Free Garden Witch's Herbal by Ellen Dugan Page B

their wilderness, star of their night,
Calm rising through change and through storm.
    samuel gilman

    Please take a moment and look over these directions for the wildflower spells. The following spells require no more supplies than the plants themselves, your voice, and your intentions. This is as basic and as practical as you are going to get. Oh, I imagine somewhere somebody is clutching their chest in horror and sputtering in disbelief. “Heavens above, there isn’t even a mention of astrological timing! No charm bags, no candles, no accompanying crystals … is she actually suggesting that no magickal tools be used at all?”
    But perhaps there is an excellent reason for what I am teaching here. Do you have an inkling of what that might be? I am instead promoting the use of the most powerful “tools” that any Witch possesses. These tools would be your heart and your mind. After all, the most powerful accessories that any Witch owns are their intention and a desire to create a positive change.
    Here is where you are going to stretch your wings a bit: the sky will not fall if you work magick without fancy wands and accessories, I promise you. Instead, I want you to sit down next to the chosen magickal plant, and spend some time with it. Hold your hands over the wildflower and see what sort of energy you experience from the plant. Then ground and center yourself. Next, you should raise your energy high and then repeat the spell verse.
    As was suggested previously, in order to close these wildflower spells and to signify that you have performed magick with the plant, take a small twig and trace a circle in a clockwise direction gently around the plant on the ground. The circle does not have to show; this is a symbolic gesture. Ground any extra energy back into the earth, and leave the area as you found it, with no traces that you were even there. Trust that your green magick will work. And now, on to the wildflower spells.
    prairie anemone
    Prairie Anemone (Anemone caroliniana)
    This plant grows about twelve inches tall. The flowers are borne singly on a stem. Typically the five petals may be tinged with pink or pale purple. The leaves are deeply divided into sections about halfway up the stem. Its habitat is prairies and fields, where it prefers to grow in acidic soils. Bloom time is March through May.
    A folk name for this flower is the windflower, from the Greek word anemone, which means “wind.” In the language of flowers, the anemone signifies truth, honesty, and faith. Magickal associations are health and hope. The anemone is also associated with the planet Mars and the element of fire. If you grow anemones at home in the garden, they will protect your property and your family.
    A Windflower Protection Spell
    The anemone is often called the windflower,
    Now surround my home with your protection and power.
    A Witch’s wildflower and magickal tool,
    Aligned to fire and Mars so strong and true.
    Close the windflower spell with these lines:
    This protective wildflower spell is spun from the heart,
    Worked for the good of all with a Green Witch’s art.
    Note: You can easily change the words in the second line to “now surround me with protection and power” if you so choose.
    bluebell
    Bluebell ( Mertensia virginica )
    These fleshy, showy plants can grow to two feet in height. Flowers are arranged in clusters, hanging bell-like, and are about one inch long. The buds start out pink and then change to blue as they open. The leaves of the bluebell are a bluish green in color and oval shaped. They grow in both sun and shade in bottomlands and hillsides of woods. Bloom time is April through May. The plant goes dormant in the month of June.
    Flower folklore tells us that the bluebell stands for constancy and declares that “I am faithful.” It was, at one time, the national flower of England. The English variety of the bluebell is identified as Hyacinthodes non-scripta . It