Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within - Juliet Diaz 2019
Introduction to the Witch’s Garden
The Witch’s Garden of Herbal Magick
A Witch’s garden is her pride and joy, particularly the Magickal and medicinal herbs and flowers she grows there. As a child I was always curious about the herbs my mother used in her Magickal workings and natural remedies. She explained to me that each herb has its own unique properties in both medicine and Magick, and they all have the Earth’s energy dwelling within them.
I’ve been working with herbal Magick since I was around five years old, at a time when I was suffering from nightmares. Spirits would visit me at night, and either surround me or sit by me. They didn’t hurt me, but their presence was extremely intense and I found this very frightening. Every night when I started screaming my mother would cleanse the room, calm me down, and get a glass of water to which she added one or two bay leaves. She put this under my bed, the spirits vanished, and I instantly fell back to sleep. My mother eventually decided it was time I learnt to put the bay glass under my bed myself, and so began my use of herbal Magick.
Besides your own inner Magick, the most important ingredients of any spell or working are herbs, flowers, roots, and essential oils. It’s easy to find information about them, and to familiarize yourself with their appearance and Magickal properties, but it’s also important for you to build your own connection with them. Work with each one individually and spend time connecting to its specific energy, scent, and taste. Take your time and fill at least one page for each herb in your Book of Shadows, recording your experience of it.
The spells, potions, and other Magickal workings I share with you in this chapter all deal with herbal Magick and come from my Book of Shadows. I have either created them myself, received them from my elders and ancestors, or learnt them from spirits. I’ve chosen my favorites, which are simple yet powerful, and cover a wide range of uses from attracting love and healing a broken heart to purification and manifestation. I hope you'll find many you connect with and add to your own Book of Shadows.
In my spells I mention the words pinch and dash. This is my way of measuring the amount of a particular ingredient I wish to put into my Magickal workings. A dash is about half a teaspoon and a pinch is about a quarter of a teaspoon. I also use a tablespoon for some ingredients. Don’t worry if you don’t get the exact amount — use your intuition and the following recipes to guide you.
