Plant Magic

Plant Magic

Plants were there at the very beginning of the witch's world.

We do not know exactly when people began to cast spells. Even so, we can safely assume that the magic
created by plants was there when it all began. Plants were there at the very beginning of the witch's world.
In my view, even before human beings invented the magic created by cords, by symbols, and by
various tools, before we created high magic and ritual magic, before the intricate formulas:
plants were perhaps the first direct gateway we humans had to the world in which we live.

Have you ever felt the special power of a soothing cup of chamomile tea? Or perhaps the passion
that comes with eating cacao? Plants have a special power that arises from the communication that exists between our body and
the plant world. And that communication is rooted in the direct effect of various plants on our senses,
as well as on our world of emotions.

Everyone knows that lavender is a calming plant, that ginger is stimulating, that chamomile is sleep-inducing, and that a hot chili pepper
will send you straight through the roof. In the same way, plants can also affect us energetically. That very effect
of chamomile in calming us can also be understood as a balancing energetic influence. A protection spell can incorporate
pepper, chili, and salt (which is known as an antiseptic and cleansing substance).

A love spell can incorporate roses (whose scent takes us instantly to the world of emotion and love), chocolate,
and a variety of flowers and plants whose effect on the body blends with their effect on the world of energies.
Money spells can incorporate rice (which symbolizes abundance), mint, and many other plants.

There are plants that do not affect our body despite their effect on the energetic world, and they are usually
associated with energy for entirely different reasons. Some plants acquired a particular attribution by the very fact of being
connected to a certain culture, a certain goddess, or a certain cult.

In order to do plant magic, we must first connect to the energy of the plant (through energetic sensing,
for example) or read about the plant in books devoted to the subject. Then we choose the type of spell and the appropriate plants
we wish to work with, and finally we cast the spell while focusing deeply on the goal we have chosen.

There are many ways to connect to the energy of plants in order to learn about the abilities held within them, but before
we get into that, we must remember one important thing: plants, just like us, are living beings that exist
upon the earth. They are not just an exotic name in a book, with a meaning written out in words. They are not merely raw
material from which we will make magic and spells.

In our culture, it is customary to look at the world as material at our feet, as ingredients and resources from which
we will make various things for our various purposes. I believe that in a world like ours we can arrive at self-healing
(and, to a certain extent, global healing too) through conscious contemplation of the plant world.

Before we open the books and read about the mystical uses of plants, let us take a moment to smell the plants, to feel them between our fingers, to taste the leaves, and to look at the plant in its wholeness
(if it grows in our region). Let us allow our senses to tell us about the plants we will work with, and afterward
we will read about the history and mythology behind each plant we use.

Plants that we pick or grow ourselves will always have a more magical and personal quality than plants we ordered
from the internet, from one website or another, because our personal connection with the natural world has a healing quality
that brings us closer to the earth by the very sensory connection to all that lives around us. There are many ways to work
with plants, but the first step is common to them all – choosing the plant that will accompany us to the ritual.

1. Choose the plant we will work with
   There are those who love to read books and learn about the history of plants, about the classic
   properties of each plant, and about the traditional influence of various plants on the world and on ourselves.
   The best-known plant is sage, which helps to cleanse spaces and to purify ourselves before a ritual.
   Other well-known plants are myrrh resin and frankincense resin, which were used in many temples, including
   in the Temple, to build the energetic space before religious rituals. There are stories and information about every plant
   imaginable, and if the subject draws you to delve into it, I recommend that you study it from books.
   The second way of choosing plants is the intuitive way. I love to place my hands over
   plants and feel which of them draws me, which of them feels right to me, which of them fits
   on the level of association. For example, a protection spell I built recently was made up of white pepper and ginger,
   which remind me of fire and therefore of protection, and also of hibiscus (which contains a strong red color that amplified the sense
   of power in the spell). I turned all the plants into a tea, which I drank during a ritual. It is important to note
   that the spell worked in an extraordinary way.
   There is no rulebook that describes which plants are right for which use; remember that, in the end, a spell is
   a personal thing shaped by our relationship with ourselves and with the world. Choose what is right for you.
2. Gather the plants we have chosen
   In today's world it is reasonable to assume that we will buy the plants in a shop, but if we are lucky and there is the possibility
   of foraging the plants in nature, or even from a windowsill planter outside our home, we have a rare opportunity to enjoy
   a connection with the plant before we pick it for the purpose of the spell.
   One way to do this is to stop and feel, for a few moments, the living thing before us.
   As we said earlier, plants are living, breathing beings, possessing awareness and life just like us, and so we will begin
   the interaction with a basic acquaintance. We can touch the plant or smell it, place our
   hands over it and feel its energy, and then, gently and respectfully, take from it a small amount that will not harm it
   in any significant way.
   To finish, we can offer genuine thanks to the living being before us and continue with the ritual.
3. This is the time for the spellwork itself, or for the ritual we have chosen to perform
   Incense spells, amulets, spells with food, and poppet spells are only a small part of the possibilities.

   For deeper reading, I warmly recommend that you look at the list of books at the end of the book.
   The book Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham will give you
   an excellent background for beginning your own plant magic studies.

From “The Witch and the Moon Dance – A Practical Guide to the World of Magic / Elizabeth Zohar

To order the book:
https://practicalmagic.online/book/