bowl, toss pumpkin seeds in oil, then add your herbal flavoring. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and bake for one hour, tossing every 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool thoroughly. Store in airtight container. Lasts about three months at room temperature.

  Yule Hostess Good Fortune Gift

  A lovely basket of your herbal delights will be most welcome at Yule! Add this recipe and a bottle of wine for a truly heartwarming gift.

  Long Life Mulled Cider Spice

  1½cups smashed cinnamon chips

  1½cups dried, chopped orange peel

  1cup whole allspice berries

  ½cup whole cloves

  1tablespoon dried nutmeg

  (smashed, not powdered)

  ½ teaspoon star anise (smashed)

  4small pieces of dried ginger root

  (add one root to each bag)

  4small cotton bags

  Plastic wrap

  4glass mugs

  Ribbon or pine or holly sprigs, optional

  Mix ingredients thoroughly and pack in cotton bags. Wrap in plastic. Place one bag in each glass mug. Add ribbon and sprigs of pine or holly as decoration.

  Summary

  In keeping with the flow of the seasons and Spirit in Nature,

  I began this HedgeWitchery course in the spring of the year, right before the first thaw. Now, as autumn leads to winter and my magickal garden lies sleeping,

  it is time to celebrate the harvest!

  I do hope that the rites, tips, techniques, and formulas provided

  in this book have brought you hours of fulfillment and months of pure joy. Remember: changing your life is as simple as a choice.

  Believe!

  Sincerely,

  Silver RavenWolf

  Recommended Reading

  If you liked this book, or would enjoy more information on various topics, you may wish to read those listed below:

  Witchcraft

  Solitary Witch by Silver RavenWolf (Llewellyn)—a full-bodied reference on modern Witchcraft/Wicca.

  The Witches’ Sabbats by Mike Nichols (Acorn Guild Press)—an excellent reference on Wiccan holidays.

  Herb Gardening and Herbal References

  A Heritage of Herbs: History, Early Gardening and Old Recipes by Bertha P. Reppert (Early American Society Publishing)

  Beginner’s Guide to Herb Gardening by Yvonne Cuthbertson (Guild of Master Craftsman Publications)

  Brother Cadfael’s Herb Garden by Rob Talbot and Robin Whiteman (Little, Brown and Co.)

  Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn)

  Gardening on a Shoestring by Rob Proctor (Johnson Books)

  Giant Book of Garden Solutions: 1,954 Natural Remedies to Handle Your Toughest Garden Problems by Jerry Baker (American Master Products)

  Herb Mixtures and Spicy Blends, Introduction by Maggie Oster (Storey Publishing)

  Herbs and Spices: The Cook’s Reference by Jill Norman (DK Publications)

  Herbs for Health and Healing: A Drug-Free Guide to Prevention and Cure by Kathi Keville (Rodale Publishing)

  Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs by Claire Kowalchik and William H. Hylton, editors (Rodale Publications)

  Spiritual Gardening: Creating Sacred Space Outdoors by Peg Streep (Inner Ocean Publications)

  The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Anne Worwood (New World Library)

  The Gardener’s A–Z Guide to Growing Organic Food by Tanya L. K. Denckla (Storey Publishing)

  The Herb Gardener: A Guide for All Seasons by Susan McClure (Storey Books)

  The Organic Garden Book by Geoff Hamilton (DK Publishing)

  Soap Making

  300 Handcrafted Soaps by Marie Browning (Sterling)

  Making Transparent Soap: The Art of Crafting, Molding, Scenting & Coloring by Catherine Failor (Storey Publishing)

  Melt & Mold Soap Crafting by C. Kaila Westerman (Storey Books)

  Melt & Pour Soapmaking by Marie Browning (Sterling)

  The Soapmaker by Janita Morris (Watson-Guptill Publications)

  Feng Shui Techniques

  Feng Shui Life Planner by Lillian Too (Hamlyn Publishing)

  Lillian Too’s Easy-to-Use Feng Shui: 168 Ways to Success (Sterling)

  Practical Feng Shui by Simon Brown (Cassell Publishing)

  Total Feng Shui: Bring Health, Wealth and Happiness Into Your Life by Lillian Too (Chronicle Books)

  Candle Making

  Great Candles by Stewart D’Arcy Hyder (Sterling)

  [contents]

  Appendix 1

  Your Garden Journal

  One summer I ordered some beautiful rubber stamps from the Stampington company, many of them focusing on artistic herbal themes. About a month or so after I received my box of goodies, a package came in the mail. Someone at the company took a composition book and covered it with interesting paper designs and stamped artwork, with the finishing touch of a brad and a bow. I knew immediately that this surprise gift would become my gardening journal.

  This journal grew into a combination of the business of gardening (what I bought, where, when, and why) to small entries on what I’d accomplished over the growing season. When the moon turned to new in April 2008, I dug out the journal and reviewed what I’d written last year in preparation for the gardening year to come. I was amazed at how invaluable the information I’d written proved to be. Use some of your April days to create your own truly magickal gardening journal. To give you some ideas, here’s how I originally set up my entries:

  Plants purchased: By the end of 2007, I had three pages filled with plants purchased, noting where I bought them (a note that proved invaluable as a shopping guide for the following year). I also recorded the number of plants purchased. For example, one entry read: “3 Rosemary—Country Market.” Another: “8 White Sage—poor condition—Blinkers—6 survived.” The “6 survived” means that six of these plants survived through that growing season.

  Supplies and tools purchased: Again, another three pages here by the time the season was done. Under this category, I wrote down everything from mulch and tools to garden goodies (statues, fountains, supplies for my toad house, etc.). Here, too, I wrote down where I purchased what. For example, I bought twenty garden stepping stones with a Celtic knot design from a large retailer. When spring 2008 rolled around, I found seven of these stepping stones either completely disintegrated or broken in half, so I updated the entry to show they were a poor long-term buy. Granted, I should have collected the stones in the fall and brought them in, but they added a bit of mental light to the autumn and winter gloom, and so I left them. If I choose to replace them this year, I’m now more informed on maintenance, but to save myself money and lugging, I think I’ll just stick with the colored flagstone and be done with it. So, a note to self on this one: choose wisely when purchasing concrete manmade items for the garden.

  Purchased fertilizer and repellants: When I first began my HedgeWitch project, I decided that I would go totally organic unless someth
ing drastic should occur (which it didn’t). I read every label thoroughly before I bought the product to ensure that if I said the plant was raised organically, it really was! I also learned a few inexpensive tricks along the way, like using three doses of white vinegar to kill dandelions, strong sea salt water for getting rid of weeds around the patio stones (just don’t put it where you want something to grow), soap spray for getting rid of aphids, and fox/wolf urine (yup) on the stones of the raised beds to keep the bunnies, groundhogs, and cats away. For these entries, I added how many bottles or bags of the product I bought and whether, over the season, it worked or not.

  Planting hints: On these pages, I kept a record of plant compatibility. For example, put chives with roses to keep black spots off your fragrant blooms. Basil goes with tomatoes (both need a lot of water). Add hot peppers to all your garden beds to discourage bug pests, and plenty of marigolds to ward off the vicious, long-fanged bunnies! This page helped me to choose what and how many plants of this type to buy and grow in my next year’s crop.

  Plant-buying guide: To all things there is a season and timing, and each locality will be different, and each year will vary based on the weather. Last year, due to my granddaughter’s birth, my growing season started late. On top of that, we had a cold spell in early July, and nothing wanted to ripen. When I first put in my herbs last year, by the time I got to the greenhouses and began choosing what I wanted to raise, many of the plants I needed were sold out. This year, I recorded in my journal which plants were available when. For example, it is April yet, and although it’s a warm one, the greenhouses follow the traditional timing for this area: don’t plant much outside before May Day due to fear of a late frost. Even so, every flat of green peppers was sold out of the local greenhouses by the end of the second week in April. This led me to believe that many folks buy early and then place the plants in a protected area, most likely in the home, until they can plant outside. That way they get the healthiest, earliest choices.

  My entries look something like this: “2008 Seeds—available in March; 2008 Seed Starters—available in March; Replacement Garden Tools—available in March; Most Herbs—available mid-April; Most peppers and tomatoes—available late April” (and so on). “Ferns—available in April, but wait for more lush varieties in May.”