Planting Some Magic

Sympathetic Magic An idea that has survived centuries and is familiar to practitioners of all ages. From childhood until our present-day we use forms of sympathetic magic to send energies toward our heart's desires. Poppets are a type of sympathetic magic. Remember that time Suzy tripped you on the bus and you went home and made all the other dolls be mean to your "Suzy" doll? Who knew you were really dabbling in the dark arts there? So here is a question, did you ever do anything like that and have something similar actually happen later? Just how much energy and emotion were you throwing into that scenario? We'll talk about the power of threefold in a minute. Anyway, That's the idea of sympathetic magic, using a symbolic representation of something you want to manifest in your life. Planting magic is just that and the more things that have the right vibrational energy that you use in your ritual, the more power kick you're going to get. An example is that sure you can plant an oak tree and imagine love growing in your life, but you would have more success picking a tree that represents love, perhaps a lilac, choosing a plant that you have a true passions for and that brings your heart joy every time you look at it, or changing your spell to focus on knowledge and strength. If you are planting an oak tree no matter what, then plan around that. If you are picking a plant around a goal, plan for the goal. Rarely do I plant anything these days without planting a little magic along with it.

...And it harms none "And it harms none, (not even yourself) do what you will." These are the words to live by. Why? you ask? Because whatever energy you send out into the world comes back to you threefold. If you send out negative energy, it will come back and bite you. Positive energies feed positive returns likewise. We've all had those days when we leave the house in a foul mood and everything just goes wrong along our way to work making our morning just much worse. There is quite a good chance that if you were able to stop and change your attitude before you got into the car, things might have been different. When we put out good energies and stay positive, positive energy comes back. So what happens when you have a very negative person you need out of your life? You wish them very good things in faraway places!

This is also a great place to talk about love spells. These are ALWAYS meant to be general and never meant to be directed at a particular person. That interferes with free will. Moreover, if you do direct the energy toward a particular person, and they do find themselves drawn to you then even if your love lasts 50 years, you will always question from time to time if it is real or if it was because of the spell. Drawing certain energy toward you or basically letting the powers that be know that you are ready to accept that energy into your life is enough to draw that to you.

Ingredients Needed Before you begin, gather your ingredients. remember that you can be as simple or as complex as you like. I suggest a minimum of three things to go into your planting hole. I just happen to have a fondness for things in threes and that's why I suggest it to you. Here are some ideas to pull from:

• piece of clothing

• lock of hair (great for health magic)

• crystals

• herbs (don't use salt, or at least not much you will most likely kill your plant)

• handwritten note

• personal belonging

• jewelry

• picture

• coins or metal

• symbols (cross, pentacle, spiral, witches knot, etc)

• colors (cloth, paper or even colored water)

• trinkets

Obviously you will need a shovel of some variety, either to dig a hole or a trowel to move potting soil. You will also need a watering can with water (colored is optional). Timing much of your timing will depend on what you're planting. Some research must go into the plant you are using and how you will be keeping it. once you have that set, then you might want to choose the closest sabbat or new moon (my personal favorite) to do your planting. Time of day can also play a part if you are looking for planetary influence. As I said, you can get as intricate as you want. Myself, I rarely have the time available to me to plan down to the 15 minutes of best planting time. I'm more the "whatever time I can find within the 2-3 darkest days of the month best for the plant I'm working with" sort of girl. Mindset so it might go without saying that mindset has a lot to do with the success of your spell. Put yourself into the correct mindset before you go planting. Be sure to be focused on your outcome with the certainty of a positive outcome. Call upon you PBT (Powers That Be... AKA God as you see him/her/them) to aid you in your request and be sure to ask for their guidance in being able to see signs of growing success. Care Don't choose this type of sympathetic magic if you don't take care of your plants. That's just sort of shooting yourself in the foot. Be sure to tend your plant with care and mindfulness that you are also nurturing your goal. This will reinforce the bond to the plant. Other types of planting magic: Memorial Gardens: As you may know, when we open our storefront we plan on having a memorial garden. What this means is that we will have a garden in which each plant will be planted in memory of a person, to celebrate something, or in thanks to someone or something. I suggest doing this at your home as well. They are great ways of paying respects to our loved ones and showing gratitude to those around us. Birth trees/ birthday trees: Plant a tree when a child is born and take birthday pictures by it each year. Make it a fruit tree and by the time they are eating solid foods (or soon after depending on the size and tree), they will have fruit from their own tree.

Magic gardens Just imagine what you could do with an entire garden and no one but you needs to know. Every perennial you plant, every tree, every time you split up a group of plants you could take a moment and look up what energy that plant represents, then, throw a little energy and maybe a trinket, a written wish or some herbs in the hole and you, my dear are on your way. create a little place for meditation so you can visit your spells and throw a boost of energy their way from time to time. take notice of what animals visit what planted spells and research their meaning. Nurture and enjoy. Now, please excuse me as I have some garden planning to do.

Love, Light, Joy and Blessings!