HERBS: Herbs may be bought, grown or picked in the wild. If I can grow my own or pick my own from the wild instead of buying it from a store or mail order I will. There are a few reasons for this.
1# If grown yourself which I might add is the "best" way of doing it, you know that
the herb has been planted by the moon's cycle and picked by the moon's cycle.
Which is how it is suppose to be. Plant by the full moon and harvest by the cycle
in which you plan on using this herb. If you plan to draw something with an herb
then pick the herb in the waxing phase of the moon (full moon) or if you plan to
rid yourself of something with this herb, then pick by the weaning phase of the
moon. (new moon) Objects such as copper or clear quartz can be added to the soil
to enhance its powers and daily prayers over these herbs also helps ensure its
powers. Either in a small garden or in pots, no one can give it that personal touch
like you can. Take the time to grow some herbs and put a little of yourself into
love and care of the growth of your plants and see it really does make a difference.
2# Picked from the wild is not only cheaper but there is just something about
trampling through the woods or meadow in the silver light of a full moon and picking
your herbs. There are books on the market that will explain some of the wild plants
that you can use in your magickal workings. Some may even be in your back yard.
I know a good many witches that use orris root. It is a very powerful herb and has
a very pleasant smell when burned. Yet many people have orris root right in their
back yard and never know it. Orris root is the root of a iris flower also known as a
blue flag. The root is dried and then powered. This can be done by drying the root
and then placing it into a food mill to make it into a powder. Read some of the herb
books out there today and learn the herb's common name. You may just find you
have had it all along in your back yard. Just remember, hundreds of years ago
the witches before us could not just go down to the local spiritual store and buy a
small sack full of herbs, they either grew or gathered their own.
The Drying Of Herbs
All herbs are very easily dried. Gather the herbs in small bunches and wrap the stem's ends with twine. Once you have all the bunches you plan to dry, hang them upside down on a line. Place them in a dry, well ventilated place and mark the herb with a tag showing the date, time and moon phase the herb was picked.
Once the herb has dried place them in a dark glass container. You want the container to be glass as plastic will absorb the plants precious oils and they are needed to perform herbal magick. Second you want the glass container to be dark and the less see-through the better. This is to protect the herb from the light. Light and moisture are the worst thing to have around herbs and can make them go bad very quickly. Keep them sealed tightly in their container and stored in a cool dark space. Most herbs can be stored safely for up to one year.