Pagan Blog Project – week 26 – M#2 – Mugwort

Pagan Blog Project – week 26 – M#2 – Mugwort

Just like moldavite is one of my all-time-favorite crystals, mugwort is one of my all-time-favorite herbs! It was first introduced to me when one of the amazing and talented witches from my alma-mater coven started leading herbal workshops, once a month, for a year. She taught us from the book Herbal Rituals: Recipes for Everyday Living by Judith Berger. While I missed the workshop on mugwort (oops!), everyone else in the group couldn’t stop talking about the greatness of mugwort. This, naturally, grabbed my attention!  

I worked with this herb a few times over the years, using it mostly in dreaming or sleepy charms or spells. A few years ago, one of the girls I was mentoring asked me to do a workshop on mugwort. That’s really when I fully gave myself over to my love-affair with this amazing and magical herb.

Artemisia vulgaris is also known as mugwort, common wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, Old Uncle Henry, sailor’s tobacco, naughty man, Old Man, St. John’s plant, cronewort, hag-weed, and muggons. Aren’t all of those folk names just hilarious and awesome?

When working with an herb for the first time, I like to experience it in as many ways as I possibly can. For the mugwort workshop we burned the herb on a little piece of charcoal, as well as tasting and rubbing the dried leaves. We smelled the smoke, drank the tea, and let the hot steam from the tea wash over her faces. This herb can also be used in infusions, smoking, candles, food, oils, dream pillows, and tinctures. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find any fresh mugwort locally, though I hear it grows everywhere! I really should just grow some for myself, but needing some gives me an excuse to stop by our local occult supply shop (like I need an excuse!)

This herb can be very bitter. Usually I don’t mind the taste when I drink it as an infusion, but the last time I used it I was using a different tea pot and guessed at the amount I should have used. Ew! It was so bitter it was almost undrinkable. But should this happen, just add more hot water to dilute the brew.

Mugwort comes with a few warnings – it’s toxic in large amounts and under prolonged intake, so be careful and use in moderation! It might irritate those with asthma, hay fever, or other allergies, and it is not safe for pregnant mommas or babies!

This herb is said to be unpleasant to mugs and insects, and is often used in protection or banishing charms. Mugwort and iris leaves together outside of homes in Japan to keep evil spirits away (because the spirits don’t like the smell.)

Some use mugwort to get more energy, and some use it for relaxation. Roman soldiers put the herb in their shoes to keep their feet from getting tired, and it is said that taking a mugwort bath helps with achy joints, inflamed herbs, and even emotional tension.

Magically, mugwort is said to give visions, to allow one to live in many worlds at once, and to help with having or remembering dreams. Others use it for lucid dreaming, astral projection, heavy meditation, to open up ancient memories, to open intuition, or to aid in powerful rituals.

Traditionally, incorporating mugwort into a floral crown at midsummer is said to help call to the fairies and to assist vision quests. Store the dried herb with divination tools, or anoint your crystal balls or magic mirrors with an herbal infusion. The oil is also very effective to use on the third eye. The dried herbs can be burned on a piece of charcoal, or burned in a Smudge Stick.

When I want to do some heavy divination or oracular work, I’ll drink a pot of mugwort tea. It tends to make me feel a bit buzzy – like I’m vibrating at a higher or different frequency. I also love to use a mugwort “flying salve” that I got from a witch up in Rhode Island. I tend to put this on my third eye, on my wrists, behind my ears, and at my in-bows – pretty much anywhere where the skin is thin or sensitive. This helps me with dreams sometimes, or to be more intuitive and sensitive to energy within ritual space. The salve isn’t as powerful to me as the tea, however. Aside from sage, mugwort is my favorite herb to burn. It’s a scent and sensation that has become very comfortable and familiar to me, and it’s nice to know that I’ve developed such a good relationship with this herb. Inspiration and intuition comes easier to me when using mugwort, though I usually don’t have wild or crazy dreams. I also sleep very heavily after a pot of mugwort tea, and I wake up feeling very groggy and hung-over, so I don’t use it very often.

The magical properties of mugwort might not work for everyone, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get that awesome third-eye opening tingly feeling! Try it out a few times, and if it doesn’t work, keep on looking for a magical herb that will work for you. Exploring and trying new things is half the fun! 

Pagan Blog Project – week 25 – M#1 – Moldavite

http://www.healingcrystals.com/Moldavite_Crystals.html

Pagan Blog Project – week 25 – M#1 – Moldavite

Moldavite is the perfect stone for a Space Witch like me, and it’s become one of my all-time favorites. It is a magical blend of both heaven and of earth, and isn’t that what being a Space Witch is all about? A Space Witch is of the Earth but dreams of the cosmos, and moldavite encompasses that celestial dream and this earthly realm.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Meteorites

Ranging in colors from dark olive to bright green, moldavite is a special type of glass that resulted from the impact of a meteor in Eastern Europe, probably around 15-million years ago. The giant meteor was so hot that it melted the earth upon impact, shooting big globs of molten stuff in the air. When that stuff cooled, it created a lovely green glass that is a combination of space material and earthly substances. It’s a lot like obsidian, which is also glass created from the super-hot, molten crust of the earth. Moldavite, however, is what was created when the meteor melted the earth and melted into the earth, creating a lovely blend of both realms.  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturalRockShop

The higher quality pieces of moldavite are known for their “fern-like” patterns. When I think of ferns I think of dinosaurs and a time before humans or mammals, a time unlike any of us will ever know.  Moldavite comes from this ancient time, but also holds within it a promise of the future, of outer space, and of our destiny as the human race as we hold Earth to be our home but look to the stars for possibilities.

I have read that one of the Roman Sibyls used a giant slab of moldavite in her rituals. She would perform her rites in a cave sacred to Hecate, and part of the ritual would include a processional presentation of the slab of moldavite. It is said that this meteorite glass represented the Goddess Cybele or Rhea, or a similar Earth Mother/Queen of Heaven. It is also said that the Holy Grail from Christian lore was carved from a piece of moldavite. A very late Gnostic sect, the Cathars, believed that the Holy Grail wasn’t a grail at all, but a mysterious stone from outer space.

http://www.healingcrystals.com/Moldavite_Crystals.html

Magically, moldavite is said to vibrate at an incredibly high frequency. This is said to aid those who want to be in contact with the heavenly realms, though I feel as if it connects one to more than just heaven, but earth as well. It is used in lucid dreaming, astral travel, to connected with one’s angel or spirit guides, and trance work.

Unfortunately I do not have many pieces of moldavite. When it comes to a stone or crystal I really, really want, I shop around forever until the “perfect” piece comes around, which is almost never! I do have a tiny pair of moldavite earrings I splurged on, though, and I wear them when I want a little extra energy and openness to my life - whether I am just running errands or engaging in a powerful ritual. And for special occasions I use some special moldavite incense (Moldavite Incense Sticks - With Real Moldavite Essence) or moldavite oil I have, but I tend to hoard these, saving them only for super special occasions.

http://www.healingcrystals.com/Moldavite_Crystals.html

Artificial oldavite can be made in a lab, so be careful when buying this stone online! Lab-created moldavite is pretty easy to spot – the pock marks are too uniform in placement and shape, the size way too large, and the color not quite right. It looks pretty fake, like plastic, and holds none of the magical properties of the genuine, ancient glass.  

Created over 15-million years ago from a unique meteor impact, moldavite is naturally a very rare glass. I’ve seen it increase in popularity over the years, with pieces being smaller and with more imperfections. Like many of Earth’s precious stones, once moldavite is gone, it’s gone for good.

I find moldavite to be the perfect combination of heaven and earth, the terrestrial and the celestial, the rare and the beautiful. This rare beauty is a perfect addition to any Space Witch treasure chest!

(Interested in buying some moldavite? Message me for a super special coupon code at Healing Crystals!) 

Review: Flying Without a Broom by D.J. Conway

Review: Flying Without a Broom by D.J. Conway

I have no idea why this book has so many positive reviews.  I guess I’m just a hater (though admittedly I tend to be very critical of Pagan and new agey books.)  D.J. Conway is a big name Pagan who has written dozens of titles on dozens of subjects, and astral projection sounds sexy and catchy, so I guess it’s the perfect combination to sell titles.  Conway has nearly 40 years of experience, and I really respect that.  She’s clearly done a lot for the Pagan community.  But buying a book and liking a book are two different things, so while I can see why people would buy this title, I really am flabbergasted as to why so many people like this book.

I borrowed Flying Without a Broom from a friend last summer, and only recently was able to finish it.  This is partly because I’m a very busy person, but also because some parts of this book were just too slow to keep my attention.  It’s not a very long book, just under 200 pages, and the writing style is very simple and conversational.  (Sometimes a bit too conversational to the point where the book seems poorly edited. This is something I have found with a lot of Llewellyn titles, but that’s a post for another day.)

The book starts off with a brief history, myth, and lore concerning astral projection.  Conway then goes to talk about the astral plane.  She discusses techniques, including traveling the astral through sleep and meditation.  Next are a few chapters about the different things one can do while on the astral – time travel, visiting ancient civilizations, meeting spirit guides, healing, and making magic. 

I’ve been reading a lot about the astral realms and astral projection, and I’ve also been talking to dozens of people on the subject.  Everyone’s experience, perceptions, techniques, thoughts, and opinions concerning the astral and astral projection are all very and incredibly different.  I’d caution anyone reading this book to know that Conway’s opinions and experiences are not an end-all and authoritative treatise on the subject.  Her book presents as an UPG (unverified personal gnosis), which is important for readers to realize.

I was on the fence about this book for most of the time I was been reading it.  Some of the advice on astral projection and lucid dreaming seemed interesting enough, and some of it just seemed hippie dippie.  One section really made me incredibly angry, however.  Her section on healing was super fluffy and made me feel very uncomfortable.  I don’t want to make any claims concerning healing on the astral, but I really recommend that people with physical and mental illness see professionals about their problems and not rely only on the astral or a psychic or spirit healer.  I’m not saying that people should deny the power of these things, but people should be safe and sane in regards to their health. 

One passage in particular:  “Some people with very serious problems, such as alcohol and drug addiction, are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to heal.  This is because their problems are not basically emotionally derived. Their main problems stem from a lack of self-discipline and self-mastery.”

This statement is one of the most insensitive, inaccurate things I’ve ever read in a new agey book (and I’ve read a lot, I’m sure.)  Let me tell you, as someone who is in the mental health industry, who is a priestess, and who is a decent human being, this passage made me see red.  Yeah, sure, drug and alcohol addiction are hard problems to heal.  But there are people and agencies and drugs and interventions out there that are evidence-based and are proven to be effective.  Addiction is not impossible to heal, it’s just hard.  Part of an addiction is emotional, and some of it is mental, and some of it is physical, too. 

Her sentence "Their main problems stem from a lack of self-discipline and self-mastery” really made me furious.  Can you imagine if you were an addict you read this sentence? It would probably make someone feel like crap, like they had a moral deficit, like they were a failure.  Addiction is NOT a problem of self-discipline and self-mastery.  It is a sickness.  It is an illness.  It is a physical addiction to a substance, which is something that body needs and craves.

Did you know an alcoholic just can’t stop drinking?  They can’t decide one day to be like “well, I guess I’ll stop drinking.”  The body goes through withdrawals and sometimes that will kill you.  It’s because substances change the body.  Different neural pathways are destroyed and built.  The body chemistry changes.  The way of one’s thinking and feeling changes.  Taking substances changes you.  It’s not a matter of self-mastery or self-discipline.  It’s a matter of existence.  Those who are addicted to substances are existing in a different way than they did before they were addicted to substances.

Furthermore, does she not realize the moral implications of her statement?  That those who abuse substances are weak, that they just need to try harder, that they make mistakes and they’re really just terrible awful people who aren’t even trying?  Substance addiction is a mental illness and there is no shame in a mental illness.  Can you imagine telling a diabetic or someone with PTSD to just “get more self-discipline.”  How devastating to be the person to hear that!

This is why people must be careful about witchy, hippie dippie, new agey “healers.”  These people aren’t healers.  They are charlatans.  They do not have medical, mental health, or substance abuse training.  They just decided to write a book one day and they devote a chapter to “healing” and they don’t know the first thing about healing.  How irresponsible!  I don’t care how many decades of training these people have in Paganism, because their real world radar and experience is skewed and dangerous.  They are doing more harm than good.
This is why I think Pagan “healers” aren’t worth anything if they haven’t had some mundane world training as well.  You can astral travel to Atlantis every night for a decade and it won’t mean anything when dealing with a real sickness like substance abuse.

I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater concerning this book, but I really wonder what use people have gotten out of it.  Has anyone read this book and had a positive experience?  I don’t want to hate D.J. Conway because of one book, but if this is the standard quality of her work, it makes me really curious who her editors are and how she’s managed to publish so much!