Post by Derrick on Jan 1, 2011 20:52:28 GMT -5
Plant Spirits and their Magickal Properties
So I got tired of looking around the internet and simply accepting what correspondance tables I could find, relating to herbs and plants.
I thought, 'There must be some way to find the magickal properties of the plants, directly.'
It was just that, the word direct that started my train of thought. What is more direct then the spirit of the plant itself? I decided that I would journey in the astral plane and find out the spirits of the plants I used, in order that I may learn their magickal properties.
I live with the belief that each person has a different energy, and that their energy interacts with other energy in a way that is unique to the person. With that idea, some people may find sage an excellent herb for cleansing, while others may find it works better (for them at least) as a tool used in matters of the heart, love spells etc.
My philosophy is that everyone is different, and I intended to find the magickal properties of plants, as they pertained to my unique energy.
I started by astral projecting, and journeying into the astral realm. Once there I called out to a specific plant spirit. For an example we will use Stinging Nettle.
I cried out for the spirit of the stinging nettle plant to show me a sigil in which I could use to summon it. After a time an image formed.
Without hesitation I fired the sigil, and was welcomed into a forest.
Now my background in forestry has given me lots of exposure to forests, and it is the primary place I think of when I think of nature. It makes sense I saw myself in a forest, what was interesting was that I was not alone. With me stood a woman.
She was tall, her skin a light olive tone, she was naked, though her privates were cloaked in a light green energy that flowed around her chest and loins. Her hair was long and dark, I can't remember what colour her eyes were.
I've found, having now met with several plant spirits that they appear to me as humans. Whether this is a product of my mind giving the spirit a form I can easier comprehend or the spirits choosing I do not know.
Back to the story.
The woman asked me to walk with her, and she turned and walked hastily down the path we were on in the forest. She was very strong, her steps were sure and long. As we walked I began to ask her questions.
'If I used your plant in rituals, or adorned your sigil on an item, what properties could I expect it to yield?'
The spirit looked to me, still walking but needing not to look at where she was walking.
'Vitality, Reliability, and Inner-Strength.'
I nodded, before I asked her more questions. I asked her how she preferred to be summoned. She told me she would rather be called to less frequently, and have longer talks. Rather then calling/ summoning her frequently for every little question.
I thanked her for telling me about the properties her plant could give.
I returned to the physical plane.
By journeying to spirits, and asking them directly I was able to start creating my person correspondence on plants. I chose to work my favorites first. The whole process was very rewarding.
Although at times it was... interesting. One time I stumbled on some strange spirit while I was questing to meet the spirit of the plant Yarrow. I did battle with it, and it gave to me a sigil. I still have that sigil though I believe it is the summoning sigil of the spirit I encountered. I have no desire to summon a hostile spirit at this time, so the sigil just sits in a note book.
I will say that the spirits can be quite playful. For example the spirit of Spruce, which is a genus of conifer trees appeared to me as a female child, though it was immediately clear she was immensely wise. Rather then stop to talk to me, the spirit evaded me, running around the trees and shrubs that were present in the scene created on the astral plane. I knew the spirit was being playful, but she disappeared before I could catch up, and I still need to journey back to get the magickal properties of the Spruce genus.
It is important to note, that some sigils, like my sigil for the nettle actually contains 2 sigils. The picture above of the nettle sigil is actually the summoning sigil, while the small symbol in the spike (labeled the 'secondary sigil' is the sigil I would use to impart the properties of the nettle on an item or in a spell.
The sigil below is just the summoning sigil for spruce.
~Derrick
Archivist