Garden Witch's Herbal

by Ellen Dugan

  Allow the candle to burn out in a safe place. Return the plant material neatly to nature by adding it to your yard waste or compost pile.

  dog rose

  Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

  Sometimes this plant is simply called rosehips. It has several colorful folk names such as rose briar, dogberry, herb patience, sweet briar, and Witches’ briar. This wild rose is grown not only for the pretty pink blossoms but for the bright red fruits, the hips, that it produces in autumn. This rose is native to Europe, Northwest Africa, and Western Asia. The dog rose is a deciduous shrub that can range in height from three to twenty feet tall. The rose may climb even higher if it has the support of a nearby tree. The dog rose’s stems are covered in small, sharp hooked “spines”—which help the rose to climb, or ramble, up anything in its path. The leaves are oval and pointed, featuring five to seven leaflets.

  The flowers have five petals, and their color can range from the palest pink to deep pink and white. After blooming, the flower’s center matures into the hip. In the autumn, this plant really shines as the hips turn a beautiful deep red.

  This plant was sacred to the Goddess, as the five petals of the flower formed her star. The plant was also protected by the faeries. Fallen wild rose petals may be added to spells and charms to speed up the results. The rose hips were and still are today used in spells and charms to promote love. As with other roses featured in this book, the astrological correspondence is Venus, and the elemental association is water.

  rosehips

  Rosehip and Petal Sachet

  to Encourage Romance

  For this hedge magick, you will need the fresh petals and the hips of the dog rose. For best results, try working this spell on a Friday, the day sacred to Venus, Aphrodite, and Freya, all goddesses of love and romance. Place the petals and the rosehips together into a six-inch square of natural fabric, and pull up the edges of the fabric, creating a small bundle. Then tie the sachet closed with a red ribbon, and knot it three times, saying:

  By the Maiden, Mother, and the Crone,

  Bless this sachet I made on my own.

  Now visualize romance coming into your life. Do not focus on a specific someone—that would be considered manipulation. Instead, focus on the idea of romance and love increasing in your life in the best possible way. Let the magick unfold on its own. Now hold the sachet bag in your hands, and enchant and empower the sachet with the following verse:

  The rose is a flower of the Goddess divine,

  The fruits of the rose are hips, and they are sublime.

  Now place them together in a pouch and bind with red ribbon,

  The Witch’s rose and its fruits allow the romance to begin.

  Close the spell with these lines:

  This romantic, rosy spell is spun from the heart,

  Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.

  Tuck the sachet into your pocket or purse, and carry it with you. Get ready to become more aware of new opportunities for romance.

  Garden Witch Tip: If you are interested in the specifics of love and romance magick or just want more ideas and tips on this particular spellcasting topic, then please refer to my book How to Enchant a Man: Spells to Bewitch, Bedazzle & Beguile.

  hawthorn

  Hawthorn (Crataegus mollis)

  This tree takes its botanical name, Crataegus, from the Greek “flowering thorn.” The hawthorn is a member of the rose family. Some of its folk names include May flower, summer haw, hagthorn, bread and cheese tree, and May blossom. The haw in hawthorn translates to “hedge,” which is how the fruiting tree got its name: it was the “fruit of the hedge.” These smaller trees can grow fifteen to twenty feet tall, and their boughs are covered in large, curving thorns. It blooms April through May, and its flowers are similar to apple blossoms. They are white with five petals and have many stamens. The flower of the hawthorn tree is the state flower of Missouri. The fruit is abundant and scarlet colored and about a half inch in diameter. The fruit ripens in the fall, typically August through September, although other varieties of hawthorns may not ripen until October or November.

  The hawthorn tree and its foliage were ancient symbols of hope and protection. During medieval times, cuttings were brought into homes to ward off evil spirits. On an interesting note, it is rumored that the ancient Romans placed hawthorn branches in the boudoir to bless the marriage bed. The hawthorn’s astrological correspondence is Mars. The elemental association is fire.

  A Springtime Hawthorn Marriage Spell

  This spell may be worked in any moon phase. Carefully gather a small sprig of blooming hawthorn. Arrange the twig in a vase, and then set it in a place of prominence in the bedroom. Allow the natural energies of protection and hope to fill the room. This hedgerow magick may be enhanced with the following verse:

  The hawthorn blesses marriages, and hope now fills this room,

  Using hedge magick and the power of a branch in bloom.

  This romantic hawthorn spell is spun from the heart,

  Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.

  Allow the blooming twig to stay in the vase until it begins to fade. When it does, dispose of the twig neatly in a compost pile. Don’t forget to wash out the vase before storing it away.

  wild crab

  Wild Crab (Malus ioensis or Pyrus ioensis)

  The wild crab is a smaller tree that may occasionally reach up to thirty feet in height. There are over ninety varieties of crab apples. Unlike the modern cultivars, the wild crab apple was originally a thorn-bearing tree, which made it an ideal specimen for the hedgerow. The bloom time for the crab is April through May; the flowers will bloom as the tree leaves begin to open. Flowers are showy and borne in clusters of three to six along the branches of the tree. They are a deep rosy pink or white blossom with five petals each. The fruit of the wild crab is small, green, and applelike. While the fruits are very fragrant, this particular variety of wild crab is unpleasant tasting and not desirable for human consumption. However, those crab apples are a treat for songbirds and other wildlife.

  When I was a girl, my parents had a classic crab apple tree in our backyard. Come summertime, it dropped little “apples” all over the yard—which the birds, squirrels, insects, and bees loved. I was tricked into eating a crab apple by my father—once. Talk about nasty! However, my grandmother swore that the fruits could be made into jams. Today, if you scout around, there are recipes all over the Internet on crab apple jelly, and they all call for copious amounts of sugar to sweeten up those bitter fruits.

  Some modern guides to making hedgerows call the wild crab “important for numerous species of birds and small mammals.” The wild crab apple grows naturally in open woods, fields, hedgerows, pastures, and streamside. Astrological correspondences are the same as for the traditional apple tree: the planetary influence is Venus, and the elemental correspondence is water.

  Garden Witch Tip: The wild crab (Malus ioensis) is not the blooming crab tree that you typically find today at the nursery or home improvement store’s garden center. Most of the blooming crab trees that are available these days have been extensively hybridized for landscaping and the home gardener such as the popular Brandywine variety Malus ‘Branzam’. These newer varieties of trees bloom very heavily in the spring and come in flower shades of purple-red and pink, and there are also white varieties as well. The “fruit” of the modern crab apple is tiny and almost unnoticeable. Those miniature fruits from the hybridized trees are still attractive to birds, though, so if this is what you already have growing in the yard, no worries. And best of all, you won’t go stepping on old, fallen crab apples and having them squish up between your bare toes in the summertime.

  The Crab Apple Spell

  Is your love a bit crabby at the moment? Want to sweeten them up and restore their good mood? Try wor
king with the foliage and fruit of the crab apple tree. You may work this spell in a waning moon to decrease their sour mood. Or you could work in the waxing moon and increase the love and restore the happiness that you share as a couple. You can also work on a Friday, a Venus day. It’s your choice, and you always have options when it comes to spellcasting.

  Gather a few leaves from the crab apple and a couple of the small fruits. Place them carefully around a pink spell candle a few inches away from the base of the candleholder in a ring. The pink candle is used in this spell to encourage romance and warm, fuzzy feelings. Please make sure you keep the foliage well away from the flames, and then light the candle and repeat the following charm:

  With a rosy pink spell candle burning so bright,

  Your mood will now improve on this enchanted night.

  Your sour mood is drawn to the sour fruit of the crab apple tree,

  With harm to none and for the good of all, as I will, so mote it be.

  Allow the spell candle to burn out in a safe place. Neatly return the foliage to nature by adding it to your yard waste or compost pile, and remember to thank the crab apple tree for the use of its fruit and foliage.

  A Walker Between the Worlds

  We live between two worlds; we soar in the atmosphere; we creep upon the soil …

  w. winwood reade

  A Witch is a person who walks between the physical world and the astral world. To spend all of their time in either world would make them disconnected from the magick or hold them separate from reality. So, in essence, they easily and happily travel back and forth between the two. For example, Witches may spend their mornings contentedly working in the garden, and be at their job in the afternoon and evening, but they may fill the later evening hours with study, meditation, and spellcraft. This ability to successfully work and live in both worlds is the hallmark of any adept Witch.

  There is also a school of thought that says a Hedge Witch straddles the two worlds, and in so doing, the Witch becomes a bridge, or link, between them—in other words, they are “riding the hedge.” Visualize this as the Hedge Witch connecting the physical world of nature and green magick with the astral planes, or the spirit world. The hedge itself is a metaphor and a division between the physical world and the world of spirit, while the Hedge Witch becomes the divine connection between the two.

  Who Are the Hedge Witches?

  When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest.

  william hazlitt

  The term Hedge Witch is a controversial one; let’s not pretend otherwise. If you do a search on the Internet and look up “Hedge Witch,” you’ll find a plethora of opinions, ideas, and definitions. At its most basic explanation, a Hedge Witch is often described as a solitary practitioner who works their magick, using herbs and green magick, quietly and in harmony with the land. The current term “Hedge Witch” was coined by the British author Rae Beth. It’s somewhat the British equivalent to being a solitary, self-trained practitioner here in the States today.

  However, if you ask several Witches what a Hedge Witch is, you’ll very likely get completely different answers. As I researched this topic, I found many different characterizations and opinions on this kind of Witch, but what really caught my attention was the popularity of the term. It seems that everywhere I looked, the term Hedge Witch was popping up—on the Internet, in a lovely article in a magickal calendar, and in more and more magickal books.

  An acquaintance of mine, who is a rabid reader and science fiction fan, casually informed me that the term Hedge Witch was a popular term in science fiction/ fantasy novels. He then told me the term denoted a magickal practitioner who was not formally trained. They lived on the outskirts of town or on the edge of the woods and practiced their magick alone and spontaneously with whatever supplies they could gather.

  Ah-ha! I pounced on that idea. Practicing magick quietly, with only some down-to-earth and simple items supplied by nature … using plants and your instinct, voice, heart, and two hands to create your spirituality … well, hello. I’ve been writing about that magickal subject for years now. Hmmm … I was off and running.

  However, calling oneself a Hedge Witch is a title that either makes a person feel right at home or it makes them argue passionately about what they believe the term truly means. If you do a little digging and research the term, you find some very interesting definitions on this brand of witchery from some of the most respected writers on the Craft today.

  Wiccan author Raymond Buckland, in his book The Witch Book, claims that a Hedge Witch doesn’t use complicated rituals and may not always become involved with the religious aspect of Witchcraft.

  In The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, author John Michael Greer defines a Hedge Witch in this way: “In modern Paganism, a term used by and for solitary Witches whose practices incorporate large amounts of natural magic, herb lore, and similar subjects, and who generally do not claim a connection with any particular tradition.”

  Other practitioners believe that a Hedge Witch is a Witch who focuses on more shamanic practices. In Raven Grimassi’s book The Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, he defines a Hedge Witch as an eclectic and self-taught solitary practitioner—a person who typically works with a familiar spirit, herbal magick, trance, and shamanic practices such as drumming to create altered states of consciousness. In Grimassi’s characterization, a Hedge Witch only uses natural and very simple supplies for their magickal purposes.

  So, with all the fuss about politically correct titles, what is a Witch to do? Truthfully, you are going to have to decide for yourself what suits you the best. There are many paths to the Craft and to understanding the mysteries. A few of these paths fall under the category of green magick and hearth and home magick.

  If you take a good look at all of these different accounts of what a Hedge Witch is, you begin to see that while there is a difference of opinion, there are also many points that are agreed upon. A Hedge Witch is an enigma, and sometimes the best way to gain knowledge of a topic is to study the mystery and consider all the possibilities. Then, as you begin to comprehend its complexities, you start to gain wisdom, and you are, in fact, teaching yourself something new. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper look at the magick of the Hedge Witch.

  Hedge Witch Magick

  Hedge Witch: a solitary Witch, answering to no one,

  belonging to no coven; claiming the right to be what she or he was born to be—magical.

  rae beth, the wiccan way

  Our modern Hedge Witch practice is a holdover from olden times, when to openly practice Witchcraft was a dangerous thing. However, these very down-to-earth practitioners kept a low profile. They went about the business of tending a home and raising a family. Spirituality was earthy, natural, and a part of their everyday life. The use of everyday items as magickal tools was clever and practical. If all of their magickal tools were hidden as mundane, everyday household accruements, they blended in and were safe.

  For example, the one good kitchen knife was also the magickal knife. The broom that was used to sweep the floors clean was the ceremonial magickal staff. The cauldron used for cooking stews, soups, and meals was also the magick cauldron for brews and potions. The herbs drying from the beams in the ceiling, the flowers and plants growing in the garden—everything that a Hedge Witch put his or her hands on with intention was magick. Any item in their home or garden could be sacred—and their homes would have been dedicated to the practitioner’s personal gods of hearth and home.

  It seems to me that the term Hedge Witch is definitely in vogue. Fifteen years ago, these types of magicians would have been referred to as Kitchen Witches, and they do share many things in common. Both the Hedge and Kitchen Witches are hearth and home practitioners. These folks are no-nonsense, practice a green or nature-based spirituality, and, most importantly, they wor
k natural magick in a practical way with the plants, supplies, and tools that they have on hand.

  So using a bit of the Hedge Witch’s practicality, let’s not get into such a lather about what the title means. Instead, let’s enjoy what wonderful, down-to-earth magick and natural enchantments the green practice of the Hedge Witch can share with us.

  Green spirituality is a foundation of the Craft. Green is the color of nature and the plant kingdom, and it is the color of life. When we are intimately connected with nature, our spirituality blossoms, and we grow. If you want the chance to spread out and stretch your comprehension of the Craft, then take a real look at the natural world. Spend some time in nature. Plant a garden, or grow pots of herbs on your porch. Go camping, go on a boat trip, or take a walk in the park. Get outside! Because that is where you will find the true advanced lessons.

  Everyone is always searching for “advanced” topics and “advanced” books. But what they do not realize is that the advanced spiritual lessons are not held within the pages of a book. The book can guide you and point you down the path, or in my case, this Garden Witch’s book is waving its imaginary arms at you like crazy and is pointing frantically outside—it’s okay, you can take this guide book with you. Just go outside. However, at the end of the day, each Witch must make the journey out into nature on their own.

  It is vital for every Witch to walk their spiritual path all by themselves and for themselves. This is why the enchanting topics of the garden, the trees, and the hedgerow are such important ones. So now I have to ask you: what have you learned so far? Do you believe that you are ready to grow and learn a little more? If so, then go ahead and stroll right into the green world, and look around. Dare to add a bit of the traditional magick of the hedgerow to your herbal magick and to your craft.

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