Notes on Wortcunning
Stone and Wood and Herb

"Mrs. Ryan's mother and her aunts, Tamson Weeks and Esther Howossowee, were herb-doctors of great renown,
both on the islands and on the mainland. The teachings of these women have been handed down to posterity through
individuals considered by them worthy of the right to minister to their kindred.

The cures were regarded to be, to an extent, secret property. The women went out at odd times to places where the desired
roots and plants grew, when others would not know of their whereabouts. Mrs. Ryan does the same,
but gives as the reason the desire to protect plants from being gathered wastefully. In connection with the preparation of roots
and herbs to be used for medicinal purposes, there are certain rules which must be observed in order to preserve the potent
properties of the plants and to cause the remedy to affect a cure. The plants must not be gathered during
"dog days", but just prior to that period. It is believed that the sun is a great healer and strengthener,
therefore plants and roots to be used for medicine should be dried in the sun. When gathering bark,
only the inner bark is taken. No metal should be used in the preparation of roots and herbs; they must be pounded
or crushed between two stones or beaten in a small wooden mortar made especially for that purpose."

-William S. Simmons

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All works of Witchery can benefit from the use of herbs, for each wort, herb, or plant is aligned to one of the planetary currents. Their uses are many- burning a dried or fresh herb during the last phase of the work make available much excess sympathetic power which will weave itself into the Witching. Integrating the parts of fresh or dried plants of the proper variety in other ways also adds power- wrapping fresh Jupiterian herbs, for instance, inside a sigil-parchment that will be placed into a pouch as a protection charm will double its effectiveness.

A table is given below listing certain herbs with respect to their planetary alignments, as a help in your art. But herb-lore goes much deeper than just sympathetic help to works of Witchery; the healing aspect of the art, the many health benefits to be found in knowing the properties of plants and their safe preparation for ingestion in various forms, is probably the oldest kind of sorcery there is, and those who are skilled in it are a boon to any community or family. To gain these sorts of understandings, I strongly urge you to purchase the famous time-honored herbals, like Culpepper's, or, for a modern, easier-to-understand guidebook to herbology and herbal medicine, "Nature's Medicine Chest" by Reader's Digest is likely the finest available. For those specifically interested in medicines and herbalism from New England, "Micmac Medicines" by Laurie Lacey is the finest available.

Before one can gather and utilize herbs properly, especially for works of sorcery, one must understand that simply finding plants and plucking their parts is not enough. As Simmons recorded, the Caniculares dies or the "Dog Days" of summer are baleful days, in which the chaotic power of Sirius comes to taint the world with the foreshadowing of the chaos of winter, though in a hot, dry, martial aspect, and plants cannot be gathered on those days- which are traditionally July 24 through August 24. However, gathering herbs right before those days is best- the choicest power is available then.

Most people who gather herbs want to preserve them in some fashion- the power of the sun is absorbed by drying herbs in it. Most importantly, no metal can be used in gathering, and herbs that will be ground cannot be ground in metal, as Simmons mentions above. Fresh herbs can be used in Sorcery- indeed, I find them to be powerful, too- but they must be used quickly after gathering. While gathering any herb, you must never take more than you need. You must never destroy a plant unless you need the whole for some reason, and something must be given in return, whether you destroy it or not; milk, honey, or blood are good "gifts in return" to the spirit of the plant.

Of course it goes without being said that plants and trees have "spirits" or inhabiting powers that are non-human persons- living beings. Everything in this world, after all, has a correspondence over the Hedge; this is not to say that the "Others" of plants are necessarily just like human beings or animals, but they still exist, and rules of relationship and respect are required for any living being when dealing with others. It comes to this: the Others of plants and trees can withhold their power from you if you mistreat them while taking of their worldly parts, and this will thwart your work. Respectfully approaching and only taking at certain times and in certain ways will maximize the chances that the weird power in the plants or bark is preserved.

You should only gather herbs during a waxing or full moon, and only on the proper day of planetary alignment. Naturally, you should never take anything internally- nor lock yourself in a closed-up chamber while burning any of these herbs without knowing for certain whether or not they are poisonous. Good herbals will reveal the dangers of certain plants.

* * *

LUNAR: Willow bark and leaves, Sandalwood, Bladderwrack, Adder's Tongue, Myrrh, Gardenia, Lilys, Moonwort, Eucalyptus, Jasmine, Lemon, Fern, Mugwort,

SOLAR: St. John's Wort, Angelica, Mistletoe, Cinnamon, Heliotrope, Rowan, Chamomile, Sunflower, Allspice, Saffron, Frankincense, Goldenseal, Daisy

MARTIAL: Vervain, Onion, Pine, Wormwood, Rue, All Peppers and Maces, Ginger, Tobacco, Peppercorns, Strafe, Chilis, Holly, Stinging Nettles, Garlic, and Wolfsbane or Aconite

MERCURIAL: Peppermint, Flax, Elecampane, Dill, Fennel, Bittersweet, Leaves or bark of the Ash tree, Fly Agaric Mushroom or any vision-inducing fungus, Psilocybin, Morning Glory, Cinquefoil, Spearmint, Poppy

JUPITERIAN: Houseleek, Agrimony, Hyssop, any part of an Oak, Figs, Borage, Chestnuts, Cloves, Meadowsweet, Nutmeg, Anise, Maple, and Sage

VENUSIAN: Rose, Rosemary, Blackberry, Marigold, Lady's mantle, Honeysuckle, Vervain, Maidenhair Fern, Violet, Coriander, Myrtle, Cardamom, Plum, Marjoram, Cowslip, Apple, Basil, Mandrake, Periwinkle, Birch, Ragwort, Strawberry

SATURNIAN: Nightshade, Belladonna, Henbane, Datura, Hemlock, Foxglove, Elder berries, leaves, or bark, Yew, Poplar, Thorn, Cypress, Mullein, Dodder, Juniper, Hemp, Euphorbia, Amaranth, Ivy, Hellebore, Patchouli, Skullcap, Solomon's seal, Horsetail


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All Text, aside from given citations, is Copyright © 2009 by Robin Artisson
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