The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More - Arin Murphy-Hiscock 2017
The Magic of Being a Green Witch
What Is Green Witchcraft?
Discovering the Green Witch
Using the word “witch” invariably brings us to the word “magic.” This is a word that can cause confusion. Magic is not illusion, nor is it the artificial manipulation of unnatural forces. In fact, magic is perfectly natural: it is the use of natural energy with conscious intent and awareness to help attain a better understanding of the world around you and to harmonize yourself with the world’s energies.
Most green witches find the use of the word “magic” to be irrelevant. Magic implies something out of the ordinary. But to a green witch the mundane is magical. When she senses, responds to, and gently nudges the flows of natural energy around her, nothing could be more natural. She’s performing natural magic. Nature itself is magical. The everyday is sacred to the green witch.
Marian Green, the author of Wild Witchcraft and follower of a path sympathetic to the green witch philosophy that embraces natural magic and hedge craft, states that, “Magic is the art of learning to recognize these elements of change: the natural patterns of flow and ebb, the times of progress, of standing still and of retreating . . . Magic teaches us to determine which way the tides of Nature are flowing, to see on which level they run and what they can offer each of us at this moment.” In Green’s view, magic is learning to harmonize yourself with the forces of nature and understanding how they flow through your life. This is, of course, the life work of the green witch in a nutshell.
Spellcraft is seen as a perfectly natural occurrence along the green path. Is brewing a cup of rosemary tea for a headache a spell? Or is it natural medicine? To the green witch, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is the conscious use of the energies of the rosemary to help heal a temporary imbalance. It is the connection to the natural world and the acknowledgment that we are all a part of that world that allows us to function as a link between the world of people and the world of green.
In short, by opening yourself to the energy of nature, and by accepting that you are a part of that grand symphony of energy and power, you allow yourself to partake of that energy to rebalance your life. Then you can work to rebalance the energies of other situations.
In other witchcraft practices, there are methods by which energy is raised, aimed at a target or goal, and released. The green witch uses energy in a slower, more subtle way. Seeking to be a part of the ebb and flow of the energy around her, she thus does not deliberately collect energy to shape and release. The green witch works from the inside out and moves with the natural flow of the energies instead of seeking to manipulate them.
Using the word “magic” can lead you to view your green witch work as something set apart. In this book, there are no rules for creating a magic circle in which you must work, no compulsory calling on deities, no sequences of formal ritual that must be enacted precisely as written. The practice of the green witch is a fluid, natural, personal practice, one that informs every moment of every day. It is important to recognize each moment as “magical” and full of potential. Everything is magical, in the sense that it is wondrous and unique—every breath, every step, every stir of your soup. Every act is an act of magic. The magic is life itself.
This knowledge must be balanced by the understanding that as a green witch, you carry a sacred responsibility not only to watch over the harmony of your environment, but also to remember that, as author Poppy Palin says in Craft of the Wild Witch, “every positive gesture has the potential to become a spell.” However, there is a danger in the practice of green witchcraft that familiarity may breed contempt. Recognizing each moment as magical and full of potential, the green witch may end up desensitizing herself to the point where no moment is special. Beware of falling into this rut. Allow yourself to marvel frequently at the joy and power of nature as the seasons cycle through the year, at the beautiful and frightful aspects of sunsets and storms. Every moment is magical because it holds potential, but also because it is merely a moment. The mundane is sacred to the green witch because it is mundane. The word “mundane” itself is derived from the Latin mundus, meaning “of the material world,” and it is the energy created by the material world that sources the green witch’s power.
OATH OF THE GREEN WITCH
Fundamentally, green witchcraft is an attitude, an approach to life. However, there also exists the opportunity to explore the green path through personal ritual and the creation of spells and charms. Ritual offers you the opportunity to attune your personal energy to the energy around you in a more structured manner and to experience the natural energy of your surroundings in a different way than you do in your everyday life.
If you recognize yourself and your beliefs in the previous pages, then perhaps the path of the green witch is calling to you. If you wish to formally declare yourself to be on this path and to live the green life, you can take this oath or use it as a basis for writing your own more personal version. You may address a deity, as in this example and elsewhere in this book, or leave it out, as you prefer.
Lord and Lady,
Spirits of Nature,
Elements around me,
Bless me as I walk the path of the green witch.
May my every action be for the good of all,
For Humanity and Nature alike.
Bring me wisdom and peace,
Serenity and balance as I walk this path.
Grant me the confidence to do the work you require of me
And strength to bear the burdens life asks of me.
I swear to guard the Soul of Nature,
To work with Nature,
To honor Nature,
And all who compose nature’s multitude.
These things I promise, and this I ask of you,
On this day, in this place.
As a green witch, I so swear.
If you wish, you can make this pledge anew each year at a time meaningful to you—at the beginning or end of each season, for example, to reaffirm your commitment to your path and way of life. Chapter 4 looks at the four seasons and various activities or rituals you can perform to further attune yourself to the changing energies of the yearly cycle; making this oath part of one or all four seasonal celebrations can keep your commitment fresh in your mind and spirit.
PRAYER OF THE GREEN WITCH
If the idea of a daily prayer appeals to you, this is a lovely way to begin or end your day. Try praying, aloud or in your heart, in a space that is sacred to you, one that is either formally blessed and consecrated or simply blessed by use in daily life.
Lord and Lady,
Spirits of Nature,
Elements around me,
Bless me as I move through the world today.
May I bring joy and tranquility to every life I touch.
May my actions bring only harmony to the world.
May I heal pain and soothe anger,
May I create joy and balance as I walk my path.
Support me and guide me, spirits of Nature,
This day and all days ahead of me.
This I ask of you, as a green witch,
And thank you for your many blessings.
The practice of the green witch doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, fancy tools, or complicated rituals. Perhaps more than any other path of witchcraft, the path of the green witch rests on your philosophy of living and how you interact with the world around you. For this reason, your prayers, the rituals you perform, and your sacred space must be personally meaningful. Creating a personal practice that accurately reflects who you are and your desire to work to create harmony in the world around you is the key to living a satisfying and fulfilling life as a green witch.