The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook: A Complete Guide to Magickal Herbs and How to Use Them - Karen Harrison 2020
The Herbs of Mercury—Communication, Knowledge, and Business
The Herbs and Their Planetary Signatures
Energies: communication, divination, business success, intellectualization, learning
Color: yellow
Number: 7
Metal: quicksilver
Stones/materials: quartz, opal, Herkimer diamond, yellow calcite, optical calcite, yellow jasper
Deities: Janus, Hermes, Thoth, Ogma, Maat, Shesat, Calliope
Herbs: bergamot, caraway, cinnamon, dill, ephedra, gum arabic, gum mastic, horehound, lavender, licorice, marjoram, mouse-ear, mullein, papyrus, peppermint, star anise, savory, thyme, woodruff
The activity of herbs attributed to Mercury is quite multifaceted and diverse, mirroring the ways that the energies of Mercury tend to perform in Magick, but a common thread runs through them. Mercury is the connector, the communicator, and the messenger, representing the bright intelligence and the free flow of nervous energy. Mercury governs both the nervous and respiratory systems and is intrinsically involved in matters of conscious perception and mental focus. Like the Martian herbs, stimulation is a principal element among Mercurial herbs, though it is somewhat gentler and more precise than that of the Martian herbs.
Mercury energy is about communication and comprehension—communication by electrical impulse in the brain as well as with the verbal and written word. Mercury energies are those of the orator, writer, computer programmer, and actor. The herbs associated with this Planet are often spices that act to excite the nervous system and the brain through the sense of taste. Cinnamon, licorice, and star anise are noted examples of this function. Gum mastic exemplifies the interconnecting messenger function of Mercury. Though it is a fixative and binder, it provides the medium in which a multiplicity of elements may blend, or communicate.
Mercurial herbs relieve respiratory difficulty, hoarseness, and headaches caused by stress. Mullein taken as a tea relieves respiratory ailments, as well as coughs, hoarseness, and bronchitis, while inhalation of the steam serves to break up congestion in the chest. Application of a mullein fomentation or poultice, on the other hand, soothes skin inflammation, itching, and warts. Licorice also relieves sore throat, hoarseness, and bronchial conditions and calms nervous ulcers.
Lavender essential oil or an Infusion of lavender flowers provides excellent relief for insect bites when applied directly, and aids in relieving headache when massaged into the temples. It is also a beneficial herb to use in a sleep pillow to help focus and quiet the rambling thoughts of the mind in preparation for rest. Drinking a tea of equal parts cinnamon and lavender flowers is also very helpful before studying to help focus the mind in order to retain the information.
Mercurial herbs facilitate clear thinking, eloquence, and conscious understanding. They aid in business success and excite and vitalize the nervous receptors throughout the body. They help to facilitate quick recovery from illness. The herbs of Mercury enable the conscious mind to communicate more easily with the subconscious mind, thus aiding psychic work with the Tarot or any other divination method that visually incorporates symbols and requires memorization.
Among Mercury's areas of expertise are business acumen and positive self-presentation. Let me illustrate how to use the energy of Mercury and Mercurial herbs and essential oils in a ritual to gain a new professional position.
New Career ritual
Choose a time when you will not be interrupted—unplug the phone, put the pets away if they tend to disturb you when you are doing energywork, and gather your tools for your ritual. You will need the following materials:
three yellow candles
Employment Oil (see Formulas for Manifestation of Goals in appendix E, Formulas and Recipes)
Incense charcoal (see Note)
Employment Incense (see Planetary Formulas in appendix E, Formulas and Recipes, for an Incense made from Mercurial herbs)
parchment
yellow feather quill (see Note)
yellow calligraphy ink
small yellow or gold plate placed in the center of your altar
stone of Mercury (clear quartz, yellow jasper, yellow calcite, optical calcite, or opal, or Herkimer diamond are some choices)
yellow pouch or bag
whatever you will be leaving at your interviews (your resume, job application, or business card)
Now it is time to begin. If it is traditional with the way you work when focusing your energy for a ritual, cast a Circle in your usual manner. If you prefer not to create a sacred space in which to do your work, focus your thoughts and energy on the work at hand. Breathing slowly and deeply, imagine that you are connected to the Earth and that you are radiating a pale, clear light from every pore in your body, surrounding yourself with this light.
Now anoint your candles with your Employment Ritual Oil, from the wick down to the bottom of the candle, while visualizing (seeing in your mind's eye) the result you want. You will anoint in this direction because you are drawing a new job to yourself; as the candle burns down, it will attract energies of opportunity like a magnet. Focusing on the idea of “the perfect job,” see yourself receiving a paycheck or walking down a hallway being greeted by friendly co-workers. Light the candles and then, from the flame of the middle candle, light the Incense charcoal. Let it spark almost to your fingers and then place it in your Incense burner on some insulating sand. Place a small amount of Incense on the charcoal and imagine that you see your new job in the smoke of the Incense. Now, on a piece of parchment, draw a simple image of your business card or the word career with your feather quill and calligraphy ink.
Place the parchment onto the yellow or gold plate in the center of your altar, image-side up where you can see it. Pick up your Mercury stone and, holding it in your hands, fingers cupped over it, again visualize your desire. With each breath, see your desire more clearly and blow this energy image into the stone in your cupped hands. After you have filled the stone with energy, hold the stone briefly in the flame of each candle and over the Incense smoke. Place the charged stone in the center of your parchment on which you have drawn your image and pour a small amount of Ritual Oil over it. Breathe quietly for a few moments, keeping your concentration on your goal in a gentle but intense fashion. Now place the stone in the yellow pouch or bag and sprinkle some of your Incense over it in the bag. Set the bag down and, from the center candle flame, light one end of your parchment. Let the flame get going and then set the parchment down on the small plate on your altar. Once it has burned into ash, let it cool, then add the ashes to your yellow pouch or bag.
Now it is time to cense, anoint, and activate your resume, job application or business cards. Hold whichever you are charging with energy (or all three!) a few inches above the flame of the candles as you focus on “the perfect job.” Allow the heat of the candle flames to be felt on the paper, but be careful not to mar your materials with soot from the candles or by catching them afire. Imagine the power of fire activating and enlivening the materials. Next, bathe them in the smoke of your employment Incense and focus your energy. Last, put a small amount of your employment oil in the palm of one hand and rub both palms together, distributing the oil over your palms. Lightly place your palms on the back of the resume, job application, and/or business cards, making sure not to leave oily splotches behind for your prospective employer to wonder about.
Place the charged materials in the center of your altar and put the power bag on top. Leave everything there overnight to blend their charged energy.
Extinguish your candles, and you are done! You can use the candles again later if you wish to recharge your bag or charge up more copies of your resume to take on your job search. Bring your power bag with you for each job interview to lend energy to you as you speak eloquently and with confidence about your abilities. When you are looking in the paper for prospective jobs, keep the bag right by you, or when you are making phone calls to set up interviews, hold the bag as you talk on the phone. Happy hunting!
*Incense charcoal: It is always a good idea to use an insulating material in your burner because the charcoals get very hot! Fill the burner halfway with an insulating material like sand, garden soil, or kitty litter and flatten the surface so the charcoal will lay flat. Holding the charcoal between two fingers, light one end and let it spark completely across. When the sparks are almost at your fingers, place the charcoal, divot-side up, on the sand. Do not smother the charcoal with Incense—put a pinch on at a time. A charcoal can burn for several hours, so once you have finished your ritual, just leave the charcoal safely in the Incense burner and dispose of the ashes the next day. Be sure that you close off the room so that small children or animals don't knock it over and start a fire.
*Feather quill: Be sure that you have prepared your quill beforehand by cutting the end into a point so that you can gather the ink into it. You may want to practice writing with your quill before your ritual so that you know how much ink to gather in it and to be sure that the point is the right shape (there's nothing more frustrating than finding in the middle of a ritual that something is not working the way you expected!).