Garden Witch's Herbal: Green Magick, Herbalism & Spirituality

About the Author

Ellen Dugan, also known as the Garden Witch, is a psychic-clairvoyant who lives in Missouri with her husband and three children. A practicing Witch for over twenty-four years, Ellen also has many years of nursery and garden center experience, including landscape and garden design. She received her Master Gardener status through the University of Missouri and her local county extension office. Look for other articles by Ellen in Llewellyn’s annual Magical Almanac, Wicca Almanac, and Herbal Almanac. Visit her website at: www.ellendugan.com

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Garden Witch’s Herbal: Green Magick, Herbalism & Spirituality © 2009 by Ellen Dugan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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First e-book edition © 2012

E-book ISBN: 9780738722191

Book design and editing by Rebecca Zins

Cover design by Ellen Dahl

Cover image and interior illustrations © Jennifer L. Meyer

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Acknowledgments

For my friends—you know who you are. To my coven-mates, who cheered me on. Thanks for listening and for all your support. Love ya—mean it! A special thank-you goes to Mickie, Christy, and also to Jen, who gave up an entire Sunday afternoon to help me get the index together. We started out with soft drinks and switched to margaritas after an hour of listing items in alphabetical order—at least there were no quizzes this time, but we did have fun.

With appreciation to Becky Zins, my editor. For acquisitions editor Elysia Gallo, who challenges me to improve and grow as a writer. Also a word of thanks to Nanette Stearns for her technical assistance and kindness, and to Lynne Menturweck for her superb art direction.

Finally, to my husband, Ken, and to our three children, Kraig, Kyle, and Erin, with love.

Contents

List of Illustrations

Introduction: New Lessons from the Oldest of Magick

Chapter 1

Conjuring a Garden with Heart

Chapter 2

Green Witchery in the City

Chapter 3

Magickal Plants of the Southwest

Chapter 4

Wildflowers and Witchery

Chapter 5

Magick in the Hedgerows

Chapter 6

Magick and Folklore of Trees

Chapter 7

Gothic Herbs and Forbidden Plants

Chapter 8

Herbs and Plants of the Sabbats

Chapter 9

Herbs of the Stars, 217

Chapter 10

Magickal Herbalism:

The Green Craft of the Witch

Glossary

Bibliography

Illustrations

aconite

alder

alder buckthorn

apple

ash

birch

black hellebore

black nightshade

blackthorn

bluebell

butterfly weed

common foxglove

common gorse

datura

deadly nightshade

desert four o’clock

dog rose

elder

elderberry

fly agaric

gayfeather/liatris

goldenrod

hawthorn

hazel

hedge bindweed

hemlock

holly

ivy

jacob’s ladder

lupin

hawthorn

moss rose

mullein

oak

prairie anemone

prairie rose

prickly pear

reed

rosehips

rowan

rue

sagebrush

scarlet indian paintbrush

shrubby cinquefoil

skullcap

spiderwort

thistle

tickseed coreopsis

vine

wild blackberry

wild crab

wild hyssop

wild plum tree

wild poppy

wild yarrow

willow

wormwood

yellow lady’s slipper

yew

yucca

[contents]

Introduction

New Lessons from the

Oldest of Magick

But there are higher secrets of culture,

which are not for the apprentices but for proficients.

These are lessons only for the brave.

ralph waldo emerson

What is it about plants, trees, flowers, and the idea of green magick that continues to fascinate and bewitch us? Perhaps it is their timeless appeal or their captivating qualities. Magickal herbalism is a perennially popular magickal topic. Folks just can’t seem to get enough of

that old green magick. Every spring when gardening season begins, Witches, Pagans, and common folk alike flock to the local greenhouses and garden centers, looking for the perfect additions to their magickal gardens. Perhaps they are searching for something new to try, or they are on the lookout for a prized variety of botanical that has eluded them for years. It is the thrill of the hunt and the spirit of the quest that inspires us all. I honestly believe that a deeper, more advanced study of green magick and magickal herbalism is a brilliant way to discover what new lessons the oldest magick can teach us.

I define green magick as 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.

No matter how long you have practiced your craft, be it months, years, or decades, there is a real need to deepen the connection to the earth—to dig further, to expand your magickal skills, and to learn more. With this in mind, Garden Witch’s Herbal came to be. In this, my tenth book, I thought it was time to return to where my journey as an author began, for here is where my heart truly lies. Let’s take a return trip to the Witch’s garden to revisit herbal enchantments and green magick and search further into the mysterious, magickal world of plants.

By further exploring this green path of magick and by listening to our own hearts, we gain a deep and meaningful sense of connection to nature and have the opportunity to advance and expand our level of spirituality. This sense of reverence is but a tool and another enchanting lesson to be learned.

Green Magick and Spirituality

Nature is the symbol of spirit.

ralph waldo emerson

Green spirituality holds that all of life is a magickal experience. A green practitioner is well known for their connection with their living and working environment, by their ethics, and by their affinity to the powers of the natural world. This is an intensely personal path of magick, as it takes into consideration the actual physical climate and location of where you live along with your relationship with the energy that is available within your own individual environment.

Witchcraft traditionally uses the energies that are naturally within the elements of earth, air, fire, and water and combines them together with the practitioner’s personal power to create positive change and to accomplish a magickal goal. In green magick and green spirituality, the Witch becomes a link between the energies and magick of the natural world and the world of humanity. A Witch carries information back and forth between these two worlds, becoming a sort of bridge. This connection allows love and knowledge to flow back and forth between the magickal world and the mundane, bringing hope, peace, healing, and positive energy to each world.

This is, in fact, an ancient magickal practice. According to folklore, Witches were referred to as hedge jumpers. This term highlights their knowledge of the green world and their ability to jump the hedge, or boundaries, between the two worlds. Hedge Witches, as they are more commonly called, were thought to be able to travel back and forth between the physical world and the spirit world at will. However, it wasn’t that they were leaping back and forth between the different planes so much as they stood and practiced their craft with one foot firmly planted in each world, creating that spiritual bridge. They then became walkers between the worlds, and today this description is still a common one to illustrate the path of the Green Witch.

However, balance between these worlds cannot be reestablished by separating yourself far out in a little enchanted cabin in the woods. We have to balance our magickal selves with the natural world in one hand, along with the reality of urban life in the other. Green Witchcraft is a sacred relationship with the world on all its many planes of existence.

A Green Witch is not defined by what he or she does for a living or by whatever label society or the Pagan community sticks on them. They are not just one, they are all; they are at one with everything; they simply flow between. They may identify themselves as a Garden Witch, Cottage Witch, Kitchen Witch, Celtic Witch, a self-taught Eclectic, or even a Traditional Witch—meaning a person that has taken formal training in a specific tradition, such as Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Feri, Dianic, or Cabot. The mantle of green magick slips easily over all these practices. Green magick is not so much of a tradition as it is a magickal way of life.

Today’s green practitioners are clever and adaptable. They are very likely to live in the city or be tucked into the suburbs, but their physical location does not define them. These green folks choose to work with the magickal energies of nature as they find it, no matter what their lifestyle, magickal title, profession, location, or climate.

The Green Path:

No Matter Where You Live

Her green mind made the world around her green.

wallace stevens

The green path of magick is a paradox: while it is a time-honored variety of Witchcraft, it is also an eclectic one—meaning while the oldest of techniques and time-honored Craft practices are used, there is still plenty of room for personalization and adaptation for the environment where the Witch happens to live. This is a path that closely follows the cycles of natural life, the Wheel of the Year, herbalism, the groves, and the garden. Whatever part of the world the Witch calls home is the fundamental key to their own individual magickal practice.

Let’s say you happen to live in the upper East Coast or Midwest of the United States; then you would incorporate the climate variations, flora, fauna, and four classic seasons that you are familiar with. If you made your home in the Deep South, the West Coast, or the Southwestern states, however, then you would obviously incorporate into your practices the flowers, trees, cycles of the seasons, and native plants and wildlife that are indigenous to your area.

For instance, a Witch living in the Deep South may never have the opportunity to work with snow or ice magick; however, they have access to plant life and flowers growing outside their back door in January that someone living farther north could only dream about.

Honestly, this is as simple as going with what you’ve got, for skilled Witches easily adapt to their surroundings. They improvise when necessary and study their own environment so they know which earthy, natural supplies are available to them. Finally, they overcome any obstacles in their lives by using a clever combination of knowledge, personal power, love, and sheer force of will.

To effectively use this green magick, you must know that it springs from two sources: the heart and the mind. You have to feel it in your heart, and you have to know that if you believe change is not only possible, but factual, then so shall it be. A Witch using green magick will work to create and to preserve balance within themselves, to find harmony with their own mundane and magickal communities, and to celebrate their connection with the natural world. Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? Never fear, it can be done, and it can be done beautifully. In the chapters that follow, you will discover many new bewitching ideas and techniques that can show you how.

No matter where you live, what your experience level, or what variety of magickal tradition you observe, you will find something here that will complement your own magickal practice—which in turn will enable you to create a deeper connection to your earth religion.

It takes a brave soul to travel the green and natural path of the Witch. To study and practice a religion that is often misunderstood or scoffed at takes courage. This daring and determination will serve you well as you expand and advance your studies of green magick, herbalism, and spirituality. Because it is a personal expression of your magickal skills, much of this type of magickal work is performed solo.

By standing on your own, you will gain some quality one-on-one time with the natural world. This gives you the opportunity to discover your own unique connection to nature and all the herbs and botanicals in the plant kingdom. Your success depends on your willingness to get in there and experiment. Plan on tracking your spells and carefully watching and recording the outcome of your magick. For those who possess the predisposition for green magick, the rewards can be great, and the magickal results are most impressive.

Plants are intricately intertwined into all magick and earth religions. For those who know how to open their hearts and listen, they offer us supplies, inspiration, and lessons. So come and join me for a time as we explore the enchanted groves and dig deeper into the magickal gardens of the green world. Let’s discover together the wonder and magick that the natural world can offer us.

[contents]

Chapter 1

Conjuring a Garden

with Heart

He who would have beautiful

roses in his garden

must first have beautiful roses

in his heart.

samuel reynolds hole

Over the past few years, as I have toured around the country meeting many magickal folks, I have had Pagans and Witches walk up to me with their garden-dirt-stained, well-used, dog-eared copy of Garden Witchery and tell me with a smile that they want more—more herb magick information, more advanced techniques, more green magick, and more magickal gardening tips.

I have been promising you all that I was indeed working on it; for those of you who have been waiting, here you go. Let’s dig in, shall we?

As a magickal gardener who has delved deeply into the mystical world of plants, I know firsthand that there is a real connection to divinity to be gained here and an earthy sense of empowerment that comes from working with the soil, growing and tending to your own plants, and getting your hands dirty. This is the ultimate in grounding and centering.

When we garden, we create an intimate relationship with the five fundamental elements of the natural world. These five elements are recognized by many magickal traditions and cultures, even though the final element may vary. Wiccan traditions identify these magickal elements as earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. To the Chinese, the five elements are wood, fire, metal, earth, and water. To be rooted firmly in nature’s magick, all of the elements must be honored within the magickal garden.

If you step outside for a moment, you will become intimately linked with these elements immediately, so let’s do that right now. Close your eyes for a moment, and search your heart. What does it tell you? Now look around you; what do you sense? Step out of your shoes and onto the grass somewhere. Feel the grass tickling your feet? Be thankful for the support and the grounding energy that the element of earth is lending you.

Open your eyes, and look around. Notice any birds flying about? Do you feel the breeze as it rushes past? If so, then greet the element of air as it brings forth inspiration and change. The sun shining down on you can symbolize fire, as can landscape lighting that illuminates the garden path. The feminine, fertile element of water can be represented in many guises: a natural body of water, such as a nearby creek or pond; a garden fountain; a birdbath for our feathered friends to splash about in; the rain that falls or dewdrops dangling on the leaves of the plants—all are representations of this element. Becoming more viscerally aware of these magickal elements and the very foundations of nature makes us all part of something greater and more magickally meaningful.

When we work our green magick in harmony with the elements and the natural world, we share something far older than just gardening. Here, we touch an ethereal connection to the basic harmonies of creation. This act then actually allows us to connect with the final element of spirit. As Witches and Green Magicians, we come into contact with the powers of creation and divinity every day, no matter where we live. Our lives become enriched by the deities of the earth, the powers of the changing seasons, and the truly awesome force of nature. It is important to grasp that this intimate connection to the earth over time will help our spirituality become deeper, more personal, and more meaningful. On the most basic level, our spellcraft becomes more powerful as we become more in tune with the earth.

Since most of us live in the cities or in the suburbs, not snuggled into a cottage deep in the woods, we experience a greater challenge when we wish to renew or expand our connection to the natural world. But fortunately, you can find traces of this primal magick just about anywhere. It’s much easier than you think. The first place to look is within. Make up your mind, here and now, to search for and to find the energies of nature, no matter where you live. Then you can turn your attention to the trees and plants that share your surroundings. You’ll discover the magick within a small copse of trees whether it is in the yard or the public park. Within the world of the urban grove and garden, the force of nature is very much alive and present, for here lives a smaller version of the wild places and the great woodlands.

In my book Garden Witchery, I showed you that magickal plants are all around you and easy to grow in the home landscape. I encouraged you to live a little and to surround yourself with these charming plants and to link back into the enchantment of nature. Garden Witchery taught you how to practically incorporate both gardening and herbalism into your magickal practices.

This book of more advanced green magick techniques is written for the Witch, for the magickal herbalist, and for those who search for the sacred and the divine in nature. In our return visit to the Witch’s garden, I want to show you how the local groves of trees and your very own gardens can influence more than your magick. They can, in reality, influence your green spirituality.

Magickal Inspiration and Garden Design

Gardeners are like landscape painters.

Their canvas is the soil, their paints the vast array

of living flowers, trees, and shrubs.

donald norfolk, the soul garden

When people set out to create a magickal garden, they are, in fact, expressing their own personalities in the overall design. As we transform our yards and personal spaces into magickal, secret gardens and sacred groves, we begin to appreciate these areas as places of growth not only for the assorted plants and trees but for ourselves as well. Gardening is good for the mind, body, and spirit.

If a garden is to reflect the mystical and the sacred side of nature, then it has to be diverse, just like us. There are many different types of trees, herbs, and flowers—and magick—to incorporate into your spiritual plan. Now is when you begin to fine-tune things, for the Witch’s garden is a tangible symbol of your commitment to making time for magick and spirituality in your everyday life.

The rest of this chapter will discuss the foundations of good magickal gardening design—a discussion on style, space, and how to get a little enchanted garden atmosphere going. This is green magick at its most basic and elemental. There are even pointers on how to correctly work with color schemes in the garden. And you can bet your watering can that these principles are important in every garden, no matter if it’s a clever container garden on a patio or deck or a rambling flower bed that fills up the entire yard. This is good practical knowledge to have because the design helps to set the magickal mood and the overall atmosphere in the Witch’s garden.

Creating Magickal Gardens with Atmosphere

Nature uses human imagination to lift her work of creation

to even higher levels.

luigi pirandello

Whenever