NMR ISSUE 47

Activating Miraculous Success
Astrological Forecast 47
Editorial 47
Esoteric Symbology of the Tarot
Garden Rituals
Herbal Remedy for Summer Boredom
Herbal Sex
Isian Ceremony of Spiritual Renewal
Isis Play
Lazaris
Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
Letters 47
Magickal Garden
Other Editorial 47
Peacock, Ass/Donkey & Beetle
Potted Herbs - In and Out
Prayer to Isis
Reviews of Unusual Books
Skhmet: The Fire Within
Summoning Hathor
Waking up
Witch's Tor

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Herb Garden

By Robert Wilson

As we all know, Wicca is a religion rooted in attuning one's self to nature. One of the most enjoyable ways to do this is to grow your own herb garden. The Witch's herb garden is a sacred place where many of the Goddess' gifts grow side by side. It is a place where we can watch and participate in the cycles of nature year after year.

You do not need to have a backyard to have an herb garden. An herb garden may be earthen pots by a sunny window. It should not be too difficult to adapt the rituals and traditions of outdoor gardens to an indoor garden. The outdoor garden may be as simple as a few herbs in a small circle in a corner. Or it may be a huge area with different sections set aside for different purposes, filled with trees, flowers and so on.

The traditional shape for an herb garden is a circle. This is, of course, not always possible. The planting of a new herb garden should take place in the spring or summer in northern climates, but they can usually be planted year-round in mild climates. Before planting you will want to prepare the land, physically and ritually. Once the area is chosen and weeds and such cleared, go out to the area at night and draw a circle around the boundary of your herb garden. If it is not circular, draw three or four circles. Set a candle at the four compass points. Scott Cunningham in his book Magickal Herbalism suggests taking some mistletoe and grinding in a mortar and pestle, then sprinkling the power over the garden and working it into the soil. This done, draw a five-pointed star in the circle(s). Go to each point and ask the powers of the North, South, East and West to protect the garden. Sit in meditation for awhile, then blow out the candles starting with the North. Use your wand to erase the circle and five pointed stars. The next morning, pour a glass of apple cider into the ground. Apple cider represents the blood of the Goddess and of the Earth. Then say a prayer of thanks to the Goddess and the God.

Let the ground sit for 3 days. You are then ready for planting. You may plant seeds or small seedlings. As you plant, have in mind the magical/ritual purposes for the herb. You will want to plant according to the phases of the moon. If the useful part of the plant is the leaf, stem, or flower, then plant it during the waxing moon. Trees and root herbs should be planted during the waning moon. Never forget to talk to your herbs. Scientists are finally doing some serious research on this and are finding that talking and thinking positive thoughts around your plants will help them grow better. As you talk to your plants, think about the sun shining on them and the rain watering them. Think also of the spirit of the Earth making them grow lush and green.

Once you have planted your garden, it is always nice to watch your herbs grow. Look for all the subtle changes. Observe their growth cycles. It is not hard to see a parallel between the cycles of these plants and the cycles of our lives.

More than plants may be kept in a Witch's herb garden. Offerings to the Goddess and God are often made here. Flowers, wine, etc. may be left on a flat rock, a terra-cotta plate, or simply on the ground. Another object often kept in the herb garden is a small stone with a natural hole in it. These are often found at the seashore. Such Holy Stones have been held sacred to Witches/Pagans from ancient times. And there are plenty of other amulets you may keep in your garden. There are any number of treasures you can find in the woods, the mountains, the seashore, etc. Examples include an eggshell, a feather, a seashell, a pine cone, and so on. You may also select a spot to place an amulet and change it at each change of season. For example you may place a flat rock in the garden and set a pinecone there in Summer, an acorn in Fall, a white stone in Winter, and an eggshell in Spring.

Gathering, like planting, is done by the phases of the moon. The same rules apply to gathering as planting. The sun also plays an important role. The best day of the year to gather herbs is the Summer Solstice. This is the day that the sun is at its peak in the sky. You should gather herbs in the morning. Sunlight causes the photosynthesis that creates the essential oils of the plant, but it also evaporates those oils. By the morning, the plants have been forming oils all night, and none have been evaporated. You may gather herbs by hand, but in Wicca this is often done with a white-handled knife. Either way is fine, but as you gather be sure to talk to your plant explaining your need for the herb. Leave something behind as a thank you, such as a piece of bread, a crystal, plant food, etc. When you hang your herbs up to dry, remember the sun will leach out the oils, so make certain that the place you chose for drying will not receive sunlight at any time during the day.

There are traditions to follow all year long in the garden. On the Autumn Equinox, go out to the garden and find some herbs with seeds ready for gathering. Pick some of them, visualizing the new, unborn life within them. Paula Campanelli in her book Wheel of the Year suggests saying something like from this life, life to come as you gather the seeds. Keep them in a cool, dry place for the winter. At Yule, many of us burn Yule logs, or we place candles on a Yule log. The ashes or candle drippings may be kept for future use. One use will come the next morning. Go outside when the sun comes up, if possible, and look out at the herb garden. Holding some ashes or drippings from the Yule log, think of the ground as being barren (which it may already be.) Then think of tiny seedlings poking up. As you do, begin sprinkling the ashes over the ground or snow. Visualize the plants growing until they are fully-grown. If you have candle drippings, simply bury them somewhere in the garden. On the Spring Equinox you will want to bless the seeds that you gathered of the Autumn Equinox. During your spring ritual, tap the seeds with your wand and visualize the seeds sprouting and growing healthy. Then plant them on the same day or the next day if you do this at night. If it is still too cold in the garden, then plant at least a few seeds in small pots and place them in a sunny window.

The herb garden is more then a place to grow a few herbs, it is a sacred place for us to observe the cycles of nature and to see ourselves reflected in them. Herbs grow better with positive energy, and so do we. And so an herb garden should be used not only for growing herbs, but to attune ourselves with nature, with the Earth, and with the Goddess and the God.