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Notes From the Apothecary: Caraway
Spring is in full swing for many in the northern hemisphere, yet we’re still weeks or even months away from having fruits and seeds to store. That’s why this is the season when many magical and medical herbalists reach for their store cupboards and the trusty dried herbs, fruits, seeds, and spices at their disposal. With that exact goal in mind, I’ve picked out one of my favourite cupboard spices for this issue of Notes from the Apothecary: Caraway, or Carum carvi. The Kitchen Garden Caraway, a member of the carrot family Apiaceae, is a biennial herb. This means it has a two-year growing cycle, and will often only seed…
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Learning Lunar: Moon Magic and Mystery
The Last Quarter Moon The last quarter or third quarter of the moon is the beginning of the end; the final phase before waning all the way to the new moon. In different traditions, it can mean letting go, allowing things to diminish, or even feeling energy diminish within yourself. It can also be the gentle illumination needed for certain types of inner workings, or the reminder that shadow work is an essential aspect of growth, for many. What Does Last Quarter Mean? The moon’s quarter refers to how far along in the cycle of the moon we are. It’s not a reference to shape, as both the first quarter…
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Mindful Souls Subscription Box Review
Mindful Souls I absolutely adore getting subscription boxes, and this one was an impulse buy after seeing the company advertised on Facebook. *Note: This box was not provided free in exchange for review. This review is entirely impartial and the opinion of the author only. Mindful Souls at mindfulsouls.com is a pretty, minimalist website offering crystals, jewellery, and other spiritual wellness products. The one that caught my eye was the Mindful Box, promising “Self-love and self-care” via a monthly subscription of crystals, aromatherapy products, and mindful jewellery. The price was more than I would usually have liked to have paid, but there was a special offer on: Usually £39.99…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Snowberry Snowberry, or Symphoricarpos, is the name for 15 or so shrubs that boast gorgeous white berries. The plant is part of the honeysuckle family, and is also known as waxberry or the beautifully evocative name, ghostberry. The inspiration to write about this plant came from my 13-year-old, who sent me this cute WhatsApp message on his way home (pictured). It’s lovely to be the “go-to” person for plant info, and nice to be able to give some fast advice on a potentially toxic plant! The interesting thing about snowberries is that, while they can be toxic, they’re also used medicinally in some…
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Book Review – The Full Moon Yearbook by Julie Peters
Book Review The Full Moon Yearbook: A Year of Ritual and Healing Under the Light of the Full Moon Written by Julie Peters Illustrated by Lauren Spooner Publisher: David & Charles Pages: 144 Rerelease Date: November 28, 2023 The subtitle for this book is A year of ritual and healing under the light of the full moon, which is bound to be attractive to anyone who follows a spiritual path linked to the moon in any way. I love the moon, and writing about the moon, reading about the moon, and even singing about the moon! So, yeah, I’m pretty excited to read any book that comes out…
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Turning to the Dark – An exclusive poem for PaganPagesOrg by Mabh Savage
Turn to the dark, my love, Shield your eyes from the dying sun’s glare Give me your weathered hands, here Thrust them into my darkening hair Stroke my locks, my love, Twine them in your fingers tight Now you may look, open up, Take your first step into the night. Walk with me, my love, Take each faltering step Seeks the stars, the moon, Find where the secrets are kept. Take a breath of this air, so chill, Watch the ghosts in your steaming sigh, Turn again, this way, up the hill, Let us strive toward the sky. Feel the heart of the cooling Earth Feel the thrum of…
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Notes from The Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Petunias Petunias: Both a beautiful garden flower and a star of the RNA-focused scientific community. Way back in the 1990s, scientists tried to create deep purple petunias by inserting the gene associated with this colour. Instead, the flowers just came out white! Further studies into this led to big discoveries concerning RNA interference and gene silencing, for which scientists Andrew Fire and Craig Mello received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. But it all started with the petunias. Petunia is not a single species, but a genus of flowers that contains around 35 distinct species. They’re all in the Solanaceae family, which also includes…
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Book Review – Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn
Book Review Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn Publisher: Crossed Crow Books Pages: 306 Rerelease Date: June 27, 2023 There are, without a doubt, plenty of books out there on magical herbalism or green witchery. However, this is the first I have spotted specifically singling out the herbs of Iceland in a magical context. As the author notes, while the mysterious-seeming country of Iceland offers many folk tales and hidden beings, the plants of the island aren’t usually picked out as a point of interest. Albert Björn Shiell has neatly corrected that oversight with this animistic, practical, and beautiful book. This book is laid…
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Learning Lunar
Moon Magic and Mystery The Waning Gibbous Moon Welcome back to Learning Lunar, our regular column looking at different phases of the moon and how you can work them into your spiritual practice. For this Samhain edition of PaganPagesOrg, we’re looking at a waning phase of the moon for the first time: The Waning Gibbous Moon. What Does Waning Gibbous Mean? A waning moon is one that appears to be getting smaller each night, eventually culminating in a dark moon or new moon. As soon as the moon becomes full, the days beyond this are considered the time of the waning moon. A waning gibbous moon falls between the…
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Road to Runes
Road to Runes: Making a Rune Set Runes have been used for divination for many years, and are often incorporated into Norse-inspired magic and spiritual practices. While there are many digital tools for drawing runes, it’s normal to want to have a physical set of your own if you want to use them regularly. That way, you can draw a rune wherever you are, even if you’re in the middle of the woods or high up a mountain—although perhaps don’t go as far as to try and use them while hanging from a tree! One of the cheapest and most satisfying ways to get your own runes is…