The wise one would gather the appropriate herbs or stones .Magickly charge them, then gave them to the one in need with a set of instructions ,like place thise charm or herb under your bed while you sleep or in your shoe etc.What they were not told were the ways the charm etc were made or charged.Only the wise one knew these secrets.This howerever resulted in the person believing the magick was because of the charm or herb.The person then might go tell another about this charm or herb and so forth.So the people soon came to believe that the charm or herb itself created the magick.The successive people who use the herb might have success or not .If it didn't work , it was usually said to be because of a rival witch or evil spirit.All of this resulted in superstition and misunderstanding ,so in the end we now have a fragment ,a folk magickal charm.
In formula magick which was the source of the original charms or herbal magick,the wise one followed a formula to enact and create their magickal effects.A wise one might go and prepare soil for a herb garden,they would take in to consideration what phase of the moon it was ,like planting root plants during dark moon.They would bless or consecrate the seeds in the name of a diety or spirit.They might lay their hands on or in the soil and and pass energy into the buried seeds as they visualized the plant being strong ,healthy and having the qualities they want it to have.They would every day go and speak and caress the plants ,passing on mental images to the plant .
The wise one would follow a formula of association between their energy and the elements.Their ethereal energy would be passed on to the plant or charm.,like FIRE and desire or will, AIR and intellect, imagination or speech, WATER for emotions, or memories or EArth for Compassion,to manifest things, or fertility. By this formula they were able to effect the ethereal energy of the world around them,and the elemental qualities contained within the herb or charm. As the macrocosmic world was made up of the 5 elements ,The 5 etherial energies could effect the plant or charm which was considered a microcosmic version of the world it was apart of .This is one of the meanings with AS above SO below .The The witch understoood that plants,stones etc. were magickal but that this magickal nature had to be activated by the wise one.The plant or stone etc only had the potential to manifest the spell energies,each according to its nature.
These days we have tons of these fragmented folk spells or charms,like knocking on wood.This was originally meant as a thanksgiving for the spirits of the forest.The forest spirits were thought to bring good fortune so if something good happened you knocked on wood,if however you forgot it was considered an insult and the spirits might withdraw their good fortune.In those days the forest ,trees and plants were crucial for survival,so if an apple tree gave you a good crop you would give it an offering or gesture of thanks.
We need today as modern followers of the old ways to reclaim this vast amount of old lore,their is a great deal of hidden or forgotten knowledge within this folk magick if we only take the time to understand them .
Khrolos copyright2005
