{"id":19167,"date":"2018-12-01T01:10:02","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T06:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=19791"},"modified":"2018-11-28T12:18:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-28T17:18:53","slug":"notes-from-the-apothecary-46","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/12\/01\/notes-from-the-apothecary-46\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from the Apothecary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Christmas Cactus<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Oh no, not the C-Word! That\u2019s right, my fellow Pagans, I said it. Christmas. Love it or loathe it, come December the 25th<\/sup>, possible birthday of Dionysus and Mithras (but unlikely to be the birthday of Jesus) the nation, nay, the world goes Christmas mad and we shake our heads. Don\u2019t they know it\u2019s just another solstice celebration? Or at the very most, an adoption of the festivities of Roman Saturnalia? Well, it might surprise you to know that I love Christmas. Yeah, it\u2019s a touch annoying when people deny the Pagan roots, but I\u2019m a sucker for seeing other people happy. And Christmas makes people happy! It also gives its name to some amazing things: Christmas Island, Christmas Jones and of course, the beautiful and exotic Christmas Cactus. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The botanical name is Schlumbergera, chosen by botanist Charles Lemaire (1801-1871) in honour of Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Schlumberger (1823-1893) who was a renowned collector of cacti and succulents.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Kitchen Garden<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Christmas Cacti are generally kept as houseplants as they are native to Brazil and used to this type of climate. In the wild they grow attached to rocks and trees, but they are happy in some well-drained, good quality compost with a bit of grit or sand. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The cacti are normally grown from cuttings and their spikes are barely there, making them resemble a succulent more than a traditional cactus. The leaves are flattish pads and they form chains which eventually erupt into bright and beautiful flowers. They are normally quite happy sharing a large pot with other succulents and cacti as long as it doesn\u2019t become too crowded.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let them have too much direct sunlight. It can damage the leaves. But too little light, and they may never flower. Many schlumbergera flower in winter, making them a wonderful addition to natural holiday decorations, whatever you celebrate.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Witch\u2019s Kitchen<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cacti in general are associated with fire and the south. They are also associated with the zodiac sign of Aries, but Christmas cactus is specifically associated with Sagittarius. Unsurprisingly this plant is associated with the month of December and the festival of Yule or the Winter Solstice. Christmas cacti make a great altar decoration for any festive period, and ones with pink or red flowers are particularly appropriate for the south of your sacred space.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The association with the zodiac sign of Aries can be expanded to include the god Aries, and Mars, Aries\u2019 Roman Equivalent. This lends the Christmas cactus the power of strength, courage but also of conflict and success in battles. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> Sagittarius is another fire sign, but one particularly associated with November and December, the signs time in the zodiac ending around the winter solstice. Sagittarius is the archer, and associated with prophecy and divination. The Christmas cactus, therefore, could be a great tool in meditative divination or prophetic spellwork. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, so the Christmas Cacti could also be a great addition to expansion magic, and lawfully aligned magic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Home and Hearth<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Collect the flowers of your Christmas Cacti before they begin to fade. Let them dry; laying them on some paper in an airing cupboard or a sunny windowsill away from damp is good for this. Place the dried and hopefully colourful flowers in a small, clear jar. Either hang the jar on a thong or chain, or keep it in a pocket when you are going into situations where you need a little more courage. This could be confrontations with friends or family that you are nervous about, or perhaps raising a grievance in the workplace. The energy of Mars will walk with you, and the balance of a very hardy plant.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I Never Knew\u2026<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For those who enjoy growing succulents and cacti, the adorable name for baby succulents is pups!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

All images from Wikipedia.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Mabh Savage<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She is the author of\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> and\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Pagan Portals \u2013 Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors on Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways on Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Christmas Cactus \u00a0Oh no, not the C-Word! That\u2019s right, my fellow Pagans, I said it. Christmas. Love it or loathe it, come December the 25th, possible birthday of Dionysus and Mithras (but unlikely to be the birthday of Jesus) the nation, nay, the world goes Christmas mad and we shake our heads. Don\u2019t they know it\u2019s just another solstice celebration? Or at the very most, an adoption of the festivities of Roman Saturnalia? Well, it might surprise you to know that I love Christmas. Yeah, it\u2019s a touch annoying when people deny the Pagan roots, but I\u2019m a sucker for seeing other people happy. And Christmas makes people happy! It also gives its name to some amazing things: Christmas Island, Christmas Jones and of course, the beautiful and exotic Christmas Cactus. The botanical name is Schlumbergera, chosen by botanist Charles Lemaire (1801-1871) in honour of Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Schlumberger (1823-1893) who was a renowned collector of cacti and succulents.   The Kitchen Garden \u00a0Christmas Cacti are generally kept as houseplants as they are native to Brazil and used to this type of climate. In the wild they grow attached to rocks and trees, but they are happy in some well-drained, good quality compost with a bit of grit or sand. The cacti are normally grown from cuttings and their spikes are barely there, making them resemble a succulent more than a traditional cactus. The leaves are flattish pads and they form chains which eventually erupt into bright and beautiful flowers. They are normally quite happy sharing a large pot with other succulents and cacti as long as it doesn\u2019t become too crowded. Don\u2019t let them have too much direct sunlight. It can damage the leaves. But too little light, and they may never flower. Many schlumbergera flower in winter, making them a wonderful addition to natural holiday decorations, whatever you celebrate.   The Witch\u2019s Kitchen Cacti in general are associated with fire and the south. They are also associated with the zodiac sign of Aries, but Christmas cactus is specifically associated with Sagittarius. Unsurprisingly this plant is associated with the month of December and the festival of Yule or the Winter Solstice. Christmas cacti make a great altar decoration for any festive period, and ones with pink or red flowers are particularly appropriate for the south of your sacred space. The association with the zodiac sign of Aries can be expanded to include the god Aries, and Mars, Aries\u2019 Roman Equivalent. This lends the Christmas cactus the power of strength, courage but also of conflict and success in battles. Sagittarius is another fire sign, but one particularly associated with November and December, the signs time in the zodiac ending around the winter solstice. Sagittarius is the archer, and associated with prophecy and divination. The Christmas cactus, therefore, could be a great tool in meditative divination or prophetic spellwork. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, so the Christmas Cacti could also be a great addition to expansion magic, and lawfully aligned magic.   Home and Hearth Collect the flowers of your Christmas Cacti before they begin to fade. Let them dry; laying them on some paper in an airing cupboard or a sunny windowsill away from damp is good for this. Place the dried and hopefully colourful flowers in a small, clear jar. Either hang the jar on a thong or chain, or keep it in a pocket when you are going into situations where you need a little more courage. This could be confrontations with friends or family that you are nervous about, or perhaps raising a grievance in the workplace. The energy of Mars will walk with you, and the balance of a very hardy plant.   I Never Knew\u2026 For those who enjoy growing succulents and cacti, the adorable name for baby succulents is pups! All images from Wikipedia. *** About the Author: Mabh Savage\u00a0is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist. She is the author of\u00a0A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors and\u00a0Pagan Portals \u2013 Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways. A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors on Amazon   Pagan Portals – Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways on Amazon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19167\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}