The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook: A Complete Guide to Magickal Herbs and How to Use Them - Karen Harrison 2020

The Herbs of Saturn—Grounding, Protection, and Stability
The Herbs and Their Planetary Signatures

Energies: form, stability, karma, discipline, occult knowledge, protection, patience, endurance

Color: indigo

Number: 4

Metal: lead

Stones/materials: jet, onyx, hematite, smoky quartz

Deities: Kronos, Dionysus, Anubis, the Cailleach, Danu, Ceres

Herbs: asafoetida, balm of Gilead, bistort, boneset, comfrey, cypress, dill, fumitory, garlic, hawthorn, hemlock, hyssop, patchouli, petitgrain, rosemary, Solomon's seal, Saint-John's-wort, valerian, vetivert, wolfsbane, yew

The energies of the Planet Saturn are central to spiritual creatures who live in the physical world, such as humans. Saturn's dominion encompasses those powers that rule the knowledge of karma acquired during one's lifetimes. Saturn's force slows down and calms chaotic events and gives endurance. This force restricts and binds but also assists with self-control, self-responsibility, and the wisdom learned through overcoming challenges. In addition, Saturn is important in rites of protection and shielding. This Planet's energy serves as a passive form of protection rather than the assertive form of protection, which is that of Mars.

Saturn is sometimes known as a malefic Planet because Saturn's flavor of energy can bring what, at the time, we may interpret as events of hardship and difficulty. But challenges requiring self-control, time, and endurance teach us our karmic lessons, and it is in the overcoming of these challenges that we begin to comprehend and apply our karmic heritage, thus enabling us to be more spiritually focused individuals.

There are many symbols that encapsulate the power and expression of Saturnian energy as it applies to the concept of karma. Kronos, the god of time, is the Greek form of the Roman god Saturn. Adherents to the Gregorian calendar symbolize the passing of the year's months by the image of Kronos, or Saturn, as the old man with a scythe giving way to the new year on January 1, symbolized by a baby. By harnessing the scythe power of Saturn, we can cut away that which binds us karmically when we become responsible for the path we choose to follow. The Hermit and the High Priestess cards in the Major Arcana of the Tarot exemplify the way that Saturn expresses energy. In their own ways, they both symbolize time, wisdom, inner secrets, and slow contemplation.

Saturn's various energies can be found in those herbs that are the foundation of plants—the roots binding the plant to the Earth, such as comfrey root or Solomon's seal root. They are also those herbs that grow in dark, dank places, like the cypress tree, or are dark themselves, such as patchouli leaves. Herbs that clear or cleanse, such as garlic, or that are used as a fumitory also fall under the dominion of Saturn. Garlic is a natural antibiotic, restricting and binding the growth of bacteria. Garlic is also found to be medicinally beneficial in controlling and stopping the growth of plaque in the blood vessels that can lead to heart failure or stroke.

Saturn energy represents the force of limitations and restrictions both in time and space. This energy provides the structure and foundation, without which existence would dissolve into chaos. It is interesting that two of the most foul-smelling herbs, asafoetida and valerian, have been used for millennia in rites of banishment and exorcism and, medicinally speaking, are powerful antispasmodics, acting to limit and sedate potentially damaging overflows of energy. Other herbs of Saturn such as rosemary, dill, and Saint-John's-wort are also antispasmodics, working principally on the nervous and digestive systems. Rosemary also reduces scrofulous sores and acts as a mild astringent, restricting and eliminating infection. Other Saturnian astringents include Solomon's seal, hyssop, Saint-John's-wort, and garlic. Solomon's seal and hyssop bear indigo fruit—the color associated with Saturn—and the flowers of the garlic plant are sterile, corresponding with the limiting, binding, and ending energies associated with Saturn.

Garlic is a great limiter in terms of internal infection and is an eliminative for worms. Admirably suiting the Saturnian aspect of protection, Garlic is widely credited as a preventative against a broad variety of diseases (including bubonic plague). It regularizes the liver and gall bladder (while rosemary stimulates bile production) and has a limiting effect on the circulatory system, lowering blood pressure and combating arteriosclerosis. Sharing the pungent, aromatic qualities of valerian and asafoetida, it exemplifies the Saturnian medical principal of essential healing agents that are at times difficult to swallow.

The energy of Saturn is very helpful to our lives in many ways. Creating a Protection Amulet allows you to apply the power and lessons of this valuable Planet and aids in shielding you from the unbalanced, negative energies that you often encounter as you work toward your goals.

Protection Amulet

The words amulet and talisman have come to be used interchangeably for an object or charm that repels negativity. I generally used the word talisman to indicate something that has symbols or words written or inscribed upon it, while I view an Amulet as an object that is composed of natural materials. Both can be worn on the body or placed in a location of significance. Amulets are quite versatile in their use. You may use this Protection Amulet to shield and protect. Really, your imagination is the limit as far as the myriad places and uses you will find to take advantage of this Magickal tool.

For the manufacture and charging of your Amulet, you will need the following materials:

six-inch-square black cotton or silk cloth

one yard white cotton cord or ribbon

four protective herbs (hyssop, Solomon's seal, rue, garlic, coriander, agrimony, rowan, patchouli, or chaparral), each in a separate small dish container

one protective stone (onyx, smoky quartz, hematite, jet, or obsidian)

Incense burner

Protection Incense (see Formulas for Manifestation of Goals in appendix E, Formulas and Recipes)

Incense charcoal

white candle and holder

Protection Oil (see Formulas for Manifestation of Goals in appendix E, Formulas and Recipes)

matches or lighter

Arrange your materials on your altar or a flat surface as such: the cloth and ribbon in the center; your herbs (each in a separate small dish or container) and your protective stone to your right; an Incense burner half filled with sand, Protection Incense, and a ready piece of Incense charcoal at the top right of your table; your candle, candleholder, Protection Oil, and some matches or a lighter at the top left of your table.

Now it's time to do the work.

If you typically cast a Circle when you do any energywork, do so 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 light from every pore in your body, surrounding yourself with light.

Now anoint the white candle with Protection Oil from the top of the wick to the bottom of the candle. You will anoint in this direction because you are drawing protection to yourself; as the candle burns down, it will attract protective, shielding energies like a magnet. Place the candle in the candleholder and light it. Now, light your Incense charcoal from the candle's flame, let the charcoal begin to ignite across its entire surface, then place it on top of some sand or other insulating material that you have placed in your Incense burner. Once the ignited charcoal ignites all the way across, apply a small spoonful of Protection Incense.

Lay your black cloth out flat in the center of your altar and place about a tablespoon of each of your four chosen herbs in the center of this cloth. As you place each herb in the center of the cloth, concentrate on the protective qualities of the herb and activate the energies of the herb with your thoughts. Hold the chosen stone in your hands and, focusing and activating the protective qualities of the stone, warm it in your hands, then place it on top of the herbs. Taking two opposing corners of the cloth, bring them together and hold the edges with the fingers of one hand as you then take the other opposing corners and bring them together, creating a bag or pouch. Let the corners lie flat while you gather your cord or ribbon, then pinch all the cloth corners together and twist them one or two times to secure it. Tie your cord tightly around the twisted portion of your bag and knot it four times. With each knot you tie, focus your mind entirely on protection. Now hold your Protection Amulet in the smoke of the Incense, then briefly over the candle flame to set the Magick. You can now put the Amulet by your front door to safeguard your home, keep it in your car's glove box for protection while traveling or to ward off thieves, carry it in your purse or in your pocket to protect you wherever you go, tie it to your pet's collar to keep your pet safe, or store it in a cash drawer to shield money from theft—anywhere that you have determined protection is needed.

You will notice that for this Amulet, in addition to herbs and stones of protection, you have been using the colors white and black. White is a color of purification, while black is a color of shielding and absorption. Using both for protection helps to bring purity, shielding, and the quality of absorbing any negative energy. You have used four herbs and tied your cord with four knots. This is the number of Saturn and of binding. By using the number 4, you are binding and sealing the power of your Amulet. In addition, 4 herbs + 4 knots = 8, the number of power.