by Ellen Dugan
Faerie: A nature spirit, usually an earth or air elemental. May also be the spirit of a particular plant or flower.
Florigraphy: The language of flowers.
Flower Fascination: Fascination is the art of directing another’s consciousness or will toward you—to command or bewitch. Flower fascinations are elementary flower spells and floral charms used for various magickal purposes.
Garden Witch: A practical, down-to-earth magickal practitioner. A Witch who is well versed in herbal knowledge and its uses and is a magickal gardener.
Genus: A genus contains one species or several related species. The name appears in italic type and is designated by a capitalized Latin singular noun such as the genus for yarrow: Achillea.
Glochid: A short hair, bristle, or spine having a barbed tip.
Green Magick: A practical, nature-based system of the Craft that focuses on a reverence for the natural world, the individual’s environment, and the plants and herbs that are indigenous to the practitioner’s own area. Herbal and natural magick are essential to green magick.
Hawk Moth: Any of numerous moths of the family Sphingidae, known for their very swift flight and ability to hover while sipping nectar from flowers. Also called sphingid, sphinx moth, and the hummingbird moth. Some hawk moths, like the hummingbird hawk moth, hover in midair while they feed on nectar from flowers. They are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds.
Herb: A plant that is used for medicine, food, flavoring, or scent. Any part of the plant—the roots, stem, bark, leaves, seeds, or flowers—may be used for such purposes. An herb may be a tree, shrub, woody perennial, flower, annual, or fern.
Herbaceous Perennial: A plant that is nonwoody and whose aboveground parts usually die back to the ground each winter. These plants survive by means of their vigorous root systems.
Herbalism: The use of herbs in conjunction with magick to bring about positive change and transformation.
Hybrid: A hybrid plant is created when two dissimilar plant species are crossed. Hybridized roses usually spring to mind, but mints, echinacea, lavender, columbine, and other herbs such as yarrow may be hybrids too. A hybrid is indicated by a multiplication sign, e.g., Achillea x lewisii. The specific cultivar name of this variety of blooming yarrow plant is ‘King Edward’.
Imbolc: A Pagan/Wiccan sabbat. A cross-quarter day and the halfway point of winter and spring. The light is returning, and spring is not far away. This sabbat is celebrated on February 2 and is also known as Brigid’s day, Candlemas, and Oimelc.
Lughnasadh: A greater sabbat that is celebrated on August 1. The first of three harvest festivals, it is also known as Lammas. This is the celebration of fruits, grains, and veggies from the gardens and the fields.
Magick: The combination of your own personal power used in harmony with natural objects such as herbs, crystals, and the elements. Once these are combined and your goal is focused upon, typically by the act of repeating the spell verse and the lighting of a candle or the creation of an herbal charm, the act of magick then creates a positive change.
Midsummer: The summer solstice and a Pagan/Wiccan sabbat that occurs on or around June 21. This is the point of the year when the sun is at its highest in the sky, and it is the longest day and shortest night. It is interesting to note that flowering herbs and perennials that bloom after the summer solstice will bloom for shorter time spans. This sabbat is also known as Litha, and it is a prime time to bless the garden and to commune with the faeries.
Ostara: The vernal equinox and a Pagan/Wiccan sabbat that falls on or around March 20. This is a spring celebration of the Norse goddess Eostre, whose symbols include spring flowers, the hare of fertility, and colored eggs. This is a festival that celebrates spring and the earth’s fertility in all its possibilities. It is a time to rejoice in life and new beginnings.
Perennial: A perennial plant is one that lives three or more years. Herbaceous perennials are plants that are nonwoody and whose aboveground parts usually die back to the ground each winter. They survive by means of their vigorous root system.
Raceme: An unbranched flower cluster, usually pyramid-shaped, with stalked blossoms on a lengthened axis.
Sabbat: A sabbat is one of eight Pagan festivals and holy days of the Witch’s year.
Sachet: A small cloth bag filled with aromatic herbs and spices.
Sachiel: The archangel of Jupiter. His sacred flower is the violet, his day of the week is Thursday. He governs justice, law, wealth, and victory.
Samhain: Also known as Halloween, the Witches’ New Year. The day when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. This greater sabbat is celebrated at sundown on October 31. A popular holiday for children and adults, this is the time of year to honor and to remember your loved ones who have passed and to celebrate the coming year.
Sepal: A petal-like leaf. A ring of sepals surrounds and protects the flower bud, forming the calyx.
Simple: A simple is a basic element—a charm or spell that features only one ingredient, such as an enchanted herb.
Simpling: The art of simpling consists of working with one select magickal herb or flower. These spells and charms are quick and, well, simple.
Spell: A spell is a series of rhyming words that announces the spellcaster’s intention verbally. These spoken words are combined with specific actions such as lighting a candle, creating an amulet, or gathering an herb. This is then worked in harmony with the tides of nature, and combined with the spellcaster’s personal energy, thus making the magickal act endowed with the power to create positive change.
Stamen: The pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower, usually consisting of a filament and an anther.
Stomata: This is a tiny opening, or pore, found mostly on the underside of a plant leaf and used for gas exchange.
Strewing Herb: An herb or aromatic plant that was spread out on floors along with rushes during medieval times. This helped both to keep down insect infestation and perfume the room. The herbs were literally strewn on the floor and thus came to be known as “strewing herbs.”
Succulent: A plant that is thick, cellular, and fleshy. Good examples are portulaca and sedums.
Tender Perennial: A tender perennial is a plant that, while listed as a perennial, will not likely survive the winter season unless steps are taken to protect it from the cold. Many varieties of basil, rosemary, and lavender are tender perennials.
Transpiration: This is the evaporation of water from the aerial parts of plants, especially leaves but also stems, flowers, and roots. Leaf transpiration occurs through stomata. As the stomata opens, it allows the diffusion of carbon dioxide gas from the air for photosynthesis.
Tussie-Mussie: A small bouquet, also called a nosegay or posy.
Umbel: An umbrella-shaped flower cluster.
Variegated: Leaves with secondary markings.
Veil: A mushroom membrane that encloses the young fruit-body. An example of this is the fly agaric mushroom.
Wicca: The contemporary name for the religion of the Witch. Wicca takes its roots from the Anglo-Saxon word wicce, which may mean “wise.” It is also thought to mean “to shape or to bend.” Wicca is a Pagan religion based on the cycles of nature and the belief in karma, reincarnation, and the worship of both God and Goddess.
Wildflower: A wildflower is a plant that has not undergone any change or improvement by humans and is usually still found growing natively somewhere in the region where it is being cultivated.
Wise Women: The first Witches; the custodians of the old herbal knowledge of benevolent spells and charms.
Witchcraft: The craft of the Witch.
Wort: An old Anglo-Saxon word that means “herb.”
Wort Cunning: Herb craft.
Yule: The Wiccan sabbat celebrated on or around December 21, on the day of the winter solst
ice. This is the longest night and shortest day of the year. From this point on, the daylight hours will increase. Traditionally a time when Pagans celebrate the return of light and the birth of the Sun God from the Mother Goddess. Decorated pine trees, the Yule log, mistletoe, and evergreen wreaths feature prominently in our decorations.
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These trees shall be my books.
shakespeare
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Websites
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=9950—Lupine/Lupinus USDA information (January 2008)
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art15737.asp—Poinsettia folklore (November 2007)
www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/tigris/567/id94.htm—Planetary correspondences (December 2007)
www.hedgerows.com.uk—Hedgerow plant information (August 2007)
www.isisbooks.com/tblcrspnd.asp—Table of planetary correspondences (December 2007)
http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/community/museums/holly_hayes/celebrating_wildlife_old/chi_surveys/chi_hedge_intro/chi_hedgerow.htm—Leicestershire County Council Community Heritage Initiative “What is a Hedgerow?” (August 2007)
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