Plant Witchery: Discover the Sacred Language, Wisdom, and Magic of 200 Plants - Juliet Diaz 2020

Wormwood Artemisa absinthium
A Compendium of Plants

ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES

protection, amplification, psychic ability

This ancient silvery beauty is said to have grown in the path of the serpent as it exited Eden. Wormwood is often mistaken for sagebrush due to her similar appearance and scent. She might be most famous for the visions caused by drinking absinthe, a vision-inducing liquor that is made from her oil.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Wormwood can treat fever, digestion problems, liver disease, depression, loss of appetite, muscle pain, and memory loss. She can also treat Crohn’s disease and, when made into a salve, can relieve itching from insect bites. However, wormwood can be dangerous if overused (for longer than two weeks), and pregnant women should avoid her.

MAGICAL PROPERTIES

Wormwood’s Magical uses are multifold. Soaked in wine for several days, she is known to present visions, astral projections, and divination. When immersed in olive oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil for three Full Moon cycles, she becomes a powerful anointing oil that can be used for protection, spell reversal, and communication with spirits. Place the flowers in the trunk of your car to keep you from traveling into dangerous areas, and to keep you safe from stalkers. Wormwood may also be used in spells to send harmful magic back to its sender. When burned in combination with mugwort, bay, or blue lotus, she serves as a bridge of communication, allowing you to call up spirits.

PLANT WISDOM

Most often, I work with wormwood to fine-tune my clairsentience; she makes it so that when I have visions, I am able to walk around, touch and move things, look for messages, and so on. When I was younger this was difficult to do, and my mother would place wormwood in my pillow to help me navigate my visions and be able to feel and sense objects to get even more information. Invite wormwood into your dreams to help you navigate your dreamworld, especially in times when you are having trouble sleeping.

Wormwood’s message to you is Mind over matter—or rather, Spirit over matter. She reminds you that you are limitless and powerful, so long as you truly believe, do the work, and take risks, even when you are afraid.