The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More - Arin Murphy-Hiscock 2017

Garden Spell Bags
Create and Craft Green Witch Magic
Walking the Green Path

This type of bag is separate from the general spell bags because it calls for a slightly different approach. Because a garden spell bag is designed to decompose and fall apart, it requires a different set of ingredients and supplies.

A garden spell bag is a charm designed to be hung outside or buried in a particular place. These bags are generally made for protection of the property, protection for a particular area on the property such as a special plant or bed, or to increase the fertility of the garden in general. Because these bags are hung outdoors in the elements, they’re generally small; this is for convenience as well as aesthetics. As the bag decomposes, the herbs you stuffed in it start falling out of it. Herbs falling out of a large bag would become untidy. A smaller spell bag ensures less of a mess, as well as a lower-profile charm. If you want to make a larger protective charm of some kind, think about a stepping stone (see later in this chapter) or something made of a more permanent material.

Another reason to keep this garden charm smaller than a regular spell bag or dream pillow is that you will be filling it completely with herbs, not using batting or stuffing. To make the charm, cut out two squares or rectangles and sew them together, as directed in the dream pillow section. Eliminate the stuffing or batting, and simply fill the bag with herbs. Sew the last side shut, adding a hanger as directed in the dream pillow project or a ribbon tie as in the spell bag, and hang it in an appropriate place outdoors.

When you design a garden spell bag, be sure to select a material woven of natural fibers, preferably 100 percent cotton, although wool and silk are acceptable. Natural fiber will ensure that the material decomposes completely and without damage to the environment. You can choose the color according to your magical intention or use a neutral color, like white or unbleached cotton. Remember, however, that the rain will soak the pillow and the herbs inside will stain the fabric; the sun will also bleach it, affecting the color almost immediately. Do not, therefore, expect your garden charm to look beautiful for more than a few days. The processes of bleaching or staining and decomposition are part of the magic: the gradual destruction of the physical charm releases the energy. When the fabric has worn through, you can choose to bury the bag in a selected spot or in your compost heap. Replacing garden charms can become part of your regular magical maintenance of your garden space. You can either make the same spell bag (and write down the new date in your green witch journal so that you keep track of how often you have to replace the charm) or you can evaluate your garden’s current needs and design a new one (again, noting the date and new supplies you use and why).

If you add a stone to your garden spell bag, you may choose to bury it with the rest of the remains or to reuse it in your next charm. Reusing the stone is a nice way to maintain continuity with the energy of your garden, even if the herbs you use are different. Do not include metal charms or add nonbiodegradable substances to the herbal mixture, as they can poison the garden.