Herb Lore: (Herbalism)

Hippocrates – ” Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

For the purpose of this article, herbs are loosely referred to as the category of edible plants which can also be used for Medicinal, Spiritual or Magical purposes.

It seems that on every part of the globe where humans have lived, there has developed a body of herbal knowledge, something which has led to a special relationship developing between herbs and people. The foundation for this relationship is the fact that apart from herbs being acknowledged for their nutritional value, there has been a longstanding recognition that they also possess a variety of curative properties, being amongst the most important tools used by Shamen, Medicine men, Witch doctors, and healers, in general, the world over. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the population of some Asian and African countries presently use herbal…

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Medicinal Herb: Desert Lavender

Good Witches Homestead

Hyptis emoryi

FLOWERS

Violet up to 1 inch wide and in clusters.

DESCRIPTION

Medium to tall, cold tender, perennial shrub, found in the southwestern United States of Arizona, Nevada, California, and northwestern Mexico in Sonora and Baja California.

HABITAT

Dry washes, and on rocky slopes, up to 3000 feet in elevation. It is evergreen or cold deciduous, depending upon its location.

REGION DESERTS

The Southwestern United States of Arizona, Nevada, California, and northwestern Mexico in Sonora and Baja California.

Energetics: Cooling, calming, stimulating

Actions: Bitter, astringent, aromatic, diaphoretic, antimicrobial, styptic

Wound healing. Hyptis makes a top-notch wound wash (strong decoction) or applied to bleeding wounds in infused oil or salve form. I’ve used it for various wounds over the years (often combined with white sage), and it is effective not only in stopping the bleeding but because it is also strongly antimicrobial, it helps prevent infection. It’s proven useful as…

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As We Approach the Winter Solstice

Good Witches Homestead

If you are like me, December can be overwhelming…. As we approach the Winter Solstice, the gift of sunlight is hard to come by, causing light deprivation, circadian disturbances, and shifts in melatonin regulation. The subsequent effects on mood, behavior and health can be difficult to deal with, especially since the reins of life’s expectations don’t loosen to accommodate these seasonal shifts. Instead, the holidays bring their own unique stresses and can add to a sense of depletion and anxiety.

In my case, it’s the same each year. The effects of light deprivation sneak up on me, much in the way that seasonal allergies seem to. I start feeling sluggish and apathetic. My eyes take on a dull ache and my skin and hair feel like straw. My sleep is less rejuvenating and I feel starved for more of it. When the morning alarm rings, it takes me by surprise…

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How to Open, Clear, and Balance the Chakras with Crystals

Good Witches Homestead

If you want to be healthy, happy, and spiritually connected, it all starts with your chakras and bio-energetic system. Your chakras are power points or gateways into the human energy system. They receive energy from the environment, which is circulated through the entire energy system via the meridians. The seven major chakras are located in a centerline at the core of your body. Each one has physical, emotional, and mental correspondences, and they each resonate with a specific color frequency.

If you are experiencing an imbalance or challenge in some area of your life, it might indicate that one or more of your chakras could use a tune-up. Chakras can become blocked due to unprocessed emotional energy, unhealthy mental patterns, toxins, negative energy, stress, past life and genetic line patterns, and other causes. An energy blockage in a chakra creates a deficiency in energy, which can eventually lead to dis-ease…

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Super Seven Healing Quartz Stone

Good Witches Homestead

“Super seven” stone, also referred to as “Sacred seven” or “Melody stone”, is a quartz stone that contains seven materials; goethite, cacoxenite, rutile, lepidocrocite, amethyst, clear quartz and smoky quartz. Super seven stone is not much to look at; in fact, it looks like a dirty quartz gem with some purple amethyst zoning. However, those who believe in the power of crystal healing claim that the combination of the seven materials is extremely beneficial. Let’s learn a little more about the parts that make up this special stone.

Goethite is a brown-black or yellow-brown mineral that occurs mainly as fibrous crystals. It is made up of oxyhydroxide iron. Though it can be made into gemstones, it is rarely seen. Goethite is said by crystal healers to be a stone of communication, both physical and spiritual. Cacoxenite is a yellow, orange, green or brownish hydrous iron phosphate mineral that grows in fibrous bundles. Therefore, it is not suitable as a gemstone material…

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Crystal Towers

By Sonia Acone

Crystal towers are usually 6-sided crystals that converge to a point on one end and are flat on the other end. They can often be confused with obelisks, which are 4-sided. Towers are designed to stand up with the point facing up. Energy is directed upward towards the point and outward. Crystal towers are also wonderful Generator crystals and can be used in grid layouts as the central stone.

You can also use a tower to amplify your intentions when using a grid, by touching the point of the tower to each of the crystals in your crystal grid, even if the central stone is not a tower. This will magnify the energy spreading throughout your crystal grid.

Towers can also be used just as you would a wand, as they generate power at the tip. Write down a wish or intention. Touch the tip of the tower to the written words as you say them out loud, raise the tip up towards the sky and back down to the written words.

Use your crystal tower during meditation, distance healing or even on yourself to increase enthusiasm, relieve pain and to connect to other like-minded people.

Herbs To Have In Your Medicine Cabinet This Fall

Good Witches Homestead

It’s the time of year, where more often than not we are turning to our medicine cupboard to support our bodies and our families. An abundance of tea herbs, honey, and lemon, fresh herbs like ginger, turmeric, cayenne, and garlic are all great to have on hand throughout the winter. A few herbal tinctures also play useful roles and are key ingredients in the medicine cabinet.

Elderberry | Elderberry is an excellent superfood-like ally safe to take in large quantities. With elderberry and plenty of rest, our body’s natural response kicks in–that’s why elderberry syrups and tea have long been used to help support optimal immune function. All these amazing herbs come in handy when our resources are low: elderberry helps our body maintain its normal immune response. Because it’s so much like food, it’s incredibly safe for kids, and happens to taste divine when combined with honey–hence the elderberry syrup! This one…