Grimoire-archives - The Lady's Grimoire

Magickal Folk Names for Herbs

Having knowledge of herbs and plants (either magically or medicinally) during the Middle Ages, often was reason enough to accuse a woman of being a “witch,” so there is no doubt some of the country folk at the time took these herbal folk names literal.  Chances are, these names were used merely as descriptors to help remember them easier.  Most plants were given names descriptive of their uses and others were given names for something they generally resembled. Spells written by witches in ancient times were often written with such descriptors, which personally i believe to be a form of secret coding.

Here is a small list of “witchy” herb names (most of these are already floating around the community) that you can use in your craft when you create your spells.  This list could be a great addition to any Grimoire and i hope you find them as useful as i do.

Enjoy ~~~  Cannawitch

Plants

Aaron’s Rod - Goldenrod or mullein stalk Absinthe - Wormwood Adder’s Fork - Adder’s Tongue Fern or Bistort Adder’s Tongue - Dog’s Tooth Violet (or Adder’s Tongue Fern Ague root - Unicorn root Alison - Sweet Alyssum Angel Food, Archangel - Angelica Angel’s Trumpet - Datura Ass’s Ear - colt’s foot or comfrey Ass’s Foot, Bull’s Foot - colt’s foot Auld Man’s Bells, Old man’s bells - wood hyacinth, Hyacinthoides hispanica

Bad Man’s/Devil’s Oatmeal/Porridge - hemlock Bad Man’s/Devil’s Plaything - Yarrow Bastard - false Dittany Bat flower - tacca Bat’s Wing - Holly leaf Bat’s Wool - moss (which moss?) Bear’s Foot - Lady’s Mantle Bear’s Grape Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Bear Paw - ramsons Allium ursinum or the root of male fern Dryopteris Felix-mas Bear weed - Yerba Santa Eriodictyon californicum Beard of a Monk - Chicory Beggar’s Lice - Hound’s tongue Beggar’s Buttons - Burdock Bird’s Eye - Speedwell Veronica officinalis Bird’s Foot - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum (Also bird’s foot violet and bird’s foot trefoil) Bird’s Nest - carrot, Indian pipe Bishop’s Wort, Bishop’s Elder - Wood betony Stachys betonica Bitter Grass - Ague Root Aletris Farinosa Black Sampson - Echinacea Blazing Star - liatris Blind Eyes - Poppy Blood from a head - Lupine * Blood from a shoulder - Bear’s breech * Blood of a Goose - Sap from a mulberry * Morus nigra Blood of an Eye - Tamarisk gall * (probably the tannin extracted from) Blood of Ares - purslane * Blood of Hephaestus - wormwood * Blood of Hestia - Chamomile * Blood - sap of the elder or bloodwort Bloody butcher - Valerian Bloody Fingers - Foxglove Blue Bottle - Bachelor’s buttons Boy’s Love, Lad’s Love: Southernwood Brain Thief - Mandrake Bone of an Ibis - buckthorn * I am not sure if this is Rhamnus cathartica or sea buckthorn Hippophae spp If I can find a recipe containing this, I will know for sure by comparing its purpose to their very different qualities Bread and Cheese - Hawthorn Bride of the Meadow - meadowsweet Bull’s Blood - beet or horehound Burning bush - false dittany, also a modern name for species of Euonymus Cow’s Horn - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum Bride of the Sun - calendula Brown Dragon - wake robin Buttons - tansy

Calf’s snout - Snapdragon Candlemas Maiden - snowdrop Candlewick - mullein, the flower stalk Capon’s Tail - valerian Carpenter’s Herb - bugleweed Lycopus europaeus Carpenter’s Square - knotted figwort Carpenter’s weed - Yarrow Cat - catnip Cat’s foot - white balsam, black cohosh, ground ivy Cat’s herb - valerian Chameleon star - bromeliad Cheeses - marsh mallow Chocolate flower - wild geranium (I don’t buy it) Christ’s eye - wild clary Salvia verbenaca Christ’s ladder - centaury Christ’s spear - adder’s tongue fern Ophioglossum vulgatum Church steeple - Agrimony Clear eye - clary sage Cleavers - bedstraw Click - goosegrass Clot - great mullien Cocklebur - Agrimony Cock’s comb - amaranth Colt’s Tail - fleabane Crane’s bill - wild geranium Crow’s foot - wild geranium, or wood anemone bulbous buttercup (verified) Crowdy kit - figwort Cuckoo’s bread - common plantago Cucumber tree - magnolia Cuddy’s lungs - great mullein Crown for a king - wormwood

Dagger flower - blue flag Daphne - bay laurel Dead man’s bells foxglove Death angel - fly agaric Amanita Muscaria Death cap - fly agaric Amanita Muscaria Death flower - Yarrow Death’s Herb - Belladonna Delight of the Eye - rowan Devil Plant - basil Devil’s Apple - Mayapple or Mandrake Devil’s beard - houseleek Devil’s bit - false unicorn root Devil’s cherries Belladonna berries Devil’s plaything - yarrow Devil’s dung - asafoetida Devil’s ear - wakerobin Devil’s eye - henbane or periwinkle Devil’s flower - bachelor’s buttons Devil’s fuge - mistletoe Devil’s guts - dodder Devil’s herb - belladonna Devil’s milk - celandine Devil’s nettle - yarrow Devil’s Shoestring: Various varieties of vibernum, esp Black Haw, cramp bark, hobblebush Dew of the Sea - Rosemary Dog Berry - wild rose hips Dog’s mouth - snap dragon Dog’s tongue - hound’s tongue Dove’s foot - wild geranium Dragon - tarragon Dragon Flower - blue flag (really, wild iris? not an arum or a Antirrhinum?) Dragon wort - bistort Dragon’s blood - calamus

Eagle - ramsons Allium ursinum Earth apple - potato Earth smoke- fumitory Elf’s wort - Elecampane Enchanter’s plant - vervain Englishman’s fruit/ White man’s foot - common plantain Everlasting friendship - goosegrass Eye root - goldenseal

Fairy smoke - Indian pipe Fairy fingers - foxglove Fat from a Head - spurge * Felon herb - Mugwort Five fingers - cinquefoil Fox’s Clote - burdock Frog’s foot - bulbous buttercup From the belly - Earth-apple. * potato?? Did the writers know about potatoes? When was pgm written? From the foot - houseleek * From the loins - chamomile *

Goat’s foot - morning glory Goat’s Horn - Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum God’s hair - hart’s tongue fern Golden’s star - avens Gosling’s wing - goosegrass Graveyard dust - mullein (and sometimes it’s just graveyard dust)

Hag’s taper - mullien stalk Hagthorn - hawthorn Hair of Venus - Maidenhair fern Hairs of a Hamadryas Baboon: Dill Seed * Hare’s beard - mullein Hawk’s Heart, Old Woman - Wormwood Artemisia absinthium crown or seed head * Hind’s tongue - hart’s tongue fern Holy herb - yerba santa Holy rope - hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum Horse tongue - hart’s tongue fern Hundred eyes - periwinkle

Innocence - bluets

Jacob’s Staff - Great Mullein Joy of the Mountain - Marjoram Jupiter’s Staff - Great Mullein

King’s Crown: Black Haw vibernum Knight’s Milfoil - Yarrow Kronos’ Blood - sap of Cedar *

Lady’s glove - foxglove Lamb’s ears - betony but more likely lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina Lion’s Hair - The extra little roots that stick out of the turnip bulb or the base leaves Brassica rapa * Lion’s tooth - dandelion Little dragon - tarragon Love in idleness - pansy Love Lies Bleeding - amaranth (Not so ancient, a modern ornamental variant) Love Leaves - burdock Love man - goosegrass Love Parsley - lovage Love root - orris root

Maiden’s Ruin - Southernwood Man’s Bile - Turnip Juice * Man’s Health - Ginseng Master of the Woods - Woodruff May Lily - Lily of the Valley May Rose - Black Haw viburnum May - Black Haw viburnum Maypops - Passion Flower Mistress of the Night - Tuberose Mutton Chops - Goosegrass

Nose Bleed - Yarrow

Old Man’s Flannel - Great Mullein Old Man’s Pepper - Yarrow Old-Maid’s-Nightcap - Wild Geranium

Password - primrose Peter’s Staff - Great Mullein Poor Man’s Treacle - Garlic Priest’s Crown - Dandelion leaves

Queen of the Meadow Root - Gravelroot Queen of the Meadow - Meadowsweet Queen of the Night - Vanilla Cactus

Rats and Mice - Hound’s tongue Ram’s horn - valerian Ring a Bells - bluebell Robin run in the grass - goosegrass

Scaldhead - blackberry Seed of Horus - horehound See bright - Clary sage Semen of Ammon - Houseleek * Semen of Ares - Clover * Semen of Helios - White Hellebore * Semen of Hephaistos - Fleabane * Semen of Herakles - arugula * Semen of Hermes - Dill * Seven Year’s Love Yarrow Shameface - Wild Geranium Shepherd’s Heart - Shepherd’s Purse Silver Bells - Black Haw viburnum Snake Root - black cohosh Soapwort - Comfrey or Daisy or maybe Soapwort Sorcerer’s Violet - Periwinkle Sparrow’s Tongue - Knotweed St. John’s Herb - Hemp Agrimony St. John’s Plant - Mugwort Star Flower - Borage Star of the Earth - Avens Starweed - Chickweed Sweethearts - Goosegrass Swine’s Snout - Dandelion leaves

Tail of a Pig - Leopard’s bane * Tanner’s bark - toadflax Tartar root - ginseng Tears of a Hamadryas Baboon - Dill Juice * Thousand weed - yarrow Thunder plant - houseleek Titan’s Blood - Wild Lettuce Lactuca virosa * Torches - mullein flower stalk

Unicorn’s horn - unicorn root or false unicorn root Urine - dandelion or maybe urine

Wax dolls - fumitory Weasel - rue Weasel snout - yellow archangel Winter wood - wild cinnamon Canella alba White - ox eye daisy Witch’s Asprin - white willow bark (this is ancient?) Witch’s brier - wild brier rose hips Wolf claw - club moss Wolf’s foot - bugleweed Wolf’s milk - euphorbia Woodpecker - herbLpeony Worm fern- male fern Dryopteris Felix-mas

Yerba Santa Maria - epazote

Plant Parts/Body Parts

Blood - Sap or juice Eye - The disc of a composite flower, or a seed Foot - Leaf Guts - Roots, stalks, tangly bits Hair - Very stringy roots (sometimes silk or tangly stems) Head - Flower head or seed head Tail - Stem Tongue - Petal, sometimes stigma Toes - leaf or bud Paw - sometimes bud, usually leaf Privates - Seed pod Worm - stringy roots Wool - Moss

Minerals

A Snake’s Ball of Thread - soapstone * Blood of a Snake - hematite * Crocodile Dung - Soil from Ethiopia * A Physician’s bone - sandstone *

Animal Parts

A Snake’s Head - A leech * Blood of a Hyrax - A rock badger, * small weasel-like/rodent-like (but actually neither) creature native to Africa and the Middle East Blood of a Hamadryas Baboon - Blood of a spotted gecko * Bull’s semen - the egg of a blister beetle * Lion Semen - Human semen * Kronos’ Spice - Pig Milk *

* From Ecloga ex Papyris Magicis: Liber I, V, xxvi

More Sources for verification -

Galen - De succedaneis, Claudii Galeni Opera Omnia, v 19

Paulus Aegineta, Corpus Medicorum Graecorum IX/2 vII

Dioscorides De Materia Medica

Witchipedia

Lady Raven

Tryskelion

i don't believe that you become a witch. it was within and around you all along.

every time you'd collect rocks as a child, or spoke to the moon when you needed comfort, or even when that warm, tingling sensation would hit you while walking in the woods. it was always the little things that didn't quite make sense.

it was calling to you, remember that. you're no less just because you figured it out later.

The Viking's Journey

Awhile back while meditating on the runes, I realized that the Elder Futhark could be read as a personal development path, much like the Fool’s Journey in the Tarot. I call it The Viking’s Journey because it models the path of someone who is ruthless in the pursuit of getting their life in order and individuating. Like the Fool’s Journey (or the Hero’s Journey or the Girls Underground Journey), events in this sequence don’t necessarily happen in order. They loop back and around and sometimes—like Hagalaz—they jump out and snag you unawares.

Fehu: The journey begins with abundance. You have enough wealth and good fortune to be able to think about who you are and who you could be. You know that you are worth investing in, and you intend to do it.

Uruz: You develop knowledge of yourself at the animal level. You know where you end and where others begin, and you do what’s necessary to protect your boundaries. You trust your gut. You assert your right to your own space. The will to be pumps through your veins like fire.

Thurisaz: You don’t have the time or energy for bullshit. You are ruthless about dealing with unresolved conflicts. The conflict can either be resolved, or the people involved can go. You are pruning your life of people and things that aren’t good for you, even if it hurts.

Ansuz: When the things that have held you down in the outer world are dealt with, you discover that the worst bonds are still undealt with. They are the bonds in your mind. As you deal with mental patterns that have you stuck dealing with the same old shit, you find your voice.

Raidho: Nothing is holding you down anymore, so you just go. You’re done with your hometown. It’s time to see the world.

Kenaz: You have plunged into the unknown and find yourself in darkness, but you have a torch that lights your way. As you explore, you gain knowledge of the world around you, but also, most importantly, of yourself.

Gebo: You make a wish, and it is granted. You receive a gift. In gratitude, when you’re done with what you’ve received, you give it away. In doing this, you learn that nothing really belongs to you. You just carry it around for awhile. In learning to share what you have, you discover the power of community.

Wunjo: No longer defining yourself by your possessions, you begin to see yourself more clearly. You are beautiful and worthy of joy.

Hagalaz: Loss comes suddenly like hail from the sky. As you survey the devastation and try to salvage what you can, you realize that not every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes the sky is a solid mass of gray that broods. Want your life back? You’ll need to descend to the underworld and ask it from Hel herself.

Naudhiz: You are nothing but need. There is no room for anything optional. There is only the next thing you have to do. Now. As you work, you slowly begin to notice that you’re not alone. You are surrounded by people who have suffered the same losses as you. You are stronger together.

Isa: You get things together enough to breathe, and then you freeze. It’s like you’re back at the beginning, caught in bondage and bullshit. The allies who helped you while you were in trouble are satisfied enough with just getting by. You know that you can do better than that, but you can’t force anyone to change. You need to shut everyone out in order to strategize an escape.

Jera: The wheel turns, and you’re ready to move on. You’re binding up your wounds, reevaluating the mistakes you’ve made in the past. How did you get here? Why do you keep getting tied down? How do you make sure you never get here again?

Eihwaz: You begin to realize it’s not just about you. The world itself is bound by illusions. Everyone around you is following scripts handed out to them by society. Seeing the strings gives you power. To find out who you really are, you have to journey within.

Perthro: When you were a child, you knew who you were. In connecting to memories, bringing this old knowledge of yourself forward into adulthood, you are reborn. Your luck returns.

Elhaz: You are new and fragile. You can feel in your bones that your old ways of protecting yourself are inadequate. New, more sophisticated boundaries are needed—less like armor, more like skin that grows with you.

Sowilo: The sun comes out and melts away your icy shield, but that’s okay. You don’t need artificial barriers keeping you from others anymore. You are enough to keep yourself safe.

Tiwaz: You are tested, and there is only one right way to go. You have been in this seemingly choiceless place before, but this time it’s different. This time it is not the outerworld that is forcing your hand. It is your inner code of ethics. There is only one way to go and remain yourself. You weigh the cost and accept it. Nothing is worth betraying your integrity.

Berkano: You have been wounded while doing your duty. It was your choice, and you take responsibility, and that means owning your healing, too. You retreat for a while to lick your wounds.

Ehwaz: When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you. (Yeah, Firefly!)

Mannaz: You are ready to start pulling your own weight, and you begin to form a partnership with the person who carried you. Balance is hard, but you soon develop a relationship of equals.

Laguz: In cooperation, you learn that gaining more power and forcing your will on the world isn’t the only way to manifest your desire. One can be strong. Many flowing together are stronger. You learn to lead.

Ingwaz: Night falls, and you begin to long for home. You look back at how far you’ve come, and the thought of having to walk back all that way fills you with dread, so you find a way to make a door and just…step through.

Othala: You have returned home. You realize that home is not just a place to hang your hat. It’s part of you, and now you can give your home the same care you give yourself.

Dagaz: The end credits roll, and the lights come on, and you realize that even this journey is an illusion, a metaphor to help you find your way, a metaphor you no longer need. You rise and leave the theater.

Anyone who can make a cup of tea and dye a skein of wool, or linen/cotton. It almost like alchemy that such common garden plants can produce an amazing array of vibrant colors. The way that this wheel works is the plant corresponds with the different mordant to help preserve the color. Natural dyeing has endless possibilities of colors that are able to be created depending on factors like soak time, varying up mordants, even which part of the plant you’re using! These mostly act as suggestions to a place to begin, even though there are limitless ways to produce plant based dyes. Here’s an example of how this process would would be done: Dyeing: 12 oz. marigold heads 5 cups water 2 tbsp alum Steps: Bring water to a boil with marigolds. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Strain and transfer only liquid back to pot. Add damp fabric and simmer 10–20 minutes. Rinse, or leave in bath overnight and rinse with hot water until water runs clear. Dry. Heat set by ironing for 5 minutes. What plants are your favorite to dye with? 

*I am not an expert dyer, all of this information was researched via Garden Flower Folklore by Laura C. Martin. .

Sabbath Tip for Wiccans

Never... And I mean NEVER beat yourself up for not being able (for whatever reason) to do a full ritual for a Sabbath. Since today (August 1st) is Lammas/Lughnasadh I thought I'd share somethings you can do on a Sabbath without it being a full-on ritual at your altar with offerings.

Remember that a Sabbath is personal. If you take a moment to speak with the God and Goddess, or your patron deity, that is perfectly fine. Give thanks and ask for continued prosperity. Acknowledging the holiday within yourself is more than enough; you can light candles if you like but you can speak to you deity without any supplies.

Spend time on your grimoire [book of shadows] simply spending some part of the day devoted to your craft can be very rewarding. If a Sabbath comes up quickly and you don't have anything prepared then you can make a page in your BoS for that particular Sabbath with all of its associations and lore; or you could plan a Sabbath ritual in your book to use next year.

Eat witchy. By this I mean you can do something small to still commemorate the holiday. You could quickly look up associated herbs with the particular Sabbath and make tea if you have it available. Other than that, most Sabbaths are associated with wheat- that being said, having a quiet moment to yourself eating some toast with honey on it and thanking your deity/deities for the abundance of food and a beautiful harvest. [I know most of us don't harvest our wheat and make our own bread, but someone did, so give thanks] If you can't eat gluten then some fruit and milk'n honey are good universal Sabbath foods.

its fucking dember.

Ways you can celebrate Yule that aren’t just Christmas.

Celebrate on the correct days!: Yule is a solstice sabbat, which means it’s on the day before, of, and after the winter solstice*. It’s NOT December 25th.

Hang all kinds of evergreens everywhere: Do you know why? Because while snow is very pretty at first after a while the never ending blinding white and brown and black starts to drive you slowly insane. Holly and Mistletoe are the two brightest green plants you could get your hands on during winter so of course they were everywhere!

Light a massive bonfire**: It’s dark and cold and everyone is miserable. Burn some shit! If you aren’t a heathen then Yule is about the rebirth of the sun god(dess?). Welcome that guy back with the best sun imitation you could get!

Leave feed out for Odin’s Horse: Kids would leave out hay or treats for Odin’s Horse(Sleipnir) to eat while he road in the wild hunt. A gift given means a gift must be returned and so Odin(also known as the parents) would leave treats for the kids. Yes this is where Santa came from.

Make winter clothes: Winter was the time when all the housework was done because, well, you can’t plant when the field is under five feet of snow. Clothes were often made during this time and given to the family.

Welcome guests into your home: If there was one thing the Germanic people valued it was hospitality. Friend who has no were to go? Come on over! Your kid’s friend who comes from a tricky home? Why don’t they stay a night or two. Everyone is invited!

Anything that still has Yule in the name probably comes from the original:  Yule log, Yule boar, Yule goat. These are all from the original feast day. 

Yule is a feast to celebrate the wild hunt: So make a feast!

And finally, throw one hell of a party***: Yule is a Norse holiday guys. There was no such thing as a low-key party in that culture. The majority of their myths can be summed up thusly; partying, beating up someone who ruined the partying, partying because they beat someone up. Have fun!

*These are the days I do it because celebrating for 12 days - 2 months is impractical.

**Don’t be dumb with fire.

***Don’t do anything illegal.

I’m not a heathen, and also observe Yule very low-key because I still live in my parents house. If there is anything I missed or got wrong please add onto this!

A tarot spread commissioned by @beetlepool​ during @technocoven​, for helping them find the source of their stress and how to achieve inner calm.

They asked:

“How can you achieve calm and stability only comparable to the biggest fish in the ocean?” 

And as a Marine Biologist, I was super hyped by the request and had a lot of fun with this spread! Thanks again, and welcome to your witch-y journey!

Keep reading

Microwave Healing Broth Recipe

Fill a bowl with water and a small piece of bullion cube. Microwave for thirty seconds. Stir in bullion cube. Add mushrooms, curry powder, minced garlic, and onion powder. Microwave for a minute. Add tomato paste, soy sauce, sriracha 

An old woman of ambiguous South Asian heritage went through my check lane a few days ago. One of her items was a red onion, which she’d already skinned inside the produce bag. I mistook it for two different onions; she corrected me, and then explained why she’d already skinned it.

“If you make tea with onion skins,” she said, with the air of an old woman sharing her secrets, “and drink it before bed, it’s good for the bowels. Boil the water and leave the skins in for ten minutes. It will clean you right out.”

I finished scanning her items and she continued to share. “Before you get out of bed in the morning, eat a spoonful of mashed garlic and honey, keep it in your mouth for ten minutes and stay lying down, and you will be awake and healthy.” 

She tapped her nose gently, a conspiratorial smile gracing her lips. “It’s old magic. Natural remedy. Better than any medicine.”