Tag: materia
-
Ink Making II: Carbon Black Ink Revisited
In the last ink-making post, I shared an experiment making carbon black ink – specifically with vine charcoal. The results were disappointing; the ink was pale, and struggled to flow evenly from a glass dip pen. This time I tried a couple different things. First, I doubled the amount of pigment in the ink, increasing…
-
Materia: Echinacea – Echinacea spp.
Overview Of all the plant medicines in my home, a tincture of echinacea is perhaps the most used. When I wake up with the beginnings of a scratchy throat, or notice that my lymph nodes are swollen, echinacea is the first thing I reach for. It is a plant of resilience and fortification, standing as…
-
Materia: Lemon Balm – Melissa Officinalis
Overview Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb of gentle power, offering profound rejuvenation to body and spirit alike. Its cooling, drying energetics, combined with its uplifting nervine properties, make it a soothing remedy in times of turbulence. It calms the anxious mind, brightens melancholy, and eases digestive discomfort born of stress, embodying the nurturing…
-
Ink Making I: Vine Black Ink
In the last post I discussed something of the theory of ink and ink making. Since then (while taking several weeks hiatus from new posts for the holiday season), I’ve started experimenting with ink making in actual practice. For a first attempt, I wanted to take a shot at preparing one of the oldest and…
-
On Ink and Ink Making
In a previous post I wrote about my fascination with writing as it pertains to magic. An important part of this practice is the creation and use of magical inks. Up to this point, that has involved taking commercial inks and adding my own materia and consecrations to them as appropriate.1 But recently I’ve gotten…
-
Materia: Garlic – Allium Sativum
Overview Garlic is pure Mars. Its essence is one of violent, transformative fire – a potent force that cleanses body and spirit alike. This humble bulb hides within it a warrior’s heart, driving out corruption and restoring vitality. Medicinally, garlic is a protector, its antimicrobial action expelling parasites and infections, invigorating the blood, and dissolving…
-
Glossary of Herbal Preparations
This post is a counterpart to the Glossary of Herbal Actions, found here. In a previous post, we covered herbal actions, this one covers standard herbal preparations. These herbal preparations offer a range of methods for using plants to support health and magical practice. Just as different herbs hold unique properties, the ways we prepare…
-
Glossary of Herbal Actions
This post is a counterpart to the Glossary of Herbal Preparations, found here. In addition to my work with magic, I’ve spent some time studying herbalism – a practice I find complements natural magic wonderfully. Herbs not only provide a source for a wide range of medicinal remedies, they also have a long history of…