> > >> > [...] the subject of herbs is of particular
> > >> > interest to me, especially in the context of writing my
> > >> > own spells. I've been researching various web sites on herbal
> > >> > correspondences  lately and have found several to have quite
> > >> > comprehensive lists [...]Say for instance I'm trying to write a
> > >> > spell for... protection. So, I go to one of the pages I've found
> > >> > which list herb correspondences... and find an herb known for
> > >> > its protective qualities. Now, say I want to make this spell more
> > >> > specific. I want to protect my home from negative energy. So I go
to
> > >> > that same list and find another herb known for its ability to
banish
> > >> > negative energy. Now, if in the context of the spell, I were to
> > >> > combine these two herbs, would it alter their known individual
> > >> > properties?

> In my experience, blending herbs that have different ascribed magical
> properties is commonly done to create new recipes for use in
> spell-work, and in some cases the blending does seem to alter the
> qualities of the herbs in those mixtures. However, before taking that
> as an unconditional "yes" answer (which it is not), also be aware of
> three further factors:

> 1) Magical properties of herbs do vary by culture sometimes, so what
> you see on one site may not be mentioned at another site. Examples:
>   Ginseng: Asian = male vigour; African-American: gambling luck
>   Yarrow: European = courage and wound-healing;  Chinese: divination
>   Yellow Dock Root: African-American = money; Iroquois = love-doll

> 2) Magical properties of some herbs contain their own opposites, most
> notably herbs used both to banish/curse and protect/unjinx. In these
> cases, often the WAY the herb is used factors into the kind of spell
> it appears in. Example:
>   Vandal Root: can be used to jinx, to protect, and for coercive love

> 3) Some herb sites on the web are not reliable, just as some books are
> not reliable. If authenticity of magical ascriptions is important to
> you, check and compare several sources. When evaluating sources, if
> you have doubts, you can try a few work-arounds like  giving
> preference to sources that also list the taxonomic (Latin) name of the
> herbs and/or giving preference to sites that list a bibliography of
> sources, because these two factors imply a basic level of research on
> the part of the author. This is not to say that an illiterate
> herbalist will not have great knowledge -- but web authors, by their
> very nature, are not illiterate, so they can be tentatively evaluated
> by the usual standards for scholarship.

> "Brenda G. Kent" wrote:

> > >> [...] what herbs are you asking about, Nightwish? The combination
> > >> might change them, depending on what they are.
> > >> Also, be careful if the ritual calls for eating the herbs. Many herbs
> > >> taste bitter, or have thorns, and they aren't fun to eat.

> "Nightwish" <nightw...@tds.net> wrote:

> > > Basil and Chinese Anise. And it's for a spell I'm trying to write
> > > myself.(My first, actually.) I'm trying to write a spell to protect
the
> > > house I live in and its inhabitants from negative energy.

> "Brenda G. Kent" wrote:
> > How do you know that Basil and Chinese Anise are protective?

> Basil has a long history in Europe of protection with respect to the
> family home. It is not generally used to protect a business. In India
> it is also considered productive of family and marital happiness. The
> saying "Evil cannot come where Basil has been" can be found in old
> European herb books and has transferred into the African-American
> community in the use of dried basil in floor-sweeps (sprinkle on the
> floor, sweep out the door) and as an ingredient in herb-teas brewed
> for use as a floor wash (often with the addition of Rosemary and Rue).

> > I personally sage it....(because I feel that sage is cleansing) then use
> > tibetan singing bowls or if you don't have that....tapping crystal glass
> > all over your house to raise the vibration (why? because I feel that it
> > works) and then I just raise a protective wall around my place
> > (mentally).

> Sage is quite good for cleansing. As Brenda noted, there is a
> difference between cleansing a house (e.g. with Sage), protecting it,
> and reversing or returning curses and jinxes already sent.

> I personally do the first two, with the third optional if i believe i
> am under attack. I do them in the same order that Brenda described:
> First clean the house out, then protect it else the evil will be
> trapped inside, then (optionally) reverse all future incoming evil to
> its sender.

> Other herbs i use for cleansing: Lemon Grass, Camphor (in the form of
> squares of resin crumbled burned as incense on charcoal), etc.

> Other herbs i use for protection: Red pepper, Salt (not an herb per
> se, but used as such in the hoodoo tradition), Black Pepper, Camphor
> (in the form of whole squares of resin placed in the corners of a room
> or building), Anise, Boldo, Devil Pod (Bat Nut), Devil's Shoe Strings,
> etc.

> Herbs i use to reverse, return, or send back evil: Agrimony,
> Eucalyptus, Devil Pod (Bat Nut),  Devil's Shoe Strings, etc. The use
> of mirrors for reversing incoming attacks is also common, both in
> Chinese feng shui and in African-American hoodoo.

> Here are two web pages that may be of interest to you as you research
herbs:

> hoodoo herb and root magic:
> http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodooherbmagic.html
> -- This is a link to information about a book on herb magic that i
> have written. The book is for sale, and this is a commercial page, but
> on the page there are also 6 complete sample entries (out of 500 in
> the book) to read for free.

> hoodoo at a glance (herb list)
> http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodooataglance.html
> -- This is a web page that was compiled and given to my herb store as
> a gift by one of our customers. It lists many common herbs, minerals,
> and formulas for oils that we sell in the shop, with ascriptions for
> use, but you need not purchase the herbs from us to use the page. The
> list is not complete, but it gives a good overview of about 100 herbs,
> sorted by condition (e.g. love, money, protection, etc.).

> FLAME ALERT: This post was made in serious reply to two posters who
> are known to engage in flame wars. Replies posted to this message from
> these and other trolls in arw, aw, and ap may be vicious and
> off-topic. This post is my first test of a new kill-file i am working
> on, to see if it can be enjoyable for me to post substantively to arw
> and other pagan newsgroups. See the alt.religion.wicca troll roster at
>      http://www.luckymojo.com/faqs/altreligionwiccatrolls.html
> for details. Flames will not be seen by me, so don't bother.

> Cordially,

> cat yronwode