Scrying is an old word for the practice of crystal-gazing or using some similar means to obtain clairvoyance. It is akin to the word "descry" which originally meant to reveal, as well as to discover by seeing. Scrying is a more general term than crystal-gazing, because it embraces all forms of developing clairvoyance by gazing at or into some object.

The object used in scrying is called a "speculum." Throughout the ages, a great many different objects have been used for this purpose. The transparent crystal globe, with the use of which most people are familiar, is only one of a great variety of such specula.

The practice of scrying is common to witches of all ages and countries. Like magick in general, it is as old as man himself; and it is still as popular with contemporary witches as it was long ago.

Witches seldom possessed a crystal ball for two reasons. First, a genuine crystal ball is a valuable and expensive object. Most so-called "crystals" are actually simply glass. The very latest development in this field is that of transparent globes of acrylic plastic. These are nevertheless described as "crystal balls" in the advertisements for them in magazines. Real rock crystal is a semi-precious stone; a ball made from it is heavy, and icy cold. It takes an expert to distinguish the real thing from imitations. Hence, valuable crystals usually round but sometimes egg-shaped or pear-shaped, became precious heirlooms handed down for generations and beyond the pocket of the poorer witch.

Second, such a possession was not only expensive and valuable, it was dangerous. To have such a thing found in one's house, immediately convicted the owner of magickal practices. In the days when witchcraft was a hanging matter, witches found it wise to improvise their speculum out of things which could be found innocently in any cottage -- a rule which they followed with many of their other tools as well.

Consequently, a black bowl filled with water is quite popular as a speculum. So also are the old-fashioned glass globes used by fishermen as floats for their nets. These often come in beautiful dark green or blue glass, and make fine specula.

Today, antique dealers sometimes sell these old fishing floats as "witch balls." They are not, although witches did use them.

Some witches use a blue glass bottle as a speculum, filling the bottle with water. A ball of black glass was particularly prized, some thinking it superior even to a genuine crystal ball. Others considered that the best speculum was a ball of pale greenish-colored beryl crystal.

To be sure, there are plenty of pre-made spells available for just about anything a witchcraft practitioner might be trying to do. But don't let that stop you from creating your own!

You can make use of the tools and ingredients you already have around and create a powerful spell with your own mind. In many cases, it is even better to use your own spell rather than one created by someone else, because when you construct the spell yourself, you ensure that it is exactly suited to your purpose.

There is no one right way in witchcraft, which means that you have the power to create your own witchcraft spells.

One of the first things to consider in constructing a spell is when you will be casting it.

The phases of the moon are important here.

The waxing moon is a time for spells involving increasing and attracting.

The waning moon is a time for spells involving decreasing or repelling. The full moon is the time of greatest power, followed by the new moon.

Deciding on what tools and ingredients to use in your spell is a time for your creativity to show itself. You may wish to create a charm or talisman with your spell. Or your choices may have a symbolic relationship to the spell you are casting (like burying something that you want to put out of mind).

Use the information you have about the properties of different magical elements. Be sure to incorporate colors, scents and minerals in your witchcraft spells.

Once you know what you are going to use in your spell, you will want to write out the actual ritual. Many witches have an opening ritual, often casting the circle, which they begin all of their magical workings with. You may have one of these that you have adopted from your earlier teachings, or you may compose one now.

As was said before, there is no right way to cast a spell, just as there is no one right way to make cookies. Don't get too hung up on specific wordings, just go with what feels right to you. Invoke the power of the Goddess and/or God as you wish and make your request.

The words are really only a structure for the power of your mind, so they are not nearly as important as the energy you are putting into them.

If you are stuck when composing witchcraft spells, go ahead and look at some other spells for ideas. There is no reason you cannot borrow words that ring true to what you are trying to accomplish.

There is hardly a spell around that hasn't borrowed from another spell in some way.

spells come from a long tradition and they have always borrowed from each other.Spells published on the internet or in books are meant to be used by anyone who needs them.

Blessings

Magic happens year-round, Hallowmas is a very mystical and magical time, it not only marks the Witch’s New Year, the beginning of all things new, but it is the night that the veil between the two worlds is at its thinnest allowing for dreams and wishes to come true, the birth canal between this world and the next, the night that the dead will once again walk the earth, and just as in life there are good and bad energies, the same holds true in the realm of spirit, and it is for this reason that a Witch doesn’t believe in disturbing the spirit of one who has passed or as I like to call it, the one who has crossed the bridge!

Thoughts of old conjure the past, return to me my love ever last!

During this time it is especially important to protect and safeguard your magical workings, negative energy tends to plague our thoughts especially when we are dealing with difficult times, however, your situation will only be made worse if you focus on the negative aspects of what you are enduring, therefore it is very important to focus more on the outcome and bottom line of your goals, the more positive energy that you focus into your desires the stronger they will become.

Words of power I cast forth untangle my love and release thy hold!

This is the season of the Witch, a time of great power and strength, a time when what seemingly feels like the impossible becomes the possible, a time when teachers and masters of the past lend their talents to our magical rites, Halloween is more than a night of sweets, it is by far one of the most magical and powerful nights in the Witch’s year, a night to tap into a great cosmic force, a night to mix the seen with the unseen, a night when the sword of power is passed and preparation begins for the harshness of the season ahead!

Prepare my heart for what lies ahead upon this night of the holy dead!

Thoughts are powerful as they are living things, pure energy that is sent out unto the ethers, some pray, some chant, a Witch meditates and cast his or her request out unto the Universe on the four winds, I am a White Witch that stands in balance, I practice magic of white, but I have wielded magic of dark, but never without provocation! Within everything light you will find a fragment of dark and the same holds true for within the darkness there is a hint of the light, without one the other would cease to exist, without one there would be no balance in the Universe.

Walk the Earth and do my bidding, return to me with news fitting!

When working with energy it is very important not to cast the shadow of doubt over your magic, whether you are casting the spells yourself or you have enlisted the aid of a magical practitioner you must find the strength within to fight the temptation of doubt, casting doubt out unto the Universe will only lead to the depletion of your energy and the failure of your magic, when I conjure and mojo for myself I consider the spell completed the moment that I finish the casting, I no longer wish for what I have asked for, I see myself as having it, holding and possessing it and my actions and thoughts are geared to aid in the manifestation process.

Souls of power roaming the earth lend your strength to my myrrh!

As a whole, people tend to be way too emotional, and while at times emotional energy can be utilized to aid in magical rites and workings, more often than not it is the main reason that most people fail at successfully weaving magic, especially when it comes to casting a love spell, I have found this to be true in cases where someone is working to reunite with a lost love, people far and wide have become spoiled, after all we live in a world of instant gratification, the internet provides a world of information at our fingertips, we can shop internationally without ever leaving the confines of our abode, we pay our bills online, we can have our medication and groceries delivered, yes indeed, we are a world of spoiled consumers and instant gratification is the name of the game, unfortunately that technology doesn’t apply to matters of magic and in particular White Magic, White Magic takes time to manifest, I believe that one of the reasons for this is that White Magic still takes into consideration the free will of the subject that is being influenced and does not instantly try to break that will, where as black magic may work a bit faster, but can produce results that are very shaky, leaving cracks in the foundation that may lead to a major collapse careening everything out of control and it is for this reason that White Magic is still by far the best choice, it is absolutely a stronger and more solid foundation and although it may take a while for you to see your results, once they manifest they will certainly be lasting and not fleeting!

Increase in numbers thy will of mine, and shine forth thy light upon this night!

The bottom line is this, if you are embarking upon a path of magical workings do so without doubt and walk the path without malice in your heart, pursue the object of your affection out of love, cast your spells and never look back out of regret, for regret is an insult to the Gods and the powers that be and regret will greatly undermine the energy of your life’s work, serve the light, but never fear the dark, for what you fear will surely manifest one thousand times faster than that in which you love, conjure, chant and mojo, create in your life the happiness that you desire and deserve, learn to shield yourself from despair, doom and tribulation for you are a child of both the Goddess of light and the Mother of darkness, one without the other and the World would cease to exist!

Spirits of the past that walk the Earth forever indebted I am to you, I bid to you an eternal blessing and I salute you upon your passing!

Blessed Be

Herbs are used in magick for their "vibrations" or "essences". What does this mean? Herbs, like people, have gender, are ruled by a planet, an element, and are often sacred to a God or Goddess. This is known in Wicca as the herbal correspondence, and it is an important element in Wiccan Magick Spells. Growing and nurturing herbs in your own magickal garden can give you the advantage of having your own energies already influencing the plant. A plant such as Angelica, ruled by the Sun, will then have all of the influence of the Sun and fire, along with your personal energies.

Wiccan Ways to use Herbs

Charms and sachets - Fill a small bag, of the correct color or material, with herbs to make a charm or sachet. You can carry the charm with you, hang it in the house or car, or bury or burn it, depending on the purpose, and the spell you are performing.

Incense- Herbs can be burned as a ritual incense, such as the sage smudge used to clear negative vibrations from a space.

Bath - Make a sachet, and place it in your ritual or healing bath. Fragrant herbs like lavender make a very relaxing bath, and you can use certain herbs to alleviate skin and other conditions, such as using eucalyptus in a bath when you have a cold or flu.

Oils - Place herbs in an oil, let them steep for a few days, then strain. You can make annointing oils for you ritual work, beauty oils for your hair, skin and nails (try coconut or jojoba), or flavor oils for cooking and seasoning, such as steeping rosemary in olive oil.

Teas- Use herbs to make teas for healing illness. Some herbs can be used to mildly alter consciousness, such as valerian or kava kava which can facilitate trance like states.

Smoking- You can make herbal smoking mixtures which will also facilitate altered states of consciousness.

In spellwork, herbs can be sprinkled or placed around or within boundaries (such as your home, altar, or magick circle) to define a "territory" for your magick to work. Of course, you can always use flavorful herbs in cooking and seasoning your food. There are many healthful benefits, and they taste great! Always give all plant life respect, where ever you are- remember, the word "weed" is simply a value judgement! Dandelion, for instance, has many, many healing and nutritional qualities which are extremely beneficial not only to the wildlife which feeds on it, but to you, too! Learn to recognize the herbs around you- even in a city, there are many wonderful herbs growing wild, which you can gather and use. Herbs are Nature's gift- use them with wisedom and joy!

Below are more than 60 herbs commonly found in the kitchen, and the most popular and useful herbs in Wicca.

Angelica Root
Sun Fire Masculine
Use in protection and exorcism incense, and also carry the root in a pouch as a protective talisman. Add to bath to remove hexes. Smoking the leaves can cause visions. Angelica protects by both creating a barrier against negative energy, and by filling it's user with positive energy. Removes curses, hexes, or spells that have been cast against you. Enhances the aura, giving a joyful outlook. Relieves tension headache, diuretic, beneficial to the stomach and digestion. Relieves buildup of phlegm due to asthma and bronchitis. Use with caution- Large doses can negatively affect blood pressure, heart, and respiration. If pregnant, can cause miscarriage.
Basil
Mars Fire Masculine
Use in love and prosperity spells. Carry to attract wealth. Sprinkle basil over your sleeping lover to assure fidelity. Use it in a ritual bath to bring new love in, or to free yourself of an old love. Also used for purification baths. Sprinkle on the floor for protection, and burn as an exorcism incense.
Bay Leaves
Sun Fire Masculine
Use in potions for visions, clairvoyance and wisdom. Place under your pillow to induce prophetic dreams. Carry to ward off evil, and scatter or burn for exorcism. Add to cleansing teas and baths. Scatter on the floor, and then sweep out for protection. The priestesses at Delphi are said to have chewed bay leaves to induce their visions and prophesies.
Blessed Thistle
Mars Fire Masculine
Purification, hex-breaking, protection from evil- removes unwanted influences, particularly of malevolent intent. Strew to cleanse buildings or rooms, beneficial in healing spells. Strengthens liver function, combat hepatitis, aids memory purifies the blood stream. Good fof migraine, nausea, and gallstones.
Burdock
Venus Water Feminine
Used in protection incenses and for healing, especially the feet. Carry as a protection sachet or burn for purification of a room. Rinse with a root decoction for ridding oneself of a gloomy feeling about yourself or others.
Bramble (Blackberry) Leaf
Venus Water Feminine
Powerful herb of protection, and used in invocations to the goddess Brigit, who presides over healing, poetry, sacred wells, and smithcraft. Also used to attract wealth. If twined into a wreath with rowan and ivy, will keep away evil spirits. A bramble patch is a favorite hiding place for faerie folk, use to invoke and attract faerie spirits.
Cacao (Chocolate)
Venus Water Feminine
The Aztec's Food of the Gods. An aphrodisiac, a mild euphoric, and helps to heal depression. It is extremely effective in love potions and spells. Cacao is a required offering during Day of the Dead, can be used to appease restless spirits, or attract passed loved ones during seance.
Camellia
Moon Water Feminine
Brings riches and luxury, expresses gratitude. Place fresh blossoms in water on altar during ritual to attract money and prosperity. Used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating skin conditions.
Caraway
Mercury Air Masculine
Carry for protection against spirits who mean harm, especially Lilith. The seeds can be used to ensure faithfulness, and can be used in spells to attract a lover. Used in cooking, will induce lust.
Carob
Mars Fire Masculine
Often used as a chocolate substitute, but although the flavor is similar, the correspondences are opposite. Useful for protection and prosperity (the dried pods were once used as currency). Can be burned as an incense to attract spirit helpers and familiars, or to deter poltergeists.
Catnip
Water Venus Feminine
Animal magick and healing pets, increases psychic bond with animals. Use as a tea for happiness and relaxation. Can also be used during meditation, increases psychic abilities. Useful in love magick- try burning dried leaves for love wishes.
Cayenne Pepper
Mars Fire Masculine
Use in hexes, or to break a hex. Use in love or separation spells. The fire or spark of the spirit, it adds power to any spell. Contains capsaicin, which acts as a stimulating digestive aid. Apply externally for joint pain. Aids circulation, blood pressure, and colds. Those with ulcers or chronic bowel disorders should avoid using in large quantities.
Cedar
Sun Fire Masculine
Healing, purification, money, protection, love. Cedar smoke is purifying and can cure nightmares. Keep cedar in your wallet or purse to attract money, and use in money incense. It can also be used in love sachets or burned to induce psychic powers. Use to draw Earth energy and grounding.
Chamomile
Sun Water Masculine
Chamomile tea is a great relaxer. Prosperity wishes, use to attract money, use as an amulet for prosperity. Use in sleep and meditation incense. Prepares body and mind for magick. Add to a bath or use to wash your face and hair to attract love. Bathe children in chamomile tea to protect from the evil eye, useful in breaking curses cast against you.
Cinnamon
Sun Fire Masculine
Spirituality, success, healing, psychic powers, lust, protection, love. Burn cinnamon as an incense or use in sachets and spells for healing, money-drawing, psychic powers, and protection. Mix with frankincense, myrhh and sandalwood for a strong protection incense to be burned every day. A male aphrodisiac.
Cloves
Jupiter Fire Masculine
Protection, exorcism, love, money, good luck. Use in incense to attract money, drive away negativity, purify, gain luck or stop gossip. Wear to attract the opposite sex or for protection. Worn or carried to repel negative energies around you, also said to protect babies in their cribs if hung over them strung together.
Coltsfoot
Venus Water Feminine
Add to love sachets and use in spells for peace and tranquility. Smoke the leaves to aid in obtaining visions. A soothing expectorant and anti-spasmodic, which can be used to treat bronchitis, whooping cough, asthma, and chronic emphysema. Caution: Do not use if pregnant or nursing!
Cumin
Mars Fire Masculine
Burn with frankincense for protection. Mix with salt and scatter to keep away evil spirits and bad luck. Use in love spells. Steep cumin seed in wine to induce lust. Place the seeds on, in or near an object to prevent left. Burn with frankincense for protection.
Red Clover
Mercury Air Masculine
Protection, money, love, fidelity, exorcism, success, clairvoyance, beauty. Brings good luck. Induces clairvoyant powers. Use for rituals to enhance beauty and youth.
Comfrey Leaf
Air Saturn Feminine
A strong herb for protection against any type of negativity, especially when traveling, and particularly for protection in the astral realms. Very nutritious, beneficial for healing sprains, strains, fractures and sores. Also soothes an upset stomach.
Damiana
Mars Fire Masculine
Sex magick, lust, love, visions. Use in lust spells. Use in love baths. Burn to enhance visions. Damiana can be prepared in a tea for use in sex magick. It is a mild aphrodisiac. It produces a marijuana-like euphoria when smoked. Good for enchanting a male lover. Damiana tea is the best thing for hangovers. Use caution with this herb.
Dandelion Leaf
Jupiter Air Masculine
Divination, wishes, calling Spirits. Use the root in a tea to enhance psychic powers. Used in Samhain rituals. Sleep, protection, healing. A very nutritious and universally beneficial herb. Use in dream pillows and sachets, the leaves and flowers can be used in tea for healing.
Dill
Mercury Fire Masculine
Hang in the doorway to protect your home, or carry to protect your person. Can be used in money spells. Add to a ritual bath to become irresistible to the one you desire. Use in love and lust spells.
Eucalyptus Leaf
Air Moon Feminine
Uses include great healing properties, kills germs, infections, eases lung congestion, heart stimulant. Attracts healing vibrations and protection. Use to purify and cleanse any space of unwanted energies. Also useful in dream and sleep pillows.
Fennel Seed
Mercury Fire Masculine
Healing, longevity, courage, vitality, virility and strength. Use for protection spells of all kinds. Prevents curses, possession and negativity. Use for purification. Gives strength, courage and longevity. Delicious flavor, purifies breath, aids digestion and weight loss.
Feverfew
Venus Water Feminine
Love and protection. Include in charms or sachets. Also a strong herb for health and spiritual healing. Use to ward off sickness and bolster immune system. Protects travelers, keep in your suitcase or car the next time you travel. Excellent treatment for migraine headaches- eases inflammation and constriction of the blood vessels in the head, reduces sensitivity to light and nausea.
Dried Fig
Jupiter Fire Masculine
Fertility, love spells- excellent ingredient in spell bags. Divination. Sacred to Dionysus, Juno and many others. Recommended for a Beltane altar. If placed on the doorstep before leaving it will ensure you will arrive home safely.
Flax Seed
Mercury Fire Masculine
Use to keep the peace at home- place in a bowl to absorb negative energy. Useful in healing and protection spells. Also, carry flax seeds in your wallet or purse to attract money. Very nutritious, good for cholesterol.
Galangal Root
Mars Fire Masculine
Psychic abilities, luck, money. For courage, strength, and for avoiding legal problems. Worn or carried, it protects its bearer and draws good luck. Placed in a sachet of leather with silver, it brings money. Powdered galangal is burned to break spells and curses. It is also carried or sprinkled around the home to promote lust. Worn as a talisman, galangal aids psychic development and guards the bearer's health. A mild hallucinogen- eat about three inches of the root for this effect. Use caution with this plant.
Gardenia
Moon Water Feminine
Wear to attract love. Use in healing spells. Use in Moon incense, use to increase spirituality.
Garlic
Mars Fire Masculine
Use is in protection spells- traditionally used to ward off vampires. Great healing properties, antiviral, antifungal, strengthening. The ancient Greeks placed garlic on the stone cairns at crossroads as an offering to Hecate.
Ginger
Mars Fire Masculine
Love, money, success, power. Use in love spells. Eat before performing spells to increase your power.
Ginseng Powder

Sun Fire Masculine
Rejuvenation, longevity and sexual potency. Use the root in spells to attract love, maintain health, draw money and ensure sexual potency. Carry to enhance beauty. Burn to break curses or ward off evil spirits. Make into a lust enhancing tea. Useful as an antidepressant, equalizes blood pressure, and aids digestion.
Hazelnut
Mercury Air Masculine
Healing, protection, luck, clairvoyance, divination, inspiration, wisdom, defense, fertility, wishes. Hazel is an ancient Celtic tree of wisdom, inspiration, and poetry. In Celtic tradition, the Salmon of Knowledge is said to eat the 9 nuts of poetic wisdom dropped into its sacred pool from the hazel tree growing beside it. Ancient Irish tales tell of poets and seers "gaining nuts of Wisdom," a metaphor for heightened states of consciousness; this belief may have root in a potent brew ? hazelmead- made from hazelnuts that caused visions. To enlist the aid of plant fairies, string hazelnuts on a cord and hang up in your house or ritual room.
Hulled Hemp Seed
Saturn Water Feminine
Healing, love, vision, meditation. Burn as an incense during scrying or to attract spirit guides. Also add to wax when casting candles. Rich in nutrients, add to healing formulas and spells. Also useful in love magick.
Hibiscus Flower
Venus Water Feminine
Useful as an aphrodisiac and in love spells. Also use to induce dreams, and enhance psychic ability and divination. Soothes nerves, antispasmodic. Tea aids digestion, and sweetens breath. Helpful with itchy skin.
Holly Leaf
Mars Fire Masculine
Luck, dream magick. An excellent protective herb, keeps away lightning, poison, evil spirits, and other malign forces. The wood is used for all magickal tools as it will enhance any wish you have. A powerful protection. Do not consume, for ritual use only.
Hops
Mars Air Masculine
Use in healing incenses and spells. Put inside pillow to induce sleep. Tea helps with a restful sleep. Also drink tea after magickal practices to balance and refocus your energy back to ordinary reality. Use in healing sachets and amulets. Also burned during healing prayers.
Horehound
Mercury Earth Masculine
As a tea to increase energy and strength, both physically and mentally- it increases concentration and focus. Carry or burn for protection wishes. Called the "Seed of Horus" by the Ancient Egyptians, it is excellent for blessing one's home. Gather flowering Horehound and tie with a ribbon, then hang it in your home to keep it free from negative energies. The leaves and stems are used in candies, cough drops and syrups. Used to treat asthma, coughs, colds, bronchitis, sore throats, and skin irritations. Also used as a diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, stimulant, and stomachic.
Hyssop
Jupiter Fire Masculine
An excellent purifying herb. Use in purification baths and spells. Associated with serpents and dragons, and can be burned as an incense to call on dragon energy. Aids in physical and spiritual protection.
Juniper Berries
Sun Fire Masculine
Useful for protection magick of all kinds. Makes a nice incense for protection. It can be burned or carried to enhance psychic powers. Attracts good, healthy energies and love. Aids in digestion, intestinal cramps, diuretic, eases arthritis. Banishes energies injurious to good health.
Mandrake Root
Mercury Fire Masculine
Protection, love, money, fertility, health. Mandrake intensifies the magick of any spell. To charge mandrake root with your personal power, sleep with it for three nights during the full moon. A hallucinogen when used in tea- it has great power as a visionary herb, empowering your visions and propelling them into manifestation. A whole mandrake root placed in the home will bring protection and prosperity. Carried, it will attract love and couage.
Morning Glory Blossoms
Neptune Water Masculine
Happiness, peace, visions. Place under your pillow to stop nightmares and induce beneficial psychic dreams. Sacred to the Aztecs. Do not consume, toxic.
Moss
Jupiter Earth Masculine
To ensure good luck, especially with money, carry any type of moss removed from a gravestone. Use in prosperity spells, Gnome magick and spells to Mother Earth. Use in "Witch Bottles" for home and business. Place in your bra When a MALE lover is near to attract sexual attention.
Mugwort
Venus Earth Feminine
Use in dream pillows for prophetic dreams. Burn with sandalwood or wormwood in scrying rituals. Drink as a tea sweetened with honey before divination. The plain tea can also be used to wash crystal balls and magick mirrors. Leaves of mugwort can be placed around these to aid in scrying.
Mullein
Saturn Fire Feminine
Protection and courage. Keeps away demons and nightmares while sleeping, also protects against wild animals. Useful in protection and exorcism spells. Invokes spirits, use on scrying tools to aid divination. This plant is the Original Witch's torch, used to illuminate spells and rites. Useful as an expectorant to clear and heal lungs, stops diarrhea and soothes hemeroids.
Nettles
Mars Fire Masculine
Carry to remove a curse and send it back, or sprinkle around the house to keep out evil. Use in purification baths. Highly nutritious for anemia, skin disorders and allergies, restores health, expectorant, stops bleeding. One of the nine sacred herbs of the Anglo-Saxons.
Nutmeg
Jupiter Fire Masculine
Luck, money, health. Carry for good luck, and to strengthen clairvoyant powers. Use in money and prosperity spells. A hallucinogen when made into a tea. TOXIC in large doses! Take no more than a pinch!
Orris Root
Venus Water Feminine
Love, protection, divination. Use to find and hold love- a powder made from the root is used as a love drawing powder. Protection from evil spirits. Roots and leaves hung in the house, and added to the bath are good for personal protection.
Pau d`Arco
Pluto Fire Masculine
Works best during the waning Moon- can be empowered by drawing down the Moon directly into the herb. The active ingredient is xyloidin, a very potent antibiotic and antiviral. Can relieve arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, eczema, gastritis, psoriasis, pyorrhoea, rheumatism, skin and nails, ulcers. Used to treat chronic candida. Potent tonic and cell regenerator, stimulating natural defenses and revitalizing the body. Also a sedative, an analgesic, and a diuretic.
Passion Flower
Venus Water Feminine
Promotes emotional balance, peace, attracts friendship and prosperity. Heightens libido, use in love spells. Calming and soothing, promotes emotional balance, aid in sleep. Use to relieve nerve pain and hysteria.
Pennyroyal
Mars Fire Masculine
Carry in a green bag to attract money and to aid in business transactions. Burn for protection in meditation and astral travel. Use for ridding negative thoughts against you, carry when dealing with negative vibrations of all kinds. Caution: stimulates menustration when consumed, and can induce miscarriage.
Peppermint
Mercury Fire Masculine
Purification, sleep, love, healing, psychic powers. Promotes sleep and visionary dreams. Use in healing and purification baths. Burn as a winter incense. Very useful for stomach upset and heartburn, nausea, and to ease congestion during colds and flu.
Pine
Sun Air Masculine
For sacred wisdom. Prosperity,fertility, healing.The Pine tree is an evergreen, its old title was "the sweetest of woods". Its needles are a valuable source of vitamin C and can loosen a tight chest. The scent of Pine is useful in the alleviation of guilt. Burn for strength, and to reverse negative energies.
Raspberry Leaf
Venus Water Feminine
Protection, healing, love. Calming, promotes sleep and visions. Useful during pregnancy and childbirth, eases diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Beneficial to the kidneys.
Rose Petals
Venus Water Feminine
Love, psychic powers, healing, luck, protection. Use in love spells of all kinds. Drink rose tea before bed for prophetic dreams. Domestic peace and happiness, promotes joy of giving. Helps clear away headaches, dizziness, mouth sores and menstrual cramps. Heart and nerve tonic.
Rose Hips
Venus Water Feminine
Rose hips are very high in Vitamin C. Rose hips also contain A, B, E, and K, organic acids and pectin, and have a high concentration of iron. The hips are strung like beads and worn to attract love. A woman should eat rose hips during her menstrual period. A woman's lover should gather roses for this purpose. The earliest known gardening was the planting of roses along the most travelled routes of early nomadic humans.
Rosemary
Sun Fire Masculine
Protection, love, lust, mental powers, exorcism, purification, healing, sleep, youth. Burn to purify and cleanse. Use in love and lust incenses and potions. Use for healing of all kinds. A tea of rosemary causes the mind to be alert. Circulatory, digestive and nerve stimulant. Heals headache, depression, and halitosis.
Sage
Jupiter Air Masculine
Immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection, prosperity. Use in healing and money spells. Purifying, use as incense during sacred rituals-walk the smoke to the four corners of the room to repel and rid negative energies and influences. Especially good when moving into a new home. Heals wounds, aids digestion, eases muscle and joint pain, colds and fever.
Sea Salt
Saturn Earth Masculine
Prosperity, protection, purification, consecration of ritual tools. Sprinkle a few grains around your sacred space to clear it of any unpleasant presences. Some ancient rituals call for pouring dry salt into a receptacle of water to symbolize the dissolving of evil.
Shavegrass
Saturn Earth Feminine
Also known as Horsetail. Fertility spells. Nutritious, helps the body absobrb calcium, may help to strengthen bones, hair and nails. Control excess oil on the skin. Diuretic, helps to relieve urinary disorders. May help blood to clot, reduce fevers, and calm nervous tension. Also can be used in snake charming!
Scotch Broom Leaf
Mars Air Masculine
A Druid sacred tree. Use in purification and protection spells and scatter to exorcise evil spirits. Burn to calm the wind. The branches are used to make traditional besoms. The tea can induce psychic powers, and its smoke is a sedative. Use in moderation, can be toxic.
Seaweed
Moon Water Feminine
Offers protection to those at sea. Summons sea spirits and sea winds. Uses in sachets and spells to increase psychic powers. Scrub floors and doors of business with infusion to attract customers and bring in positive energy. Use in money spells. Fill a small jar with whiskey, add kelp, cap tightly and place in the kitchen window. Ensures a steady flow of money into the household. Helps regulate an underactive thyroid. Relieves the pain of rheumtism and rheumatic joints.
Spanish Moss
Jupiter Earth Masculine
Luck, money, banish poltergeists- To ensure good luck, especially with gambling, carry Spanish moss. Use in "Witch Bottles" for home and business. Place around home, or burn to banish poltergeists.
St. John's Wort
Sun Fire Masculine
Health, protection, strength, love divination, happiness, exorcism. A Druid sacred herb. Use in protection and exorcism spells and incenses of all kinds. Use as a tea to treat depression. Use the leaves in a necklace to ward off sickness and tension. Carry to strengthen your courage and conviction. Burn to banish negative thoughts and energies.
Star Anise
Jupiter Air Masculine
Protection, purification, youth, psychic powers, luck. Use for protection, meditation and psychic power incenses. Can be used in purification baths. Wards off evil and averts the evil eye. A pillow stuffed with anise seeds will keep away nightmares. The tree is planted by the Japanese around temples and on graves as an herb of consecration and protection. The seeds are burned as incense to increase psychic powers, and are also worn as beads for the same purpose. Sometimes star anise is placed on the altar to give it power; one is placed to each of the four directions. It is also carried as a good luck charm, and the seeds make excellent pendulums. The tree is often grown near Buddist temples where it is revered. A stimulant and diuretic. Promotes digestion and relieves flatulence.
Tea
Sun Fire Masculine
Riches, courage, strength. Use the leaves in money sachets, incenses and spells. A stimulant. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, and other youth enhancing compounds. The leaves can be used in scrying.
Tobacco Leaf
Mars Fire Masculine
Sacred to the Native American Tradition. Tobacco ties- wrap tobacco leaves in pieces of white, red, yellow and black cloth, and hang them around the ceremonial space at the 4 cardinal directions. Smoke to allow communication with spirits. Burn as an incense to purify a space. Spirits appreciate offerings of tobacco.
Thistle Flower
Mars Fire Masculine
Represents courageous defense and deep rooted ideals. Protection spells, also used to bring spiritual and financial blessings. Carried in an amulet for joy, energy, vitality, and protection. Can be burned as an incense for protection and also to counteract hexing.
Thyme
Venus Water Feminine
Burn for good health and use in healing spells. Burn as purification incense. Wear to increase psychic powers.
Valerian Root
Venus Water Feminine
A muscle relaxant and a tranquilizer. Use for dream magick and sleep protection baths. Keep in the home or grow in the garden to aid in keeping harmony. May be used to purify a ritual space. Useful in consecrating incense burners. Drink tea daily, in moderate doses, during times of purification.
Vanilla
Venus Water Feminine
Love, seduction, mental powers. Use in love sachets, and wear the fragrant oil as an aphrodisiac.
White Willow Bark
Moon Water Feminine
Love, divination, protection, healing. Carry and use in spells to attract love. Use the leaves, bark and wood in healing spells. Burn with sandalwood to conjure spirits. Brings blessings of the moon into one's life. Eases muscle and joint pain, beneficial for arthritis.
Yarrow Flower
Venus Water Feminine
Use to dispell melancholy, negative energy, lingering sorrow, or depression. Carried as a sachet or amulet it repels or rids of negative influences. Aids in divination. Good remedy for colds. Opens the pores and purifies the blood. Said to prevent baldness as a hair wash.

The tarot is a set of cards used in fortune-telling. A few years ago, tarot cards would have conjured up images of Gypsies, who didn't begin using tarot cards until the 20th century. Today, the cards are popular among occultists and New Agers in all walks of life. According to Grillot de Givry (1971):

The tarot is one of the most wonderful of human inventions. Despite all the outcries of philosophers, this pack of pictures, in which destiny is reflected as in a mirror with multiple facets, remains so vital and exercises so irresistible an attraction on imaginative minds that it is hardly possible that austere critics who speak in the name of an exact but uninteresting logic should ever succeed in abolishing its employment.

The modern tarot deck has been traced back to 15th-century Italy and a trick-taking game called "triumphs" (tarots in French; Decker 1996). The traditional tarot deck consists of two sets of cards, one having 22 pictures (the major arcana), such as the Fool, the Devil, Temperance, the Hermit, the Sun, the Lovers, the Hanged Man, and Death. The other set (the minor arcana) has 56 cards with kings (or lords), queens (or ladies), knights, and knaves (pages or servants) of sticks (or wands, cudgels or batons) , swords, cups and coins.

There are many different tarot decks used in cartomancy. The meanings of the figures and numbers on tarot cards vary greatly among tarot readers and advocates, many of whom find connections between tarot and cabala, astrology, I Ching, ancient Egypt, and various other occult and mystical notions.

The oldest playing cards date back to 10th-century China, but the four suits of tarot and modern playing cards probably originated with a 14th-century Muslim deck (Decker). According to de Givry, in the modern 52-card deck of ordinary playing cards, sticks or wands = clubs (and announce news); swords = spades (and presage unhappiness and death); cups = hearts (and presage happiness); coins = diamonds (and presage money). According to Ronald Decker, the Muslim sticks represented polo sticks. As Europeans were not yet familiar with polo, they changed the suit of sticks to that of wands, cudgels, or batons.

Tarot cards are usually read by a fortune-teller, though in these days of New Age Enterprise, anyone can buy a deck with instructions on how to discover your real self and actualize your true potential. Why anyone's fate would be mysteriously contained in playing cards is a mystery; although, sympathetic magic seems to play a role.

There is a romantic irresistibility to the notion of shuffling the cards and casting one's fate, to putting one's cards on the table for all to see, to drawing into the unknown, to having one's life laid out and explained by strangers who have the gift of clairvoyance, to gamble on the future, and so on. The idea of staring at a picture card and letting it reveal the future or mirror the soul is not one that austere critics are likely to find tantalizing, but the thought of such visionary mysticism obviously has its attraction. Centuries of scientific advancement and learning have not diminished the popularity of occult guidance systems such as the tarot, Ouija boards, astrology, I Ching, palmistry, iridology, reflexology, ink blots, graphology, enneagrams, crystal balls, tea leaves, and the like.