Ritual + Magic
Herb Magic & Doing your own Herbal Work
Herbs and plant life have long been used for their medicinal healing properties since, well probably, the beginning of time. Search the four corners of the earth and you will find a body of herbal knowledge that humans have developed as a part of both their healing and spiritual practices. Today we recognize that herbs and plants possess a variety of curative properties and healing benefits – of which the foundation modern medicine owes the wild women, shamen, medicine men, witch doctors, and healers of our past.
Plant Conscienceness
These healers of the past recognized and understood their divine place in the universe and understood the connectivity of all forms of consciousness. The Hermetic axiom “As above, so below; as below so above”, comes from one of the ancient universal laws – The Law of Correspondence. This law is considered one of the most important concepts to grasp in order to understand the mysteries of the Unknown. Its the divinity and interconnectedness of all things that the law of Correspondence so eloquently details, describing all of the various planes of life – amoungst which listed are plant life and mineral (crystal) life.
You might be asking – what does this have to do with plant magic. All these esoteric teachings teach us that plants, like other forms of matter, have a consciousness and energetic vibration.
Herb magic is working with the energies of plant life by using their specific vibration – their will – to increase, intensify and enhance your own energetic projection. Therefore when you are working with herbs it is a good practice to acknowledge gratitude for the contribution they bring to your workings.
Herbalism: Mixture of Medicine and Magick
The art and sciences of magick, astrology, astronomy, philosophy, chemistry and medicine were all at one time taught together with their discoveries and teachings intertwined. Nature based beliefs and practices preceded western religious belief systems and since ancient times, herbalism was always a mixture of both medicine and magic. Magic being anything that can not be explained within the margins of known science. Herbs have been used in ‘magical’ rituals for millennia and are one of the main tools of magical practitioners.
It wasn’t until the 17th century that there was a huge separation of the sciences. Some scholars, despite public scrutiny and the backlash of their professional community, continued to study the relationship between man and the universe, magic and medicine – and they took their work seriously. Among a few daring scientists was the doctor and researcher Paracelsus (1493-1541) who increased his knowledge base by traveling all over Europe and talking to doctors, wise women, sorcerers, alchemists, witches, astrologers, and the kings, princes of his time and gathered as much information on herbal and magical healing practices as he could. Like his magical contemporaries, believed in a concept of a “world-soul” and that we were all interlinked with one another in some way.
According to Paracelsus the body was not a separate thing – but a house for the soul in order for an illness to be adequately treated – physicians needed to treat both. His ideas were the concepts that the “modern medicine” of his time were trying to steer away from.
Paracelsus, now named the father of Pharmaceutical chemistry, modern wound surgery and homeopathy – refused to deliver soulless “modern” medicine and continued to use a variety of magical treatments in conjunction with the standard medical practice of his time for all his patients seeking wholeness.
Doing Your Own Herbal Work
Modern witches today use herbs in two ways – for their medicinal and healing properties – what is known today as “herbal remedies” and also for their magical properties in order to manifest wants or needs of the practitioner whether that be love, money, protection or that new job or promotion.
As with all magical workings – simple or complex – what the magician is working with is energy . The ritual you choose to perform is the building of ones intent and energy in order to release your intentions out into the ether.
But how do you know which herbs to choose for your workings?
Paracelsus’ work, Doctrines of Signatures, stated that all plants were stamped with some physical sign of their unique healing properties, as well as their potential to aid in magical works prosperity, success, protection, banishing or love, etc.
A plant resembling certain body parts, animals, or other objects were thought to have useful relevance to those parts, animals or objects. The “signature” could also be identified in the specific location the plant grows. A few examples of this include the kidney beans, which are shaped like kidneys and really do act to heal and help maintain kidney function. Theres also walnuts, which look like a human brain and help memory and brain function, then there is celery which looks just like bones and target bone strength. Bones are contain 23% sodium and celery contains 23 % sodium. Avocados, shaped like the womb help women balance hormones, shed unwanted birth weight, and deter cervical cancers. It takes exactly nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. We see evidence of these “signatures” in nature countless time and time again.
Through the study of medicinal plants are we able to gain knowledge and insight into their magical properties as well. So if ever a particular plant or herb lacks information on its magical properties, the medicinal benefits will clue you in on which workings the plant will be best for.
It can be argued that herbs and the use of plants as a source of healing has been used since the beginning of time.
Paracelsus’ concepts are ones in which the universe are now returning to and becoming more in tune with. Not the abandoning of medical treatments or advancement, but a familiar embrace of the ancient wisdom of the past, a reconnection with the spirituality that vibrates through the very plane of our earth.
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