Wicca 101 – study the plants and their magick! It has been where the study of witchcraft starts for a very long time. No real surprise. Long ago, when the only healing people had was from the natural world, the Wise Women and Wise Men used the plants to heal their people. It was those “witches” who first figured out which plants helped and which ones hurt. They also figured out how to use the plants to the best advantage of that plant, including which ones were just good to eat. I don’t know this for sure, but my guess is that the practical applications came first, then those Wise folk learned the magick that the plants had in them, and that part was added as well.
Back when I first started studying witchcraft, I, too, started with the plants. Then I studied many other things, and those early lessons took a back seat. Oh, I was still a witch and I have always had my witch’s cabinet full of herbs for spell casting. I also love to cook, so my spice cabinet is full. However, I stopped my active research into the magick of plants.
The last year has been a return to the basics. My life is blessed with so many true herbalists, starting with a long time college friend who has created a business from her knowledge of herbs. These wonderful people have opened their knowledge, their homes, their hearts, their gardens to me. And I have remembered the magick of the plants at very deep levels. I am so grateful to those herbalists for guiding me back to the basics.
These days are a little scary for all of us, but on this blessed day, take a look outside. The Earth is once again in full bloom, filling the World with the smells and sights of Spring. Spring is all about New Beginnings and Faith in the future. Take time to think about what you will plant in your life over the next month or so. As for me, those wonderful herbalists have taught me to plant Faith.
